July 23, 2019
Day 3A - Into Cambodia
Aran to Sisophon
Poolsides in general are fantastic, and at the Market Hotel dure didn't disappoint. This is a great spot run by friends of the owners of the Sananwan Palace near Bangkok. They suggested I give it a try and the resort didn't disappoint. It was a very late start today after yesterday's all-out exertion and it would be a short day anyhow to Sisophon so there was no rush.
I was a bit nervous about being in this town after all the shenanigans that happened last time, but certainly a lot more careful with everything now. A few errands needed to be done before crossing the border.
First errand was to change money into US dollars as you can save a lot with the visa this way. Most banks wouldn't do it and the tried and trusted markets didn't have any dodgy guys around asking to change money. After a bit of looking around, it turns out the Krung Thai bank does the legitimately right near the border checkpoint. Next, photos. Unfortunately I didn't have any on me and I couldn't find anyone doing this in town. I gave up on the photos but preparing those in advance could have saved $5 so it's worth noting for information's sake.
Once all was ready I pushed the bike down the long corridor towards the passport control and got stamped out. Immigration on the Thai side were certainly thorough and they looked over that stamp very carefully on my temporary passport. After awhile I got the OK sign and was sent out into no man's land. Casinos appeared immediately afterwards but I wanted to get stamped into Cambodia officially first. So I parked the Montague and did the visa on arrival process. Regrettably I fell for a classic scam of allowing some fake officers to fill out the visa form. They wanted a tip of course and there went 200 baht. In future, just do it yourself. As for the visa the lack of photo added $5 to the fee but there really is no such fee. Still it only cost $35 plus 200 baht which is cheaper than the last time I did this. The target to aim for is $30 but I wouldn't get all up in arms over being cheated out of a few dollars. It's the big money scams in Thailand that are another story though which I was a real victim to.
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Anyways it felt really good to have gotten out of there and thrust into a more chilled out and relaxed environment which was immediately evident. The casinos made a nice diversion and I won back the $5 playing roulette. As it turns out the casinos only exist at the border towns in Cambodia with the exception of Sihanoukville which you'll hear about soon enough.
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This initial stretch of riding was pure bliss and I made several stops at an Amazon coffee (must have been new) as well as some random roadside restaurants. The people were incredibly friendly and I was getting all kinds of good vibes. The first hotel of the night was very good service. The guys insisted I wheel the bike right into the room and they cheered as I made my initial entrance to the lobby like I was completing the Tour de France or something. But I was completely tired from everything prior. I fell asleep immediately and crashed for over 15 hours straight.
Today's ride: 56 km (35 miles)
Total: 1,231 km (764 miles)
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