Chantaburi gay scene and Ban Packard/Phsar Prum border crossing

[mgb]

I dont know where to post my question so i post it here. If it on wrong place, please ignore it.

I am in Bangkok now and plan to go Phnom Penh through Ban Packard/ Phsar Prum in couple of weeks. As far as I know, on that route, i have to pass Chantaburi (or Chathaburi) so i decide to stay 2 nights there (or cut shorter if 1 night enough for the town). Not taking this route before plus all info i got from internet is sadly out of date. I have two questions in need of your help.

1. What's Chantaburi's gay scene like? (sauna, pub.. or any place where can meet people...). I will stay in a hostel near Chathaburi bus terminal so any chances for activities there?

2. From Chantaburi, any direct buses to Phnom Penh? or i have to take several buses/minivans/songtheaws for each part (Ban Packard/Phsar Prum/Pailin/Battambang) till Phnom Penh? If so, what is it like? All info i got mentioned about shared taxi which would be my second option as i cannot control their departure time (which could lead me to wait hours while I want to go Phnom Penh as soon as possible). 

Thanks 

[pong]

Have been there once for overnight stay (long ago, I think even before that border opened) and many more times in Trat-60 kms onward and gateway for Cambodia and islands.

In short; @1.there is no recognised place, use apps/fone. Chances in a Hostel are like the lotteree, not for staff, but for other customers. The genral advice for Th is to avoid hoStels-most charge more for less as thai-style HTls. In the local HTL I certainly got offers for msg. Plus reserving such places week ahead is also pretty daft un-Thai, but seems to be the general norm for todays younger travelling generation.

2.no of course not. and also not even from that border point. the ONLY direct (that mans you leave bus at border for checks but reboard it after) are via the infamous PoiPet from BKK (Mochit and/or Khao sarn) to SReap and even an odd one to PnPn. But there is internet now and plenty of sites like lonelyplanet or .. or blogs on movingtocambodia.blogspot. Gay sites would be the very last ones to ask such details from hi-so bisniscl travellers used to 5* HTLs. (except here der christian).

I highly doubt you can even do it in 1 day along the route described. Far better would be to go via Aran/Poipet-faster, better roads and much more offers. But then an overnight in Battambang is well worth it-again BYO or try apps for any contacts.

[mgb]

3 hours ago, pong said:

Have been there once for overnight stay (long ago, I think even before that border opened) and many more times in Trat-60 kms onward and gateway for Cambodia and islands.

In short; @1.there is no recognised place, use apps/fone. Chances in a Hostel are like the lotteree, not for staff, but for other customers. The genral advice for Th is to avoid hoStels-most charge more for less as thai-style HTls. In the local HTL I certainly got offers for msg. Plus reserving such places week ahead is also pretty daft un-Thai, but seems to be the general norm for todays younger travelling generation.

2.no of course not. and also not even from that border point. the ONLY direct (that mans you leave bus at border for checks but reboard it after) are via the infamous PoiPet from BKK (Mochit and/or Khao sarn) to SReap and even an odd one to PnPn. But there is internet now and plenty of sites like lonelyplanet or .. or blogs on movingtocambodia.blogspot. Gay sites would be the very last ones to ask such details from hi-so bisniscl travellers used to 5* HTLs. (except here der christian).

I highly doubt you can even do it in 1 day along the route described. Far better would be to go via Aran/Poipet-faster, better roads and much more offers. But then an overnight in Battambang is well worth it-again BYO or try apps for any contacts.

Thank Pong for details.

I crossed Aran/Poipet border last year and that was horrible experience. I wasted more than 2 hours queuing for customs work and additionally half of hour for minibus full load. That totally nightmare. That's why i definitely want to skip it this time. I thought Ban Packard could be easy as a lot of people doing visa run there. But now it seems harder when not many buses running that route. Koh Kong may be an only option.

 

[ChristianPFC]

No organized gay scene in Chanthaburi.

There is enough sightseeing around town to keep me entertained for days.

Public transport will be poor or non-existent. In fact, I once crossed with a friend by his car from Cambodia into Thailand at Ban Packard/ Phsar Prum  and don't remember public transport on either side.

I crossed from Cambodia to Thailand in Trat by public transport: https://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2016/08/cham-yeam-to-baan-hat-lek-border.html

 

[mgb]

39 minutes ago, ChristianPFC said:

I crossed from Cambodia to Thailand in Trat by public transport: https://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2016/08/cham-yeam-to-baan-hat-lek-border.html

 

Thank you, Christian. That's great report.

The picture of Olongpich bus  said "night bus" to Koh Kong. Do they actually run it???? 

[Guest]

Why would you choose to travel to Phnom Penh via Chanthaburi if not actually planning to stop and see anything specific on the way ?    

If you are purely interested in getting to Phnom Penh, then travelling by air or overland via Poipet would be more straightforward.    There are buses running via Poipet to Phnom Penh, although I have never taken the bus all the way, since I prefer to stop in Siem Reap or Battambang.   

