Nice long bus journey

Up early again - 6am pickup for the bus to take me to Vietnam. Bus didn't come until 6.30 so just sat there vaguely awake while some Filipino's tried to eat breakfast next to me. A minivan arrived and took me along with random other people from random other guesthouses to the main bus depot. Passed by an early morning veg. market - total caos. As was the bus station. Got on the bus with hundreds of mosquitos. I thought I'd have a nice seat with just a small Cambodian lady sitting next to me but just as we got moving she got up and a really tall Indian guy sat down. So I was nicely squashed for the next few hours. The first leg was to Phomh Peng. We were handed out a little breakfast kit just like on a plane and as we munched down we could look out on all the straw stilt houses and signs for "Cambodian People's Party" every few hundred metres. Came across a viscious car crash - could see the crumpled wreckage out my window. Couldn't see any victims from where I was standing but judging from the gasps coming from the other side of the bus they were over there. After a few hous we had a break at a real crap hole of a place where everyone reluctantly used the toilet. We arrived at the capital after 1pm and those of us continuing on were herded into a waiting room. Visa nonsense. Some Danish guys lost their ticket. Waiting. Got on another bus after half an hour, another in-flight snack, another passenger to big for the seat next to me. As we left the capital I briefly glimpsed Cambodian style temples and buildings but nothing really to make me regret skipping the place. Crossed the Meikong river a few hours later. Another stop in the middle of nowhere, I got out to stretch my legs and almost got run over by a guy driving an engine on four weels. Literally just an engine. Got to the vietnam border after 5pm and immediately we crossed over the land started to get a little greener and the road improved a little. We were enveloped by the sprall of Saigon about an hour later and even from the bus you could see how crazy the place was; scooters everywhere, driving in every direction, constantly honking. When I got off it was near 8pm and I didn't know where we were or where my guesthouse was. Right there is an invitation to be ripped off by a taxi driver and of course I was. My guesthouse turned out to be down some really dodgy looking street, then down some dodgy looking alley where doors and windows opened onto the floors of homes; people sprawled everywhere half naked, eating or sleepig. Once inside though my room turned out to be pretty cool, and there's a free breakfast!