Thailand and Angkor Wat

Hi Guys - I read a few threads on thailand and angkor wat, but need to know more

:) I haven't booked anything yet, but I am contemplating a trip to Thailand and

Angkor Wat next month. Is it possible to land in thailand and go to cambodia by

road? How about the visas? could you just get them after you land there? What

are some of the nice places one could cover in thailand in about a week? How

many days does one need to go from bangkok to angkor wat - given my time

constraints I may not be able to visit many places in cambodia. Any

information would help, as I'm just starting to read about these. In

particular, info on what and when to photograph would be helpful. Thanks in

advance!

It is possible to go from Bangkok by road. You take a bus (or train) from bangkok to the border, walk across the border where you can get a cambodia visa but risk overpaying. I suggest doing the online prepayment method. The other side of the border is a bumpy road to Siem Reap. You can do the whole journey in a day.

Anush,

 

You can also fly from Bangkok to Siem Reap pretty cheaply and quickly -- if you're only there for a week do you really want to waste an entire day there (and an entire day back) on a bumpy, dusty road? (things may have changed since I was there last in 2005).

 

I've always gotten my visas on arrival (bring the right cash and a couple of passport photos) but as ci p said, it's probably better to do it ahead of time. You really should check the embassy details for this.

 

You don't mention what you're interests are photographically -- there are so many places to suggest -- it would help if you were more specific. If you are just interested in seeing the sites (whether in Bangkok or Angkor Wat or Ayuthaya if you can't make it to Cambodia), then the best suggestion is go early and stay late (maybe rest during mid-day). The light is better and the crowds are less.

 

Be warned -- Angkor Wat is not what it used to be (nor is Siem Reap) -- it has been completely overwhelmed by tourism, and unfortunately tourist development has been left largely unchecked. My last trip there is just that -- my last. I certainly don't want to contribute to a problem that is ruining a truly special place. That being said, I understand the pull of going there. You'll also need to decide how much of a (stone ruins) temple fan you are. Some people get 'templed-out' after a day, others could spend a week exploring the area.

I traveled to Cambodia few years ago, and at that time I could get Cambodian visa in Bangkok the same day.In Angkor there were 1-day, 3-day and one-week tickets, I think you need at least 3 days to cover main temples.For my 3-day ticket I needed something like passport size photo - bring your own .As to photography tips: many people use to wake up early before sunrise, to take pictures of Angkor Wat, with its reflection in the lily pond / you could get from Siem Reap to Angkor temples if you rent a bike - but take care - there are no street lights on the way to Angkor /

Thanks guys. I really appreciate it. I'm interested in photographing the sites as well as places like Phuket, Phang Nga bay, etc. How safe is staying in Siem Reap? How do you book these hotels? Are there just some package deals available from Bangkok to visit all these places?

Some years back, National Geographic put out a "coffee table book" titled "Lost Cities" (or something like that). The book was about a number of different ancient civilizations that flourished then vanished. One section covered Angkor Wat, giving a pretty good introduction to this vanished culture. If you are near a large library, you might want to see if you can checkout this book. Or perhaps you can order a cheap copy of it from WWW.ABEBOOKS.COM (an old book search engine).

Anush: I traveled from Ko Chang Island, Thailand to Siem Reap Cambodia in May 2005. I booked the travel from an travel agency in Ko Chang Island. I took a bus to the Cambodian boarder. I got the Cambodian visa by walking to the Cambodian visa office at the boarder. I then walked across to the Cambodian side. I was then picked up by a car. I was in the car for 4 hours and finally arrived in the Siem Reap.

I started the day at 6am and did not get to bed until 2am the next day. There were so many little things happened in that day.

Here are my recommendations:

1: Book the Cambodian side transportation from Tailand.

2: Get the Cambodian visa from the Cambodian visa office (forget about any agent who will charge you additional fee to just hand in your passport)

3. Find a English speaking Tailand travel agent (unless you speak Tai)

4: Tailand cell phone does not work in Cambodia, which means as soon as you cross to the Cambodian side, you are out of touch with your Tailand travel agent.

5: Watch out for the gem stone scam. Do NOT buy any gem in Tailand.

