From Chiang Mai to Bangkok and overland to Cambodia.

From Chiang Mai we took a quick flight to Bangkok for an overnight stay on the outskirts of Bangkok City and close to the Moh Chit bus station where we had our bus booked to Siem Reap Cambodia. A quick early morning taxi ride and all was falling beautifully into place as we arrived in perfect time to locate our bus bay and wait. Moh Chit is a huge bus station, modernized since I was there in 2006, on many levels. Coming out of the lift on our level towing our bags, we both turned around to find the whole usually heaving mass of people completely at a standstill and absolutely silent whilst the national anthem was playing. As soon as it finished everyone once again became animated. Not a single person dId not honour the king. So, bus arrives, baggage is stowed, and we all jump on. A few hours down the track and the bus stops. Everybody off please need to change buses!!!!!!! Oh no please not another nightmare starting. Doing as we are told Gary went in search of our stowed bags -gone!!!!!!! Frantically searching he finally found them, not so neatly stowed but at least safe, on the new bus. Jumping on board all those going to Siem Reap were given a bottle of water and a takeaway cooked lunch - not bad either - and we continued our journey for about 5 mins before pulling into a carpark behind an official looking building. Everybody off please, quickly quickly, visas here, visas here. Off we get with passports etc, enter the building, rush rush, grab forms to fill out, Gary asks how much? and he quickly realises it is a scam. Trying to make others understand it is a scam, they are not at the border where we all expect to get our visas and they are paying double what they need to, Gary is surrounded by the scammers. I leave thinking Gary is following but he is not. Returning it is hard to see him amongst the scammers and also people trying to find out what the commotion is about and what Gary is trying to tell them, so I call to him to leave as I am concerned it all might escalate. One person took his advice and left with us and not more than 5 mins later we were at the border getting a regulation visa for half the price! However I have to say this was not before I witnessed money being exchanged between the driver and the scammers at the side of the bus. Even at the border the corruption was rife and saw much money being exchanged and pocketed by the border guards or immigration officers. All in all not too bad for us and after walkIng across the brIdge/border we reconnected with our bus on the Cambodian side. Many hours later we arrived in Siem Reap at the bus station where our bags were offloaded, a tuk tuk was arranged to take us to our hotel for only 1USD, and where we felt at last free of corrupt influences. Memoir d'angkor was the name of our hotel which scored itself a perfect 10 for us. More about that in the next blog. Slowly catching up but still a little behind. We are wondering how we ever had the time to work, do housework, laundry etc etc. Our days are full of everything else like having fun, meetIng new people and exploring all these amazing places we keep finding. The blog is suffering slightly but one day we will catch up - promise!