Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ACCOMMODATION
Homestays
Banteay Chhmar village
T
012 435660,
W
visitbanteaychhmar.org.
Although you can visit
Banteay Chhmar on a day-trip from Sisophon, the local
community also provides comfortable and well-run
homestays in the village. It's best to arrange them in
advance, although you may be able to set up something on
the spot by visiting the Community Bas
ed
Tourism (CBT)
o
ce just south of the temple on NR56A.
$7
Poipet
Arriving from Bangkok at the dusty border town of
POIPET
provides the worst possible
introduction to Cambodia - mainly thanks to the hassle-ridden border crossing, which
has become mildly notorious thanks to the various low-grade scams practised upon
new arrivals. The town itself has boomed massively in recent years thanks to the raft of
casinos
set up for Thai visitors (gambling is illegal in Thailand), and the glitzy duty-free
casino zone next to the border is effectively a slice of foreign territory on Cambodian
soil, with Thai the predominant language and baht the currency of choice. Away from
the casinos the town remains a flyblown and faintly dismal sort of place, and one that
most travellers choose to escape as rapidly as possible.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
2
POIPET
possible, since onward transport dries up significantly after
noon, and if you cross after 5pm you may find yourself stuck
in town for the night. Crossing the border itself, be aware of
various visa- and money-related scams (see box below).
FROM THAILAND
The
border crossing
The crossing at Poipet (daily
7am-8pm) is the main transit point between Cambodia
and Thailand. Coming from Thailand, try to arrive as early as
POIPET BORDER SCAMS
The following are just some of the most entrenched scams - which may well have evolved
into new forms by the time you read this - so have your wits about you when entering
Cambodia. Keep a beady eye on your possessions, too, as petty theft and pickpocketing is
common.
VISAS
Cambodian visas
are issued on arrival at the border at a cost of $20 (bring one passport
photo, or you may be charged an extra 100 baht in order to have your passport photo
scanned; pay in dollars rather than baht, or again the fee may inflate). Ignore any touts or
tuk-tuk drivers who might try to “help” you obtain your visa, no matter how legitimate they
might look (including those posing as o
cials with fake ID badges and so on) - if pressed, just
say you already have a visa. And avoid any attempts to lure you into the semi-spurious
“Cambodian Consulate” on the Thai side of the border, where you'll pay double the of
cial rate
for a visa. All you actually have to do is wade your way through the various con artists, get
yourself stamped out of Thailand and then walk over to the far side of the footbridge, where
you can buy your visa at the o
cial Visa O
ce at the clearly posted price, although even here
you may be asked for an additional “processing fee”, “stamping fee” or suchlike for an extra $1-3
- a bribe by any other name. A polite refusal to pay is perfectly in order, although it's probably
worth coughing up the necessary lest you find that your visa is processed with unprecedented
slowness. You could also purchase an
e-visa
in advance (see p.48), which generally speeds
your progress through immigration - for the time being at least.
MONEY
Another regular scam involves money - you'll be told that
ATMs
in Cambodia charge inflated
commission fees and/or that you should change all your baht at a spurious “government”
exchange booth before crossing the border. All of which is nonsense - there are the usual
ATMs in Poipet (including a commission-free Canadia Bank machine), and in any case baht are
accepted throughout Poipet. That said, it's a good idea to bring some dollars with you just to
be safe.
