The Travelling Feet

One of the easiest ways to travel to Thailand and Cambodia to visit the famous tourist destination of Siem Reap, the Angkor Wat temples, is by going on an overland border crossing at the Aranyaprathet Border in Thailand to reach the Poipet Border in Cambodia.

There are several ways to consider when you want to know how to travel from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet especially if you want to go to Siem Reap. I have listed 6 ways to travel from Bangkok to the Aranyaprathet Border if you are going to Cambodia from Bangkok by land trip.

When you travel by bus or train to get to the border in Aranyaprathet, you will normally be dropped off a few meters outside the entrance to the Immigration Office. Do not hesitate to ask where to go if this happens.

How to find the Aranyaprathet Immigration Office?

If you are coming from the train station, you will be dropped off a few meters outside of the entrance to the border. Please beware of scammers since most tuktuk drivers and motodup drivers will drop you off at a building a few meters from the border gate. That building is located a few meters on the right side of the photo below. To avoid getting scammed, please make sure you have your visas for entry to Cambodia. If you have not processed them yet, be sure to know how much the rate is to prevent getting over charged. For members of the ASEAN nations, like the Philippines, remember that you  do not need to pay any fees since you don’t need one. Your passport would suffice.

Aranyaprathet, Thailand Border

If you will be dropped off across the 7 Eleven store at the Rongklua Market, just cross the road and you will see a covered walkway leading towards the entrance to the immigration office.

I bet once you see the covered walk way, you won’t get lost anymore. Simply follow the signage.

On the photo above, at the end of that walk way, is where 7 Eleven is located. Before entering Cambodia, be sure you have a full stomach since you might have a hard time buying food on the other side. The food in Thailand is much cheaper than the same items you will find in Cambodia.

the walkway leading to the Immigration Office in Aranyaprathet

What to do inside the Aranyaprathet Immigration Office when crossing borders to Poipet

Once you reach the end of the walk way, you need to get inside the immigration office and line up to get your passports checked. On this area, the immigration officers will remove the immigration departure card that you filled in when you arrived in Bangkok. They will stamp your passports as you exit Thailand. Make sure you check that all information on that departure card are filled in so that you won’t have any problems with the officers. Otherwise, you will be asked to go back in line and complete the forms first.

a stolen shot inside the immigration office; taking photos is not allowed though
click at your own risk, ok?

There are a lot of immigration counters inside the office. On busy days, which is almost everyday, the place gets packed. So be sure to find the less crowded line and complete your departure cards while waiting for your turn to save time.

Overland border crossing: Aranyaprathet to Poipet

keep walking till you reach the Cambodia border

Once you are done, exit the building and walk forward. Do not confuse yourself if others would walk in the opposite direction. All you need to do is walk straight till you find the exit and see the iconic arc of the Kingdom of Cambodia in Poipet. That’s really not hard to miss.

By the time you exit the building of Thailand’s immigration office, brace yourselves for long sleeved men might approach you. Some of them are Khmer touts. They will try to talk to you and befriend you. Do as you please. Entertaining them won’t harm you unless you are rude to them. Just beware and be mindful of your things and the information you give to them (ex. where you are going) Some of them are taxi drivers who would offer their services to bring you to Siem Reap or any destination in Cambodia. Some of them are simply touts who would try to ask a tip from you after giving you unsolicited advice on where to go before you leave the Poipet immigration office.

(When you hire a taxi while in the border, be sure you agree on the price before you go with them. The official taxi fare from Poipet to Siem Reap is $48 (4 heads) once they bring you to the Government Bus Terminal. You can talk to some drivers and haggle for $30-$40 if you are brave enough. Will discuss more of this on another post).

take time to capture that epic jumpshot at the Poipet border

How to get to the Poipet Immigration Office?

Once you are done taking customary photos at the Poipet border, simply walk forward again. You’ll notice that there are buildings on both sides of the road. Those are hotels with casinos. You see, I recently learned that people from Bangkok travel all the way to the casinos in Poipet to gamble.

Anyway, you’d see a covered walkway again. Just follow the road as shown on the photo below.

photo credit: Ed

At the end of the road where the hotels are lined up, you will see a clearer picture of Cambodia. Beyond those buildings lie a small one-storey structure where you’ll see the word “Arrival” below some Khmer writings. Yes, that’s the Immigration Office of Cambodia in Poipet.

