border crossing from thailand to cambodia...

arrived in cambodia on 18 dec 2007 at 11.30 a.m...

had crossed the border from thailand...actually departed from bangkok...my thai friend...tum had sent me to the mochit northern bus station in bangkok early in the morning at 6am on 18 dec...had bought the 7am bus ticket to the thai border town of aranya prathet the day before...the bus from bangkok travelled for 4 hours before i reached the thai border town of aranya prathet...the bus stopped a few times to pick up and alight passengers...i was sleeping on n off throughout the bus ride and wake up once the bus stopped....at aranya prathet...once we alighted at 11am....there are many tuk tuks waiting to bring people to the thai border which is 6km away...each tuk tuk costs 80 baht according to my korean friend....i also asked a tuk tuk driver to confirm...and it is indeed 80 baht.....when the tuk tuk reached the border...it actually stopped at 100 m away from the border...the tuk tuk driver called out to a guy to inform about his "prey"....the guy ran up to ask if we needed visa to cambodia....we told no need....he asked where are we from...we told that we are from singapore....then he asked us if we want to fill up some forms over at his tent...we told "no"....we would cross the border on our own....he said....u sure u want to cross by yourselves???....we said ..yes....if we go to his tent....means he would get $$$$ from us later.....my korean friend has warned me against this scam already.....and it is happening exactly how my korean friend describe to me......when we leave...we saw some farangs filling up the visa forms at his sheltered tent....wonder how much more the farangs are gg to pay for their visa.....the tuk tuk driver actually wanted to charged me 100 baht...but i said the previous tuk tuk driver at the same place which we came from already told me is 80 baht....i said it should be 80 baht...and passed him my money which i have already prepared exactly.....he had nothing to say....and so we make our way to the border...the border is on the left side of the path...surprisingly there r not much tourists at the thai border at that time...may be many are still on their way...the clearance was quite fast...

once we are crossed the thai border....the kingdom of cambodia greeted us...immediately...u can see street children...a lot of huge push carts...children...adults...are busy pushing the push carts....the children are in dirty clothes...some are not in any clothes...the cambodian people are busy at the border!!!on the other hand....new modern buildings...which are actually hotels and casinos formed the backdrop....wat an irony and mismatch!!!!!cambodia is a whole new whole!!!!