Border Crossing

We made it to Cambodia. We crossed the border at the notorious Aranyaprathet/Poipet  land crossing. It is well known for scams. When you arrive at the Thai checkpoint you are barraged with touts trying to convince you that you need to go into their office to get a visa or an exit stamp or that you need to have your photo taken by them or that you need a vaccination certificate. All of the advice we read was to ignore everyone and just keep moving through the process. After you get your Thai exit stamp you have to cross the border and apply for a Cambodia visa. This step is also fraught with scams. The visa costs $20 USD each but you almost always have to pay more- a little cash on the side. We felt lucky to only have to pay an extra 100 Baht each (a little over $3.) The funny thing is that there are suggestion/complaint boxes all over the Cambodia immigration office. I guess you could complain but it would go straight to the guy who just put the 100 Baht in his pocket. The final step is getting your transportation to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh. There is one tourist transportation area with the buses, minibuses and taxis all working together to get the most tourist dollars. Mike did a great job of haggling and got us a very good price on a private taxi to Siem Reap. Whew! A long morning but things went a smoothly as they could go.  You just never know...
We love the vibe here. It feels pretty laidback and relaxed. It was a former French colony so you can get a good cup of coffee and a baguette as well as Khmer fare. We'll stay here for 5 nights and get a 3 day pass to tour the temples at Angkor Wat. We can rent bikes for that which makes Mike very happy. Our guesthouse is really nice and the owner is super friendly and helpful. It's cheap too- which also makes Mike happy. The currency here is the Cambodian Riel but everyone would rather have US dollars so we don't have to think too hard when it comes to money matters.
We're off to sample the beer of Cambodia. Photos to follow.