Border Run

I love Thailand, and I love Cambodia. But I maintain, after five years of traveling in both, that the Aranyaprathet/Poipet border crossing is the worst place in either country.

Nevertheless, there I was. I spent a long, long day crossing into Cambodia and back to Thailand in order to complete my 90-day visa run. I could have gone to the government office in Bangkok, but it was a national holiday, and I didn't want a fine for missing my date.

in Aranyaprathet

I woke up at 5, and was on the earliest 7:00 bus from Ekkamai Bus Terminal towards Aranyaprathet. When I arrived in the dusty border town, I had to take a tuk-tuk to the actual border crossing, being hassled by scammers all the way. Exiting Thailand was fairly quick, and after getting my stamp, I was through the Thai gates, which look very much like the Grand Palace, and found myself in the weird no man's land between the two countries.

the Thai border

Crossing wouldn't be a big deal if it weren't for the scam artists "helpfully" and pushily offering to write your visa application in exchange for money, crippled beggars, and children running around begging and possibly trying to pick one's pocket. The only refuge are the number of grimy casino resorts, mostly catering to old rich Chinese and those unfortunates stuck at the border while waiting overnight for paperwork. I've been through the border twice before though, and I've filled out an application for a Cambodian visa five times, so I knew what I was doing. Soon, I was passing through Cambodia's Angkor-Wat inspired border gate and into the kingdom, where I would stay for approximately five minutes before turning back around and re-entering Thailand.

Someone had taken some effort, at least, to spruce up the narrow road for Chinese New Year by running red lanterns overhead between two big casino hotels.

Still, it's not a place one hopes to stay for long, and I was happy to see the Thai flags as I crossed back into the kingdom.

It was a Buddhist holiday, Maka Bucha Day, and all along the way back, every roadside temple the bus passed was lit up in colorful lights from the local temple fairs.

I finally arrived back in Bangkok around 10pm and feeling exhausted. I sure was glad to see the Skytrain after a long day crammed into a bus.

Oh well! Following the visa rules is important, and border runs are just a part of expat life in Thailand.