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dirtydog

Lets see if I can write this so it makes sense, So your coming from either Bangkok or Pattaya, get on the 317 and take the turn off to Pong Nam Ron, ok right we are all on the same road now, so you want to do a quick in and out of Cambodia and get a visa exempt stamp, ie the visa they give us nice English people that is valid for 30 days on entry into Thailand, they also give this "visa" to other lesser Nationalities aswell.

Now the first place you can goto is the Pong Nam Ron - Prum border crossing, this is okay if you have a multi entry visa and just want to activate a new entry, it is 1,000baht for the Cambodian visa which you can get at the border, about a 300baht fine if you are not staying for the night, you also need a picture of yourself for the Cambodian visa, if you don't have one then that is also a 100baht fine, They did used to have a bus service here on the Cambidian side of the border where you could purchase a ticket to travel onto Angkor Wat and Phnom Penh, but this has been stopped due to lack of foreigners using this border crossing point.

So if your in need of an outward bound travel ticket and a 30 day stamp in your passport you need to travel about another 15 kms to Ban Leam - Daung border crossing point.

At the Thai immigration office where you leave Thailand the Thai immigration officer will tell you everything has changed and will try to assign you with a guide which will cost you a couple of hundred baht, you really don't need this as immigration officials are there to help tourists but obviously they get a cut out of this.

Anyway once out of Thailand it's off over the little bridge and on the right you will see the Cambodian visa issueing office, 1,000baht and a nice picture of yourself and you will be the proud owner of a Cambodian tourist visa which is valid for one month, if you got dollars then its 20 bucks and your in, no picture of yourself and it is a 100baht fine yet again, plus if you sre not staying the night it is another 100baht fine, now a 10 meter walk to the next office to get stamped in and out of the country, this is where you pay the 100baht fine for not staying the night.

Next is the fun bit, to get back into Thailand you need a ticket to show outward travel booked and paid for within the 30 days, so turn right out of the office, take the right into the duty free area, has a sort of car park there, as your walking towards the duty free you will see some rooms along the right hand side of the duty free, about the 4th room down is the travel ticket office, 200baht for your minibus ticket, you need one photo, this will be attached to a photocopy they will make of your passport with your brand new bus ticket, this you need to hand in when you come back into Thailand and immigration will keep it as proof that you have wasted 200baht on a bus ticket that you will probably not bother using.

Where you buy your bus ticket from if you walk further down you will come to Jack Golf VIP room, they also let others use it for a small fee, has foot massage, soft drinks and internet, walk on a bit further and you will come to the casino if you want a little flutter.



This is the Thai side of the border, Ban Leam is a pretty boring run down town.



Cambodian beggars of course but no where near as bad as Aranyaprathet.

Attached Files

Window Media Video » Ban Laem immigration.wmv WMV Attachment Ban Laem immigration.wmv (755.4 KB, 118 views)
	Ban Laem immigration.wmv (755.4 KB, 118 views)

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Begbie

I thought they were insisting on an onward air ticket. Are they accepting a Cambodian bus ticket as proof of onward travel ?

blackpanther

i went through there last year. got a taxi to pailin for $5 and stayed the night there. fock all to see and they didn't have the blackpanther stout i wanted so i had to buy as few crates of anchor instead.

you could probably get a taxi to battambang for under $20 from that crossing. it's a nice town but very quiet.

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What if?

dirtydog

Yes.

buriramboy

The only thing i would add to DD's post is that for those of you on the 30 day stamps, their are also reports of people being asked to show funds, 10,000 baht i think although it may have been 20k, can't remember.

dirtydog

I don't know of anybody who has ever been asked to show the 10 or 20 k baht, seems a bit stupid in this day and age when everyone has numerous bank accounts, atm cards and credit cards, heard lots of rumours and 3rd person accounts of it though and thats probably just what they are, well apart from the Africans who used to get the minibus over from Penang to Hat yai, they always shared out a load of money between them before they got to immigration.

buriramboy

i've no idea on your rules concerning posting a link to everyones favourite site, so i apologize in advance if i have broken them, anyway here is a thread (started on June 12th) with people claiming they have been asked for proof of funds etc.

Ban Laem (pong Nam Ron) Visa Run - Thailand Forum

dirtydog

^It is only the thread starter who is claiming it happened to him and the others on his bus, nobody else has mentioned it happening to them and the thread has had quite a few views, in nearly 17 years of living in Thailand I still don't know of anybody that has been asked to show the money at the border, and even that long ago the 10 k baht thing was a rule.

oMega

So the duty free area is Pong Nam Ron ?...


Not sure what you meen.. most go tho Ban leam for get the 200b bus ticket ?

dirtydog

Pong Nam Ron is the nearest major town, you need to goto Ban Laem and cross the border into Daung in Cambodia, here in Cambodia you will find the duty free shop, the bus ticket office etc etc etc.

oMega

oh yes... when you say Daung , yes been there manny times before.. and also remeber the travel office inside the dutyfree area..and iam sure you meen in the cambodian side... but if get the bus ticket... its really Lotto that the immigrations officer on the thailand side will accepit or is it quite sure they will do?

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dirtydog

Yes they do accept it, they will tell you about it as you cross into Cambodia, they will try and get you to take the guide with you etc etc, I believe all this was stated quite clearly in the first post.

dirtydog

Here we have some carts on the Thai side of the border, note not too much rubbish on the floor.



The Cambodian side in Daung could do with a bit of a tidy up.



The all new Cambodian immigration office, this isn't the visa office this is for your stamps in and out of Cambodia, this new building is on the left when you go into Cambodia from Thailand, still got to go to the visa office on the right first to get a Cambodian visa.

Attached Files

Window Media Video » Ban Laem Main Street.wmv WMV Attachment Ban Laem Main Street.wmv (4.07 MB, 25 views)
	Ban Laem Main Street.wmv (4.07 MB, 25 views)

dirtydog

The streets of Ban Laem and Daung are not paved with gold, infact the Cambodian side isn't even paved, nought wrong with a bit of dirt though.



For entertainment in Baan Laem there are massage parlours that look ermmm, well the nicest thing I can think of saying is they look very cheap.



If you want to spend some time in Cambodia then the Peach Thmei Guesthouse doesn't look too shody for a wooden shack.

Attached Files

Window Media Video » Ban Laem Market.wmv WMV Attachment Ban Laem Market.wmv (2.26 MB, 23 views)
	Ban Laem Market.wmv (2.26 MB, 23 views)