The Poipet Immigration Office will give you an idea of how different Thailand is from Cambodia.

What to do inside the Poipet Immigration Office when crossing borders from Aranyaprathet?

When you enter the building, be sure to look for the Kingdom of Cambodia Immigration Arrival and Departure Card. Usually, a police officer will hand out these forms. If you can’t find one, don’t hesitate to ask where the other travellers got theirs or look for that officer outside by passing through the door at the side of the building.

complete the questions asked from the Cambodia Immigration Arrival and Departure Card

There are only 3-4 counters inside the immigration office in Poipet so immediately line up when there’s a long queue. Once you are done with the immigration checkpoint, you can head to the waiting area outside and wait for the government bus to bring you to the bus terminal. The ride is free.

government bus, waiting area, and Poipet immigration office

Things to know when crossing borders going to Poipet, Cambodia

Remember the tout I mentioned before? Most likely, that tout will continue to follow you and chat with you. As I said, the more you get friendly with them and the more they provide you information on getting to your next destination, a tip is expected of you. So you can simply ignore these Khmers and turn a deaf ear, refuse them politely or you can give in to their demands if their pestering will become unbearable. As for the tip, I think 20 baht or $1 will do if you really find them super helpful but it’s really up to you. No pressure. But if you were to ask me, I won’t give any since I’m travelling on a budget and every penny in my pocket counts.

When I first attempted to go on an overland border crossing from Bangkok to Poipet, I was really scared with all the negative feedback that I read online. I’ve read countless horror stories of how people got scammed when crossing borders from Thailand to Cambodia via the Aranyaprathet to Poipet Border. Reading those stories prepared me for the worse as I knew already what to do should my friends and I ever get in the same situation like the ones I read online. We had some trouble on our first border crossing but managed to get out of it. On my second overland border crossing, everything was hassle-free as I got used to it.

Crossing the border from Bangkok to Poipet is not something that anyone should be scared of. So long as you are prepared (meaning you’ve done your homework on what to expect, where to go, what to do) then you’d be fine. It might get stressful though, especially if you are new to this, so be sure you don’t cross borders with an empty stomach, ok?

You might also find these articles useful:

• 6 Ways to Travel from Bangkok to the Aranyaprathet Border
• 4 Ways to Travel from Poipet to Siem Reap

The Aranyaprathet border in Thailand is considered to be one of the famous borders when anyone wants to cross the border going to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh in Cambodia. The border in Aranyaprathet serves as a traveller’s exit gate to gain entry to Poipet, Cambodia when one is headed to the Kingdom’s key cities or when someone simply wants to go on a visa run.

Unknown to many, there are different ways to travel to the Aranyaprathet border especially for those who want to travel from BKK to Siem Reap. Whether you travel in style, or you travel on a budget during your last minute holidays planning on your way to Siem Reap from Aranyaprathet, there’s surely different options to choose from.

Here are 6 ways to travel from Bangkok to the Aranyaprathet border in Thailand on your way to the Poipet border crossing or when you go on a visa run.

1. Travel by TRAIN at the Hua Lamphong Station

There are only 2 train schedules if you travel by train to cross the borders in Aranyaprathet going to Siem Reap or Poipet, Cambodia. Budget travellers will find this cheapest mode of transportation favorable when going on an overland border crossing from Bangkok to Siem Reap.

Travelling by train will let you breathe in the fresh countryside air of Thailand since the train is non-air conditioned. But during Thailand’s summer months, travelling by train can be very humid. The train also stops at every train station to pick up passengers, which explains the long time it takes to reach the Aranyaprathet.

For those who are not in a hurry and wouldn’t mind sitting in a non-reclining chair, for those who wanted to take photos of Thailand’s plain countryside, or for those who are travelling on a budget, this is your best mode of transportation when you go on a visa run at the Aranyaprathet border or when you travel to cross the borders going to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Once you arrive at the Aranyaprathet Train Station, you still need to hire a tuktuk or motorbike to bring you to the border, which is approximately 6 kilometers. The motorbike fare starts at around 50 baht and the tuktuk starts at 60. You are likely to pay an exorbitant fee if you do not haggle. You can also ride a songthaew, a truck converted into a passenger vehicle, going to the border for only 15 baht. Just walk a few meters to the main road and wait for one.

