Getting to Siem Reap from Thailand

I live in Chiang Mai, and was delighted to learn there is a direct CM --> Siam Reap flight. Price: 13,000 baht one-way. THAT is about $420 for a short flight! Hey, my plan was to take my bf along, so let's make that 26,000 just to get to Siam Reap from Chiang Mai.

I decided to return from Phnom Penh to BKK -- 10,000 each one-way. Hm, there's another 20,000 baht. Getting back to Chiang Mai would eat up another 4,000.

Hm! 50,000 baht! $1600 just for the airfare -- we haven't even begin with hotels, restaurants, and shopping! And I was thinking to myself: "You know, I could just about take Aot to EUROPE for that amount of airfare. I mean, I used to buy round-trip tickets from the U.S. to Thailand for $1100!! And Cambodia is right next door!!

It wasn't a tough decision. We went to Bangkok, saw the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (new for him!) and had a grand old time shopping in the shopping capital of the world.

Actually, I had another thought. "Screw the planes, I'll just DRIVE to the border." Hmm, guess what? Cambodia does not allow "private vehicles" into the country.

A long time ago, people said there would be a train from Thailand to Angkor Wat. I guess we're still waiting.

At least they have a miniature Angkhor Wat in Wat Phra Kaew, so we stood in front of that, snapped pictures, and PRETENDED that we had been to the real place! :-)

I suggest you do a search on Siem Reap here over the last two months, as all the relevant information on this has been covered pretty extensively recently and it would be repetitive to post it all again. A recent post on this, for example, is on the next page. Unless you have to, forget the bus - those leaving Vietnam do not look like the brochure!

Bangkok airways are still flying from CM - SR for 6000 bht. I flew this route at the begining of March - there were only about 20 passengers - we boarded and left early. Yes I admit that even at 6000bht it's not the cheapest way of getting there but it suited me.