The Travelling Feet

One of my favorite mall in Bangkok is Terminal 21 for it has a wide selection of cheap foods. When you are in Bangkok, don’t forget to drop by Pier 21 at the 5th floor. It is the mall’s high-end food court where you can buy different meals. You have to buy a coupon card before you can buy any food. The card is valid for one month. You can also have your money refunded if you will no longer need the card.

One of my favorite food meals is their roasted duck and pork meal. I only paid 40 baht (~$1.30 or Php60.00) for it. You can also help yourself with an unlimited serving of spices too. Take note that small food stalls in the streets also sell a similar meal for the same price so why not have a meal at Terminal 21? Aside from the pollution-free atmosphere, you get to dine in an air-conditioned classy space!

My clock registered 5:30am. It was the 4th day of my 2nd trip to Pai and we were to leave that afternoon to head back to Bangkok. My friend, Den, was missing in action early that morning. To maximize my time, I decided to go on an early morning walk in Pai and head straight to Coffee in Love. I had always wanted to go back in that coffee shop after my quick visit from our previous trip. The sceneries on your way there are a sight to behold and it was the perfect time to work out my sleeping muscles.

Renting motorbikes and bicycles are common ways to move around Pai. However, I left the bike that I rented since I was about to pass through Pai’s national highway. You see, I had that morbid imagination wherein I might get crushed by huge vehicles on Pai’s national roads. I was on my own and no one might help me should something bad happen to me. And that was the reason I went on foot from the town center of Pai and walked 2 kilometers going to Coffee in Love (4 kilometers if you were to add the trip back).

It was still early when I left my guesthouse. The streets were still deserted except for a few locals who were walking by. I also saw a couple of monks roaming around town asking for alms. Alms giving in Thailand is natural and is practiced by monks on a daily basis. It is believed that giving alms will bring one good luck as those monks will pray for you and bless you and your family. When you travel to these Southeast Asian countries, don’t be surprised when you see this practice.

Once I reached my 1st kilometer, I decided to drop by Baan Kung Kang de Pai. I knew that there was a small windmill in that hotel and although we passed by this area the day before, we skipped entering the area. I wanted to see the windmill. When I reached the hostel, the place looked very surreal! I’ll share that on a different post.

After getting side tracked, I continued on my journey and hoped that it wouldn’t rain. People passing by were looking at me. If I knew too well, I’d suspect that they were thinking how crazy I was with what I was doing. Pai’s national road was desserted and I was the only one moving in there.

Then all of a sudden, I saw them. A few meters away, a dog started to bark at me. I tried to walk on the farthest side of the road so that the dog wouldn’t bother me. The barking didn’t stop. 2 more dogs joined the 1st one. They were barking non-stop and I had to walk slowly at that time, carefully calculating my next move. I silently chanted for them to stay on their side of the road.

I could not panic. I couldn’t afford to. I know that dogs can sense fear in any person. I had to conceal my fright. I don’t want to end up in a hospital to get some anti-rabies. I had no budget for that.

The worst thing happened next. Since the road was deserted, the dogs freely crossed the street and decided to gang up on me. I froze. This time, they were barking at me, just a few inches away from my body. Instead of hitting them with the first object I could grab  and  threatening them to go away, I started talking to them. I started scolding them and pointed my finger at each one of them and told them to stop barking. When they saw my hand, they jumped as if they wanted to eat it. I extended it higher. They thought it was a game and they jumped higher. My other hand started stroking the head of one of those dogs while I continued raising my other arm to play along.

They stopped barking. Instead, they playfully bit my legs and hands. I had to stroke the heads of the dogs so that they’d get distracted. I squatted on the floor to give each one a pat in their back. They started licking my hand. Two of the dogs ran around me while the other one sat on the street. When I decided to take photos of them, they became willing models.

The other dog probably got bored since he went back to his home. The other two remained at my side. I urged them to go home so that I could go on with my walk. However, every time I walk, they walked with me. I kept telling them to go home but they wouldn’t budge. I guess they wanted to go with me.

I let them walk first while I lagged behind. At times, they’d stop walking. When I went ahead, they’d follow me again. They followed me all the way to Coffee in Love.

Once we reached the coffee shop, the other dog must have gotten bored and disappeared. The tamed one stayed behind. When I took photos of the place, I noticed that the dog hid behind my legs. He was trying to hide from another dog and seeked my protection. That  was so sweet of him. I told him to relax and calm down.

From time to time, the dog would go back to me as he was afraid of the other dog in the area. I talked to him as if I was talking to an old friend, reassuring him that everything’s going to be fine.

At times, the dog would stand at my my photo subjects as if signaling me to also take his picture.

When it was time for me to leave the coffee shop, the dog walked back with me. We walked side by side going down that sloped hill. When we reached their home, I said goodbye and told the dog to run home. He did as told. He ran towards their house. Then I started walking again. When I turned to check on him, I saw that he ran back towards me. He almost caused an accident since a motorcycle was passing by when he crossed the street. The good thing was the driver managed to control his bike. I was afraid he’d pull over and scold me and the dog for the hassle.

I bid my final farewell to my new buddy and told him to be good and to be careful when crossing the road. I patted him on his back one last time and told him to go home.

He finally crossed the street and halfway on the other side, he looked back at me. It was as if he was telling me he’ll miss me too. After taking a final photo of him, I waved goodbye once more and he ran fast towards their house.

That morning walk refreshed my body and mind. I never expected I’d meet a new buddy on my last day in Pai. I never imagined how a stranger who started out barfing at me ended up to be one of my sweetest travel buddies even for a short while.

