Buckets, Trains and Boarder Scamming

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I've finally made it to Siem Reap but it has been difficult. I missed the 05:55 out of Bangkok on two occasions due to bumping into some great people and getting a little carried away in the bars. However, on Sunday I managed to make the train and was sat ready to go at 05:20 at Bangkok's main train station. I was a little apprehensive about making the journey via this route as it is clearly blogged about the scamming that goes on at the boarder I was heading to, not only that by taking the train instead of the bus you are required to make couple of shared taxi rides. By 05:45 I was the only backpacker insight and I was getting a little nervous!!. But in true backpacker style 05:53 my savior arrived in the form of a bunch of out of breath and sweaty backpacking travellers now I could chill.

The journey was great if your into a bit of cultural awareness in 3rd class (48 Baht) Thailand style, It took 6 hours through beautiful countryside and paddy field central. The seats were wooden and hurt but sat watching the world go by was great even better was the arena of people to watch along the way. On board we had chickens, ridiculous amounts of people and Thai rails catering service (hawkers between seats 3-4) selling any food you wanted. Not that it stopped the other passengers bringing there own food, I made the mistake of accepting a food offer from a passenger who found it amusing and for the whole six hours him and his child fed me to bursting point!!

On arrival at Aranya Prathet, I got chatting to two nice German backpackers who I shared a Tuk Tuk with to Poipet for 60 baht. Then the fun begins, If I hadn't read so much about this crossing I feel I could have fallen like many did for the scamming that goes on in Poipet. I'm no going to talk about it all in detail because there is loads already out there. But scams include fake visa office at the Tuk Tuk drop off, In the Cambodia official office they will try to charge you more than the 20 dollars and also in Poipet passenger terminal they will try to charge you for empty seats of you cannot fill a taxi. Simply walk out and pick one of the street. (we paid 12 dollars each).

So, after all of that we arrived in Siem Reap at about 4pm were I settled into the Berlin Angkor Guesthouse (7 dollars per night). Cambodia is fantastic and totally same same but different to Thailand (Very well used expression in Cambodia). Anything goes here and it is beautiful.

Siem Reap is really cool, the khmers are really friendly and they know how to BBQ. Siem Reap is full of tourist from backpackers to affluent sorts and as a result the place has a huge variety of places to eat, drink and sleep.

In the evening I arranged a Tuk Tuk to takes us around the Angkor Wat at sunrise and after spent the evening eating Khmen BBQ, I chilled out with a Fish Spa and them a foot massage before retreating for an early night for the amazing day ahead.

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