A friend asked for an estimate budget for the trip we had in those three countries so I've listed down some of the things we bought to give an idea on how much to bring.
The flight and the accommodation may differ depending on the promo available.
Cebu Pacific Flight Promo Fare- Manila to Bangkok, Siem Reap to Manila - Php 16,682.76 (2 persons)
1. Bangkok
Cozy Hostel
taxi from airport to Cozy Hostel - 450 baht (P608.85)
toilet fee - 5 baht (P6.76)
Spring rolls - 40 baht (P54.12)
Pad thai (must try!) - 100 baht (P135.30)
Chicken rice - 60 baht (P81.18)
Bus ride - 9 baht (P12.18)
ticket to Phnom Penh - 900 baht (P1217.70)
Visited places:
Chatuchak Market
___________________
2. Phnom Penh
Riverwalk Guesthouse- Php 3,044.56 (2 nights for 2 double rooms)
tuktuk (within the city)- $1 (P44)
Angkor beer small- $2 (P88)
ice/hot coffee - $.70 (P30.90)
coke in can - $1 (P44)
fried rice - $2.5 (P110.35)
Nachos - $4 (P176.56)
tuktuk tour - negotiated with the tuktuk driver - $20 (Killing fields, Royal Palace and Central Market)
ticket to Ho Chi Minh - $13 (P573.81)
Visited places:
Killing Fields - $13 entrance fee (P573.81)
Royal Palace (didn't go in)
Central Market
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3. Ho Chi Minh
Saigon Backpackers Hostel @Cong Quynh District 1 - $24.00 (P1,059)/night, 4 bed family room
Pho (noodle soup with lots of veggies)- 40,000 VND (P82.7)
Pork Rice meal - 30,000 VND (P62)
Chendol - 30,000 VND (P62)
Lychee drink - 20,000 VND (P41.3)
ticket to Siem Reap - 420,000 VND (P868.32)
Visited places:
Vietname war museum - 15,000 VND (P 31)
Notre Dame - free
Post office - free
Ben Thanh Market
___________________
4. Siem Reap
Topsky Hotel, Stung Thmei road - $20.00 (P882.8)/ night - 4 bed family room
Pancake meal with fruit - $2 (P88)
Coffee - $1 (P44)
Scrambled eggs with ham - $2.50 (P110.35)
Souvenir shirts - $3-$4(P150 - 176.56)
tuktuk from hotel to airport- $5 (P220)
Visited places:
Angkor Wat - $20 (P882)/ day, or $40 (P1765)/week
Pub street/ night market
Tip: You can always bargain especially in the market when buying souvenirs. For example, we bargained a skirt from $8 to $5 and scarves from $5 to $2. ;)
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Crossing Borders 3: Ho Chi Minh to Siem Reap
This is the last border crossing blog...for now. We had to get back to Cambodia from Vietnam because we booked our exit flight home in Siem Reap. Plus, we were really saving the best for last for the highlight of our Indochina.. make that semi-Indochina (without Laos) visit was the Angkor Wat. I could say it didn't disappoint. But that's another story (another blog ;)).
So the third and last border crossing again starts with buying a ticket. We were staying at the Saigon Backpackers Hostel in Pham Ngu Lao road. This road was also known as the "backpackers street" due to the many business and services for foreigners conveniently placed in one long stretch of road. From western food, to tour packages, transport and accommodations. We did spend Christmas there so I could say it was a lively street with all the foreigners celebrating in the streets.
Back to the ticket. I was looking for the bus company called Mekong Express. From blogs read previously, it is by far the most recommended bus. When we did find a ticketing office, we found out it was a lot expensive than the other less recommended bus, Sorya. Mekong Express was 546.000 VND to Siem Reap while the Sorya bus was only 462.000VND.
Just to add, I also considered the sleeping/sleeper bus where instead of chairs, there are small bunk beds. I read it from this blog. But it didn't really look comfortable to us. So we opted for the usual sitting bus.
We were still undecided on which bus to take so we asked the reception of our hostel if they also book bus tickets to Siem Reap. Apparently, they did and for the low cost of 420.000. or was it 410.000? Anyway, it was cheaper than the ticketing offices outside.