 

I wrote some travel log on my 2005 visit to Tailand and Cambodian. You can read them here: http://drtu.com/en/?m=200505.

Hope this information is useful.

Mark http://drtu.com/en/

You can get relatively cheap and easy flights directly from Bangkok to Siem Riep.

When I went, I didn't buy tickets ahead of time. I just made my arrangements with a

local Bangkok travel agent (both my visa and the flight). That was cheaper than

booking it from the US.

 

If you have the time, other people I met there had traveled there by boat. That

seems more interesting than all day in a dusty bus. If I didn't fly, that is probably

how I would travel.

 

I spent 4 days doing the temples. I carried a full load of gear (roughly 30 lbs). With

that much weight, and the heat & humidity, I found I didn't last very long. I had to

move slower than I normally would in a cooler climate. I thought 4 days was about

right for me. More would have been overload; less would have meant I missed stuff I

enjoyed. I noticed that people's tolerance for temple touring varied quite a bit from

one person to another.

 

I traveled solo. When I got to Siem Riep, I hired a motorbike driver who drove me

around on the back of his motorbike for 4 days. Maybe not the safest thing to do,

but I enjoyed it a lot. The tour groups on the big busses made me want to gag, and

they all seemed to move much more quickly than I wanted to. I liked taking my time

and getting some good photos.

 

If I had to do it over again, I would try to lighten my load, at least a little. I also wish

I had taken more time to explore other regions of Cambodia. Just flying in to Siem

Riep, and flying right back to Bangkok afterward made me feel like I'd missed out on

what the rest of the country had to offer.

If you are going to Siem Reap I would recommend also staying in Phnom Penh, the

capitol as well. Between the two you will get more of a flavor of the country.

It is easier to book lodging over the Internet in Cambodia than it is in France

or Germany and the rates are excellent even with the collapse of the dollar

under our present administration.

 

You will make better use of your time and see a lot more if you hire a car and

driver. The driver is your guide, interpreter, and watchman over anything you

leave in the car. The drivers for tourists have a special government license and

would do nothing to jeopardize their livelihood. Quite different than some other

countries. Overall the Cambodian drivers are far and away the most courteous

drivers I have seen anywhere in the world, though living in the USA any country

seems much better by way of comparison. But it makes renting a scouter a safe

way to travel.

 

A lot to see in the countryside and it is also inexpensive to hire a boat for

several hours to travel through the delta area where villages are really just

clusters of "house" boats.

 

Ballons, ball point pens, and t-shirts are welcome gift items depending upon the

age of the recipient and a great ice-breaker. School age children and young

adults, including the priests are eager to practice their English on tourists.

 

Security is only a concern at the borders where there are active bandits

attracted by the trade in precious stones (and the many fakes floating about so

buyer beware). In Cambodia the main risk is from the millions of land mines the

USA military thoughtfully left behind. They will take off the leg of anyone,

even an American tourist, so it pays to stay on paths and watch for warning

signs for areas yet to be cleared.

 

It is easy to arrange travel to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam through tour

groups or arrange your own travel. I recommend if you plan on hitting the

beaches in Thailand that you make this the end of your travels in the area. Good

way to relax and get ready for the long flight home.

I'd definitely fly in, as road journeys can be dangerous. I stayed (unashamedly) in a four star hotel there, and it was superb (at USD$200 a night), quite worth it. Park entry was USD$20 a day, and three day pass was USD$40. Don't rent a bike to travel to Angkor Wat from Siem Reap, since it's quite hot there, you'll be worn out before you get there. When I was there, I met a guy and set up this website for him: http://www.winjeel.com/fesp/index.html He offers tours and these help pay for children's English education. Otherwise, go there by motorbike taxi or motor rickshaw, and the drivers can still give you some basic info about what you're looking at. Also, it's an absolute must to take a notebook and write down the names and info about places and picture frame numbers, as you won't remember a thing about the photos you took, otherwise. One more thing, it's a great place, and the people are nice. Enjoy.

