Welcome to Cambodia!

The first time we saw relatively empty Bangkok streets was in the 5.00am taxi to the east-bound bus station for the run across the Thai-Cambodia border to Siem Reap. We had checked out the bus station the day before and had bought tickets then: actually one of the most pleasant walks we took in Bangkok - via Skytrain (the raised light rail line) to Mo Chit and then across an almost deserted park and botanic gardens.

There was a good reason behind the early start and the careful preparation. Birgit had been researching the border crossing and the results had set all alarm bells ringing and red lights flashing. The internet commentary was voluminous and detailed: the crossing into Cambodia is, the consensus holds, a scrofulous den of iniquity populated by teeming throngs of child pickpockets, touts, scam artists and border officials of dubious provenance and minimal morality. The entire enterprise was said to feed off the profits of the flow of people and goods across the border, with a hierarchy of vulnerability going from white tourists through Thais and Cambodians to the lowest of all, non-white foreigners, but with white tourists providing the richest, hard currency, revenue stream.

In short, I expected a terrestial version of the Star Wars "bar scene" except with two green and credulous Luke Skywalkers with backpacks.

The drive to the border was fairly comfortable, uneventful and dull. The landscape was flat, dry and punctuated by dusty little agricultural market towns. As usual a DVD western movie was played after the obligatory local musical selection: this one being a realist Swedish bank robbery movie. I guess the subtitles were Thai but I don't think the Thais were much wiser as a result. Somewhat surprisingly there was only one other westerner on board - Jessica, a young Swedish backpacker doing S.E. Asia after having worked in an outback Australian town for a year. (Maybe the movie was in her honour). Since she had already spent a couple of months travelling in Laos, Thailand and Burma she was definitely the more experienced, but having done the same research she was equally nervous. We agreed to team up on the principle that three "chumps abroad" were better than one or two.

The most detailed and amusing of the accounts of the border crossing is by Gordon Sharpless. He is clearly what used to be called an "old Asia hand". I shall let him pick up the narrative: "If by any chance some tout wants to get in the tuk-tuk with you, don't let him. His aim is to redirect you to the tourist buses or rip you
off on a visa, though the tuk-tuk driver himself is just as capable of trying to redirect you somewhere. Aside from sometimes having to deal with this unwanted guest, it's also become more common for the tuk-tuk
drivers to try taking you not to the border, but to a so-called "Cambodia consulate" where they will try to sell you a way over-priced visa. Do not allow any of this to happen. Be polite, but be firm. But most important - you have absolutely no obligation whatsoever to allow anyone else into the tuk-tuk with you nor be taken anywhere but to the border, so don't. I'm sure back in your home country if you flagged down a taxi and some stranger tried to jump in with you or the driver tried taking you somewhere other than your chosen destination, you'd boot his you know what out in a second, so why do any different here?"


The script unfolded almost to the letter - the only amendment being the fact that the buses drive into the centre of Aranyaprakhet leaving a tuk-tuk ride of only a couple of hundred meters to the border. Not being aware of this the three of us piled into a tuk-tuk, clutching rucksacks and bags, all senses on high alert and expecting trouble. Sure enough, after puttering along past a line of parked lorries for a hundred meters or so the tuk-tuk pulled into a layby and stopped in front of a new-looking, whitewashed 2-room building ... something that could pass for an official building like, maybe, a border post?! Out sauntered a youngish chap, neatly dressed, wearing the broadest of smiles: "Welcome to Cambodia!"


I had not previously realised how much a single smile could convey: this one brimmed with good feeling and reassurance; we were among friends now; any negativity associated with the devious and unscrupulous Thais could be put behind us; the order of the day in Cambodia would be brisk efficiency. Forewarned and forearmed thanks to Gordon we remained glued to the tuk-tuk seats, with intensified grips on rucksacks. "How could we possibly already be in Cambodia when we haven't yet even gone through Thai border control?" To give him credit there was no real debate, just a shrug and the tuk-tuk accelerated back onto the road: I guess it's a numbers game and there would be another couple of buses along later in the day.


After that we passed smoothly through the Thai border exit post and strolled across to the Cambodian side. At this point my concerns began to rise: where were the throngs of Asiatic Artful Dodgers and taxi touts that Gordon had described? Instead we were directed over to an over-large, imposing hall, empty except for the three of us and four or five Cambodian border officials sharing one fan. Several of the officials participated in examining and stamping the passports, but the fee charged - $20 per visa - was the correct one and there were no proposals for, for example, an additional fee for "expedited service". At this point a young guide speaking good English attached himself to us - he shepherded us helpfully through the next stage, filling out of the health questionnaire, and onto a shuttle bus for a 15 min ride through the Cambodian border town of Poipet to the taxi station where, as ordained by Gordon, a Toyota Camry would take us on to Siem Reap.


The entire process for us on the Cambodian side was smooth, efficient and free of the hassle and unpleasantness we had been led to expect. Thinking about it later we guessed that there have been a couple of  changes since the posts were written a couple of years ago. Firstly I would guess that the central government has imposed more discipline and order on the formal transitting procedure; certainly the Cambodians seem to have built or are building more grandiose official buildings, probably to raise their status vis-a-vis the Thai side. Also I suspect that monopoly order has been imposed on the previous free-for-all by some combination of local political fiefdom, "mafia" or taxi trade union. In any event the entire transfer from Cambodian entry to Siem Reap, about 4 hours drive, is obviously now controlled as a single, seamless process.


So this episode ends with Birgit, me, Jessica and Gerold (a Berliner from Prenzlauerberg - small world) sharing the taxi ride to Siem Reap.


But I have to leave you with Gordon's description of Poipet which i.m.h.o. is a minor classic of pithy, acid judgementalism - as well as being apparently accurate, at least from the perspective of a passing bus:

"Poipet is the end of the line in Cambodia - a filthy border town of casinos, cheap hotels, knock shops, and a market I wouldn't eat at even if I were coming off a hunger strike. It is not a pleasant introduction to Cambodia, nor is it representative of the rest of the nation. Poipet is one of my least favorite places in all of Asia. Simply put, Poipet more or less rhymes with toilet and the two are virtually indistinguishable."