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Published: January 26th 2012
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SDC11987
Red Bull or cough medicine? We had booked the earliest train for 5.55am which meant an early start. We planned an early night before but this didnt work out so we had to stay awake all night. We left the Nantra at about half 4 and got a taxi to the train station 30mins away. This cost about £3 and cost less than the 5minute journey we got at the start of the trip when we had mug wrote on our heads. We got our tickets for the six hour train journey for 48baht (£1.20) and sat on the last carraige. There was about 5 other backpackers and the rest were locals. We found a double seat next to the window and enjoyed the view of the Thai countryside for the 6hours with no problems. The rest of the border crossing wasnt so smooth.
We got off the train at the last stop in Thailand, Aranprathet and organised a tuk tuk the rest of the road to Cambodia. This was our first tuk tuk and it showed. I thought it was similar to the Nemesis at Alton Towers and shit a brick.
The tuk tuk dropped us off at a "cambodian visa" place where
it was "necessary" to buy a Visa before we had even got into Cambodia. We had read this would happen and ignored the offers and walked the rest of the way to the border. Loads of other people were persuaded however. We got to Thai immigration and stamped out within 5minutes. Everything was a breeze. Then we stepped over the line into Cambodia where the drama started...
Form number 1, a health declaration what I dont think was necessary but wasted 15minutes filling in before we went onto the Cambodian Visa issue. Form number 2 another 30minutes filling in and waiting for our passports to be handed back. OK were done we thought. No, another building for form number 3 where 100's of people packed in here and took about 45minutes to hand them over and finally get stamped into Cambodia. Now for the part where we planned to ignore the offers for the free tourist shuttle bus because it takes you 15minutes out of town into a bus station where you buy your ticket to Siem Reap. I told the guy we were just going to walk over the roundabout and arrange a taxi ourselves but we were
told this was "illegal" and they were "scam taxis". I knew this was going to happen and was insistent we were getting a taxi. After 10minutes when we were tired of debating we were rounded on the shuttle bus. Here we bought tickets for the bus to Siem Reap which we thought was the double decker we seen waiting outside. Instead we were ushered onto the 9 seater minibus which was already full! The bus was horrible and packed but was bearable due to some nice guys from Hungary, Israel and 1 from the Midlands. 3hours later we arrived in the middle of Siem Reap and got a tuk tuk to the Golden Mango Inn we had booked.
Overall the journey was problem free and the Thailand side was perfect. Even the 6hour train was bearable and could sleep if you needed to.
The next blog will be about our stay in Siem Reap but on first impressions the Golden Mango was exactly how we imagined and seemed like heaven. This will probably be the nicest place we stay on the trip.
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