Bangkok, Thailand to Siem Reap, Cambodia
There are direct buses costing 450 Baht from Khao San road every morning at 7.30am from Bangkok to Siem Reap, however I read about some bad presses about the bus where they are trying to rip off tourist by delaying the trip.
Decided to cross the border on my own, took a public bus number 3 (20 Baht) at 8.15am to Mochit bus terminal at the north part of town. It took around an hour to get to the bus terminal and then got on a 10am bus to the border town of AranyaPathet.
Arrived at AranyaPathet around 2.30pm after a 4.5 hours bus ride. Since casinos are banned in Thailand, there are many casinos
at the border of Aranyapathet, Thailand and the border town of Poipet, Cambodia.
Welcome to Cambodia
Crossing the border was pretty easy and the whole process only took 30 minutes. Got on another bus towards Siem Reap at around 3pm. The ride to Siem Reap should cost USD$9 which is around 280 Baht but I paid 350 Baht to get on the departing bus so I don’t have to wait for the next bus.
Cambodia seems to be a pretty dry country
The bus arrived at Siem Reap at 7.20pm which was already dark and dropped everyone at Hilton Guest House. It seemed like the guest house paid the bus to do this on purpose because the bus stopped for a break for almost an hour.
The guest house is located at the east part of town which is a little far off away from the center. Walked west to Wat Bo road which has more guesthouses and closer to the city center. It’s around a 30 minutes walk. Finally stayed at Home Sweet Home guesthouse (USD$5).
3 main currencies are accepted in Siem Reap, USD, Cambodian Riel and Thai Baht. However, most things are quoted in US dollars here. However, most people quote 1USD to 4000 Riel and 1 Thai Baht to only 100 Riel, and the cross rate of USD to Thai Baht is 1 to 4 which is pretty bad for Thai money. The official exchange rates are actually 1USD to 4200 Riel and 1 Thai Baht to 130 Riel.
There are tons of hotels and guest houses. Tourism is the main industry in this city.
Noodles for dinner (USD$1.75)
Night market
Cambodian traditional dress
Bar Street