For those who wants to cross the border, it is better to take the 5:55am schedule to avoid getting stuck on either of the two immigration check points (Aranyaprathet or Poipet) since those offices are likely closed by the time you reach the Aranyaprathet border if you take the 13:05H train schedule.

Fare: 48 baht
Length of Travel: 6 – 6.5 hours
Travel Schedule: 5:55 and 13:05
Reservations? No reservations needed. The train station opens at around 5am and you can buy your tickets going to Aranyaprathet when the doors of the Hua Lamphong Train station open.

How to Get to the Hua Lamphong Station?

Hire a cab, tuktuk, or ride a public (government bus) to reach the area. You can also ride the BTS and switch trains at the MRT Interchange link to reach the Hua Lampong Train Station.

2. Ride a MINIVAN in Khao San Road

Khao San Road is the backpacker’s mecca in Bangkok. With the influx of tourists in the area, you will see travel agencies almost everywhere where you can schedule your travel. Before you purchase your transportation to Aranyaprathet from those travel agencies, be sure to hop from one agency to the next since they will give you different rates. The cheapest is 250 baht for a one-way trip but you might get rates as high as 400 baht for the same mode of transportation.

If you travel in groups of 3 or more, try to use your charms and ask for a discount.

The minivans that travel to Aranyaprathet are air-conditioned. This mode of transportation is comfortable. There will be one gasoline and toilet stopover. You will arrive near the border after 4 hrs of travelling. However, the driver will bring you to a secluded place where you will be offered to take your lunch before proceeding to the border where meals cost 70 baht up instead of the normal 40 baht.

A tout will convince you to take their services in case you are going to Siem Reap. They will charge 700 baht (approximately $22) per head for the trip. Do not listen to them. You can hire a taxi for $48 at the Poipet Bus Terminal where you can split the cost among 4-5 travellers and only pay approximately $12 each (if split with 4 heads). You can even haggle for $30-$35 for the taxi or pay $7/head, but this one’s a little bit more complicated

After all the passengers have taken their lunch (will usually last for an hour), the driver will take you to the Aranyaprathet border and will drop you off beside the 7-Eleven store. You can walk a couple of steps to reach the gates of Thailand’s immigration checkpoint.

Fare: 250 baht up to 400 baht
Length of Travel: 5 hours
Travel Schedule: 7:30 am
Reservations? You need to book for your trip 1 day ahead.

For those in a hurry to get to Siem Reap, I wouldn’t recommend this mode of transportation because of the “lunch” stop over.

3. Ride a MINIVAN at the Victory Monument

You can find a minivan or a shuttle bus at the Victory Monument. Once there, simply ask anyone where the shuttle bus travelling to Aranyaprathet is stationed. They will point you to the right direction.

The minivans going to the Aranyaprathet border are the same type of vehicles from Option # 2. However, I am uncertain if it follows the same stopover system as that of Option # 2.

Fare: 230 baht
Length of Travel: 4 hours
Travel Schedule: 6am onwards
Reservations? No reservations needed. Just buy as you go.

I have not tried this mode of transportation yet but will give you an update as soon as I get to ride on one.

4. Take a GOVERNMENT BUS at Morchit Bus Terminal Station

You can find a Government Bus that travels to Aranyaprathet at the Morchit Bus Terminal in the Northern District of Bangkok.

The government bus is air-conditioned with comfy seats. You will be given a free small drinking water and two mini cupcakes when you buy your bus tickets.

Since this a government bus, the bus will stop at every bus terminal it passes by on its way to Aranyaprathet, which explains the length of the travel time.

Once in Aranyaprathet, the bus will drop you off at the Rongkluea Market Bus Terminal, approximately 2 kilometers away from the border. You can either hire a tuktuk or a motorcycle to bring you to the border. Fare starts at 40 baht. You can also walk the 2 kilometers going to the border if you want to.

Fare: 212 baht
Length of Travel: 6 hours
Travel Schedule: every 30 minutes starting at 3:30 am
Reservations? No reservations needed. Just buy as you go.

How to Get to the Morchit Bus Terminal in Bangkok?

