Welcome to Cambodia
13 November 2010
Before leaving America, Jean and I stockpiled a stack of one dollar bills which I've been carting around in a white envelope. They proved useful today on the Lao/Cambodia border. I'd heard about the widespread corruption in Cambodia and was not looking forward to experiencing it first hand. There's a group called Transparency International that tracks global corruption. Cambodia's government ranks 166 out of 180 countries.
It started on the Lao border checkpoint. First, it probably didn't help that Jean and I rolled up in a bus full of foreigners. We queued at the spartan exit visa booth. Getting to the front of the line I encountered a surly man behind the glass. “Exit stamp $2,” he said. Upon inquiry he explained in his terse fashion that the $2 was a fee imposed for the inconvenience caused by the crossing of the border on a Saturday. I paid the man and got my passport back with an exit stamp.
Next, I walked along the road the 100 meters to the Cambodia checkpoint. Just outside the gate a table was set up. A woman, wearing a surgical mask, waved me over. She handed me a leaflet about the H1N1 virus. She asked if I had any flu symptoms and took my temperature. Confirming that I didn't have a fever she said, “Please, pay one dollar.” Well, at least she said “please.” I paid the woman.
I was then directed to a shack on the other side of the road to get my visa. The Cambodian government website states the charge for a 30 day tourist visa as being 20 United States dollars. However, the sign taped to the desk at which sat the stony faced, green uniformed border guard read, “Tourist Visa Fee 23 USD.” I filled out the proffered arrival card and paid the man for which I received a lime green Cambodian visa in my passport.
Next, I went to the gate booth to get my entrance stamp. Three more green uniformed guards sat in row behind the desk. The first two were broad and unsmiling. The third, a bespectacled bald man, looked amiable enough. The first one held his hand for my passport which I gave him. He flipped it open to my fresh new visa, studied it for a moment, then eyed me and said, “You pay two dollars.” I made a meager protest but eventually paid the man who passed it on to the second guard. At this point I was wondering if they were all going to exact some sort of payment. The second guard not even looking at me stamped my passport and passed it to the third guard. He glanced momentarily at the visa and entrance stamp before giving it back to me and saying, “Welcome to Cambodia.”
Before leaving America, Jean and I stockpiled a stack of one dollar bills which I've been carting around in a white envelope. They proved useful today on the Lao/Cambodia border. I'd heard about the widespread corruption in Cambodia and was not looking forward to experiencing it first hand. There's a group called Transparency International that tracks global corruption. Cambodia's government ranks 166 out of 180 countries.
It started on the Lao border checkpoint. First, it probably didn't help that Jean and I rolled up in a bus full of foreigners. We queued at the spartan exit visa booth. Getting to the front of the line I encountered a surly man behind the glass. “Exit stamp $2,” he said. Upon inquiry he explained in his terse fashion that the $2 was a fee imposed for the inconvenience caused by the crossing of the border on a Saturday. I paid the man and got my passport back with an exit stamp.
Next, I walked along the road the 100 meters to the Cambodia checkpoint. Just outside the gate a table was set up. A woman, wearing a surgical mask, waved me over. She handed me a leaflet about the H1N1 virus. She asked if I had any flu symptoms and took my temperature. Confirming that I didn't have a fever she said, “Please, pay one dollar.” Well, at least she said “please.” I paid the woman.
I was then directed to a shack on the other side of the road to get my visa. The Cambodian government website states the charge for a 30 day tourist visa as being 20 United States dollars. However, the sign taped to the desk at which sat the stony faced, green uniformed border guard read, “Tourist Visa Fee 23 USD.” I filled out the proffered arrival card and paid the man for which I received a lime green Cambodian visa in my passport.
Next, I went to the gate booth to get my entrance stamp. Three more green uniformed guards sat in row behind the desk. The first two were broad and unsmiling. The third, a bespectacled bald man, looked amiable enough. The first one held his hand for my passport which I gave him. He flipped it open to my fresh new visa, studied it for a moment, then eyed me and said, “You pay two dollars.” I made a meager protest but eventually paid the man who passed it on to the second guard. At this point I was wondering if they were all going to exact some sort of payment. The second guard not even looking at me stamped my passport and passed it to the third guard. He glanced momentarily at the visa and entrance stamp before giving it back to me and saying, “Welcome to Cambodia.”
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| On the Cambodian side |
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