travelgrove Reviews
 

Traveling to Siem Reap, Cambodia

 
    Siem Reap's map
MadSuh's pictureby MadSuh review
added on 10th of September, 2007

I woke up a bit dizzy from last night’s adventure and really had a hard time getting up. It’s always a pain when you are traveling with a headache and a strange feeling in your stomach. Anyhow, I managed to get a cab to the bus station. There are a couple of big bus stations in Bangkok and I was lucky enough that the cab driver knew which one to go to. I got on the bus at 11:30; not a nice bus this time but good enough and with air con. The roads were much better and even though my stomach was not really good, I had no trouble at all. I met a Canadian in the bus and we quickly decided that we would team up and travel together. It’s what everybody; you save money and you somehow feel safer.

We reached the final stop at around 4pm and from this city Aranyaprapet to the border it was only about 10 minutes by Tuc Tuc. We teamed up with a guy from Laos who was doing a Visa run. A Visa run is basically a quick run to the border and back because your visa expires after some time (30 days in Thailand).Anyhow, we were close to the border and the Taxi already stopped to buy a Visa a bit earlier. I had read online that you shouldn’t do that because you’d get ripped off, so I told the guy that we wanted to keep going. We naturally felt smart, but you have no chance when you go there the first time, the scammers will catch you somehow.

So this is how it worked out for us. First off we stopped right ahead of the border, we were told that they do the Visa for you, which they do. Then they helped us fill out the paper work. The price we paid was 1200 Baht for the Visa and 200 Baht fine for not having a picture. I had to go to the bathroom and a guy actually escorted me there. He told me that he would drive me there because it’s a a couple hundred meters. Also when we said that we wanted to go eat, they even offered us free food, just so we would not be picked up by competing scammers I assume. So the guy drove me to the bathroom on the scooter and then I told him that I would walk back. He insisted to drive me but I still managed not to hop on. Because of this, I was able to actually see an official office briefly and asked for the price of a Visa. They told me that it’s 1200 Baht without a photograph, so I am comforted a bit and felt that I was not getting ripped off.

The trouble began after this, if you want to call it trouble. First we were told that there were barely any ATMs in Siem Reap and it’s hard to pick up cash at all, so you need to get Thai Baht before entering the country. Anyhow, we picked up plenty of Thai Baht. There are plenty of ATMs in Siem Reap, but they want you to get Thai Baht and you’ll see why. After picking up the cash, one guy helped us across the border, basically escorting us to his friend/brother etc. who is a taxi driver. They offered us the best rate, which is $45 but then again because they never leave you alone, you can’t really compare that rate. There are two buses per day from Poipet (the border town) to Siem Reap and because they leave much earlier, these guys only show up at the border later during the day, and catch the tourists that do not have a choice. Once across the border the guy who walked with you demands a $5 tip and then you hop in the car. About 100 meters later he pulls over and tells you to exchange money “very cheap”. You can imagine how cheap it is, when that’s his uncle or some other clan member. We kept driving and told him that we did not want to exchange. He’ll get that money anyway, because if he converts the Baht to dollar, he will simply get you a bad rate. Ivan had plenty of dollars, so we did not fall for that trap. Driving to Siem Reap was quite a ride. There is so much poverty and the road is practically a big dirt trail that has some very deep holes. I have no idea how that Toyota Camry from Japan was holding up. The driver explained to us that no other car could survive that road, he apparently had tried a Land Cruiser and that didn’t work. He said that Jeeps would break and even the US version of the Camry would fall apart. Like I said, I have no clue how that car did not break down. After about 2 hours, he pulled over and we stopped at someone’s shop, probably another place he gets commissions from when he brings people. Before we arrived in Siem Reap, we were told that he would take us to a hotel and we should just use the Internet briefly and look at the room, then he would get a commission. Anyhow, at the end we arrived a bit exhausted from the trip, it took 4 hours from Poipet to Siem Reap and the road was amazingly bad. The hotel we were driven to was actually alright and because we were tired, we did not look at other places. The taxi driver again received his nice tip, some 5 bucks and then finally we could relax in the room a bit before going out. The interesting part of this is not that you are getting ripped off terribly, it’s just that it’s really amazing how once you have entered their little circle they take over and make the decisions for you, they come talking to you so fast that you have no chance to react and you are basically taken to as many places as possible where you can leave some dollars. Very smart guys and very well organized…

 

Things about Siem Reap you may be interested in

 
 