To reach the Morchit Northern Bus Terminal in Bangkok, you can either hire a taxi or ride a government (public) bus. You can also ride a BTS up to the Mochit Terminal Station in Chatuchak and hire a cab there. Bus #3, #136, #104 will take you to the bus terminal from Chatuchak. You can also ride the MRT all the way to the Kamphang Phaet Station and take a cab, motorbike or public bus to reach the bus terminal. Just remember that almost all public buses in Bangkok end their route at the Morchit Bus Terminal. To be sure, do not hesitate to ask. Fare of these public buses start at 6.50 baht up to 20 baht. BTS and MRT fares start from 15 baht up to 40 baht.

5. Ride the BUS at Lumphini Park

Lumphini Park is situated at the heart of Bangkok. Although there is no bus terminal in this park, you will see buses bound for Aranyaprathet at one of the park’s bus stops. These buses are often referred to as casino buses. Those who are going on a visa run prefers this mode of transportation when going to the border in Aranyaprathet.

The buses stationed at Lumphini Park are airconditioned with comfortable seats. Coffee and free drinking water are served. The 1st trip leaves at 6am but leaves immediately as soon as the bus gets full regardless of the time.

Once in the border, the bus will drop off passengers across the 7-Eleven store, a few meters away from the Aranyaprathet Immigration Office.

the bus travelling from Lumphini Park to Aranyaprathet

Fare: 200 baht
Length of Travel: 3 hrs – 3.5 hours
Travel Schedule: 6:00 am till 9:00 am
Reservations? No reservations needed. Just buy as you go.

How to get to Lumphini Park?

Since you would want to catch the 1st trip going to Aranyaprathet, it is best to travel to Lumphini Park by taxi or camp out around the park area the night before.

For those who are in a hurry to get to the border, this is the best way to travel to Aranyaprathet. And if you wanted to travel to Siem Reap, taking the bus at Lumphini Park gives you the chance to reach Siem Reap by lunch time since it will take another 3 hours to reach Siem Reap from Poipet.

6. Hire a TAXI cab

Forums have mentioned that hiring a taxi cab is an alternative way to reach the Thailand border in Aranyaprathet. There are available taxi cabs for hire almost anywhere. It’s just a matter of looking for one and agreeing the right price to bring you to the border.

This mode of transportation is often preferred by those who wanted to travel in comfort, those travelling with an elderly or those who are in a hurry to reach the border.

Fare: starts at 1,600 baht up
Length of travel: 3-4.5 hrs
Travel schedule: Anytime

I have not tried this mode of transportation yet but will give you an update as soon as I get to ride on one.

Aside from those 6 ways to travel from Bangkok to the Aranyaprathet border, anyone can also reach the border via a private vehicle (or even a chopper too!). If you own a car or a motorcycle, you can also travel to Aranyaprathet and drive your vehicle as you cross the border to Poipet and all the way to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

I hope this South East Asia Travel Guide to Travel in Aranyaprathet on your way to do an overland border crossing in Poipet will help you travel easily and help you travel faster and travel on a budget.

If you know of other ways to travel from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet that is not included in this list, feel free to leave a comment below so that I can update this post. Thanks!

P.S. $1 = approximately 31 baht

 

 

You might also find these posts useful:

• Crossing Borders: Thailand to Cambodia via Aranyaprathet to Poipet Border
• 4 Ways to Travel from Poipet to Siem Reap

After arriving in the Suvarnabhumi Airport, we went to the Transport Centre to look for the bus going to Bangkok as this is the cheapest way to travel to Bangkok from the Suvarnabhumi Airport. There are different modes of transportation in Bangkok but since my friends and I are cheapskates, we all agreed to go to the Hua Lamphong Station, Bangkok’s Train Station, the cheapest way possible since we were not in a hurry. And being cheap meant riding Bangkok’s public bus from the airport.

Den beaming on this bus ride while I check my phone’s signal

Booking for an 8-day trip to explore Thailand prompted us not to waste our time and simply hop on to the next country for passport stamping purposes since it was doable too without emptying our pockets. Since Siem Reap, Cambodia was the nearest country I could think of, I convinced Ed we should cross the border and check out the temples of Angkor. Even at the last minute, especially after arriving 5 minutes late on our connecting flight to Bangkok, Ed was still hesitant to go to Siem Reap but I insisted. I knew he had no idea what he’d be missing if he’d let that chance pass by had he really decided to be left behind in Bangkok. Good thing Den and I was able to convince him as I wouldn’t have to worry finding a sack and rope just to drag him with us to Siem Reap.

