The harvest season in pictures

The views from Prey Veng province during the harvest season. Please enjoy.

Khiev Phirum, a Phnom Penh-based career journalist, enjoys harvesting his rice on a rice paddy field he owns in his home village in Prey Veng province during his leave. Photo courtesy: Khiev Phirum.

Oxcart is still an important transport for many farmers. In this picture, big houses can be a reflection of development in the area. Photo courtesy: Khiev Phirum.

Some farmers prefer this type of transport to oxcart because they can afford one. Photo courtesy: Khiev Phirum. 

After hard work on the paddy fields, here is your lunch. Grilled freshwater catfish - caught from ponds nearby the rice paddies - with fish sauce and green mango. Photo courtesy: Khiev Phirum

Trips between Thailand and Cambodia more affordable

Soon, trips from Phnom Penh to Bangkok and vice versa will be more affordable to ordinary Cambodian and Thai travelers.

A Bangkok bus. Credit: travelthaihotel.com

In fact, the first bus services connecting Bangkok with Siem Reap and Phnom Penh will be launched late this month.

This is according to the Thai media reports.

The first bus trip service between the two neighboring countries will kick off on Dec 29.

A one-way trip between Thailand’s Bangkok and Cambodia’s Siem Reap – approximately 400 kilometers – will cost you 25 US dollars. And it takes roughly seven hours.

The Bangkok-Phnom Penh service with a one-way ticket fare of 30 US dollars will take about eleven hours on a route of over 700 kilometers.

The Bangkok-Phnom Penh bus will run once a day while the Bangkok-Siem Reap service will provide two trips a day.

Cambodia’s Siem Reap province is home to the world famous Angkor Wat temple complex which is most popular among foreign tourists including Thais.

Cambodia has set a target to receive 7 million foreign tourists by 2020.

And the bus link between Thailand and Cambodia could well be another contributing factor that would help Cambodia achieve its target.