Cambodia Visa

As we didn’t have our Cambodia Visa, we headed straight to Visa counter like the majority of our fellow travelers.

I’d been toying with the idea of getting a renewable business visa which is $5 more expensive than the tourist visa and allows you to extend for 3, 6, 9, or 12 months and is a multiple-entry visa. But after our little third-degree scenario at Bangkok airport, I was wary of applying for a visa that I wasn’t sure what restrictions or requirements were attached. My pre-trip research hadn’t unearthed definitive guidelines about visa requirements, so to be on the safe side we opted for the 30-day tourist visa for $30 each.

Two smartly dressed visa officers greeted us with a smile, and we handed over our photos, passport, visa application form that we’d filled in during our layover in Bangkok and the Tourist Visa Fee. They gave us a receipt and pointed to another visa officer at the far end of the L-shaped counter. To reach him we had to walk the gauntlet of eight other visa officers who didn’t seem to be doing anything, but we soon discovered they were each a small link in the visa processing chain.

As we waited for our passport and visa to be returned we watched as the eight officers each handled the passports in turn. One officer stuck in the visa, and the next officers checked it, as did the next officer, and finally, the passports made their way down to a pile at the end of the line.

One by one this pile was rummaged, surnames were verbally fumbled, and a scrum of passengers crowded around the last link in the visa chain to claim their passports. Then it was off to wait patiently in the immigration line which flowed as slow as molasses.

After submitting our fingerprints digitally, we headed outside to see if our pre-arranged remork (a Cambodian tuk-tuk) driver was still waiting for us, given that we were three hours later than anticipated.

He was, and after a few grumbled words about how long he’d had to wait, he rushed off to get his tuk-tuk for the 10km ride to our hotel.

Going to a new place is scary but exciting. Especially when it’s an entirely different country and culture you haven’t encountered or experienced before. During our 25 minute ride, we bumped and bounded on the back seat of the tuk-tuk and let the humid air wash away our travel cobwebs.

Although I’d bought a couple of travel guides about Cambodia, read countless blog posts, and scrolled through Google images for hours on end. Nothing prepared me for the thrill of arriving here in Siem Reap. My fatigue slipped away, and I fidgeted anxiously, waiting for a chance to explore our new surroundings.

Additional Resources:

Travel Guides I bought:

• Lonely Planet Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & Northern Thailand (Travel Guide) Paperback
• The Rough Guide to Cambodia (Rough Guides) Paperback

Cambodia Visa Options:

• http://www.movetocambodia.com/planning-your-move-to-cambodia/cambodia-visas/#types
• If you’re toying with the idea of extending your Cambodia visa then you should consider getting one of the “ordinary” (E class) visas, so that you can extend for more than a month. If you get the Tourist visa you can only extend for one additional month and then you have to leave the country to do a border run to get a new Visa.

Flashpacking through Cambodia

Flashpacking through Cambodia: For Baby Boomers on a Budget is my latest Roving Jay travel guide full of travel tips, advice, and sample itineraries for flash packers who want the back packing experience without foregoing some of life’s creature comforts – like a comfortable bed, a hot shower, free wi-fi, and somewhere to plug your electric toothbrush in.

I spent almost three months backpacking around Cambodia in 2017/2018 to research this travel guide, and I share insights and first hand knowledge of tourist traps and off-the-beaten-path discoveries. We ate street food, drank 50c beers, and travelled by train, bus, minivan and tuktuk to identify the best ways to get from A to B.

If you’d like to receive a free Review Copy ahead of the general public release, please click here.

Here’s my Cambodia posts on this blog:

• Cambodia Visa and Arrival at Siem Reap Airport
• Cambodia: How to Avoid the Crowds at Angkor Wat
• Filling up your scooter in Cambodia
• The Best Tasting Street Food in Siem Reap
• Angkor Wat at Dawn: Is it worth it?
• Come face to face with Angkor Thom’s Bayon
• Good vs. Evil at Angkor Thom’s Impressive Southern Gate
• The Baphuon Temple and the Terrace of the Elephants at Angkor Thom
• Visiting Siem Reap’s War Museum
• Where to Stay in Siem Reap
• Visiting Siem Reap’s Markets
• Give your taste buds a disco at Siem Reap Night Market
• Responsible Tourism at Joe to Go in Siem Reap
• What to See and Do in Siem Reap
• Which Siem Reap Floating Village should you visit?
• Memorable Boat Trip from Siem Reap to Battambang
• Libations and Bric-a-Brac tempt our purse strings in Battambang
• Vegetable Amok at About the World Restaurant in Battambang
• Cooking Classes at Nary’s Kitchen Battambang
• Pomme Bar, Restaurant and Hostel, at the Core of the new Battambang
• An educational trip around Battambang’s Central Market
• Sightseeing and things to do in Battambang Cambodia
• Bayon VIP Bus from Battambang to Phnom Penh Cambodia
• Exploring Phnom Penh’s 172nd Street in the dark
• The challenge of wandering Phnom Penh’s streets
• A visit to Phnom Penh’s Central Market
• Exploring Phnom Penh’s Markets
• Phnom Penh Photo Diary
• Tops sights to see in Phnom Penh
• Touring S-21 Security Prison (Tuol Sleng Museum Phnom Penh)
• A reflective visit to The Killing Fields
• Taking a train from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville
• The majesty of Otres Beach sunsets
• Our Workaway Gig at Otres Beach Market Cambodia
• Working Away to make Cambodian Bagels
• Cambodia Pastry Wars: The Battle of the Quiche
• Our Cambodia workaway gig renovating a market stall
• Unwind on Cambodia’s Koh Ta Kiev Island
• Cambodian Beach Massage and Grilled Seafood
• Building Community during our Cambodian Workaway
• Gecko Village in Kampot Cambodia – a Photo Essay
• Christmas Eve in Kampot
• more coming