Phu Sing Immigration

[pnustedt]

If anyone is intending to visit Phu Sing immigration office note that it has moved about 20km down the road towards Chong Chom. It is now located in a new building set back on the right just before you reach the car park near the border, travelling from Phu Sing.

[plachon]

If anyone is intending to visit Phu Sing immigration office note that it has moved about 20km down the road towards Chong Chom. It is now located in a new building set back on the right just before you reach the car park near the border, travelling from Phu Sing.

Thanks for that snippet Pnu! I'm thinking of going that route into Cambodia fairly soon, as I heard the road to Siem Reap was pretty good and quick cf. Surin. But just wanted to check that farangs can easily get visas for Cambodia from the Phu Sing crossing? Have you been across and if so, what was your experience? Anyone else feel free to add their thoughts?

One two other things: just how far is the new immigration office from the actual border crossing, just so I don't overshoot it if I decide to go that way? And does the car park have secure parking, if you wanted to park there for a few days?

Cheers!

[yakyak]

If anyone is intending to visit Phu Sing immigration office note that it has moved about 20km down the road towards Chong Chom. It is now located in a new building set back on the right just before you reach the car park near the border, travelling from Phu Sing.

Thanks for that snippet Pnu! I'm thinking of going that route into Cambodia fairly soon, as I heard the road to Siem Reap was pretty good and quick cf. Surin. But just wanted to check that farangs can easily get visas for Cambodia from the Phu Sing crossing? Have you been across and if so, what was your experience? Anyone else feel free to add their thoughts?

One two other things: just how far is the new immigration office from the actual border crossing, just so I don't overshoot it if I decide to go that way? And does the car park have secure parking, if you wanted to park there for a few days?

Cheers!

not sure if there's a crossed wire or two here,but there is now and has been for over 18mths to my knowledge a border crossing at CHO OAM in amphur phu sing,approx 30klm from the immigration office(the one at the side of the police station in phu sing).

Visa's are readily available on the cambodian side for the usual fee B1000,as for secure parking............c'mon your thinking of leaving a vehicle for a few days unattended at the thai-cambodian border............well good luck hope you've got some good walking shoes.

[pnustedt]

not sure if there's a crossed wire or two here,but there is now and has been for over 18mths to my knowledge a border crossing at CHO OAM in amphur phu sing,approx 30klm from the immigration office(the one at the side of the police station in phu sing).

Please note that the imm. office in Phu Sing is now closed (from Monday), a new one has opened near the border (about a km).

I have not made this crossing into Cambo - I tried to visit the market once but was told that I would get a 30 day stamp in my pp so decided against it as my Non O visa would have been void. My (Thai) family cross every week tho to sell farm produce at market there.

However, the new imm. office can now issue re-entry permits (the old office didn't offer this service).

On the one occasion I parked in the car park at the border I returned to my truck after about half an hour to find that the fuel flap had been forced - I believe I disturbed someone trying to syphon fuel. So no, the parking is far from secure.

I did pick up a backpacker at the border for my return journey to Sisaket and he confirmed that the road to Siam Riap is "pretty good".

Edited March 30, 2007 by pnustedt

[plachon]

OK, so the car park is defintely unsecure (that figures, considering the history of that area), but the immigration office is now more handy for the border, which is useful to know, as we will be using local transport.

Did the backpacker indicate what form of transport he used between Siem Reap and the Thai border, Pnu? Am hoping there is something a little faster/more comfortable than local charabangs. Perhaps minibus or taxi queue?

Cheers!

[pnustedt]

Did the backpacker indicate what form of transport he used between Siem Reap and the Thai border, Pnu? Am hoping there is something a little faster/more comfortable than local charabangs. Perhaps minibus or taxi queue?

Cheers!

The backpacker arrived on a local non air-con bus - he was travelling on a shoestring budget. I got the impression that it was not comfortable and stopped for every man and his chickens!

[plachon]

Did the backpacker indicate what form of transport he used between Siem Reap and the Thai border, Pnu? Am hoping there is something a little faster/more comfortable than local charabangs. Perhaps minibus or taxi queue?

Cheers!

The backpacker arrived on a local non air-con bus - he was travelling on a shoestring budget. I got the impression that it was not comfortable and stopped for every man and his chickens!

Hi Pnu.......another question mate.......what is the respective distance of Phu Sing crossing from Surin and Sisaket towns. Need to balance up which way to approach it from as on my large scale map, it looks just about equidistant.

Are you still helping the rellies farm by the way or back in HK at moment?

[pnustedt]

Hi Pnu.......another question mate.......what is the respective distance of Phu Sing crossing from Surin and Sisaket towns. Need to balance up which way to approach it from as on my large scale map, it looks just about equidistant.

Are you still helping the rellies farm by the way or back in HK at moment?

I guess it's about 80km from Sisaket, takes me an hour or so. Never travelled there from Surin but it does seem to be closer than Sisaket.

I'm in Thailand full time now, getting involved with farming - just ploughed in 15 rai of green beans.

[Krub]

Actually I visited the Thai immigration office (which does the extensions, etc.) It is located 11km before the border in Kap Choeng on the road going south from Surin to the border (route 214). It is on your right (see the pinned info on top of this forum) within the police station compound. It has a big sign Immigration but is is only really nicely visible when you are coming from the border and not when you are driving to the border but it is there all new with a 'customer' parking

[plachon]

Actually I visited the Thai immigration office (which does the extensions, etc.) It is located 11km before the border in Kap Choeng on the road going south from Surin to the border (route 214). It is on your right (see the pinned info on top of this forum) within the police station compound. It has a big sign Immigration but is is only really nicely visible when you are coming from the border and not when you are driving to the border but it is there all new with a 'customer' parking

Think you may be getting confused between the two border crossings here Krub. You're talking about Chong Jom in Surin, but so far we've been talking about "Chong Sa-ngam" (?), in Phu Sing District of Sisaket. Pnu never mentioned the crossing name in the original post, which may have been the source of the confusion. Anyway, I want to try this one to Siem Reap, as supposedly it has a better road on the Cambodian side.

