Cambodia / Thai Border Resort

Last July, an opposing driver's car insurance company mailed me a check that, instead of fixing my car, covered the cost of my flight to Bangkok. I was there for about a month when I decided the place was worth staying so I left my return flight seat open to a heavy packers piece of luggage.

When considering doing a "passport send" to extend my 30 day stay, my friends assured me it was safe saying, "No no, it's ok. Everybody does like this."

A month later, on my return from my 10 minutes in Cambodia, it was the same friends translating an immigration official’s words, "Maybe you have a something problem with your passport."

And I did.

The Cambodian / Thai Border Resort is a one level flat, masterly designed to maximize your comfort. The quality of the living standards is comparable to those suitable for a gnat.

Our elegant resort is centrally located in the beautiful, poverty stricken community of Aranya Prathet and overlooks a plastic bag, a broken piece of wood, and a guy with half a leg, a crutch, and a cup. Both of our rooms are accommodated with a luxurious 8 X 8 foot floor space (which is also your bed) and central air provided by a barred open window. The rooms are also accompanied with 22 disgusting people already residing there.

Fine Dining: Each day you will be provided with breakfast-in-floor, a hearty lunch, and a delicious dinner (handed to you through bars and consisting only of steamed rice in a plastic bag). Each morning you will also receive a complimentary beetle on top of your water bottle (also your pillow). Things to do:

1. Leisure- at any point, you can take a scenic walk around the 2 X 2 foot floor area that is also your bathroom and caked with disease.

2. Relaxation- when the scorching sun brings heat, you can take a dip in one of the holes in the floor.

3. Nightlife- the nightlife brings such activities as swatting mosquitoes, listening to babies cry, and squatting in a corner. For a 2 night / 3 day stay, during the promotion, it costs only your passport.

The price to leave is 250,000 baht (equivalent to US $6,000). For more information or to book reservations, try and cross the Cambodian border. The cell may have been a bit bigger than 8X8 but not by much and there honestly were 22 people in there when I left. Some of them were kids and one, I know, was only 5 years old.

For the next few months, I had to attend court every 12 days in Aranya Prathet. The case could have been fought and won but it was expected to take 2 years and I would have been unable to leave the country during that time. So, with a financial dilemma pending, I pleaded guilty and was sent away. I don't believe I was deported, a friend stateside translated the stamps and they say I was arrested for forging government documents, sentenced to 6 months in jail but would do 2 years probation instead, and that I was "allowed" to leave the country. Though, I had to spend the night before "leaving" under surveillance in immigration and was walked to the plane by police.

Stickman’s thoughts:

Just another series of reasons on why one shouldn’t use visa services.