We waited for the van to pick us up at the hostel at 7:30 am. It turned out to be a guy, no van, and was asking us to follow him. We followed him back to the main Pham Ngu Lao road with luggage in tow and we stopped momentarily at one alley. He was fetching another couple from another hostel. So all of us, followed him to the bus which I think was around five minutes away from our hostel. He then asked for the receipt and exchanged it with bus tickets. The bus company turned out to be Sorya. Again, I have had read bad feedbacks about this bus transpo, but so far we had had no hassles in riding the previous buses. We just crossed our fingers for a good ride.
We boarded the bus by 8:00 am. The bus attendant was handing out free bottled water and wet tissue.
I saw a sign in the bus asking about comments or feedback about the bus and this assured me of better service compared to what I have read. The bus was comfy and with more leg room. Shortly after, we were off. Our passports were taken and the attendant offered the other foreigners visa assistance. I could hear most of them saying no.
At around 10:30, the attendant announced we had to get off the bus with our carry-on bags. No need to get our luggage. We have reached the Vietnam Border again in Moc Bai. We got off the bus and waited in a corner in front of the immigration booths, where the passports were being stamped for exit by bulk. We waited for our names to be called. Then we queued for the exit where another officer checked our passports. We got out of the building and boarded the bus again.
Our passports now had arrival/departure cards partially filled up, i guess by the attendant. The bus took us to the next building which is the Cambodian Immigration just a few meters away. We got off the bus (no need to get our luggage) and entered at the left to queue for stamping. We completed filling up the arrival/departure card while in queue. There were few people so it took only about ten minutes before it was our turn to have our passports stamped. Before exiting the building, another officer checked our passports. We get another pass for Cambodia! Hooray! All done at 11:30 am.
We had a lunch stop nearby for again, 20 min. Unlike the first bus we rode, we had to pay for our lunch. So after our meal, we set off again. We also did had another river crossing. Too bad I wasn't able to get a picture of the cockroaches for sale.
We reached the Sorya drop-off station in Phnom Penh at around 3:15pm. It didn't come as a surprise as I knew, there would be a stopover in Phnom Penh. We were told that we were going to ride a van to Siem Reap and we had to wait for about an hour. Luckily we waited less than that and left at 3:45. We also rode with some fellow Filipinos. :)
The travel to Siem Reap took 7 hours as we were told. And it was very, very, veryyyy dusty. The road construction was still ongoing which made some of the roads bumpy and the dust to get in our van. We had to cover our faces with cloth. We couldn't understand why our driver kept opening the windows when it would just make the matter worse. And he couldn't explain much because of his limited English.
We had an early dinner stop at 5:45 in one of those less dusty parts. We weren't very hungry yet, and we weren't sure about the food served at that restaurant so we just waited for the other passengers to finish eating.
Our journey ended at the Sorya drop-off station. It was already 10 pm and we immediately took a tuktuk to our hostel unaware that there was a tuktuk sent to fetch us from the hostel as I have requested. (I did apologize to the reception for that) This was by far the most tiring of all of our border crossing. Mainly because of the road constructions. Overall, there was no hassles or scams encountered.
In Short..
1. Better to scout for tickets at either your hotel/hostel or ticketing offices for the cheapest price. Pham Ngu Lao road is the best place to get them.
2. When reaching the Vietnam border, no need to take your luggage. Just follow the bus attendant's instructions. Be aware of your fellow passengers to know which direction you will be going.
3. Once inside the Vietnam Immigration Office, wait for your name to be called to get your passport.
4. Board the bus again which will take you to the next building, the Cambodian Immigration.
5. Your passports will already have a departure/arrival card for Cambodia, so fill it up and queue for stamping.
6. Once your passport are stamped, exit the building and find your bus. Take note of the bus number as there may be numerous buses waiting outside.
7. The bus will have a transfer in Phnom Penh. Sometimes, it could be a van that will take you to Siem Reap but if there are many passengers, it would be a bus.
8. The usual trip would be 5-6 hours without the road construction from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. The total is about 12-14 hours ;)
Tip: Always be alert and look out for the bus attendant. He may be giving out instructions and you should be around when he does.
Do share if you have comments about the blog or share your own experience. ;)
So the third and last border crossing again starts with buying a ticket. We were staying at the Saigon Backpackers Hostel in Pham Ngu Lao road. This road was also known as the "backpackers street" due to the many business and services for foreigners conveniently placed in one long stretch of road. From western food, to tour packages, transport and accommodations. We did spend Christmas there so I could say it was a lively street with all the foreigners celebrating in the streets.