For a week in Thailand a few days in Bangkok is a must there are so many Wats and sights to see that its

easy to spend a week. A day trip to Ayutthaya is a worthwhile place: the ancient ruins are wonderful in the

mornings. The Theme Park ancient City is one of the highlights with stunning creations of ancient sights in a

vast park the shape of Thailand the attention to detail in the 1/3 size models are amazing and the 250mtere long

replica of the Khmer Preah Vihear Temple is breathtaking.

 

I have just come from Hua Hin 4 hours by train from Bangkok; it�s a nice resort with some dramatic limestone

hills and huge caves and an attractive Teak wood palace. You could also break off at The Bridge over the River

Kwai on the Way

 

As mentioned on previous emails the road trip from Thailand to Cambodian is possible but do not under any

circumstances get anyone from Thailand to organise things for you.

 

The Train From Bangkok to Aranyaprathet is an amazing bargain 48 Baht. $1.5 for the 5 � hour journey. It s

much more scenic than the bus with open windows to look out of No A/c on this train but leaving at 5:55 am its

cool. There are numerous touts at the Station and around the Poipet border so ignore them and take a tuk tuk

 

If you look at my web site page www.peaceofangkor.com/Advice.htm

you will find up to date info on all you need to know about travel in Cambodia. You will also find info on some

fascinating sights that are of interest to the photographer .

 

If you look at

http://www.peaceofangkorweb.com/AngkorObscura.htm

you with find info on some of the less visited sites of interest to the photographer. I do have a pdf guide for

photographers that I will send to you if you send me a personal email message thru the web site.

Hope That helps

For a week in Thailand a few days in Bangkok is a must there are so many Wats and sights to see that its

easy to spend a week. A day trip to Ayutthaya is a worthwhile place: the ancient ruins are wonderful in the

mornings. The Theme Park ancient City is one of the highlights with stunning creations of ancient sights in a

vast park the shape of Thailand the attention to detail in the 1/3 size models are amazing and the 250mtere long

replica of the Khmer Preah Vihear Temple is breathtaking.

 

I have just come from Hua Hin 4 hours by train from Bangkok; it�s a nice resort with some dramatic limestone

hills and huge caves and an attractive Teak wood palace. You could also break off at The Bridge over the River

Kwai on the Way

 

As mentioned on previous emails the road trip from Thailand to Cambodian is possible but don�t under any

circumstances get anyone from Thailand to organise things for you. The Train From Bangkok to Aranyaprathet is

an amazing bargain 48 Baht. $1.5 for the 5 � hour journey. It s much more scenic than the bus with open

windows to look out of No A/c on this train but leaving at 5:55 am its cool. There are numerous touts at the

Station and around the Poipet border so ignore them and take a tuk tuk

 

If you look at my web site page www.peaceofangkor.com/Advice.htm

you will find up to date info on all you need to know about travel in Cambodia. You will also find info on some

fascinating sights that are of interest to the photographer .

 

If you look at

http://www.peaceofangkorweb.com/AngkorObscura.htm

 

you with find info on some of the less visited sites of interest to the photographer. I do have a pdf guide for

photographers that I will send to you if you send me a personal email message thru the web site.

Hope That helps

i took a train from bkk. then rented a car (taxi) on the cambodia side to take me to siem reip. i think the taxi was 15$ per person....funny how you forget so fast. i speak thai so that may help to get better rates.

 

i stayed in siem reip for over a week. i stayed in a very cheap guest house($11/night i think) i had cable TV and AC. i biked to the ruins. i bought a 7 day pass. i probably only needed 4 or maybe 5. we did rent a motor bike and trailer to go to banty srie as that is way out there.

 

all in all i found Anchor only okay. i much prefered Bagan in Myanmar. IMO Bagan is significantly better from a photos point of view.

 

if you only have 2-3 weeks in thailand and cambodia consider staying close to BKK. hit ayuthya,bkk and then into cambodia. remember it is more fun to see a lot of a little than a little of a lot.

 

enjoy. check out my photo.net for lots of SE Asia photos.

 

eddie

 

i took a bus to Phnom penh from there. the into vietnam from PP. no problens any where. the road from thailand to vietnam is 95% paved and in good shape. on the return trip we went from PP to thailand in on day by AC bus. we got our visas in PP for vietnam.