There are lots of horror stories about overland border crossings in this region. Mostly about how you’ll get taken advantage of, have to pay bribes, get false visas, etc.

I took an early morning train from Bangkok to the border at Poipet. It was a lovely, if but long, train ride that let me see some more of the Thai countryside. I was a bit apprehensive after reading about all the troubles people had gone through, but met a few new friends that helped ease my mind knowing that we could battle the scammers together!

And, actually, it was pretty painless. One tuk-tuk tried to take us to get fake visas and we cut him off straight away and made it though the border. I had to pay 300Baht for who knows why (about $3) on top of my visa fee ($20) but was ushered through. And the taxi that drove us two hours into Siem Reap wouldn’t let anyone sit in the front seat so we had to cram in the back for the two hour journey.

But, all in all it was uneventful and we made it through unscathed to beautiful Siem Reap.  Such a quaint little town built up purely from the tourism created from the Temples of Angkor. It was a great place to spend a few days climbing through ancient ruins and enjoying a lovely few streets of good food, live music and good company!