Back to the ticket. I was looking for the bus company called Mekong Express. From blogs read previously, it is by far the most recommended bus. When we did find a ticketing office, we found out it was a lot expensive than the other less recommended bus, Sorya. Mekong Express was 546.000 VND to Siem Reap while the Sorya bus was only 462.000VND.
Just to add, I also considered the sleeping/sleeper bus where instead of chairs, there are small bunk beds. I read it from this blog. But it didn't really look comfortable to us. So we opted for the usual sitting bus.
We were still undecided on which bus to take so we asked the reception of our hostel if they also book bus tickets to Siem Reap. Apparently, they did and for the low cost of 420.000. or was it 410.000? Anyway, it was cheaper than the ticketing offices outside.
We waited for the van to pick us up at the hostel at 7:30 am. It turned out to be a guy, no van, and was asking us to follow him. We followed him back to the main Pham Ngu Lao road with luggage in tow and we stopped momentarily at one alley. He was fetching another couple from another hostel. So all of us, followed him to the bus which I think was around five minutes away from our hostel. He then asked for the receipt and exchanged it with bus tickets. The bus company turned out to be Sorya. Again, I have had read bad feedbacks about this bus transpo, but so far we had had no hassles in riding the previous buses. We just crossed our fingers for a good ride.
We boarded the bus by 8:00 am. The bus attendant was handing out free bottled water and wet tissue.
I saw a sign in the bus asking about comments or feedback about the bus and this assured me of better service compared to what I have read. The bus was comfy and with more leg room. Shortly after, we were off. Our passports were taken and the attendant offered the other foreigners visa assistance. I could hear most of them saying no.
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| Ain't that enough assurance. |
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| Soyra bus with leg room |
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| They also love karaoke! |
At around 10:30, the attendant announced we had to get off the bus with our carry-on bags. No need to get our luggage. We have reached the Vietnam Border again in Moc Bai. We got off the bus and waited in a corner in front of the immigration booths, where the passports were being stamped for exit by bulk. We waited for our names to be called. Then we queued for the exit where another officer checked our passports. We got out of the building and boarded the bus again.
Our passports now had arrival/departure cards partially filled up, i guess by the attendant. The bus took us to the next building which is the Cambodian Immigration just a few meters away. We got off the bus (no need to get our luggage) and entered at the left to queue for stamping. We completed filling up the arrival/departure card while in queue. There were few people so it took only about ten minutes before it was our turn to have our passports stamped. Before exiting the building, another officer checked our passports. We get another pass for Cambodia! Hooray! All done at 11:30 am.
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| Buses waiting outside the Cambodian Immigration |
We had a lunch stop nearby for again, 20 min. Unlike the first bus we rode, we had to pay for our lunch. So after our meal, we set off again. We also did had another river crossing. Too bad I wasn't able to get a picture of the cockroaches for sale.
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| Waiting to cross the river. Too bad I was not able to take a picture of the cockroaches for sale. |
We reached the Sorya drop-off station in Phnom Penh at around 3:15pm. It didn't come as a surprise as I knew, there would be a stopover in Phnom Penh. We were told that we were going to ride a van to Siem Reap and we had to wait for about an hour. Luckily we waited less than that and left at 3:45. We also rode with some fellow Filipinos. :)
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| Soyra bus station in Phnom Penh |
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| Our van to get us to Siem Reap |
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| The only bad part of our trip.. road construction.. hence flying dust. ugh! |
We had an early dinner stop at 5:45 in one of those less dusty parts. We weren't very hungry yet, and we weren't sure about the food served at that restaurant so we just waited for the other passengers to finish eating.
Our journey ended at the Sorya drop-off station. It was already 10 pm and we immediately took a tuktuk to our hostel unaware that there was a tuktuk sent to fetch us from the hostel as I have requested. (I did apologize to the reception for that) This was by far the most tiring of all of our border crossing. Mainly because of the road constructions. Overall, there was no hassles or scams encountered.
In Short..
1. Better to scout for tickets at either your hotel/hostel or ticketing offices for the cheapest price. Pham Ngu Lao road is the best place to get them.
2. When reaching the Vietnam border, no need to take your luggage. Just follow the bus attendant's instructions. Be aware of your fellow passengers to know which direction you will be going.
3. Once inside the Vietnam Immigration Office, wait for your name to be called to get your passport.
4. Board the bus again which will take you to the next building, the Cambodian Immigration.
5. Your passports will already have a departure/arrival card for Cambodia, so fill it up and queue for stamping.
6. Once your passport are stamped, exit the building and find your bus. Take note of the bus number as there may be numerous buses waiting outside.
