I want to improve and do not want to be rich

Despite a booming tourism industry, Siem Reap province remains one of the poorest in Cambodia with negligible amounts of economic prosperity reaching those in the countryside. Jasmine Lodge has attempted to rectify this where possible with its ‘pro-poor’ employment, tour and food policies. Kunn employs eight permanent

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OVER LAND CROSSING POIPET

 

Aranyapathet and Poipet Border 

It is no longer a mystery any more about the land crossing into Cambodia from Thailand at Aranyapathet-Poipet Border. From Bangkok, "Aranyapathet" is over 200 km from Bangkok to the West. It takes around 4-5 hours drive from Bangkok. 
Travelers can easily take the public air-conditioned bus at the Northern Bus Terminal in Bangkok to Aranyapathet. Bus fee is at 160 Baht for air-con and half price for non-A/C. Taking the train from Central Railway Station of Bangkok called "Hualumpong" is not a bad idea with two departures at 05:50 a.m. and 01:00 p.m. and arrive at 12:00 and 06:00 p.m., respectively. Only 3rd class and non-A/C trains running this route at the fare of 48 Baht. Some travel agents on Khaosan Road that are specialized on backpackers do offer this transport service by van at the cost of around 250-450 Baht. 
From the Bus and Train Station in Aranyapathet, the Poipet border is roughly 6 kilometers away. You can take the rickshaw to the border (or in Thai called Tuk-Tuk) at around 40-100 Baht depending upon your bargaining power. No fix rates! 
The scenario of the Poipet border is a bustling market where the Thais and the Cambodians of the two sides trade with one another. From Poipet, you can either get to Siemreap or to Phnompenh. 
Cambodia visa processing here is rather easy. The foreign visitors just fill in the visa application form with 1 Passport-size photo. Show your Passport and pay USD 20 or 1,000 Baht for visa fee to the Cambodian Immigration officials. That's all the process needed to be done. 

The Poipet border is open from 07:30 a.m. to 17:00 p.m., and foreign tourists can obtain the visa here. A slight warning is that you might be asked for some sorts of International Vaccination Certificate by the local immigration officials. It is only their attempt to make some extra money as there is no such requirement. Some travelers had reported that the fine imposed ranges from USD5-50. This is not legitimate, of course. If you insisted not to pay, generally the officials do not make any hassle further. In case you are quite afraid, pass the immigration with the other tourists so that you won't be alone, or if you want to compromise, some small dollar notes should be more than adequate, though not recommended. 
After passing through the Immigration station, you can easily spot two casinos that host the Thai gamblers who travel to Poipet for legal gambling in Cambodia (illegal in Thailand). The good hotels actually the guesthouses in Poipet are mostly full in advance as they are pre-booked for these gambling group tours from Thailand. It is not a good idea to cross the border in the late afternoon to find yourself stuck there. Overnight at a decent hotel in Aranyapathet at the Thai side is much better off and cross the border next morning or around noon. 

In Poipet, the vehicles are rare to be seen. Taxi is run by private two-wheeled motorcyclist. There is a bus station near the crossing point, but it is vacant. Many wagons, full of goods and products, are pulled or pushed by several dusty Cambodians. Food and drink stalls can be seen on the two sides of the street. 
Travel to Siemreap from Poipet is more or less a rough and adventurous trails, not suitable for those who seek comfort. On the Cambodian side, there are share taxi or pickup trucks that will ride you to Siem Reap where the impressive Angkor Wat and other Khmer temples are housed. The road condition is very poor, dusty, unpaved, and even worst in rainy season when the road becomes muddy with a lot of potholes. In some instances, local military guards may block the road to ask for illegitimate passing fees from travelers. If you are lucky, it takes around 10-12 hours for 150 km journey with an opportunity to cross some of the most exciting (dangerous) bridges that you never experience before. The transport fee one-way to Siem reap from Poipet starts from 100 Baht up. 
The road condition between Poipet and Phnompenh is better than the one to Siemreap. General traveling time on this route takes around 8 hours in summer and nearly double in rainy season.

