Skip to main content

Land border crossing from Thailand to Cambodia

After a month it was time to leave Thailand for a few weeks. As we are not in a hurry we decided to take the scenic coach option from Bangkok to Siem Reap in Cambodia. 

Land border crossings can be a mixture of excitement and stress for any traveller. With Covid and other circumstances, getting from Bangkok to Siem Reap is not easy unless you fly. And that is an expensive option. 

Often when you are dropped at one land border you need to find your onward transport once through the next border. You are faced with the onslaught of taxi drivers wanting to charge you extortionate prices because they know you have zero public transport options. 

We used Giant Ibis in Bangkok who were a little more expensive (€40pp) but they get you from point to point without leaving you behind at the border 😀. 

As part of their fee they can arrange your visa on arrival before the border crossing and are on hand if there are any issues.  We had already paid for our eVisa ($40) so it was a matter of crossing. 

Once you get through the Thai border you walk across 'no man's land' to the Cambodian border Poipet and up some stairs to immigration.  Apart from a fifteen minute queue we went straight through immigration. George even got a salute on his way through (goodness knows who they think he is 😂) 

We left Bangkok early at 8am and eight hours later reached our destination in Siem Reap 😴

We were met by our tuk tuk driver who took us to our hotel for a seven night stay. 

#giantibis #siemreap #bangkok
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sri Lanka: the highs and lows of a month long trip

After a month of exploring Sri Lanka, we've packed our bags, ready to head back to the UK. I want to share some of the highs and lows of our adventure. Highlights Cheap : Our British pounds stretched remarkably far and we only  spent a total of  £1440 per person. The breakdown: £750 - Etihad indirect flights (1.5 hour stop off in Abu Dhabi)  £690 - Bed & Breakfast, dinner, all transport (bus, train, taxi), cultural entrance fees, hospital treatment, laundry and grocery shopping.  The People : Incredibly warm and hospitable, very friendly and eager to help. They really enjoyed stopping for a friendly chat on the street, and we felt genuinely welcomed as English tourists. Scenery : The views were breathtaking, particularly the hill country from a train.  Weather : Consistently hot and sunny. To avoid the intense heat, we found it best to travel very early morning.  Lovely Beaches : Beautiful and clean, though the steep drop off and powerful waves made sw...
Post a Comment
Read more

Big Buddha

This week I visited Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen in Bangkok. The temple dates back to the Ayutthaya period, but a lot of what you see today is newer. The most striking feature is the massive Buddha statue (about 69m tall), completed in 2021, made of bronze and visible from quite far away. There’s also a large stupa (around 80m high) with detailed interiors, glass, green tones, and a central crystal structure. Getting there is easy via the MRT Blue Line or taxi. Definitely worth a visiting if you're exploring the Thonburi side of Bangkok.
Post a Comment
Read more

Onwards from Sigiriya to Galle

Our journey from Sigiriya to historic Galle was a tale of two trains – one a nostalgic throwback, the other a test of endurance.  We began our day by heading to Habarana train station. H abarana, like many stations in Sri Lanka, felt like stepping back in time.  The ticketing process was entirely manual, with a gentleman appearing just before departure to issue tickets – cash only, of course!  Another employee manually lowered the crossing barrier.  Our previous train journeys in second class had been comfortable, but this 5.5 hour trip to Colombo was a different story. The seats were grimy, and the heat was stifling. We were thankful to finally pull into Colombo, an hour behind schedule, which meant we missed our connection. Luckily, we only had an hour's wait before boarding a new second-class carriage to Galle.  This train was a marked improvement, and we settled in for the final leg of our journey along the coast.  Galle city is a UNESCO heritage site, ...
Post a Comment
Read more