So after almost 2 hours of travelling via Bangkok’s public bus, we arrived at the Hua Lamphong Station. It was still too early and we saw people sleeping on the floor outside the train station as they await for the place to open. I even saw someone who looked like he just came back from skiing in Switzerland with the type of jacket he was wearing.

Since the whole place was still closed, we decided to check out the place and took photos here and there…

Den wanting to take home this soldier

We ate breakfast at a stall beside the Bangkok train station entrance. Afterwhich, we looked for an open grocery store to buy food for the 6-hour train ride ahead. We found an open 7Eleven across the train station and bought our “supplies” which basically consisted of water and bread. I was also tempted to buy this magazine which featured some ski holiday deals as my aunt was asking me to check out more info about it online.

At around 5am-ish, the doors to the train station opened. The schedule of the Bangkok to Aranyaprathet trip was still at 5:55 am and we still had to wait for the ticket booths to open.

Hualamphong station, Bangkok’s train station

during rush hour, that wide space gets filled with people

The people who were sleeping outside the train station woke up and slowly went inside and resumed their sleeping positions on the benches. There was still time to kill so Den and I roamed around the place while Ed comfortably found a good spot among those benches and started to doze off. I couldn’t blame him since we’ve been travelling non-stop for the last…wait, let me count…24 hours!

What’s nice about the Bangkok Train Station is that they have a lot of ticketing counters as the train station gets packed during rush hour.

our train ride going to Aranyaprathet

trains being cleaned before the trip

What I found interesting was how each train was being cleaned before it travels to the different provinces of Thailand. On this instance, our train just arrived from I don’t know where and when we thought we could already get inside to secure our seats, they told us we have to wait for a couple more minutes before they clean the train inside out. Nice noh? So while waiting, Den got busy with the photo below…

Den with a travelling monk

One thing I learned from my previous trip was that females are not allowed to sit beside a monk or touch them. I completely forgot about this discussions we had in our class back in high school. My friend reminded me about this from a previous trip so when I saw that the monk was in danger of Den’s presence I had to signal Den and tell her not to get too near or touch the monk. Notice how the monk turned his back on Den and looked as if he was trying to elude Den?

train ride to Aranyaprathet is at platform 6

You can travel to almost all of the provinces of Thailand by train. Simply head to the Hua Lamphong Railway Station, otherwise known as the Bangkok Train Station and check the schedules on their board or you can ask at their information counter. You can also visit this site for useful information on time tables and price charts as I found that very useful too.

When the ticket counters opened, we purchased our tickets and paid 48 baht each (1 Peso = 1.5 baht). The first time I learned from online searches that a 3rd class train fare from Bangkok to Siem Reap via Aranyaprathet will only cost me 48 baht per way, I didn’t hesitate to take the train since I never rode one before. That’s approximately 72 pesos for a train fare that travels for almost 6 hours! Taking the bus will cost you around 300-400 baht and travel time is somewhere around 5 hours. I guess I need not explain and tell you what mode of transportation I’ll use every time I travel from Bangkok to Cambodia

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This is a series of blog posts documenting my trip from Bangkok to Siem Reap and back in January of 2011. If you haven’t read the first posts, please check on the links below:

** Off to Bangkok and Siem Reap
#1 – The Accidental Trip to Bangkok and Siem Reap in 2011
#2 – Trip to Bangkok and Siem Reap: The Planning Stage
#3 – How to Create Your Bangkok to Siem Reap Itinerary
#4 – Arriving 5 Minutes Late on our Connecting Flight to Bangkok
#5 – En Route: Clark to Bangkok
#6 – Touchdown Bangkok!
#7 – Suvarnabhumi Airport a.k.a. Bangkok International Airport
#8 – You are now reading this
#9 – My First Taste of Authentic Thai Food

Unfinished Series from my 2008 Trip…
My First Train Ride From Bangkok to Aranyaprathet
Arriving at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok
My First Trip To Bangkok

You might also find this useful:
Modes of Transportation in Bangkok
Things to Consider When Planning Your Travel Itinerary
The Cheapest Way to Bangkok from Suvarnabhumi Airport