If you come from Bangkok and prefer one of the cheapest (and perhaps toughest) ways to get to Siem Reap (without visa), this is a good option: From Bangkok Central train station take the 3rd class train leaving at 5:55am and 1:05pm for only 49 Baht. It will take you a scheduled 4,5 hours to get to Aranya Prahthet, but usually it will arrive one hour later. 
At the train station in Aranya you can take a Tuk-Tuk for 50 Baht that will take you to the Cambodian consulate, close to the border. For 1000 Baht and a photo, you will get the visa there. At the travel-agency next door you can arrange a taxi for 600 Baht that will take you from the border to Siem Reap in 3,5 hours. First you will be taken to the Thai and Cambodian customs by Tuk-Tuk, where the taxi will be waiting afterwards. Don't listen or pay any attention to people who hassle you or offer you something else. Pickpocketing can be possible. 
Immigration by The terminal of Thai immegrantion for checking out from Thailand to Cambodia on the bridge of half side Cambodia and Thailand and first step you go in this building and check out will see the 3 towers of Angkor wat and looking on right side of this building will see the Visa immegration and if you have had the E-visa already please take care of asking you pay again and if you would like to have visa for Cambodia normaly only $20 but in the border is more like 1000 baht is ok if you would pay in Usdollars more and if no have passport photos also charge more so please take care all these way when you are arriving. 

 

After you have had Cambodian visa you just walking around 5 more to the east you will the arrivals sign and then bring your passport to show them again for checking in Cambodia. 

 After the arrivals terminal finished you go out and will see many Odomrithy Bus company staff are embroidered the name on green shirt will be trick showing  you the shuttle bus to bus station and show you    the sign policy how to going to  bus station and not really bus station that is the trasportation association scam are waiting for you 

 and charge in expensive prices of transportation to siem reap and if you will  already get is late to come back because it is a little far from round about and not easy to find cheapertaxi share so please looking for one hotel name Lihout on the right side and over the bus shuttle bus terminal many taxi are parking over there.The Advice: Avoid from mafia boys and the children pick-pocket, Do not take free shuttle bus in Cambodian side to bus station and they will do overcharged the price of taxi and bus because they do rip off for their own pocket so better take taxi your own  only $10 for one person shared and whole taxi is $40 or 1200 bath only 3 hours to Siem Reap one taxi 

can put 4people Many taxi in Cambodia side in one hotel name LYHOUT after roundabout on the right hand in Cambodia side after check in Cambodian terminal. Also, for some tourists crossing the border, the mafia boys at border try to ask you about visa, bus, taxi and money exchange and all  their best to make you change money from $US to Thai money and Thai money to local money in riels and telling you there are no ATM and bank in Siem Reap, and Siem Reap in Angkor Wat don’t use Thai money, so they have to change to local money and then you will get bad rate and lose much money. So please take care!

Note now : All taxi drivers take tourists from border(poipet) bus station to siem reap recently do not bring you to the guesthouse you had reservation.All taxi drivers will be scam you to drop off at some garage place and telling you this is bus station and other taxi drivers will call to tell tuk tuk driver in siem reap waiting for transfering you free of charge to any guesthouses or hostel and hotels that you have have reservations and additional more taxi drivers intend to tell you a lie that his taxi can not go inside the city.one more thing if you ask him or call the guesthouse and hotel reservation, he said yes and then put number of his tuk tuk driver mates and talk to you instead.afterwards he said to you the guesthouse you prefer to go is full or far away....

One story more i just got from my customers.they already booked my hostel and they are taking bus from bangkok and then the bus drop them off at tuk tuk station and the tuk tuk drivers asked them if you have reserved the hostels and hotel please give me your paper and then he took phone and called  to there for you and then tuk tuk driver said  he will bring you  there but he brings  you to his guesthouse and it is wrong guesthouse not the guesthouse that you  have reservation and also they did not look at sign and next morning they know they were  scam them to different hostels.

