Bordercrossing/Hat lek

lillper · Dec 26, 2005

Latest from y-days attempt,,,
Up on approaching the Immigration with a truck-load of papers neatly printed ouy from this exellent web-site for my bike, I immidiately got the impression that this will not be easy since I dont have the bloody "book" yet,,,(6 months after purchase).

With a nice approach, civilized dressed , sober, daylight,good bike=not new, not scrap (BMW F650) and with my Thai-lady really showing here most respectfull side (yes ,we have been there before).

Customs no problem : "If Immigration says yes, for us no problem"

Spent 30min showing them my bunch of paperwork ,recipts,transfer-doc's,visas,copies of previous owner Pass-port, and all doc's signed and witnessed !, the lot and a bit more! but NO, "No book/No go".
Asking them if there was any paperwork I have missed they said: no,,?!.
OK , but can I be informed WHAT is wrong ?, "well, the signature from previous owner on the tranfer-paper looks the same,but is smaller in size, than the one in his Pass-port" End quote.

Conclusion: Since this is the 3:rd bike bought in Thailand, I just have to blame myself, paying up the whole amount for bikes ,before getting the book transferred .

Presently in Koh Chang, charging patience for another border-crossing to Cam.

"Drive slowly guy's , the life you save, may be your own"

DavidFL · Dec 27, 2005

Lillper
Sounds like a bit of a worry.
I reckon that if after 6 months the book & rego transfer is not complete, then something with the original rego is a bit dodgy.
It took me 5 months to get my Africa Twin licensed from scratch, so if you've got a bike already registered it should only take 3-4 months max, unless like I say something is a bit suss with the previous rego.
Getting a BeeEm registered & / or licence transferred can be tricky at best of times, especially if not everything is 1000% legit.
I hope something works out for you ok & you get across the border ok, perhaps with some less strict officials.
Thanks for the input & pls keep us informed how the rest of the your trip goes.

Davidfl
Keep The Power On

lillper · Dec 27, 2005

Thanks for your reply Davidfl, and I bought the bike from a well known Finn here, so it should,, not bee a problem, but in my 6 months abscence from Asia, and he forgetting to ask (more than once) for the book from our "Agent" opposite the verification/driving-licence office outside Ptty, and then,up on my return, our Agent : "Sorry sorry,loose one paper,,, 2 day finit".(On a daily basis for the last fourtnight).

What I forgot to mention initially,worth to know for a newcommer is that the tric, is to get OUT of Thailand, once inside Cam. very few officials would bother you for petitesses like documents or even a rego-plate, as you know.

Have a good one.

DavidFL · Dec 27, 2005

quote:

Originally posted by lillper

What I forgot to mention initially,worth to know for a newcommer is that the tric, is to get OUT of Thailand

Agreed that has been / is often the biggest problem at the border - getting out of Thailand! With computers "they" are often scared of getting hauled over the coals for incorrect / sufficient paperwork, when it's being checked by the bosses later on.

Davidfl
Keep The Power On

lillper · Jan 5, 2006

Wer'e In !
tried out the border at Aranya Prathet,
Was by customs given a paper to produce when returning,,DEPARTMENT OF CUSTOMS : "APPLICATION FOR EXPORT TEMPORARLY THE VEHICLE, OUTFIT AND PASSENGERS FROM THAILAND" ( I didn't even have to fill the form).

Was by the Immigration ! recommended an "Agent" :He filled out a load,,,,, of forms, (allowing us having a seat in the Big mans office)
Further on passing the Camb. formalities was just too easy!.The Agent was tipped of with 50B, and seemed happy to assist up on return.

helenk · Jan 6, 2006

We're in too! Nearly thrown out again!

We came in via the same crossing yesterday. There was lots of queueing on the Thai side while they let a large batch of non-Thais build up. Two lines of Thais overtook us while we stood in the heat.

An "agent" helped us, too, and took 30B for photocopies. Worth every penny just for the sit down in the office while he got it done.

Like an idiot, I then went to customs on the Cambodian side instead of just riding past (it's on the first roundabout, after some casinos). We had met a Swiss couple who needed their carnet stamped so I went in, too, just to check my Thai bike didn't need anything. The guy was pleasant and friendly and insisted that I, too, needed a carnet!

He spoke to his boss and they both seemed prepared to turn me back. They asked where I was going and I said Siem Reap then Phnom Penh. Wrong answer. He said he could have turned a blind eye had I just been going to Siem Reap but Phnom Penh...

In the end I promised (cross my heart) to just go to Siem Reap and he put a stamp on the back of one of my mant Thai pieces of paper.

lillper, we are in Siem Reap for a couple more days if you are here and want to say hi.

Road report: bloody awful. Good job I put a Mich Anakee on the back of the TDM before we left. It's now a TDM850GS. Border to Siem Reap took us five hours; patches of loose sand were the worst. Managed to stay on but will miss as much of that road as possible on the way back. Will be going via Phnom Penh. Don't tell customs.

Dave (& Hel)

Look at our photos:
Link removed

lillper · Jan 8, 2006

Sorry guys, we came back the same rout y-day ,presently in Ptty.
Would have been very nice to have had a chat !.
I do agree with your road report, my thailadys bum as well. BUT I was told the road is GOOD ,to bee that road,it use to take 10-11h with a bus A-Prathet/S-Reap,.
This I was told by a French/Filippino couple and there 4 boys, running a very civilized guesthouse up on arr.S-R.
DO not leave S-R without having spent a day checking out Ankor Wat, forget about tours/buses/bicycles/electrical-bicycles etc., find a tuk-Tuk with a driver who speak one of your languages,make sure he have been there before! offer him 12 US for a WHOLE day of driving/guiding in A-Wat, with an EARLY start you will have a great-day (unless you're a real Tempel-guru,for whom days tend to be too short) I'ts just annoying that the entrance-fee is US20/head/day. (Worst of all I woulnd't be surprised, if all the Dollars go straight to Vietnam Gov. as a pay back for them throwing out the Red Khmers).

The road to P-P from S-R should not be as bad I was told , further on the road P-P to S-ville was a dream i March month when we drove it on a Trans-Alp. Just expect the unexpected in the traffic,and I do think bicycles and animals are all equipped with reverse-gear in Cam.

Per & Aey

lillper · Jan 10, 2006

Murphys law works well with me,,,,,,,,

I finally have the book with my name in it,,,,,(with 3 days left,before returning to Sweden)