The Road From Bangkok to Cambodia

• Windwalk's Profile
• About this blog
• Entry from Siem Reab

Trip Start Nov 11, 2008 Previous
Entry Trip End Dec 11, 2008 Next
Entry

  Siem Reab, Cambodia
Saturday, November 15, 2008

There are two ways to get from Bangkok to Siem Reap in Cambodia.  The easy way is to fly, the more interesting way is to go by road (OK,and I admit, it saved us about $350!) It was a long journey, but a good way to get to see the incredible contrasts between these two countries.  We got the bus from Bangkok to the Cambodia border. The road was a four lane highway, and very well maintained.  All along the way were signs of affluence -- enormous shopping complexes (complete with Tesco superstores!), golf courses, beautiful homes, nice cars, parks, community colleges etc. We got to the border, where chaos reigned supreme.  We'd read about a variety of scams that are run to make you overpay for your visa by making you buy it before you cross the border, and we resisted all their attempts to do this, got successfully to the border and then the border police insisted we pay $25 even though the large sign said tourist visas were $20! Once on the other side we got a taxi which we shared with two young russian women and off we went

Indiana Jones Temple

. The road was quite different than previously -- rice paddies with half naked people wading in them, wooden shacks, extreme poverty, and for much of the 3 hour taxi ride, the road was unpaved.  It was one lane,shared by taxis, motorcycles, bicyclists, men leading their oxen, water buffalo and children walking home from school.   Then suddenly it was paved, it was wider, there were cars, and within 5 minutes we had come to the entrance of Siem Reap, which is the gateway town for Ankhor Wat.  It was like coming upon Las Vegas in the middle of the desert -- massive, beautiful hotels, one after the other.

We are in a nice hotel ($18 a night), in the town, which is way bigger and way busier than we had anticipated. Tomorrow we'll head to Ankhor Wat. We have no way to post our photos-- that will have to wait until we get back home.

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Ankhor Wat	Buddhas at Ankhor Wat	Murals	Indiana Jones Temple

Slideshow Print this entry Share

Previous Entry Next Entry