 

Doing trip with bicycles from Thailand via border(poipet)around 2nights/3days from Bangkok like first trip cycling from bangkok early in morning to poipet and then doing check in and stamp in and get visa from immegration under 3 towers of angkor wat and then cycle to sisophon around 2 hour and staying overnight in Boutom hotel one night and in the morning keep cycling again to my village name Kralanh and overnight in chaktomouk guesthouse and cycling around this district and see village and talk to friendly people there and eating at phkay preouk restaurant and next morning continue to siem reap around 2 more and arriving in siem reap city through highway 6 road passing through airport road to city you can have many choice to stay like budget guesthouse with dorms starting from $3 with breakfast and $6 single ensuite rooms to $22 pernight like Jasmine lodge and jasmine family hostel.

*Our service pick up customers from Poipet to Siem Reap* 
A private taxi car seating up to 4 pax USD45. 
In order to arrange your pick-up from Poipet to Siem Reap, please also notify us the following details at least 3 working days prior to pick-up date the following details: 
Every passenger's full name as appeared in their passport, passport number, Nationalities, gender and expiry date of passport.


*Table for  customers complete to request our service pick up from border(poipet)*

Full names Nationalities Passport number Expiry date number
       
       
       
       


Tourist association transports scam at Siem reap airport

 

Most of taxi and motor drivers at airport embroider the cardinal numbers on their green uniform-shirt and all of drivers have their own turn getting tourists from the desk accountant from airport after tourists have bought taxi or motor and mini van transports from them to Siem reap town and then they try to drive tourists to some hotels or guesthouses with  high commission if you already have guesthouse or hotel reservation, they will try to talk to you like the guesthouse you have reserved is ( far away from city, and not nice or it can be aready closed, i do not know where this guesthouse is and please go to see this one I know) if you will not listen to them the driver will drop you off in the area far away from city even telling you a lie that is the city of siem reap.
  They will hassle you asking about the tours to Angkor wat with them in expensive price again and again and if not they will say piss you off and fuck off at you....! So please arrange someone going to pick you up in advance after you have reserved the rooms in which guesthouses and hotels before you are arriving in siem reap airport.it is much better.and above photos they are the photos of accountant you buy taxi association and the car with number on both side. 

The road : now the road is paved from Poipet to Banteay meanchey province(Sisophon) to kralanh district around 130 kilometres and more 54 kilometres more has been paved right now our government already have spent more than 75 millions $us.

Many bus companies and travel agencies in Thailand sold bus tickets to Siem Reap and told lies to tourists that the bus will be in Siem Reap at 6 pm and going to drop off in bus station. All tourist busses never take tourists to drop off at the bus station because the Bus company like Neakrohorm Tour, Khmer Thai border tour, Angkor Amazing Holiday Tour, Hang tep tour, Atta Tour at Poipet running bus to Siem Reap and return to border the next morning have  a good deal contraction with owner of guesthouse giving first  $1000 for deposit and afterwards all these bus comapany with touirsts will drop of tourists in the guesthouse working with them. $6 for selling tourists between travel agencies and guesthouses.  Also the guesthouse in Siem Reap will have to send one guesthouse's driver who has experienced staying on the bus to ask tourists about the guesthouse  if they know tourists on the bus already have made reservations at the other guesthouses, they will tell bus driver to leave late from border and stop many places on the way. However make tourists cross and sleepy and then bus come to Siem Reap late at night and push tourists to stay their guesthouse.

Bus,and ferry scam from Phnom penh:

Bus from Phnom Penh and other provinces to Siem Reap not going to drop off in the bus station also they always have their own bus station company and drive customers in to their place and close the door (allow only scam tuk tuk drivers who pay money having rights) to ask customers driving to hotels and guesthouse and if you will have guesthouses you made reservation already they will charge you more expensive and sometime they said they will not know that guesthouse and if they know they will say (really far away from town and try to kidnap you to other place with commission and more expensive or drop off far away from Siem Reap  they fight each others for taking tourists to  hotel and guesthouse because some of hotels and guesthouse do not advertise and associated to hotel and guesthouse association and just only deal with drivers bring tourist to their place for example the price only $5 can be up to $8 or more than this prices because the prices have to ask  driver first who bring tourists in to guesthouse or hotel even more drivers can scare to the receptionists in the guesthouse do not talk to their customers about the prices and do not write the reall price on board.