Comments on: The Joys of Border Crossing

By: sending postcards

sending postcards — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:39:45 +0000

Yikes! This sounds worse than Luxor.. and I thought it was bad there. I was actually getting irritated as I read this. Anyway, love your site… I’m just about to head out on an around-the-world trip… I think your posts will be extremely helpful!

By: anne

anne — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:13:44 +0000

Good for you all for standing your ground against corruption –somehow I am not surprised! Love the picture I can tell you all are having a great adventure

By: nomadicmatt

nomadicmatt — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:50:39 +0000

when you come from vietnam into cambodia, its 20 dollars. no bribe. On the thailand side, its the 1000 baht because so many people go through there.

in the end, i don’t care. You can hassle and argue but 3 dollars isn’t that much and, at the end of the day, the guy still needs it more than you do. That immigration guy isn’t make much money and that bribe is shared with everyone in the department.

anyways, cambodia is amazing. make sure you go down south to the beaches and up north for some hiking. When you stay in phenom phen, head lakeside for cheap accommodation, an all you can eat Indian place for 2 dollars, and the drunken frog bar- a great place to hang out!

By: Jeff

Jeff — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:02:39 +0000

Cindi – we ended up hiring a taxi for $30. The “tourist bus” was $10 each and a shared taxi was $13 each with four people. We just paid a bit more and went now now. The whole city is one big scam and we didn’t feel we could trust anyone, but so go the border towns. In additional hassle related matters, we got up at 4:30 AM to catch the train, only to come to understand it wasn’t leaving. Sure, everyone said it wasn’t going heading into the train station, but it actually wasn’t going. We were shocked. So then we had to head to the bus station and pay quite a bit more. Oh well.

By: Audrey

Audrey — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 05:00:27 +0000

We were just talking with a British couple the other day about the corruption at this border crossing. We entered Cambodia from Vietnam along the Mekong Delta and had no problems, but they entered at Poipet and had the same deal (I think they paid the 100 Baht). I’m sorry to hear this is the norm.

But, the rest of Cambodia is lovely. The people are warm and resilient, which is kind of a miracle considering all that they went through under the Khmer Rouge. If you have a chance, take the boat to Battambang from Siem Reap and take a ride on the back of a motorbike around the villages. This was the highlight of our visit to Cambodia. Also, the cooking school in Battambang – Smoking Pot – is a lot of fun and very inexpensive. Enjoy!

By: Cindi

Cindi — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:54:33 +0000

I am interested to hear how you get from Poipet to Siem Reap – because that was probably the WORST border crossing and transport of our entire journey. I wish you all the best! Hopefully you can outsmart them better than we could!

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:11:08 +0000

Great post! Border crossings really do make for some frustrating moments (at the time) but good stories to look back on.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:48:33 +0000

Bribes, thieves and pay-offs! Are you all sure you haven’t arrived in Frankfort, KY?!

I really enjoyed Phil’s comments. Thank you!

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:37:08 +0000

and that…is Thailand. Once you get away from the tourist strongholds, the people are aazing. If they wear a uniform (other than a school one), I wouldn’t trust them. With all the political unrest, it is probably worst than when I was there. However, just stick to your guns, never accept the first, second or third offer. Make taxis use their meters. Do not accept free drinks on a bus or train. Trust Lonely planet more than other traveler recommendations. You have no idea how many westerners are in cahouts with the locals there. At the end of the day, keep your perspective. It is only money and a desperate society. Also, in thailand…a girl is not always a girl, a good deal usually isn’t and a “happy ending” has nothing to do with a fairy tale

By: franny

franny — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:51:33 +0000

Loved this post!! Such a frustrating part of travel but good on you for standing your ground. It’s important for us all to try and do that, so they don’t start overcharging every foreign face that crosses their paths.