Ban Laem, Cambodia

My 30 day Thailand visa that was given to me on arrival was about to expire so my options to extend another 30 days in Thailand were to fly international or take a bus to the border. While flipping through the Bangkok Post, there was a tour company called Fine Day Tours which had an advertisement for 2000 Baht ($50 USD) for a 7 hour trip to and from the Cambodian border. The tour company did an exceptional job and the 7 hours wasn’t so bad.

While arriving to the border there was a dramatic difference between the two countries. I know not to judge a country by its borders but there was a huge difference in the quality of life. If Thailand is a 2nd or 3rd world country then Cambodia is definitely 3rd or 4th world. The asphalt literally stopped and the dirt roads began. There were many people begging for money and disabled, probably evidence of the recent genocide and civil conflicts in the 1970’s. Amongst the border town there was dusty air, children without shoes and in all due respect a primitive lifestyle presence. But I really can’t have my honest opinion of Cambodia until I see more of the country, which this tempting trip to the border definitely inspired.

While at the border the overall process was fairly quick and took about an hour. Most of the time was spent eating in the casino, but the immigration paperwork process was fairly quick and easy. Ban Laem is a less populated and fairly new border crossing so most of the Cambodians who flock to border towns haven’t yet migrated to this entry point.

According to another American I spoke with, who has lived in Sri Lanka for the past several years, Ban Laem was just a bridge and there were hardly any buildings or people in sight only a few months ago. Ban Laem is slowly becoming a popular visa run destination.

Apparently there are other border towns where a visa run or proper border crossing could be accomplished such as Poipet, but apparently the time spent in line is longer than the bus ride. Plus, there are far more beggars at Poipet.

The entire spectacle of going to a dramatically different country and witnessing a noticeably different sense of devastation really touched my heart. I realized how fortunate for once I am to be an American. There are people really suffering or who have suffered extreme atrocities in Cambodia. I took the time to reflect for a moment and ask myself what am I doing or what is my country doing to help these people? What am I doing for humanity and what can I do to help humanity?

I can’t wait to see more of Cambodia. I believe seeing more of this country will be a rewarding time well spent during my Asian travels. I’ll be back.

Trip Wrap-Up

Incidental Money Spent
Visa Run (includes lunch, visa fees, bus ride, proper escort while in border and snacks)
2000 Baht ($50)

Noticed…
Asphalt stops, dirt roads begin
Disabled & rough people
Excited youth
Dramatically less fortunate

Recommend Websites..
Fine Day Tour
Thai Visa, Community for EXpats!