7. The bus will have a transfer in Phnom Penh. Sometimes, it could be a van that will take you to Siem Reap but if there are many passengers, it would be a bus.
8. The usual trip would be 5-6 hours without the road construction from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. The total is about 12-14 hours ;)
Tip: Always be alert and look out for the bus attendant. He may be giving out instructions and you should be around when he does.
Do share if you have comments about the blog or share your own experience. ;)
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Crossing Borders 2: Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)
Here's the second part of my crossing borders blog. From Phnom Penh we traveled to Ho Chi Minh Vietnam. As mentioned in my previous blog, the bus drop-off from our Bangkok bus was just beside our guesthouse. For convenience, we also bought our ticket there to Vietnam.
Boarding time
Boarding time
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| The bus pick-up point a few blocks away from our hostel. No worries, they pick you up for free from your hostel. |
Our bus trip was scheduled at 8:30 am so we were instructed to be at the station at 7:30. By 7:30 we were already there waiting for the bus. Then a guy approached us and asked us to board a van. We weren't sure why but apparently, the van went around some other hostels picking up passengers. This was the free pick-up service. By 8:00 am we reached the place where the bus was parked. The funny thing was it was only a few minutes walk from our guest house.
The bus attendant checked our tickets and helped us get our luggage inside the compartment. He asked if we were Filipinos and waved us to enter the bus when we said yes. He was targeting the foreigners in need of a visa. Again, they were offering assistance at a certain price (more costly than a non-assisted visa). There were also other travelers some were locals, some were foreigners. The ticket says Khai Nam Transpo. I have read from blogs about the company having a bad reputation but it was years ago. I did cross my fingers everything would go well. It costs 13USD each.
We boarded the bus and found bottled water at the pocket in front of our seats. Yey! I wasn't really expecting much from this Transport company. By 8:30 am we were off to Saigon. Approximately, it all took 6 hours to get to Ho Chi Minh (formerly Saigon).
Around 9:00 am, the bus attendant got our passports and bus tickets. I did read about the bus attendants taking care of the passports for easier processing at the immigration authority so I was not exactly in panic. By 9:45 we had to cross a river (I presumed was part of the Mekong river) while still aboard the bus towards the Pray Vieng/Sray Vieng (as I saw in the signages). The river crossing took about 5 minutes.
At 11:30am, we stopped for lunch for 20 min. at this restaurant called Khai Nam (surprise!). The lunch was pretty okay, costs I think about 2.5USD. We were still in Cambodia so they still do accept US Dollars.
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| Lunch for about 2.5 USD |
Nearing the border
After a ten-minute ride in the bus, we were already at the Moc Bai Vietnam Immigration. We had to get off the bus and walk a bit. You can see booths with signs saying Vietnam Immigration and Customs. I am not entirely sure why we did get off, probably to "exit" Cambodia. We waited for the bus to move a few meters forward and then we got in again. I didn't notice any office for Vietnam Visa though. The bus attendant announced we had to get our bags checked at the building about two minutes away. So we got off again, got our luggage from the compartment and started out towards the building.
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| Outside the Vietnam Immigration |
We entered the building and it says strictly no pictures. The officers there had our stack of passports and started calling out names. It took a while since I think there were two or three other buses who came in with us. A queue was of no help since they will call you by name. But do go near the officers so you could hear your name. When our names were called we were given our passports and we passed the usual booth for immigration. But we didn't have to stop since they already stamped our departure from Cambodia and now have the Vietnam entry stamp in our passport. We had our bags scanned and then finally another officer checked our passports comparing it with our faces. We got out of the building and the same bus was waiting there. We reloaded our luggage and started off once we were all inside the bus. The whole process lasted less than 10 minutes once you have been handed your passport. Welcome to Vietnam!
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| Reloading our luggage |
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| Welcome to Vietnam! Our bus in front of the Vietnam Immigration. |
By now it was 12:20 pm. We had a toilet stop after ten minutes from the border. We finally reached Ho Chi Minh City around 2:00 pm. The bus attendant asked where we would like to be dropped off. I told him Pham Ngu Lao. He said okay. Then I overheard him say to another foreigner that there were two bus drop-off points of Khai Nam. So apparently, we were not stopping at the bus drop-off in Pham Ngu Lao. We were dropped off at their other station and so we were instructed that we wait for the van that will take us to Pham Ngu Lao District 1.
