Cambodia is a very poor country so there are a lot of scams. Sadly, the Cambodian government participates in one such scam. I took a bus from Bangkok to the Aranyaprathet/Poipet border. The bus drops you off at a 'bus depot' on the Thai side about 2 miles from the border. I was with four Canadian teachers. Some tuk-tuk drivers were waiting for us. We asked to go to the border. Instead, they drove us to the building below.
The guys at this building said that you couldn't get visas at the border any more (a lie). The visa at the border is $20 US. I don't remember how many Bhat they charged us, but it came out to be about $30 US. I would much rather have saved the money and spent an additional $10 US in Cambodia so it would help the common people.
I was really concerned that this was a real scam. I was worried that we'd slide our passports over the counter and be held up for $100 to get them back. That wasn't the case, thankfully. My Lonely Planet book suggested going straight to the border, but the Canadians guys said they were just going to go along with the scam so I did too. Again, not a huge deal, just very frustrating.
Another note. Pretty much from the point you exit the Thai building where they stamp your exit from Thailand a Cambodian guy will follow you and ask if you need a cab or hotel. No matter what you say, he won't leave your side. He'll be there with you on the shuttle bus as you ride to the bus depot. He'll also stand there with you until you get in a cab or a bus. And, he'll be hoping for a tip. I was so angry about the scam and being hassled by people that I refused to give these guys a tip. They were disappointed, but they didn't do anything.
Another note. Leave Bangkok on a bus before 9 AM. The whole trip takes 8+ hours and that's assuming there's no long wait at the border. You DO NOT want to stay the night in Poipet. I'm not saying it is unsafe, but it definitely isn't a nice place. There's good western food and beer waiting for you in Siem Reap.
THE SCAM:
The building with the tuk-tuks parked out front.
The sign out front. As far as I could tell, this was operated by the Cambodian government.
The 30-day visa they issued me. It was legitimate, I just overpaid for it.
THE REAL BORDER:
Approaching the real border from the Thai side.
Still on the Thai side. You can see the framed picture of the king and queen.
Just past the Bon Voyage sign you're in physically walking across the border.
I assume that when you walk through that arch you are officially in Cambodia.
A little further along, past the Angkor Wat-style facade. There's a 'no man's land' where they have gambling casinos. I recommend you keep walking.
After you have your visa stamped by Cambodian authorities, you get on this free shuttle bus. This bus take you about 2 miles down the road to the 'bus depot' on the Cambodian side. At the bus depot you can catch a bus to Siem Reap or a taxi. I HIGHLY recommend splurging for a private taxi. I think we paid $40 for four people and got to Siem Reap in two hours instead of four.
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