From Poipet, Cambodia to Pattaya, Thailand via Aranyaprathet

📍Cambodia to Thailand by land 🎊Recently, the land border crossings have been particularly difficult for Chinese nationals. A while ago, two of my friends tried to cross from the Poipet border to Thailand, but the Thai side refused them entry and they had to return to Siem Reap. I was originally planning to go to Thailand right before my Cambodian visa expired, but I was worried I would also be denied entry, so I decided to leave early. I printed out my Thai hotel booking and a self-made itinerary. 🎊The Cambodian side of the Poipet border crossing processed my exit quickly. When I arrived at the Aranyaprathet border crossing on the Thai side, the staff glanced at my passport, saw I was Chinese, and asked how many people were with me. I said one. Then they took me to the side and asked me to wait for their supervisor. At this point, I thought, "Oh no, it's happening to me too." But before I could even sit down, the supervisor arrived, took my passport, and led me to another window. They didn't ask any questions, just took my fingerprints, stamped my passport... and I was in! I quickly went downstairs with my passport, afraid they might call me back. 🎊I bought the bus ticket from Siem Reap to Poipet for USD 8. Most places charge USD 10, and you can bargain down to USD 9. This place sold it to me for USD 8 without any haggling. The ticket included pick-up service. I just gave them my hotel address, and a tuk-tuk came to pick me up and took me to the bus departure point. 🎊The Cambodian exit at the Poipet border crossing is on the second floor on the right-hand side. The Poipet border crossing is really lively, with shops on both sides of the road displaying Chinese signs. There's even a Starbucks. 🎊After exiting the Cambodian side of the Poipet border crossing, walk to the left, cross a bridge, and you'll reach the Aranyaprathet border crossing. The immigration office is on the second floor, accessible by the escalator on the far left. 🎊After completing immigration on the Thai side, walk straight ahead. On the right-hand side, cross the railway tracks, then turn left and walk forward. There's a place to buy bus tickets to Pattaya (Google Maps: Bus tickets to Pattaya). The ticket costs THB 270. They initially asked for THB 300, but I had read online that it should be THB 270, and they agreed to that price. After paying, I didn't receive any ticket, just waited to board the bus. When I arrived at the station that day, there was a bus about to depart, so the timing was perfect. 📍Other 1. Currency exchange: After entering Thailand at the Aranyaprathet border crossing, I saw a bank offering currency exchange, but the rate wasn't very good, only around 4.3. But since I needed to buy a bus ticket, I exchanged CNY 100. I can exchange the rest in Pattaya. 2. SIM card: There are several 7-Elevens at the Aranyaprathet border crossing. I bought a SIM card using Alipay at the 7-Eleven on the same road where I bought the bus ticket. They only had a 7-day SIM card for THB 49, and I checked that it only had 3G of data. I bought it to have Internet access and will change it later. If you're not in a hurry, you can check other 7-Elevens. I was originally hoping to buy the 30-day SIM card for THB 199.