Disclaimer: Long post ahead

This is a continuation of the articles I wrote here:

Arriving at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok
My First Train Ride From Bangkok to Aranyaprathet

After arriving in Aranyaprathet, we hailed a tuk-tuk to take us to the border. We went inside the immigration office in Aranyaprathet, filled up some forms and handed over our passports. Since we were going out of Thailand, we had to go through these steps, the same ones we’ll be doing when we reach Poipet and back. We filled up these forms with our information in it – name, address, visa number, address in thailand, address in siem reap, etc. They’ll attach the form to your passport and the receiving immigration counter of the country you’ll cross will take it off and replace it with the form you will fill up in their office.

I realized that Poipet was just a few meters away from Aranyaprathet. Aranyaprathet and Poipet are the towns that separates Thailand and Cambodia.

Being on a country where immigration counters are only evident on airport terminals (or peraps on ports in Mindanao?), I had no clue how one looked when crossing borders. Also, this was our first time to travel out of the country so we were kinda clueleess on what to expect here.

After going out of that immigration office in Aranyaprathet, we went out, walked a few steps and looked for the same immigration counter in Poipet. We then found this sort of like guard house where police officers were stationed. We tried to ask them for help but they told us we need to pay a certain fee for that. Upon the mention of the fee, I immediately told my companions to walk away and keep looking for the immigration office.

Prior to our departure, I did a couple of searches online and found out about these types of scams. They’d sort of like extort money from you but in truth, we don’t have to pay anything.

So the best way to confirm this was finding the immigration counter ourselves too.  And at last we found it! It looked like your usual LTO counter or even a Lotto outlet where you just line up and hand over your passports and that immigration form again. We then confirmed that since we are holders of a Philippine passport, we don’t have to pay any fees unlike other countries. During this time, I learned that if your country is a member of the ASEAN organization, you are free to travel within its member countries by merely using your passport. That was a relief!

After we collected our passports, we were then greeted by a couple of drivers who were trying to convince us to take their cabs. I guess it was due to some horror stories we read online about hiring these drivers only to find out being ditched on the road that we didn’t pay close attention to any of them. There was a bus waiting there and someone kept telling us we can ride the bus for free and they will take us to the official taxi office of the country. Still clueless and without any choice at that moment we just rode the bus. And while we were in there, the guy asked us to give him a $5 tip. He kept saying that the taxi would cost us $45. I guess that one included the tip for the guy. When we reached the terminal, we again asked how much is the rate to Siem Reap and they said $45. At this point, we had to question them since we read on online forums that it only cost $40 for the trip. We were also hesitant about our online readinsg since our sources were dated 2 years back.

By this time, we found a traveller and asked him if he’d like to split the cab fare with us. We didn’t agree with the $45 cab fee, we insisted on paying for only $40. It even came to a point where they got angry at us and started shouting because we won’t budge in with their rates. They refused to give us a cab if we don’t pay the $45 taxi cab fare first. It’s like pay first, ride later. Of course we didn’t agree to this as they might ditch us in the middle of nowhere! I guess one cab driver took pity on us and agreed to take us to Siem Reap for only $40. That was really one awful incident back then and we were just glad we got out of there.

Over the next few hours, we travelled in the “wilderness”. It was really a bumpy and dusty ride. Good thing we were riding on an airconditined taxi cab. Oh, when we read some information online, it was mentioned that the make of the taxi cabs were that of a Toyota Camri. But not the grand one, ok? The taxi cabs were really the ugly camris. sorry. I couldn’t help but notice but they were indeed the old and ugly Toyota Camris.

As we travelled, we had a visible view of the soil in Cambodia. It was orange. I’ve never seen so much orangey looking color in my life. The dust was colored orange. Houses we passed by were covered with orange dust, so were the trees and grasses. The tractors that were fixing the roads were covered with orange mud. The cow was also covered in orange dust. Speaking of cows, my friend couldn’t contain from commenting that the cows in Cambodia were malnourished. This was because all the cows we passed by were too thin. They were just tied along the road grazing on the orange colored grasses on that barren land.

I also learned on this trip that airline companies pay the Cambodian government to not fix their roads from Thailand to Siem Reap so that foreigners will be forced to go to Siem Reap by plane. This was what I learned 2 years ago. I am not sure if the situation there had already improved or if it’s still in the same state now.

