Day 8, Thailand

THE DATE: April 28, 2012

THE TRIP 

07:00-07:45          The days passed by so fast that we didn’t notice we were on the 8th day and on our way to the third country of our Southeast Asia Tour!

Of course, we cannot start the day without having the most important meal – breakfast. And yes, it’s still free! Yay!

We took a lot of pictures while waiting for the van that will take us to our bus. We purchased our bus tickets from Bou Savy. The fare on the ticket says 16 USD but we only paid 12 USD each. I guess they have a tie-up with the bus company or the ticket price is for peak season. Whatever the case is, we’re not the ones to complain of a discounted ticket 🙂 Transportation: 12 USD each

07:45-11:30          Before we left, we had a chance to talk to the son of the owner of the guesthouse. He was kind and friendly. He asked us if we enjoyed our tour and thanked us for staying at their guesthouse. Then out of nowhere, he gave us these cute little souvenirs with candies inside! It was really a pleasant surprise! Will definitely stay at Bou Savy again.

We were the second passengers the van picked so we get to pick a seat, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Then the van went to different guesthouses and inns and hotels to pick up the other passengers. The van returned to Bou Savy because apparently, they missed a passenger. The lady was a little upset since she said she was waiting for them for almost an hour. I don’t think we saw her while we were still there.

We continued our journey towards the bus but on the way, the driver’s helper received a phone call. It was in Khmer so we didn’t understand but it seemed that something was wrong. Good thing one of the passengers is Cambodian and she told us that the bus broke down so the van will take us all the way to the border. How lucky! We were spared from a crowded bus. We had to make a stopover though and pick up several passengers to fill up the empty seats in the van. We stopped for a second stopover near the border. Our driver took our tickets (I forgot to take a picture) and gave us stickers so the driver in the Thailand side of the border would know that we are part of the group he’s supposed to pick up.

11:30-13:00          I wasn’t able to take a picture of the Cambodian immigration as it was prohibited and I wouldn’t want to risk violating a law in a foreign country, partly because I am really a law-abiding person and partly because of National Geographic’s Locked Up Abroad. Since it’s for leaving Cambodia, the immigration officers are not as strict, I think. We just have to fill-up our departure cards and queue and wait for our turn. Then we followed the tourists that were with us in the van since I’m not sure where to go next. We walked for around 10 minutes to the Thailand immigration. It was really hot and we were carrying 2 duffel bags and 2 backpacks so I was not able to take a picture.

When nearing the gate, we were told by a Thai officer that we have to stay on the left side. I read somewhere that we have to stay on the left if we want to enter Thailand. I forgot this information due to the heat. One thing I did not forget is to be cautious of people near the immigration who were offering their services to expedite the process, to avoid being scammed. There were indeed a lot of Cambodians waiting just outside the immigration office. They either work or buy/sell goods in Thailand. We have to queue outside first since they accommodate only a number of foreigners at a time. When we were allowed to go inside, we had to line up again, this time for the immigration officer to get our picture and fingerprints. Again, we were spared from getting visa and  were done after a few minutes.

Unfortunately, after crossing the border, we have to wait for almost an hour outside because we were waiting for some passengers. I think our Thai driver was waiting or looking for the Cambodian girl and her companion, because they were the only ones that are no longer with our group. Our group eventually left without them. We walked towards a small open truck that will bring us to the van. The back part of the truck is open and it has seats for transporting people so no need to worry. Five minutes later, we were in front of a restaurant.

13:00-13:30          We had our first Thai meal at this restaurant. They accept dollars at the rate of 1 USD = 30 THB.

13:30-17:30          On our way to Khao San Road with a short 10-minute stopover.

17:30-18:30          We were dropped off along Thanon Phra Sumen and had to walk to get to our guesthouse – Thara House. I’ll write a separate post for my review of the guesthouse but for now I’ll give them a 3 out of 5 rating. During our stay, they have a promo that if you stay for more than 2 days, they will give you a discount. We were supposed to stay at the room with no windows because it’s cheaper but changed our mind since they have a promo and it’s our last country. We had the corner room on the fourth floor. We had to give 500 THB for deposit. Accommodation: 480 THB

18:30-19:30          For dinner, we decided to explore the tourist area. We also looked for other guesthouses in the area but Thara is the cheapest. We also asked a couple of travel agencies for their tour rates. The rates are quite expensive but they are the normal rates. I guess I was used to affordable tours in Vietnam and Cambodia that I find everything else expensive. Since we plan to spend our whole day in Chatuchak market tomorrow, we will scout more travel agencies tomorrow and decide by then where we want to go.

THE EXPENSES

For consistency’s sake, 1 USD is 30 THB and 1 USD is 43 PHP.