The van appeared after 5 minutes and took us to Pham Ngu Lao road. The next goal was to get to the hostel. According to the hostel's map, they were located at the far end of the Pham Ngu Lao road. So we dragged our luggage asking people if we were on the right track. We finally reached our hostel after 15 minutes. Hello Ho Chi Minh!
The Khai Nam Transpo wasn't all that bad except for our luggage being thrown carelessly in the compartment and they were times when we had difficulty understanding the bus attendant's English. Overall, not bad.
In short
1. Buy ticket at the Khai Nam bus office at Snagkat Wat Phnom road, beside Riverwalk Guesthouse. It costs 13 USD.
2. Be on the said time of pick-up to avoid delays or being left behind. Some may opt to be picked-up from their hostels.
3. During the bus ride, the bus attendant will get your passport. Don't panic. This is normal. They will take care of having your passport stamping - exit Cambodia and entry to Vietnam. For those requiring Visa, better to get it beforehand since I didn't notice any visa office at the border.
4. There is a lunch stop for 20 min. at Khai Nam restaurant. It is a short time given for lunch so use it well.
5. The immigration office is only ten minutes away. The bus attendant will ask you to get off the bus once you reach the border without the luggage first. You will be instructed to walk a bit before the Vietnam Immigration building. Then you will get back in the bus.
6. The attendant will instruct you to get your luggage for checking at the Mocbai Vietnam Immigration. Get off the bus again with your luggage and enter the building.
7. Wait for your name to be called. Once they call you, get your passport and have your bags scanned.
8. Exit the building and your bus will be waiting outside. Board the same bus to get you to Ho Chi Minh.
Crossing Borders 1: Bangkok to Phnom Penh
Last December, I had an opportunity to visit three countries in a span of 8 days namely Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It was fun mapping out our itinerary but the challenging part was how to get to one country to another via bus. Luckily there are some reference blogs I was able to find but some were not very recent. And as predicted, some of the steps have changed but I could say it changed for the better. So here's the details of the Bangkok to Phnom Penh trip. (If you want to skip the details, there's a summary at the end of this entry. ;) )
We got to the station early the next day avoiding the traffic jam since it was a Monday. The bus arrived around 7:30 and we left at exactly 8:30. The bus was spacious enough and we get to have snacks and lunch for free.
At around 9:30 am, the bus attendant handed out snacks which was oreo, guava juice and a can of coffee. If you are a heavy-breakfast person, better stuff-up before the trip because there is only one stop before reaching the Aranyapathet (Aran) border.
Crossing the Aran-Poipet Border
It took about 5 hours to get to the border in Aran. Our lunch was given when we were near the border and it was already nearing 1:00 pm. We headed to the Thailand Immigration Authority to get our passport cleared. Also, make sure that the Departure Card is with your passport. We didn't had to get our luggage unlike some of the blogs I've read. But we were given and ID by the bus attendant to "tag" us. Since we will be going back to the same bus after crossing the border.
After exiting the Thailand Immigration, there was a passage that says "Go to Cambodia". Just outside you can already see the arc which marks the entrance to Poipet, Cambodia. We had to walk a few meters to get to the arc. The entrance is at the right side. Tourists who needs visa have to get their visas at the office near the entrance.
Luckily, we are exempted from getting a visa so we headed straight to the shed that says "Arrival." I was surprised to find out this small office was where we had to get our passports stamped for Cambodian entry. When we got there, the queue was already long. An officer was giving out arrival/departure cards which we filled-up while in queue. It took us about an hour before we had our passports stamped. When we were done, the queue got even longer. This was the reason why our bus attendant was offering a VIP pass for having your passport stamped in 10 minutes and no need to queue. He was offering it for 200 baht for each person. Pretty pricey! Of course, we declined. We also heard him offering visa to the other foreigners at a higher cost than it was supposed to cost but most of them wanted to do the visa processing themselves.
We went back to the same bus waiting for us near the arc and waited for all the passengers to board. By that time, it was already 3:00 pm. The attendant says it will take about 7 hours more to get to Phnom Penh. We noticed a lot of road constructions along the way in Cambodia which probably caused delay in our travel. We had one stop for dinner at a restaurant along the way. Dinner was no longer for free but it was pretty cheap.