One thing’s for sure though. On this trip to Siem Reap, I realized that I am lucky to be a Filipino. I am lucky to have the Philippines as my homeland where we are blessed with abundant natural resources and we get to experience this. We may also have issues with our country but despite our government’s shortcomings, I am so grateful that I am from the Philippines.

P.S. Due to the horror and ugly scene we had at the Taxi Office, we failed to capture shots of the road going to Siem Reap.

After our arrival in Bangkok, we had a bit of trouble finding our way to the Hua Lamphong Railway Station and we were grateful that we still made it in time for the 5:55am train schedule that would take us to Aranyaprathet, where Thailand’s border is situated. We planned to cross the border going to Siem Reap in Cambodia and since we do not want to spend around 300-400 baht for a bus ride going to this place, we decided to ride the train instead where we only had to pay 48 baht each. This was my first train ride experience.

I never knew what to expect on this ride. I couldn’t picture something like those we see in India since this was Thailand but I wasn’t being complacent too. Once we boarded the train, we walked to the farthest end of the train where we found cushioned seats and settled our stuff. Across our seat were two Caucasian couples (i think) who were also on their way to Siem Reap. I think I was expecting the train to be filthy and smelly but I was wrong. Although this was not a luxury train, I can manage riding this one since it doesn’t stink at all.

While waiting for the train to leave, we managed to take a couple of photos and bought food from peddlers selling sticky rice, beef/pork, water, juice, hotdogs and all other stuff.

sleepy heads

me, after a quick nap; Donnie, wide awake and ready to kill

The guy in the yellow shirt was with this girl in a white tank top below. We were teasing Donnie with that guy over there.

posing after the nap

a guy on the other seat was sleeping while the train went choo-choo

another signature pose from Donnie and Leah

the seductress look

Donnie and his hotdog

This hotdog on a stick really tasted weird. But since it was a waste of money to throw it away, Donnie just consumed all of it while constantly complaining how yucky and weird it tasted.

trees

more trees – going dead

dry land

a single tree

a hut

The train ride was a scenic 6-hour trip. The farther we travelled out of Bangkok, the lesser we saw houses. Instead of seeing greeneries everywhere, all we can see were those dry looking trees and the brown earth. The road going to Siem Reap is even worse (not in the bad kind of way). Instead of brown soil, you’ll see red earth soil + “malnourished” cows.

a lone tree

It took us 6 hours to reach Aranyaprathet since we had to stop at every train station we passed by to pick up passengers.

railway

We never really got the chance to see those passengers embarking and disembarking from the train since we were seated on the farthest end of the train. Those passengers never bothered going to that side so our side of the train wasn’t really crowded. We only realized this on our way back to Bangkok since we sat on the train box where people tend to load and unload so it was kinda chaotic on our way back.

The train is also equipped with its own bathroom so in case nature calls, you don’t have to wait for the next train stop. And since you are travelling out of Bangkok, you’ll get the chance to get some fresh countryside air.

If you are planning to go to Siem Reap via Bangkok and if you are not in a hurry, I would suggest you take the train so that you can see Thailand’s country side. Riding the train is also ideal especially if you are on a tight budget.

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This is a series of blog posts documenting my trip from Bangkok to Siem Reap and back in January of 2011. If you haven’t read the first posts, please check on the links below:

** Off to Bangkok and Siem Reap
#1 – The Accidental Trip to Bangkok and Siem Reap in 2011
#2 – Trip to Bangkok and Siem Reap: The Planning Stage
#3 – How to Create Your Bangkok to Siem Reap Itinerary
#4 – Arriving 5 Minutes Late on our Connecting Flight to Bangkok
#5 – En Route: Clark to Bangkok
#6 – Touchdown Bangkok!
#7 – Suvarnabhumi Airport a.k.a. Bangkok International Airport
#8 – Bangkok Train Station: Waiting for our Train Ride to Aranyaprathet
#9 – My First Taste of Authentic Thai Food

Unfinished Series from my 2008 Trip…
Arriving at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok
My First Trip To Bangkok

You might also find this useful:
Modes of Transportation in Bangkok
Things to Consider When Planning Your Travel Itinerary
The Cheapest Way to Bangkok from Suvarnabhumi Airport