Visa run from bkk to poipet

[mowlem]

i'm a brit on a double entry tourist visa doing an in/out run to poipet

from morchit, which window do i get the ticket, and how long is the journey, or is the train quicker?

how far to the border from bus station?

what should i bring, (i assumed photo, but someone said the cambodians use no photo as a pretxt for  the bribe)and how much "more" than 1000 baht is it going to cost. i just need to know the going "rate".

and what should i NOT do?

[bkkgs]

the last time i made this trip was a year ago- maybe things have changed, but- what you should not do is spend the night in poipet. it is a hellhole. when i was there there were no paved roads or trees beyond the casino area. most buildings are cinderblock or corregated metal, which, especially at this time of the year, tend to get a little warm. saying the people are dirt poor is an understatement. most motorcycle drivers will rip you off in a minute.

the best bet is get off the bus (about a 6 hour trip), take a motorcycle or tuk-tuk to the border (they are waiting at the station- should be about 30 baht- 5 minute ride), try to grab a re-entry card on your way out, ignore the guys on the cambodian side offering visa services. grab an application (actually you can avoid this step by getting a cambodian visa at their embassy in bkk- go in the morning, ready in afternoon) - bring a couple of pics with you, pay the US$25 or 1,000 baht, get your stamp, walk out and sit for 20 minutes (tell the motorcycle guys you are waiting for your friends), then come back to thailand. the cambodians might try to get you for 100 baht for a quick turnaround- pay it and get it over with. head back to the bus station or get a room in aranyapratet. like i said, its been a year, maybe its changed, but with the border closed for so long a while back, i cant imagine its gotten better- have you thought of going to koh kong instead?

[mowlem]

thanks for the info, all i want is the quickest way to get a exit entry stamp.

[fester]

The in-built forum search is great as well! I did a search for "Aranyapratet" and got this list of topics:

http://forum.thaivisa.com/cgi-bin....8c75ab3

[danbo]

Hi Richard

A number of "Travel Agencies" on the Khaosan Rd offer minibus return trips.  I was quoted prices of 380 to 600 baht.  They leave (from Khaosan) around 06:00 am.  I was told that the trip to the border is about 4/5 hours and that the bus returns to BKK at 14:00 (they run every day).  No idea, if this is a better option, or a "rip-off" but maybe as the mini-bus takes you straight to the border it makes things a little bit easier.

There's also a page on the run at

ThaiVisa

If you do go, pls drop a mail on your experience.

Dan

[mowlem]

Did the run Friday.

Bus at 3.30am. the bus was FULL, so i was lucky that i arrived at 3.10, was first to buy a ticket

the window is number 30 or  31 and has aranyapratet in english on it. if i got there at 3.20 i don't think i'd have got a ticket.

tuk tuks at the door when the  bus stopped.

when i got to the border, going against the hordes of cambodians coming against you, made the mistake of standing with the traders, who were waiting for customs to open. don't. go straight on and turn sharp left following the road. the thai passport control on your left was easy. when you exit, GO DIAGONALY RIGHT missing the second (cambodian?) hut, or you'll pay an extra fee for something.... you will see the VISA SERVICE sign, and a large seated area. you will probably end up paying 200 baht for various  "services". Accept it, mine was for a guy to get the exit stamp, and to let me go straight back to Thailand that minute. (Do you think they got the job without paying a humungus kickback? and they keep ALL the money they make?)

i got the 9.00am bus back to bangkok. the bus company was suprised i was so quick. it was the same crew that took me there!

Apart from the journey 4.5hrs there 5hrs back, it wasn't a problem.

cost: visa + "services" 1200 bht

travel (bus taxis etc.,) 750

probably could have skimped here and there, but not much.

so I'm O.K. till next time.....