Thai - Khmer border: don't get scammed!

---

This is how it works. You buy a ticket to go by private bus from somewhere in Thailand to Cambodia. In my case it was from Koh Chang to Siem Reap, and mainly due to the fact that the public transport connection was complicated. 

Because you need a VISA to get into Cambodia, the travel agency/hotel where you booked the ticket tells you that they will help out with getting it. Sounds good, why not? Good Minivan with 12 pax on it. Some of them have paid a full trip (including hotels and guides) for good money. Good service is supposed to be guaranteed. They do indeed help you out with the VISA. You hand in your passport and 20min afterwards, just before crossing the border by foot, you get it back with the famous Khmer sticker in it. So far everything works out well. But here is when the lies start:

"You may not know it, but in Cambodia it is not permitted for foreign people to pay with credit card anywhere, withdraw money from ATMs nor to exchange money in any banks". Surprise in everybody's faces. "Our recommendation is that you withdraw money here, in the Thai border before you get into Cambodia. If you want to withdraw money form an ATM in Cambodia, you will only receive US$, but Cambodian people do not accept them and you will not be able to exchange them for Riel (Khmer currency) anywhere." 

You start wondering 'But didn't he just say that you cannot withdraw money? Why is he saying now that we can?' You think it's strange, because you have loads of friends and family who have been in Cambodia and nobody has ever told you anything of is. Nor do the guide books. 

"Sorry, but this sounds too strange. Why have we never heard anything of this? And second, Cambodia lives out of tourism. Why would they make it so complicated for tourists to obtain local money?" you say. "Times have changed. Thailand and Cambodia are in battle." And although it still does not seem to be a reasonable argument, people nick and start withdrawing money from the only cash machine at the border.

We pass the three different border controls (in which the Thai police officers have TVs hanging just over the cues that line in front of them with Thai love song video clips playing), jump into a bus that takes us to the "International Bus Station" where, surprise surprise, the only exchange office in WHOLE Cambodia is established. "Hurry up, the other bus is waiting for you!!" they say. Everybody changes all their money for the next three weeks for an exchange rate of 102 Khmer Riel for 1 Thai Baht. You step into the following bus and notice that with the hurry you have not said good bye to the 'instructor' and have forgotten to take the ticket of the exchange office with you.

When you arrive three hours later to Siem Reap you see exchange offices and ATMs everywhere and you realise that in fact the instructor had 'run away' and that you could not have forgotten the ticket because never received it. The real exchange rate at the moment was 135 Khmer Rier for 1 Thai Baht. 

And by the way, Cambodia works with both currencies, Khmer Riel and US$. The general and everywhere applied exchange rate between these currencies is 4000 Riel equal 1 US$. You may even pay and receive notes (no coins) from both currencies at the same time.

Btw, I only exchanged 40Euros, just in case I was wrong...Don't get scammed!

Xx V.

---

Photos

One of the controls
attention to the tree inside the office!

Comments

[laura Teruel]

Que fuerte!!! Yo estuve ahí!!!
Viki, sabes que llevo queriendo escribirte desde hace tiempo...Me encanta leer tu blog! Enhorabuena, es como viajar contigo! Que guay que has hecho en gran parte el mismo recorrido que hice yo con Jochen hace dos años. Koh Chang y después a Siam Reap! Koh Chang nos encantó, al final nos quedamos 7 días. Si vuelves te recomiendo el tree house lodge en el que puedes alojarte en el sudeste de la isla. Es muy básico pero recuerda bastante a la película de la playa...Nosotros estuvimos en unos bungalows en la playa de White Sand. Lo más bonito, como tu dices, el contacto con la gente del lugar. Yo me despedí llorando de la masajista de los apple bungalows, y después de tantos masajes, amiga... Cruzando la frontera también nos pasaron mil historias...y como no nos fiábamos de los tailandeses, decidimos que nosotros nos gestionaríamos los trámites del visado. Aún recuerdo un cartel donde ponía que el visado costaba 20 dólares y nos dijeron que ese cartel, para el día en que nosotros cruzábamos la frontera, no valía jajaja, total que tuvimos que pagar con Baths...Después de cinco horas de colas lo conseguimos y el autobus no nos estaba esperando. Estábamos tirados en la frontera camboyana... Menos mal que no le había entregado el ticket a conductor (a conciencia) y pude reclamar a los camboyanos que nos tenía que haber esperado un autobus hasta Siam Reap. Los camboyanos empezaron a llamar a la central de la empresa de autobuses en Bangkok y al final nos pusieron un taxi del año de la polca hasta Siam Reap...Una experiencia! Camboya nos gustó, bueno solo estuvimos en Siam Reap pero los camboyanos bastante gitanos...Tenías que estar con un ojo todo el día...El del tuck tuck que se había hecho nuestro amigo nos tangó de buena manera con el trayecto corto y el trayecto largo de los templos. Le monté una al conductor del tuck tuck.. El segundo día nos hartamos ya y decidimos volvernos a Tailandia donde todo era bastante más relajado y la gente menos pesada. Bueno dejo de contarte rollos...Tenía tantas ganas de escribirte y hacía tanto tiempo que no me comunicaba contigo que lo necesitaba! Un consejito por si acaso todavía no lo sabes, que supongo que sí, Air asia vuela super barato, en plan ryanair...por si te sirve para desplazarte a tus próximos destinos! Por ejemplo, desde Non Pehn a Bangkok! Un besazo muy grande. Te deseo lo mejor y sobretodo, que sigas disfrutando de esta experiencia tan impresionante!