Doggie, I will surely miss you!

When I travel, I prefer going to different places to explore new sights. However, I also have this habit of going back to the places I love. My stay in Thailand and Cambodia for 5 months were proof to this. Instead of moving on to that next adventure, I get stuck at those places and I allow it to happen. When I first travelled to Pai, one of the towns in the Mae Hong Son province in northern Thailand, I immediately realized that that trip was not going to be my first and last one.

When I first came to Pai, I was quick to judge the place without giving her the chance to know her better. I immediately labeled it as a ghost town. I tagged it as one of those fake touristy towns where travellers get sucked because of the artsy stuff lying everywhere.

Little did I know that I would soon eat my words the moment my eyes betrayed me. For when I decided to explore Pai’s countryside, I fell in love with Pai and found solace there.

Pai’s beautiful countryside is its best asset. You will see greenery everywhere you go. I know other places offer sceneries like this but there’s something magical about Pai.

I used to dream of going to Ireland. I want to see leprechauns in Ireland’s countryside.   I used to imagine roaming the castles of Scotland. My friend Marge even persuaded me to visit Venere.com for Edinburgh hotels offer great accommodation deals when she learned that I wanted to travel to Europe. She told me she’d be my tour guide to see Europe’s castles and its countryside. But after seeing Pai, I felt happy. Although it may take a while before my feet find the roads of Europe, I was happy to be given the chance to experience something similar in Pai.

For your knowledge, majority of the travellers that roam around Southeast Asia are Europeans. Seldom would you find travellers from America or elsewhere. These folks tend to travel to the tropical countries of Asia to escape the cold climate in Europe. Some of them return to their country after the winter season is over. Others who get stuck stay behind.

And I think this is one of the reasons why you would see a similar design in the architecture or other establishments in the countryside of Pai. The Europeans who have claimed Pai as their second home made an imprint in the lives and culture of the Thai people living in Pai.

I find it sad that Thai’s rich culture got overshadowed by these foreigners. I guess Pai just had to adapt and conform to change. I know I can’t do much about this since I was just passing through. With my short stay in Pai, I think I can say that Pai’s culture is still safe though unlike what happened to the town of Vang Vieng in Laos. I just hope Pai doesn’t end up like Vang Vieng.

If Thailand is on your travel destination list, I also encourage you to visit Pai. It’s actually almost 15 hours travel by bus but you can also ride a plane to Chiang Mai. Travelling to Pai from Chiang Mai will only take 3 hrs. There’s also an airport in Pai if you want to avoid the long and winding road when travelling to Pai.

I wouldn’t get tired having a view like this every single day.

I promised myself I will go back to Pai in October to witness sunflowers bloom and by December to January to see the beautiful sakuras during the province’ winter season but I guess I’ll have to take a rain check on that.

These beautiful small flowers will do for now…

My second visit to Pai, a beautiful countryside on the northern part of Thailand, was super fun and I was glad I returned there. The country of Thailand was celebrating one of their holidays and because of the long weekend, my friend and I decided to travel back to Pai. Well, to tell you honestly, she forced me to go with her. Just don’t let her know I said so. If I even mention here the real reason why she dragged me there in the first place, I might not see the next sunrise. lol. So I’ll keep that secret between the two of us (plus my other friends, Edcel and Debbie )

Anyway, since she dragged me to one of the most beautiful countryside in Thailand, she’ll be the topic of this article. sssssh. Don’t tell her, ok?

One of the best things about the residents of Pai are their creativity. You will see how creative they are based on the artworks that they sell at the walking street bazaar, which you will find in the town center.

One evening, while we were roaming around the area, we came across a shop of a Pai artist.

After seeing that board on top, my friend got interested and asked how big the photos were. She compared each size with its corresponding amount. After discussing the rates, she decided to have her portrait sketched with the A6 postcard size.

The artist asked my friend to sit down. He turned on the spotlight and directed it to my friend, Den.

While the artist was busy sketching my friend’s portrait, Den started commenting on the artist’s strokes. She was saying that the sketch should be beautiful or else…

The artist kept telling Den to look at the green spot behind him so that he can focus on his work. However, my friend didn’t obey. Instead, we kept laughing since we could see what the artist was sketching.

The artist was laughing too as he continued sketching my friend. At that point, one might mistake we smoked weed because of the laughter ringing in the area. Den and I were already laughing hard at how ridiculous Den looked on her sketch, not to mention Den’s complaints. The artist just laughed with us. Den started saying she didn’t look close to anything that the artist was drawing.

Despite my friend’s complains, the artist kept sketching as if he didn’t hear her. A few tourists also dropped by to check out the final sketch.

After a few minutes, the ordeal was over. The artist handed Den her caricature. I was laughing hard when I saw that the artist never changed the one thing that Den asked him to change, her chin. Den was complaining the whole time that she doesn’t have a huge chin like the one the artist just drew. But the artist just laughed at us. Den also realized that her chin and neckline was probably one of her most striking  features for that was the area that the artist focused on distorting.

When we left the place, my friend asked if I had a pen since she was bent on altering the portrait. She said she’d draw a neckline to break the huge fat chin that the artist sketched. Since I’m evil, I didn’t give her my pen

By dinner time, she managed to borrow a pen from the owner of the restaurant. My pen’s ink was better than the regular pen Den got so I gave in and handed my pen over. In the end, she got what she wanted – a smaller chin for her caricature portrait.

Den is an artist too. She’s the artist behind my logo. After seeing her caricature, she couldn’t help say that she drew better than that artist. Bitter mode? Peace Den. Miss yah!

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