Perhaps, anyone else with experience of traveling the route from Surin to Phu Sing to Chong Sa-nagam and onwards in Cambodia, can give their impressions and low-down on the trip?

Cheers!

[Krub]

Actually I visited the Thai immigration office (which does the extensions, etc.) It is located 11km before the border in Kap Choeng on the road going south from Surin to the border (route 214). It is on your right (see the pinned info on top of this forum) within the police station compound. It has a big sign Immigration but is is only really nicely visible when you are coming from the border and not when you are driving to the border but it is there all new with a 'customer' parking

Think you may be getting confused between the two border crossings here Krub. You're talking about Chong Jom in Surin, but so far we've been talking about "Chong Sa-ngam" (?), in Phu Sing District of Sisaket. Pnu never mentioned the crossing name in the original post, which may have been the source of the confusion. Anyway, I want to try this one to Siem Reap, as supposedly it has a better road on the Cambodian side.

Perhaps, anyone else with experience of traveling the route from Surin to Phu Sing to Chong Sa-nagam and onwards in Cambodia, can give their impressions and low-down on the trip?

Cheers!

Hi yes I am confused because as far as I can see from the map from Surin or Sisaket to Phu Sing is Ok but after Phu Sing I do not see any roads crossing into Cambodia (at least on my map)

Do you have any road numbers ?

Would be most interrested

Thanks

[plachon]

Hi Pnu.......another question mate.......what is the respective distance of Phu Sing crossing from Surin and Sisaket towns. Need to balance up which way to approach it from as on my large scale map, it looks just about equidistant.

Are you still helping the rellies farm by the way or back in HK at moment?

I guess it's about 80km from Sisaket, takes me an hour or so. Never travelled there from Surin but it does seem to be closer than Sisaket.

I'm in Thailand full time now, getting involved with farming - just ploughed in 15 rai of green beans.

Ah, getting green fingers and tractor bum Pnu? It'll hook you i'm sure, but don't let it get the better of you (or the rellies who seem intent on buying up half of Sisaket!). Keep it small, manageable, environmentally-friendly and a profitable hobby, rather than a full-time biz or external input intensive drain (a la Maizefarmer, whom i hope is now recovering well). Doing the tua kieow sounds like a good idea - what crop are you following them up with and have you checked organic matter and nitrogen content yet? It's not too expensive if you take it to one of the Uni labs, and gives you the satisfaction of knowing if your efforts are paying off (or not!). Seen a few people planting leguminous trees, like Sesbania, and then ploughing in as a green compost, but not sure how it compares against beans in terms of a/ biomass or b/ N content. Chok dee with the efforts at soil improvement.

Sawasdee Bee Mai!

[plachon]

Just as an update on the Phu Sing and Chong Sa-ngam border crossing in Sisaket, I have been through and back from Siem Reap there recently.

The Thai side is gearing up for something massive, with the start of massive construction underway a km short of border, but there is some dispute with Cambodia holding up the opening of the official all-weather road and check-point. so for moment, there is very little cross-border traffic using this crossing, which is still using a temporary style checkpoint.

The Thai side is nice and easy for checking in and out, in a rustic sort of way. You then walk 100 m across a no-man's land and into Cambodia. The Cambodian side is a little more confusing, as there are a number of huts scattered about fulfilling some function or other, but not v. well marked. First get a visa on the left hand side of the road, but you'll probably find the officials swinging in a hammock behind the actual portacabin Visa office. The visa officially costs $20 or 800 baht, but they tried to squeeze us for 1,000 Baht. We baulked and politely said that "visas cost $20 right?" and they didn't push the issue. You need one photo, but even if you forget, no problem, as the immigration guy's have mobile phones with in-built cameras which they can take a photo of you for 100 Baht no questions asked.

Once you've got the visa in the passport, then walk over road to portacabin of immigration cops for stamping in and out. Fill in Entry card and then wait a few minutes. Again, the official tried to extort a "tax" of 100 Baht per passport for doing his job of stamping your passport, but by being polite and firm, asking him to justify the extra sum, then he eventually just handed over the passports stamped. so the lesson is - they'll try it on, but if you stand your ground, you'll avoid the hidden taxes.

Then once into Cambodia there is a ramshackle market, selling mostly cheap fags, booze and clothes and you can hire a motorbike for 100 B down to the town of Anlong Veng (last resting place of Pol Pot). Here you can get a Toyota Camry taxi on to Siem Reap, 120 kms away. The road is bumpy and dusty most of the way, and would be major fun in the rainy season, but if it's dry you can do it in about 3 hrs. The taxis start at 2,000 Baht for hiring whole thing, but it is slightly negotiable with a bit of patience. We got a price of 1,200 Baht for 3 of us in back seat, with 3 scrammed into front seat next to driver! Don't know what they paid, but expect it was a lot less than our comfortable perch!

Anyway, this crossing is open and working, with as yet, very little traffic using it from Thai side. This will probably change when main crossing is opened and it is promoted as a "Gateway to Angkor Wat" in future.

Hope this is useful to someone wanting an interesting way to the temple ruins.....