By 11:30 pm, we arrived at the bus stop. I read from a blog, it was wise to book your accommodation early. Lucky for us, the drop-off point was just beside the Hostel which I booked online. If you're curious, it's called the Riverwalk Guesthouse.
1. Buy ticket at the Transport Co window in Bangkok Bus Terminal (Mo Chit 2 Bus station). Ticket is 900 baht (as of this writing)
2. Bangkok to Aran is approx 5 hours. There was one stop for about 20 min. At the Aran border, go down the bus to have your passport stamped (make sure to have the departure card with it) at the Thailand Immigration Authority office. No need to get your luggage.
3. Exit the building and walk to the arc that says Welcome to Cambodia.
4. Entrance is at the right side of the arc. For visas, enter the building near the entrance at the right.
5. If you do not need to get a visa, proceed to the office that says "Arrival" a few meters from the arc, still at the right side.
6. You will fill up the arrival/departure card. You can do this while in queue.
7. Have your passport stamped and return to the same bus.
8. There is a 20-min dinner stop in between the travel to Phnom Penh. The bus drop-off is at Snagkat Wat Phnom.
Watch out for my other border crossing blogs. ;)
Buying Tickets at Bangkok
We bought the tickets to Phnom Penh at the Bangkok Bus Terminal (often referred to as Mo Chit 2 Bus Station ) which is different from the Mo Chit Train Station. I can't emphasize this enough as they are quite far apart. The Mo Chit Train Station is adjacent to the Chatuchak Train Station/ Chatuchak Market. If in case you get to that area, (which we were since we did a little shopping before buying the tickets) find a bus waiting area near the entrance of the Chatuchak market and wait for bus # 77 or bus # 3. We were able to ride the bus #77 waiting for about 20 minutes and its last stop is the Bangkok Bus Terminal. Surprisingly, we didn't pay for the bus fare. (It's free!)
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| Bangkok Bus Terminal (old name: Mo Chit2 Bus Station) |
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| Entrance of the Bangkok Bus Terminal |
We had to cross the overpass to get to the Terminal. We asked a lady where to buy ticket to Phnom Penh and she was kind enough to guide to which window. Look for window with the orange color beside window #19. See picture below.
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| Ticketing window for Phnom Penh (orange booths) |
The ticket costs 900 baht from Transport Co. The schedule we took was 8:30 am.
The Bus Ride
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| Inside the bus of the Transport Co. |
Crossing the Aran-Poipet Border
It took about 5 hours to get to the border in Aran. Our lunch was given when we were near the border and it was already nearing 1:00 pm. We headed to the Thailand Immigration Authority to get our passport cleared. Also, make sure that the Departure Card is with your passport. We didn't had to get our luggage unlike some of the blogs I've read. But we were given and ID by the bus attendant to "tag" us. Since we will be going back to the same bus after crossing the border.
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| Our "tags" |
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| The Thailand Immigration Authority in Aran |
We went back to the same bus waiting for us near the arc and waited for all the passengers to board. By that time, it was already 3:00 pm. The attendant says it will take about 7 hours more to get to Phnom Penh. We noticed a lot of road constructions along the way in Cambodia which probably caused delay in our travel. We had one stop for dinner at a restaurant along the way. Dinner was no longer for free but it was pretty cheap.
By 11:30 pm, we arrived at the bus stop. I read from a blog, it was wise to book your accommodation early. Lucky for us, the drop-off point was just beside the Hostel which I booked online. If you're curious, it's called the Riverwalk Guesthouse.
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| To the left of this guesthouse is the drop-off point of the Transport Co. bus |
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| Yes, they do have monkeys. |
Besides the long queue in the Cambodian border and the road constructions, it was overall a good trip without the expected scams or hassles.
In short..
2. Bangkok to Aran is approx 5 hours. There was one stop for about 20 min. At the Aran border, go down the bus to have your passport stamped (make sure to have the departure card with it) at the Thailand Immigration Authority office. No need to get your luggage.
3. Exit the building and walk to the arc that says Welcome to Cambodia.
4. Entrance is at the right side of the arc. For visas, enter the building near the entrance at the right.
5. If you do not need to get a visa, proceed to the office that says "Arrival" a few meters from the arc, still at the right side.
6. You will fill up the arrival/departure card. You can do this while in queue.
7. Have your passport stamped and return to the same bus.
8. There is a 20-min dinner stop in between the travel to Phnom Penh. The bus drop-off is at Snagkat Wat Phnom.
Watch out for my other border crossing blogs. ;)
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