Pescator Posted December 16, 2002 Report Share Posted December 16, 2002 eeeh, taking the rip off buses from Khao San Road? Where is the rip off? I just returned from Siam Riap 4 days ago and the trip took me directly from my hotel in bkk to Aranya in a A/C Minibus, then a Songtaew to the border, where a bus picked us up on the Cambodian side all the way to Siam Riap for 100 bht!!! We even had a local cambodian girl as a guide on the entire trip. No delays anywhere whatsoever. Besides, the passengers - we were 12 persons - got well acquainted on this long ride and had a lot of fun during the somewhat streneous journey and I hooked up with a couple of them while visiting Angkor Wat and from there to Phnom Phen. I fail to see the rip off On the contrary I felt like I was ripping them off. By the way what did you pay? And how long did your trip last? Just curios to see if you made if faster, because you sure didn`t make it cheaper And talking about convenience really doesn`t make much sense on the last leg from Poipet to Siam Riap. I am sure you will agree with me on that one. Cheers Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli13 Posted December 16, 2002 Report Share Posted December 16, 2002 yeah those kaosan travel shops do often strike some good deals. only might feel like on a group tour, but it gets you there eventually... but like the other guy pointed out you don't have the choice of transport from poipet, where bus seems like the most uncomfortable option? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted December 17, 2002 Report Share Posted December 17, 2002 Not the way I experienced it. If you sat on top of a truck, you will get fully exposed to the sun for God only knows how many hours not to mention the amount of dust you`ll have in your face. At least we could close the windows and pull the curtain if we wanted to. We certainly did feel like a tour group but didn`t really mind. We avoided all the hassle and additional costs an independent traveller would face in this situation. In Thailand I always go on my own as I speak the language, but this was my first trip to Cambodia and I just wanted it as fast, convenient and cheap as possible. And it worked out that way. When we arrived at Siam Riap at night, we were brought to a guest house where nice double rooms with attached bath were 200 bht. a night. This was part of the deal, however, if you for some reason didn`t want this one you were free to go somewhere else and there were plenty of GH`s in the vicinity. No pressure was applied whatsoever. The manager of this GH had paid the Khao San people 7 bucks a head to bring us to his GH. That was the reason why it was so cheap. Cheers Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli13 Posted December 17, 2002 Report Share Posted December 17, 2002 I see your point & have also enjoyed similar guest house sponsored trips before like vip bus to chaing mai for 100bt :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamui Posted December 17, 2002 Report Share Posted December 17, 2002 I did not take the bus from the Kao San Road by myself, but if your read the stories on G. Sharpless page (see link in my former post), you will know what I am talking about. 1: The bus seems to take much longer, because of planned or "accidental" stops, it seems that they have contracts with restaurants e.g.. I started at 8 a.m. and arrived in the afternoon, hours before the Kao San buses. [color:"red"] The manager of this GH had paid the Khao San people 7 bucks a head to bring us to his GH. That was the reason why it was so cheap. [/color] 2: The buses have contracts with certain guest houses, but I do not think that it will be easy to leave. If they pay 7US$ in advance they do not want to loose their money. I met a couple the night they arrived in Siem Reap who took the bus and did not want to stay in the guest house where they had brought to. When they left they had a gang of motorbike drivers cruising around them who scolded and cursed them. Not a pleasant arrival in a new country. There are different ways to go from Poi Pet to Siem Reap: The hardest is the a back of a truck the easiest is in a taxi with aircon (the kind of taxis which go to one place and start when they are full). The taxi drove very fast and it was very nice with the Cambodian people, even we could not talk very much. Actually it is more expensive than going by bus, but I very much prefer to travel by myself, because of the chance to interact with the locals and because you never know what will be behind the next turn of the road (mostly the best come out of unplanned events). And I do not like the feeling that other poeple made the choice (where to stay e.g.) for me. That is why I always avoid group tours. I still remember this day very well because it was a little bit like a adventure tour: AC bus from BKK to Aranyaprathet, Tuk Tuk to the boarder town Poi Pet, walk through the custom (I arranged my visa in BKK in advance), motobike to the taxis, taxi to Siem Reap. Met nice people, went through a rainstorm on the muddy roads to Siem Reap..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted December 19, 2002 Report Share Posted December 19, 2002 The buses have contracts with certain guest houses, but I do not think that it will be easy to leave. If they pay 7US$ in advance they do not want to loose their money. I met a couple the night they arrived in Siem Reap who took the bus and did not want to stay in the guest house where they had brought to. When they left they had a gang of motorbike drivers cruising around them who scolded and cursed them. Not a pleasant arrival in a new country Very unpleasant experience indeed. Who needs that? And stupid too, the couple had already left the designated GH so there was certainly no point in harrassing them. It could only damage the reputation of the GH. Our guide on the bus told of that the bus would take us to her GH, but that we were of course free to go elsewhere. However, we all checked in at her place as it was a nice, clean place and a good deal too by the way. The bus seems to take much longer, because of planned or "accidental" stops, it seems that they have contracts with restaurants e.g.. I started at 8 a.m. and arrived in the afternoon, hours before the Kao San buses. I am sure they have contracts with restaurants, but I have no problems with that. I need to eat anyway and I could sure do with a couple of breaks anyway especially on the last leg from Poipet to Siam Riap. All right, you sure got there faster than us. I believe it was something like 10 pm when we arrived. In our group there were also 4 mexicans travelling together. Would you believe it, they stayed only 1 night, went to see the Angkor for a couple of hours in the afternoon and then took off for Phnom Phen the next morning. Actually I don`t think the manager was too happy about that. Well, you win some you lose some. Cheers Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted December 19, 2002 Report Share Posted December 19, 2002 Right. I`ve tried that too a couple of years back. But that time I wasn`t quite as lucky. The bus was absolutely jammed with big, smelly and noisy backpackers who went on all night with their loud babble. And they seemed to have brought ample supplies of beers so the "conversation" got louder and louder as the hours went by. And the bus broke down at some time during the night. Incredibly they managed to fix it right there in the dark. Those thai guys can be pretty resourcefull. Cheers Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli13 Posted December 19, 2002 Report Share Posted December 19, 2002 yeah backpackers are notorious for not sharing their beers with sanukers! yet thai drivers aren't half bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted December 20, 2002 Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 yeah backpackers are notorious for not sharing their beers with sanukers Yes, that was really my main complaint :: You have me figured out. Cheers Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rookie Posted December 20, 2002 Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 I spent a week in SR 3-years ago. Took the boat from PNH as I didn't want to abuse my body on the road from Thailand. The road was bad then and is still poor. The condition of the road is a sad commentary, since Angkor Wat is the main tourist revenue center for Cambo. Rented a Honda 250cc...paid $12/day, negotiated down from the $15 asking. Motorcycles are expensive to rent there (at least 3-years ago), as similar bikes are available for $5-7 in PHN and Snookie. A bike is the best way to see the ruins...not only save you from paying an exhorbitant fee for a driver/guide, but you can explore at your own pace. Roads in SR and around most of the temples are excellent and not congested with traffic at all. A bike also allows you to see the more isolated ruins at you leisure as well as the villages west on HWY 6 and NE of SR. Those areas see very few tourists and are worthwhile to visit. After seeing the Angkor Wats I wondered why they are not considered one of the world's seven wonders. They make the Egyptian pyramids seem boring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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