Posted by geemiz | Posted in Byahe International, Cambodia, Thailand | Posted on 14-06-2013
Tags: Bangkok, Siem Reap
This is the final post of my crossing the border in my 26th birthday series. I left you in the last post where in we reach the border of Aranyaprathet.
How to cross Cambodia from Thailand?
We reach the border around 1:00 in the afternoon. Like other tourists, we walk straight to Thailand immigration for our passport stamp. I thought it would be just an easy line but it turned out to be one long and humid line. My tip for you when you are planning to land trip cross country is bring a lot of water and patience with you because you will be in line for more than an hour. Also try not to cross border from Thailand to Cambodia on weekends because Thai goes to the border to gamble making the line much longer.
walking to Thailand immigration
The Immigration Process
We are in the line for like an hour and no time to complain because everyone is fair standing waiting for their turn in the immigration. I just busied myself watching other travelers from the different parts of the world, and I have observed that most of them are European and American and we are the only Asian tourist in the line, joking there are also Koreans, yes they are really everywhere in the planet.
“You Philippine we same same ” that was what the Cambodian man told us, he is from I think a travel agency because he is leading a group of European tourist in the line. You will always hear this phrase from the locals in Cambodia when they talk to Filipinos and for me it is flattering being accepted by them.
It was our turn in the immigration and the stamping of the passport is just a blink of an eye and we proceeded to Cambodia immigration. As a reminder never go with people telling you to get a visa and pay for an entry because Filipinos do not need visa in Thailand and Cambodia and the crossing is totally free.
Welcome to the Kingdom of Cambodia
Another 1 hour and more line in Cambodia immigration. If you do not want to line there are fixers that cost 200 baht but I personally do not tolerate fixers so I discourage you to entertain them. Besides the line is tolerable and it is not that hot because there is a huge hotel that serves as a shade.
After passports are checked, we directly went to the shuttle station where we wait for the free shuttle that will bring us to the bus station. In the shuttle station is a liquor stand where in they are selling cheap liquors. Of course, the boys immediately tried the famous AngkorWat Beer and bought 2 other drinks Baileys and jegermeister that cost around 700 baht each.
Liquor stall in shuttle waiting area
The shuttle brings us to a bus station going to Siem Reap and we buy an aircon bus ticket costing $9 each. Do not expect too much from their air-conditioned bus and personally, the fare is too much for the convenience of your ride. Did I tell you that aside from the 2 Koreans we are the only hobbit I mean Asian in the bus.
Bus to Siem Reap
We are expecting a 3 hour travel time but it took us 4 hours to reach Siem Reap. Well we had one stop for dinner ( will have a separate post for Cambodia food trippin ) and our driver drives really slow. Maybe because the road is so dark, no street lamps available the only light you will see aside from the bus and other few vehicles are the fire from the kaingin in the overly plain empty field in which your only view during the duration of your travel.
Tuktuk ride courtesy of Bousavy Guest House
We reach Siem Reap 9:00 pm and instead of dropping us all in the bus terminal we are all drop in a place near Kingdom of Cambodia Hotel and told to ride a tuktuk for our final destination. Another reminder never seat at the very back of the bus and as much as possible never place your bag in the trunk of the bus because when you reach Siem Reap the driver will not get your bags so you will have to get your own bag. In our experienced we seated at the back most part of the bus and place our bag in the trunk so we ended up getting all the bags for the passengers and imagine how big the bags are of most backpackers. Anyway, one good thing is that the guesthouse where we will be staying has free transport and kind enough to fetch us. I may not celebrated my birthday with cakes, drinks and fancy foods but the experience of traveling 3 countries is just amazing.
Refreshment and wet towel upon reaching guest house
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