Crossing land borders in SE Asia is always a curious endeavour. Google becomes you’re best friend as you search for reviews of service companies, try to determine which borders are opened and what the visa requirements are.
Holed up on Don Det, Laos, Cambodia just a stone throw away, the mission to find our way across began. Siem Reap was our destination, and it soon became clear that AVT was the best option. The information online was a little ambiguous, so I shot off an email with little hope of a response.
24 hours later, all my questions were answered (including step-by-step instructions on what to expect while crossing the border) and our tickets booked. All we had to do was get a tuk-tuk to the border and walk across. Simple, right?
We lined up a ferry to the mainland and a ride to the border through a local who had become our go-to for advice / local friend. He had a friend of a friend, possibly brother-in-law or cousin (a lost in translation moment) who had a tuk-tuk and would be happy to take us to the border.
All in all, our trip to the border was quick and easy. The tuk-tuk was definitely the quickest method of reaching the gates to exit Laos and just as cheap. At the border we met a small glitch in our smooth journey in the form of an immigration officer.
Passport in hand he demanded a special fee of $2USD. Confused and curious, I asked what it was for as I fumbled around in my wallet, searching for a couple of dollar bills. Without hesitation he cancelled my visa and threw my passport back at me and stated: “You go nowhere now.” Stunned, I look at my cancelled visa and the lack of exit stamp from the country.
As novel as it was, life stranded between two countries was not what I intended when we set off for Siem Reap and I had no time to deal with the man who now shut his immigration window on us. I moved over to the next counter with my passport and $2USD at the ready. The young officer shifted uncomfortably and looked at the first officer we encountered and stuttered that it’s not up to him and referred me back to the other window, as the man re-opened it and ushered us over.
My friends behind me began ranting loudly about systematic corruption and how on principle they would not cave to the illegal demands of this corrupt officer (and yes they went a little over the top, but it was a frustrating situation).
The first officer after accepting my “fee” provided me an exit stamp and a couple of the others quickly got in too while he was in a good mood. Our other friends still refused to pay, we sat waiting for them in no-man’s land. They began receiving the attention of every other officer at the border, it was time for us to head into. Maybe with us not there our friends would drop it and hurry up, also the looming border guards wouldn’t be able to round all of us up, cancel our exit stamps and lock us up somewhere.
A short stressful stroll later we had crossed no-man’s land and began the paperwork for entry into Cambodia. After one last stop in the Health / Quarantine tent (another couple of dollars) and we were in. The rest of our group had swallowed their pride and made it across the border too, where we were greeted by a massive smile and welcomed to Cambodia by our AVT representative.
Soon we were off in an air-conditioned minivan, stopping twice, once in a guesthouse where we scoffed down food. Luckily we ate, because we had only one bathroom stop for the rest of the journey to Siem Reap, which no food stalls in sight.
We were excited by the promise of free on-board Wi-Fi and signs scattered throughout the minivan confirming the online advertisement, but were quickly disappointed. We’d planned out our trip to include a couple hours of internet entertainment for the group. Sadly, the Wi-Fi didn’t, and I don’t think ever, worked. You can only hope, right?
Arriving an hour early into Siem Reap, we reaped the benefits of a complimentary and included tuk-tuk ride to our hostel in the dark.
All in all, it was the perfect end to a relatively smooth day of travelling.
All opinions are subjective to the writers personal travel experience. The writer travelled at her own expense.