Bus to Thai-Cambodian border / photo: Eric Molina
By Jason Rupp and Carla Marie Rupp
There we were sitting on the beach in Jomtien, Thailand, with our visa stamps expiring the next day. We knew we had a choice to make.
We could either over-stay and pay the daily fines of 500B ($15USD) per day or try to extend our visas at the immigration office, but that would only give us seven more days. Or easier yet, just take a run to any border and come back again. It’s no big deal, as many people do it daily. That was when we decided to make a visa run.
There are many visa-run buses from Pattaya. They do a round-trip journey in a day, including securing the Cambodian visa, for 2,000 baht (around $60 U.S.)
Luckily for us, we have a local friend who needed to do some shopping at Rong Klue market, the largest second-hand clothing market in Southeast Asia, which is located right at the Thailand-Cambodian border. We joined her in the car in the early morning for the trip.
On the Thailand side of the border is Aranyaprathet, the city famous for its market, where second-hand clothes and just about everything is available, as well as knock-offs of brand names. We found American t-shirts from school camps and high-school football teams, and even same-as-new Ralph Lauren white shirts.
On the Cambodian side is the border city of Poipet, famous for its casinos. There is the Tropicana, the Holiday Palace and the Grand Diamond, all of which have lounge singers, buffets, comps, rooms and duty-free shopping, just like Las Vegas (we enjoyed the Blue Diamond Restaurant on the mezzanine of the Grand Diamond for its $2 USD salad bar!). Oddly enough, even though the casinos are in Cambodia, the play is in Thai Baht.
The place we stayed in before we arrived at the border was on the Thailand side, which we found just driving around “Aran,” as it’s called here. Our “mom and pop” clean, cozy accommodations turned out to be relaxing, peaceful and not pricey, only 350B (11 USD). A Thai couple greeted us with complimentary cookies and refreshments when we arrived, and when we were ready to tackle the border crossing the next morning, provided a continental breakfast, as well.
At the border, every manner of vehicle and carts crisscrossed our paths, little ones and big ones, bicycles to huge over-laden trucks. Along the side of the road were stall after stall containing every kind of shoes, purses, trinkets, sunglasses, you name it, all at really rock-bottom prices. They even offered wholesale, available to the public, as long as you bought in multiples. There were also bicycles for rent (we opted for a golf cart for $3 USD/hr) for searching the huge market for a deal.
At the checkpoint on the Thai side, we were stamped out, then bought the Cambodian visa with a $20 USD bill, and we were in another country. And were we ever! It could be compared to crossing over from San Diego into Tijuana, or Juarez with an added bonus — before we knew what was happening a guy came over and gave our dusty black leather oxfords some life again, cheap – only 5B (20 cents).
We found some batik material in a market at a bargain price that another traveler, Susan, planned on using for a sarong. We were also happy to get one of our watches up-and-running again in a deal that also included buying a few new watches.
Although we found things to keep us busy, most typical tourists just pass quickly through Poipet on their way to Siem Reap, one of the largest temple complexes in the world. But as we poked around we found many things, even a bus that goes all the way to Vietnam, more than 700 miles away. We’ve put that trip on our list for another time.
We all got massages in Poipet for about $4 US each by the sweetest Cambodian young women who smiled so much and didn’t speak a word of English. But were they good at it! These girls had incredible strength in their arms. This shop was on the main road right across from the Buddhist temple. Motorbike taxis were also readily available to show anyone around the border town for about $1 or $2 US.
Once nighttime came, we rushed back over the border back into Thailand. But not before stocking up on alcohol, beer and some more second-hand hats.
If you go:
Thailand Tourism
www.tourismthailand.org
Cambodian Tourism
www.tourismcambodia.com
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I especially like this article by Carla and Jason Rupp, It seems they had come into a political snag and reviewed their options and choices. So the choice was to make the known Thai-Cambodian Run to reset their visas. I find the article colorful, descriptive and how to enjoy this run on the cheap by way of what the economy there had to offer.The article describes how to eat, sleep and duty-free shop without breaking the bank.It proves again how Carla and Jason are world-class travelers, I am looking forward to their next adventure. Good writing.