Thai/Cambodia Border

Four and a half hours after you first stepped onto the bouncing bus, you come to the terminal station, Aranya Prathet. Once thought to have brought you directly to the border, you are now faced with an additional Tuk Tuk ride. Through the dusty town, the trustworthy, woman, chauffeur drives you. Finally, you come to a tin roofed building with two unofficial looking lads waiting for your arrival. The other Thai’s onboard the bus are nowhere to be seen. It’s just you, and a German couple, apparently waiting for a Cambodian Visa. The man, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans informs you of the procedure. “You must fill this form out, and since you don’t have passport photos there will be an additional fee”. As you fill out the informal sheet of paper, suspicions rise. You decide to play into their game, and inform them you will come back if you need this particular visa once you get to the border. The man warns against it, and as you crawl back into the Tuk Tuk, he yells back at you “You’ll regret it, and when you do come back I make you pay extra!!”



Scam averted.


Once at the conciliate, you pay the visa fee, receive the official visa in your passport and continue on. (You learn later this was an unnecessary step, as the border does indeed issue every correct visa you need).


The border itself is bustling with activity. Some seem to simply walk through with food stalls, backpacks, and children in hand, paying no attention to any government official, or particular line. Others line up for visa stamps at the ‘immigration’ counter. Once inside the river of border crosees, you are wary of pickpockets. A couple attempts to unzip your pack, but your peripherals are on high alert.

Pick Pocket averted.

The pedestrian traffic is thick, the sun is going down and you no longer have currency or any grasp of language. Incessant taxi drivers nearly pull your pack off in an attempt to win your business. Their friends, who smell like booze, inform you that they are security guards and warn against taking the bus.  Lucky there is strength in numbers, and thank god for meeting another American couple. With a combined effort to negotiate a fair price, you're off on the 2.5 hour ride to Siem Reap ($30)

Expensive cab averted.

 Welcome to Cambodia.