How to Cross the Border Between Cambodia and Thailand by Land

Ohhh immigrationnn, I am backkk! Let me tell you that I looked at flights to see if I could just avoid the whole bus deal but those babies were like one hundred bucks! See ya, my bus ticket with lunch and water included was only thirty.

I decided to take Giant Ibis to cross over to Thailand, the same company I used when I went to Cambodia. They were a bit more expensive but peace of mind is a wonderful thing. I boarded the bus early in the morning to discover I had my own seat row! Solo traveler perks. In total, there were four solos on the bus, two were sharing a row but another girl and I each got to spread out. Heaven. Even if we weren’t able to do this, the leg space was insane on the bus. I think it was the most I have ever seen, plus there were outlets and the WiFi worked? What is this sorcery? Welcome to Thailand.

After passing out immigration forms and a snack (!), we were on our way to the border. I was feeling a little funky that morning so I just listened to my latest musical obsession, Rosalia, on repeat until we arrived. At the Cambodia border we gave our forms and passports to the bus attendant who quite literally ran away and pointed us towards the bathrooms in a casino. Plush, plush building. After about fifteen minutes of waiting outside the bus, and watching all our luggage being taken out for inspection, we walked over to the Thai border.

At the Thai border we waited in a line, reminiscent of the airport customs line. Since this was my first time in Thailand, I could easily get the free, thirty-day visa. Crossing by land, you are allowed to do this twice in a calendar year. I think we ended up waiting about two hours in that line (only two counters open, typical). I made friends with a fellow solo traveler from England, a girl I would spend all my time with in Bangkok.

When it was my turn at the front of the line I was recovering from a coughing fit I had a few minutes earlier. I didn’t bring my water from the bus, rookie move. Worried I would seem drugged by my teary eyes, I tried not to look straight at the lady stamping my passport but then got paranoid if I didn’t make eye contact. What ensued was two minutes of me acting like a complete wacko and being shocked after she let me into the country. I trotted back to the bus, where we were given a packed lunch. Soon after, we were on the road, headed for Bangkok!

Man, that was a long immigration line but it was mostly painless! Upon entering Thailand, I was immediately struck by just how much better the roads were than in Cambodia. The two are polar opposites. Even up here in my small town in northern Thailand the roads are better than the main highway in Cambodia. The more ya know.

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