Bangkok - Siem Rep?

[andy1100xx]

Anyone done the trip from Bangkok - Siem Rep lately?

I may have a opportunity to do it over a long weekend at the end of March so looking for some advice on border crossings, documentation, road quality, 'dangers' on the way. etc and whether it's actually feasible over a long weekend (5 days?)

BTW, I've never been out of Thailand on the bike so don't assume I know anything []

FWIW, bike is Thai registered and super legal!

cheers
Andy

 

[helenk]

We did it in January.

• Border takes ages as they make you stand and queue in the heat. This is because there are a lot of Thais going to the casinos and the authorities don't want to make it easy for them. Expect to stand around for about three hours. We had no trouble getting the bike through.
• Don't go to customs, just off the first roundabout you come to. You are already in Cambodia and can just get on your way. If you do go there, they will ask you for a carnet. Yes, even on a Thai bike.
• Road quality is hilariously bad, by far the worst we have done. It took us a good seven hours to get to SR. Loose sand, bouncing tankbag, etc.

It's great once you're there!

Look at our photos:
Link removed[/list]

 

[andy1100xx]

Thanks David (or Helen???)

7 hours ?!?.....I'd heard the road to SR was OK at the moment but obviously not [] Also, I thought there was a separate quicker queue for foreigners...has this gone now?

I think I'll have to wait until they've done the next round of road "improvements" or I've got a bit more time to do the trip!

Cheers
Andy

BTW, nice photo's

 

[Hovis]

The road has improved a lot, on my Transalp I did it in less than four hrs of easy driving, could have done it in three. Was visiting a friend in Poipet so don't know about border crossing but that should not be a problem.

 

[rhiekel]

Have crossed this border many times with my bike. If you do not want to stand in the hot sun with the endless Thai gamblers, there is of course the Asian approach to lines. When you take your bike paperwork to the small kiosk in the middle of the road just across the border for a fee of around a couple hundred baht they will " fast-track" the stamping out of your passport into Camdodia. A bit pricy but if the sun is high and hot it may be worth it to you. The lines are are bit confusing to me as well. I saw this huge line on Thais standing outside the main building who were being let in a few at a time. First thought damn !!! Am pretty sure you can just walk past them , and go inside to the very small line of people at the Foreign Passport window. That is what I did last time.

 

[andrewspooner]

Just for info - the supposed reason the Poipet-Siem Reap road is in such a state is that some major Thai and Khmer politicos have large shares in the airline that flies BKK-Siem Reap. They let the road deterioate so that tourists are forced to fly in. Ho hum.