In Bkk Heading To Pp Cambo For Visa

[The Dude]

I'm in Bkk right now on a 30 day stamp and looking to go to PP, bodia to get a 60-day tourist visa. I do not wish to go to Malaysia or Lao as I want to visit PP anyhow so I may as well get my visa there. What are my travel options? I see that flights are not cheap. Any land options or is that a travel nightmare? What are cheapest flights? thanks dudes

[Nepal4me]

Yes flights are usually about 8000 baht or so. The land route is always an adventure. In rainy season, it's really a bitch. More than likely you'll be outside the bus helping to push it through the mud. This happens all the time in rainy season. It's also a long haul, fastest way is to bus to Trat, either overnight on the Thai side or cross the border and overnight on the Cambodia side in the town of Koh Kong (not an island). The following morning, you can get a bus to PP, about 6 hours if not raining, 12 if raining.

A good alternative is, bus to Trat or Koh Kong and the following morning take the ferry boat to Sihanoukville, stay there for a couple of days and then bus to PP. The boat ride to S. Ville from Koh Kong is great in great weather, in windy turbulent weather be prepared to be sitting in the middle of a vomitorium. The bus from S. Ville to PP is about 3.5 hours and is on a good highway (the only good highway in Cambodia). S. Ville is a good place to hang for a little while, the beach is beautiful and very little annoying beach action compared to Thailand, very few if any boats in the harbour making noises. The town is situated about a mile or so from the beach and the night action happens in town. There are a number of bars with big screen TV's, all night rooftop bars, smoking pot is permitted. There are a couple of brothel type places around, the chicken farm down by the port which has been reduced in size but still exist, in town the older haunts like Blue Mtn is gone but there are freelancers around, usually 6 or 8 in the Fisherman's Den but they're mostly unattractive and from reports, shitty in the sack. I find the beach to be a great place to relax, swim, read books, listen to my walkman, drink beer, watch the sun go down, piss in the ocean.....

If you stay in Koh Kong overnight, there is a guest house called Motobar, it is owned and operated by the most obnoxious Kiwi guy you'll ever have the pleasure of meeting, I'll rephrase that, the most obnoxious guy you'll ever meet, he just happens to be a Kiwi. He's loud, annoying, full of himself, bombastic and he'll tell you everything you never wanted to know about him. On the upside, he provides excellent food, really really good. The best hamburger I've ever had in SE Asia. He also is happy to provide all the logistical information you'll need in terms of getting to S. Ville or the local KK chicken farm. He sits on the patio every night outside his guesthouse/pub drinking beer and disseminating his views of the world at large and why he's such a critical part of it. You can sit have a burger or other excellent food, get the lowdown on what's what and then beg your exit. It is possible to get to the boat in time in the morning even if you stay on the Trat side. There's a 100 baht songtaew to the border from Trat early in the morning, cross the border at 7am when it opens and then mototaxi to the boat, about 30 minutes as I recall.

The embassy in PP is getting more sticky, they no longer will grant 2 month visa's on an ongoing basis. If you have some Poipet visa run visa or other PP visas in your passport, they will issue you the 2 month visa but tell you in no uncertain terms, not to come back to this embassy.

The Trat/KK/S.Ville route to PP is definitely an adventure and you'll see and do some interesting things. If you haven't done it before, it's an experience.

One tip on the border crossing, they'll ask you to pay a 100 baht "health or something like that" fee. You don't have to pay it, just say "no thank you" politely and keep on walking. The mototaxi guys will "assist" you by leading you to this 100 baht fee/tip area but don't be deterred, just keep walking.

[The Dude]

Thank you for that detailed info. I have never done this over land and sea excursion but have heard about it. It costs a lot to fly to PP but may well be worth it.