Onward through Asia

We successfully crossed the border from Thailand into Cambodia today, making a total of 9 countries visited thus far. The border crossing from Thailand into Poipet, Cambodia is known as one of the most challenging border crossings for travelers. We did our research, though. We read, we saved maps, we took notes.  The reason the border crossing is so challenging is that there are many areas where "touts" wait to scam tourists in some way or another. Mostly, it's a scam to try to get people to buy fake visas, but there are also transportation scams, money changing scams, and even scams by government employees.

We left India on the 5th and spent the last 2 wonderful days in Bangkok, we stayed in the Old Town at the Old Capital Bike Inn (vintage bicycle chic with the best service and unique design). Thailand is easy to love. The people are so friendly, the weather is beautiful (although HOT), the food is delicious and there are so many cool temples! We visited the Grand Palace yesterday, as well as Wat Pho, which is also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. We went to the waterfront markets (the fruits!) and walked aimlessly through the old town... (Josh is getting better at that!) On the night we arrived in Thailand, we had dinner at the delicious restaurant across the street from our hotel (food for the three of us, plus beers for the grown ups = $12). Last night, we found the Polynesian-themed "Mad Moa", a burger tiki bar where the owner/bartender ("Wham") brews his own beer, 90 liters at a time. We enjoyed some of the best burgers in a long time, some jammin alt-rock tunes, and a few of his craft beers. We went to bed early last night, as the alarm was set to wake us at 4:30 today.

Had we known how much we'd love Bangkok, we would have planned a longer stay upon our arrival, but not to worry, we will be in SE Asia for a while, and will be in and out of Bangkok as it is a hub
for some of our other travels. We decided to go into Cambodia first, since the Western coast of
Thailand is still at the tail end of monsoon season for another week or so.

Anyway, back to the travels. When I heard it was possible to get to Siem Reap from Bangkok for $13 USD, we decided to try to make it happen! We got some great information on the web, without which we might not otherwise have felt equipped to tackle the journey. We boarded train # 275 from Hua Lamphong station in Bangkok at 5:55 this morning and traveled about 6 hours to Aranyaprathet, the town just at the border. Sure enough, the train tickets were 48 bhat (about $1.48) per adult and half-price ($0.74) for Josh. It was nothing fancy, no a/c, no meal car, but the windows opened to let in the breeze, there was a toilet at the end of each car and people came through the cars selling all kinds of food and drinks.

Once at the train station in Aranyaprathet, we knew we were to take a tuk-tuk to the Thai Immigration at the border, which is about 6 km away. We negotiated a good deal and got all three of us and our bags loaded onto what is essentially a wagon with a lawn-mower engine (and don't let me forget the neon lights, fake flowers and tassels!) for the bargain price of 100 bhat (about $3). We had been warned that the scammers at the border try to get you to veer off course to a "Cambodian consulate" (NOT true) for an expedited Visa. We had a plan and moved quickly, kept our eyes forward, no engaging with anyone and hands on our bags and our child at all times. Getting out of Thailand was a breeze, then we entered this sort of strange "no mans land", before actually getting stamped into Cambodia, with casinos and street food vendors and all kinds of animals, trucks, tractors and people. We actually ducked into one of those casinos realquick to use the bathroom (not sad that it was pumping some super cold a/c!) and, because we already had our e-Visas, we moved towards the Cambodian arrivals building. Once we finally got stamped into Cambodia, there was a waiting area off to the side for an "official" tourist *free* shuttle which kinda made me nervous since "official" usually means "NOT official at all" and *free* usually means *not free.* But....The Man in Seat 61 said it was legit, so we went with it! The shuttle delivered us a few miles down the road where we were able to get a taxi for the ~2 hour drive to Siem Reap. And now we are here!

We will be in Siem Reap for a few days, relaxing and visiting the Angkor temples and then we will repeat the process in reverse to head back to Thailand. It makes for a long day, but it sure is an adventure!!

Oh, and we grabbed dinner at the restaurant upstairs tonight and found this on the menu...

I'm sticky, sweaty and smelly, but about as happy as I've ever been. I've got my two favorite people by my side, banana trees out my window and no where I gotta be except right here.

Some cool facts about Cambodia:

Cambodia is a "kingdom" and is ruled by King Norodom Sihamoni. They also have a Prime Minister.

The Angkor temples, built in the 12th century, are one of the main tourist draws for Cambodian visitors.

The primary currency in Cambodia is the US dollar. Cambodian reil is sometimes given for change, but you can't change it back to anything upon exit.

Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world, covering over 400 acres.

Ta Prohm is one of the most famous temples in Cambodia, and was used during filming of Tomb Raider and James Bond movies.

The official language of Cambodia is Khmer, but many people speak English and some French.

Some of the indigenous animals in Cambodia include Burmese python (yikes!), the leopard cat (a house cat sizzled leopard), Siamese crocodiles.

The main religions are Buddhism and Islam.

If you want to read the tips we used for this border crossing, check out The Man in Seat 61.

Till next time!