Cambodia - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 440

GETTING TO THAILAND: SIEM REAP TO BANGKOK
The original Poipet/Aranya Prathet land border crossing (open 7am to 8pm) between Cambodia and
Thailand is by far the busiest and the one most people take when travelling between Bangkok and
Siem Reap. It has earned itself a bad reputation over the years, with scams galore to help tourists part
with their money, especially coming in from Thailand.
Getting to the border Frequent buses and share taxis run from Siem Reap and Battambang to Poipet.
Buying a ticket all the way to Bangkok (usually involving a change of buses at the border) can exped-
ite things and save you the hassle of finding onward transport on the Thai side. The 8am through bus
to Mo Chit bus station in Bangkok run by Nattakan in Siem Reap costs an inflated US$28, but is the
only bus service that allows you to continue to Bangkok on the same bus you board in Siem Reap.
At the border Be prepared to wait in sweltering immigration lines on both sides, especially in the
high season. Show up early to avoid the crowds. You can pay a special 'VIP fee' (aka a bribe) of 200B
on either side to skip the lines. There is no departure tax to leave Cambodia despite what Cambodian
border officials might tell you. Entering Thailand, most nationalities are issued 15-day visa waivers
free of charge.
Moving on Minibuses wait just over the border on the Thai side to whisk you to Bangkok (B300, four
hours, every 30 minutes). Or make your way 7km to Aranya Prathet by túk-túk (80B) or sŏrngtăaou
(pick-up truck; 15B), from where there are regular buses to Bangkok's Mo Chit station (223B, five to
six hours) between 4am and 6pm. Make sure your túk-túk driver takes you to the main bus station in
Aranya Prathet for your 80B, not to the smaller station about 1km from the border (a common scam).
The 1.55pm train is another option to Bangkok.
For more information about crossing this border in the other direction, Click here .
Information
Hotels, restaurants and bars can provide the free Siem Reap Angkor Visitors Guide
( www.canbypublications.com ) and two handy booklets produced by Pocket Guide Cam-
bodia.
There are ATMs at the airport and in banks and minimarts all over central Siem Reap,
especially along Sivatha St. The greatest concentration of internet shops is along Sivatha
St and around Psar Chaa. Free wi-fi is available at many of the leading cafes, restaurants
and bars, as well as most guesthouses and hotels.
Angkor Hospital for Children MAP GOOGLE MAP (AHC; 063-963409;
www.angkorhospital.org ; cnr Oum Chhay St & Achar Mean St; 24hr) A paedi-atric hospital sup-
ported by donors. It's free for anyone under 16, tourists included.