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In the next few days I'm making the crossing at Aranyaprathet, and I'm really struggeling to work it out
how long does it take to get from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet by bus in the morning?
can I avoid staying in poi pet in cambodia?
where the fuck does a non-american get US dollars in bangkok without getting ripped off; it's two currency conversions compounded at very unfavorable rates.
what is the actual process at the border, I hear it's a nightmare but a lot the information I find is badly outdated
where do you board the truck to the border
how do you ensure you arn't scammed (or not too badly)
I hear they don't stamp your passport properly, demand more than the official rate under a number of pretenses, demand you board a expensive chartered bus, and any number of other scams
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>>1236419
heard the thai cambodian border is really hectic and they'll try to overcharge you for the cambodian visa, i don't know because i crossed to cambodia from laos which was a smooth ride just paid a dude like 3 dollars and he did all the visa shit, the immigration didn't even see me, i crossed the country without a passport with me.
As for the dollar situation your best bet is to exchange your bahts in cambodia for dollars or rials, both currencies are interchangable and literally everyone uses dollars for some reason in cambodia
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>>1236419
when I was travelling, the wikivoyage article turned out to be pretty up to date. Not sure about now.
Anyway, anything that pretends to be a Cambodian visa before you were stamped out of Thailand is a scam.
In Cambodia, if there's free bus to the bus station, just walk about 800 meteres down the road, the bus/shared taxi station is there.
there's really no need to stay in poi pet
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>>1236489
> if there's free bus
if there's NO free bus
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>>1236419
I did this journey a few months ago, basically it's all chilled out and you don't have much to worry about because anything that could go wrong is out of your control.
The Thais on the border seem to be pretty good in most regards so chill out about that side, the cambodians will likely try to fuck you around if you are a woman/american/look like a pussy.
If this is the case then they will ask you for a bribe or extra money, if this happens you can say "sorry sir I only have the money for the visa" if you don't have to pay or "sorry sir I don't have any notes or coins with me". If you say "I don't pay bribes" they'll lose their shit for insinuating their shithole coountry's dumb cunt border force is corrupt as fuck. I once met a guy who claimed to have been taken to a different room and been shown pictures of the US bombings in the 70s an was then asked for $30 to become friends again. But that guy was dumb as fuck so just don't look like a dumbcunt.
Spend a bit more money on getting a decent bus service, ideally you want one that waits around at the border for a bit incase you get held up. Buses regularly leave without their customers so for this reason don't leave anything on the bus. Also don't be autistic and make some m8s on the bus. That way if something goes wrong you're less likely to get super fucked.
You will have to walk through no mans land which is filled with chink casinos, beggers and scammers. Keep an eye on your bags and don't let any cunt other than the border guards in their faggot border booth touch your passport and even then don't let them hang onto it for too long.
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>>1236419
Go to Siam exchange or Super Rich for currency exchange in Bangkok. The rate is quite good, less than 1% difference between buy and sell.
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I hate Cambodian border crossings
>pay 2$ for exit stamp :^)
>pay 2$ extra on top of Visa fee for "Employee Commision" :^)
>pay 2$ for entry stamp :^)
Sometimes you can argue and they will let you through without the scam but most of the time they will just flat out refuse to let you go through. Most of the time I dont even argue because 6-10 dollars extra is nothing to get through the border smoothly. I still hate getting scammed though. One time a guy who was on out bus at the Laos-Combodia border crossing kept refusing to pay the bribes and they threatened to tear up his passport, he ended up paying.
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>>1236419
Just do a bit of background on where stuff is and how much it costs. Walk straight to the obvious border office and ignore the touts/scammers.
I second the Cambodian side being sketchier when I crossed. That no-man's land seemed to me to be a place where you wouldn't want to linger.
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>>1236419
Forgot to address your other question regarding process - you will basically walk for a few minutes over a bridge and through a disorganised intersection until you get to this awning-building where you present your passport to an official who (hopefully) stamps it with no problem. You then walk along a gated pathway and into the second/third floor of a more official building where you wait in a line to get your thai entry stamp
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Why are cambodians so shit? I was told that they were happy free people but actually they seem like cunts.
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>>1236803
they are outside siem reap, phnom penh and borders
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>>1236805
same story everywhere
the tourism industry in asia seems to poison the locals
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>>1236803
Honestly even in those cities the people arent that bad. If you are a tourist they may try to overcharge you a few dollars for things but I dont think that makes them cunts. A few dollars is a cup of coffee for us but its a lot for them. I would probably do the same.
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>>1236419
update:
got across border
turns out if you
A. catch the public bus, the REAL PUBLIC BUS not the fake one in bangkok bus station
B. take a 5bt truck stat stops like a meter from there to immigration
C. pay the extra 3$ bribe at the border
got a taxi into sier reap for 35$, which is way too much but the people I was with just took the asked price and threw their bags in before I could stop them
considering re-writing the wikivoyage article so there is a simple "how to", rather than an extensive and unconnected series of notes on the scams
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