Visa Run By Land For First Time Aranyaprathet

[warwick7735]

Hi All

Was going to fly to Malaysia this weekend with GF, but as it a holiday weekend almost all the hotels I picked were fully booked.

So going to her home town instead, on the way I want to get another 90 day stamp (have non imm O visa).

Question is how simple is it? do I just walk out across the border and walk back in? Only ever done it at airports before never a land crossing. Can I drive a car across the border and drive it back in without any problems? How long does it take? Do I have to stay across the border for any length of time?

I have a return air ticket already for july so thats not an issue if they ask for it.

I know the answer to my question is on here somewhere, but couldn't find definate answers.

Any help please.

Many thanks

Warwick

[richard10365]

I wouldn't drive into Poi Pet if I could help it. Poi Pet is like the old west. It's very similiar to the west side of Juarez, Mexico.

Walking is your best option. There is a huge market there at the border on the Thai side. Park your car (lock it) and walk across the border into Cambodia. Process out of Thailand and into Cambodia. Then walk to the other side of the street and come back into Thailand.

I'm not sure how the 90 day stamps work with a non-O.

[AJARNJACK]

Please let me "take a trip down memory lane". My comment has to do with Poipet and going there for the purpose of a visa to re-enter Thailand for another 30 days.

My only trip there was 33 yrs. ago and I took the bus from BKK to Aryanpahtet. As you might well imagine, I was the only "white folk" on board! It was 1974 and the war in Viet Nam was still going on and the capitol of Cambodia was under siege from the Khmer Rogue. I got to the Thai boarder late in the afternoon and so I booked a room at the biggest hotel there - 3 stories. The next morning I boarded the bus for Poipet, which was crammed with people and their packages. Between the boarders there was a "no man's zone" for about a kilometer between the barbed wired countries. Just before reaching the Cambodian side, a jeep equiped with a fixed M-60 machine gun raced towards us. The bus halted and Army personell boarded with weapons drawn. There was general chaos in the bus and the old lady with a small child sitting next to me tried to hand me a package she'd been holding. Figuring it to be contraband I refused and she put it under the seat between us. The officer in charge shouted orders to the people on the bus and they complied while a soldier leveled his M-16 at them. Row by row they checked the passengers until they finally got to me. Luckily he ignored me but yelled at the old lady as she clutched the child. He grabbed the child but the old lady wouldn't let go until he drew out his bayonet. I thought "what the <deleted>, is he going to kill her?" Instead he felt the child and pierced her jacket -- out came a white powder! I immediately got out of the way as he grabbed the old lady, child and package under the seat and took them to the jeep. I figured it to be heroin, but after tasting the powder later, found it to be SALT! Turns out there were restrictions on how much a certain items you could take out of Thailand legally, salt being one of the more coveted spices in Cambodia then. WHAT A TRIP!

Once at the Cambodian check-point I was greeted by a government official complete with sun glasses and a "shit eating grin". He grabbed my passport and laughingly asked me how long I was going to stay in his beautiful country? I knew better than to say anything derogative and only smiled back and said "just long enough to get my visa stamped". End of story. One I will never forget!