I have taken the train from Bangkok to Aranya Prathet (both ways), a tuk tuk to the border, then a taxi from the border to Siem Reap.   I have used buses from Phnom Penh <==> Siem Reap and  Siem Reap<==> Battambang.

Last time I left Cambodia at Poipet, the Thai immigration took well over 2 hours. 

Siem Reap is the logical stop bettween Bangkok and Phnom Penh.   Has a small gay scene and the amazing Angkor Wat temple complex.

 

 

[Boy69]

Many years ago I did travel to Cambodia via Poipet a terrible experience that will not be repited again.

If I will ever visit Cambodia again it will be via air freight only.

[Guest]

10 hours ago, Boy69 said:

Many years ago I did travel to Cambodia via Poipet a terrible experience that will not be repited again.

If I will ever visit Cambodia again it will be via air freight only.

When I went via Poipet about 12 years ago, the road from Poipet to Siem Reap was unpaved and some of the ruts were so deep, the taxi drove into them and out the other side.   Still, the journey was fascinating.

When I went from Siem Reap to Poipet a few months ago, the road was all tarmac and mostly smoother than the roads where I live in the UK.  At one point, the taxi came over a crest at about 70mph and there was a straight smooth piece of tarmac stretching out into the distance.   The road journey was swift & comfortable.   

However, Thai immigration was exceptionally slow, so next time, I shall probably also fly.    However, I shall treat myself and use the passenger cabin.

[ChristianPFC]

I don't know of a night bus to Koh Kong.

Whenever I flew to Cambodia by Airasia from Don Mueang, the bus trip from terminal to airplane almost took as long as doing the full trip by bus.

The railway recently was extended from Aranyaprathet to the border crossing. On Cambodian site, railway line and station are complete. I can only be a matter of decades until everything is sorted out and there will be a train connection between Bangkok and Phnom Penh.

https://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2019/05/thai-cambodia-railway-connection.html

Poipet is an awful place (judging from staying one night in 2014 before crossing into Thailand, and spending some hours going by car earlier this year).

 

[Guest]

17 hours ago, ChristianPFC said:

Whenever I flew to Cambodia by Airasia from Don Mueang, the bus trip from terminal to airplane almost took as long as doing the full trip by bus.

 

I have had the same experience on flights to Cambodia by 2 different airlines out of Suvarnabhumi.   The first time, I was ambling down to the gate in section E and heard my name on the tannoy.   I put on a sprint and was last on the bus.  Boarding was earlier than I anticipated.  The bus drove all the way to the other end of the airport, quite some distance past section A and we boarded the plane.   It then taxied all the way back to the south of the airport for take off.

 

[mgb]

Thanks guys for your comments and below is my trip early this week.

1. There's no gay scene in Chanthaburi. The nearest guy on my Grindr was about...27km away from my hostel. Tried to chat to him but then gave up  as his slow response. Anyway, the town's nice and i enjoyed good food there. 

2. Minibus info mentioned in this page is still active ( https://www.travelfish.org/transport/thailand/eastern_thailand/chanthaburi/chanthaburi/all). Coz i want to go border as soon possible so i took minivan behind Robinson at 9:00AM. Note that, there is no sign boards saying minivan services (a little bit weird to other places i experienced in Thailand) so just simply ask around and people will point you the place.

It took 1,5 hour to Ban Parkard border. Customs work in Thailand side was nice and smooth. The nightmare began in Cambodia side. Cambodian officers passed my passport around, said something in their language and finally they told me to pay 200 bath for "entry fee" :D:D:D:D:D:D:d. I politely replied to them I had entered Cambodia several times and i never heard of that fee.They yelled at me that this was "new regulation" and i had to pay for entry (i guessed they yelled to suppress me). Again, I kept cold mind politely explaining i never heard of it. After few minutes of verbal exchange, i decided to ask them if i could get receipt for that fee and amazingly, it worked. They discussed to each other few words and stamped on my passport and let me go, with zero response.

Right after i got out of customs booth, several motobike touts approached to offer their services to Pailin town. They offered 10 USD to Pailin by motobike and 15 USD shared taxi to Battambang. I ignored offer to Battambang as i didn't know when taxi got full load. After some negotiation, the tout ok with 6 usd to Pailin town. I reached Pailin around 12:00 AM and took last bus of the day to Battambang (Rith Mony). As i was confirmed by Rith Mony, currently, they run only one bus a day from Battambang to Pailin at 01:00 PM. I could not ask for more info as poor exchange in English.

In conclusion, this route is slow and not smooth in minibus/bus connection. The only good point of it is zero waiting for customs work. If you want to Phnom Penh from Bangkok, Koh Kong now seems good route (in terms of waiting time , fairly smooth bus connecion...)

[vinapu]

2 hours ago, mgb said:

 If you want to Phnom Penh from Bangkok, Koh Kong now seems good route (in terms of waiting time , fairly smooth bus connecion...)

I will wait for train and before that is operational  still opt for a flight to PP