When we got into Thailand, I was amazed at how noticeable the difference between Cambodia and Thailand was. In Cambodia, the roads were rather bumpy and drivers were constantly honking their horns to make moto drivers move to the side. The roadsides were littered with plastic bags and other trash, and roadside settlements consisted of extremely simple wooden huts on stilts. In Thailand, then, the roads were a lot smoother and had more than one lane for much of the time. Nobody was honking horns, and the roadsides looked much cleaner. The houses also looked much more modern, and overall everything seemed much less dusty than in Cambodia. The same differences applied to the two border towns, Poipet and Aranyaprathet.
Considering what Cambodia has been through just a few decades ago - US bombing, civil war, genocide - it is no small wonder that it is less developed than Thailand. Isn't it strange what effects a rather imaginary line can have once it is considered a "border"?
When I arrived in Bangkok, it was already dark and the city with all its skyscrapers was lit up brightly and looked incredibly friendly and welcoming. The bus stopped at the Victory Monument, just one elevated walkway away from the BTS sky train.
As luck would have it, the hostel I booked was just a few stations away on the same BTS line, and so I got to enjoy a nighttime view of central Bangkok from an elevated position. I love cities with rail-based public transport!