Amazing Thailand - overview

1. Aug 18, 2007 Arriving back to Bangkok (Bangkok)  (* 13)
2. Aug 19, 2007 A little more of Bangkok (Bangkok)  (* 31)
3. Aug 20, 2007 Still in Bangkok (Bangkok)  (* 31)
4. Aug 21, 2007 Adventures in Ao Nang (Muang Krabi)  (* 7)
5. Aug 22, 2007 Railay Beach - Nice Place (Ban Khlong Yang)  (* 63)
6. Aug 23, 2007 The best beaches and islands of Thailand (Krabi)  (* 87)
7. Aug 24, 2007 A quick stop and great food in Surat (Surat)  (* 11)
8. Aug 25, 2007 Koh Tao - My favorite Thai island (Ko Phangan)  (* 72)
9. Sep 4, 2007 From Koh Tao via Chumpon to Bangkok (Bangkok)  (* 52)
10. Sep 5, 2007 Back again in Bangkok (Bangkok)  (* 185)
11. Sep 9, 2007 Traveling to Siem Reap, Cambodia (Siem Reap)
12. Sep 10, 2007 Siem Reap, like in the tales (Siem Reap)  (* 71)
13. Sep 12, 2007 Experiencing Angkor Wat (Puok)  (* 204)
14. Sep 13, 2007 Great days in Phnom Penh (Phnom Penh)  (* 81)
15. Sep 14, 2007 Adventurous vacation in Sianoukville (Sihanoukville)  (* 39)

Start from beginning1 - 15          Journal overview


Siem Reap, like in the tales
 
 
 
guides

Recommended Phnom Penh Guide

Phnom Penh History

Phnom Penh, the capital and the largest city of Cambodia is nowadays a flourishing cultural, economic and political centre, showing less and less signs of its rich but rather tormented history. Phnom Penh is also called the Pearl of Asia, as it is among the most picturesque tourist destinations in Asia, on par with cities such as Bangkok, Mumbai or Karachi. Once a French colony, Phnom Penh bears the mark of a mixed heritage, a twinning of the East and the West. The city’s beautiful French colonial architecture helps emphasise the traditional charm of Khmer buildings. Many of the city’s attractions and monuments are mementos of its... Read more »

 
 
reviews

Recent reviews for Siem Reap

Siem Reap, like in the tales - Sep 10, 2007, by MadSuh
Arriving late in Siem Reap did not give us too many choices. I was a bit hungry so I decided to stop over at the little market across the street and have some dinner. Bad mistake, it seems like the food in Cambodia may not be as clean as it... Read more »

 
 

More reviews you might be interested in

Augsburg reviews - Germany
Was a very interesting digging site with exceptionable findings. I'm an archeologist by profession, so I am very passionate about such things. It...
Augsburg adventures

Dusseldorf reviews - Germany
Wo liegt Düsseldorf? Düsseldorf ist die Hauptstadt von dem Bundesland Nordrhein-Westfalen in Deutschland. Ca. 600 Tausend Einwohner hat...
Was zu wissen über Düsseldorf

 

Konstanz reviews - Germany
Konstanz is a nice city, lying directly to the lake of Konstanz, called the Bodensee. That already offers you a nice scenery, you can enjoy at one...
Many possibilities in Konztanz

Leeds reviews - United Kingdom
Leeds is the biggest business city in Yorkshire. There are many nice restaurants and lots of shoppingcenters and shopping streets! If you like...
What you should know about Leeds

 

Ostia Antica reviews - Italy
Ich wachte schon sehr früh auf. So gegen 9.00 Uhr.Fillipo war bei der Arbeit. Caro war auch schon wach. Der Rest schlief noch. Weil ich nicht...
Den Stranden von Ostia

Tokyo reviews - Japan
Japan - Tokyo March to May is spring time and the most popular season. September to November and is also a great time to travel however winter...
Weather forecast for Asia

 

Isla Mujeres reviews - Mexico
Isla Mujeres, the Island of Women, is one of the natural treasures of Mexico, is a dreamlike place, a truly paradise. This wonderful island...
Paradise on Earth in Mexico

Jacksonville reviews - Florida
Population: 16 million Major Airports: Miami International Airport - Miami (MIA), Fort Lauderdale International Airport - Forth Lauderdale...
How to get ahead in Florida

 

Laguna Beach reviews - California
I used to leave in Lake Forest, and this really seemed to be one of the best places to hang out at during the weekend. There are great places to...
Refreshing days in Lake Forest, CA

Vail reviews - Colorado
Ski Cooper also referred to as “the Coop” by the connoisseurs is situated about 20 miles south of Vail, close to Copper Mountain, in...
White snow and stunning views in Ski Cooper, CO

 
 
 
   Welcome to Travelgrove  register tell a friend bookmark it 
 
 
*