Are The Gambling Buses Still Running From Lumphini Park To Aranyaprathet?

[mrdome]

If yes, does anyone know the days - Sat & Sun morning, I'm guessing and the approximate departure times?

Thank you.

[klauswernst198]

My reccomendation would be not to use them since their service is irregular and also on some weekends they are fully booked in advance

So here is my guide for a do it yourself visa run I just did it a month ago for the 12th time already

1) Go to century department store) closed to victory monument on the road wich leads to siam/mbk

2.) On the right side of the entrance which has a sky bridge to the BTS Station there is a minivan station.

3.) Go to the minivan station and ask for Aranyaprathet Since they have also vans to Hua Hin and Pattaya they do speak some words of english

4.) Take the van cost as of yesterday was 230 Baht All the van which go to Aranyprathet are new and large. I found that all seats are fine for me but the one with the most legroom is the first row. From you knees to the driver seat you will still have 50cm.

5.) The van will leave you 300m from the border just walk straight and don't listen to anyone. (a lot of scammers there) If you need to ask for the way ask at the banks or 7 eleven

6.) Go trough the Thai border and as soon as you cross the bridge cross over to the right side and you will see a house were you can apply for the visa on arrival cost is 20$ or 1000 Baht (I know it is not the same but it is the scam they have mounted there) If you want you can change money on the way from the van station to the border since you will pass some banks Kasikorn even opens on Saturday and sunday

7.) Once you get your visa continue walking on the right side past a hotel/casino until Cambodian immigration arrival. Stamp in and leave. Cross the roads to the other side

8.) On the other side you have a place called Cambodian immigration departure. Stamp out and walk back to the bridge just before the bridge cross to the other side.

9.) Continue walking and go inside the thai immigration stamp in and go back to the van station

Note

Last van from the border leaves at 16:50 so you should try to be at the van station in bangkok before 11

Normally the van takes a bit more than 3 hours and at the border it will take you between 50 -70 minutes so you can calculate a maximum of 8 hours

Cost for all together is around 1400 Baht

With jack holiday or other visa run services you will leave bangkok before 7 and return around 5 or 6 the lunch they offer is the crap and their buses are old specially if you compare them to the new minivans used from century to the border. Beside you will pay 600 Baht more. And the only difference is a shit lunch and that they fill out and stamp the paasport at the campodian side for you. Problem is the long queues are on the thai side and since they arrive at the border at the peak time be ready to be in the queue each time for at least 30 minutes. Best time to arrive at the border is after 1 since than all the visarun companies and tour companies have past already and queening time normally is less than 5 minutes

[Lite Beer]

An inflammatory post and the replies to it have been removed.

[mrdome]

Hi Klaus,

thank you for your reply. I wanted to do this early in the morning. At what time does the first van leave?

I will stay in the area on Rama IV in February, that's why I had thought of taking the gambler bus. I will not go via Mor Chit at 4 am again. The taxi drivers wanted funny money to go out there.

P.S. I'm not on a visa run, I really want to go to Cambodia

Edited December 11, 2010 by mrdome

[klauswernst198]

first van leaves around 7 if I remember well and the earliest I have taken left at 8. It takes them usually a bit under 3 hours to the border. The trip normaly is done with a less than 5 minutes stop on a petrol station.

If you wanna go go cambodia poipet is really a bad place for this because there is a big transportation mafia on the other side. My recommendation would be to try to find some other foreigners meanwhile you wait at the queues at thai immigrations who want to go to the same destination as you and join together with them. if you have a group of 4 o 10 it is the best because you will fill a car or minivan completely and this increases your negotiation power when it comes to prices. And obviously it is always better to travel with people you choose than to be thrown together with all type of people by the transportation mafia over there.

If your destination is not siem reap or Phnom Penh walk around 300 -400 along the road after the border and than take a motorcyle from there to the public bus terminal. The first 200 are controlled by the mafia and they will take you to places you dont want to go for crazy prices

[mrdome]

Hi Klaus,

I'm a former Bangkok resident and have used this border crossing about a dozen times since 2001 and last time in April of last year. While it is pretty awful, if you want to go to Battambang (and on to PP) it is still the best option travel-wise.

[klauswernst198]

Hi Klaus,

I'm a former Bangkok resident and have used this border crossing about a dozen times since 2001 and last time in April of last year. While it is pretty awful, if you want to go to Battambang (and on to PP) it is still the best option travel-wise.

I have used it one time to go overland to Phnom Penh and I think it is not worth the hassle. You better fly with Air Asia to Phnom Penh. if you book well in advance you can get it for around 1500 Baht. and you arrive in Phnom Penh in 5 hours from your house in Bangkok to your hotel in Phnom Penh without having to fight against scammers and problems for a whole day. By land this trip takes around 16 hour and it just a experience I think nobody needs.

[mrdome]

I will not fly to PP, period and I have already done this all before. I did the BKK - PP overland and the only rough parts were getting from Hua Lampong to Mor Chit finding a taxi driver willing to use the meter early morning and then after the border crossing in Aranyaprathet/Poipet where I had received information on an office selling the bus ticket and I just could not locate the office. The bus trip is quite long, yes, that's why I will only go as far as Battambang and spend the night there.

But coming back to my original question: Do the gambler buses still run?