The border crossing from Thailand — Poipet on the Cambodian side, opposite Aranyaprathet — where this leg actually began before heading on to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat.
Entry point, and the base for Angkor Wat — the temple complex that's the entire reason most people build a Cambodia stop into a Southeast Asia route at all.
The capital, reached after Siem Reap, before crossing back into Thailand on 12 December to continue the loop toward Laos.
November–February is cooler and dry — the right season for actually walking around Angkor's temples without the heat working against you. This trip landed in December, right in that window.
How much shifted in four days. A cancelled hostel booking (with a fee attached), an e-visa approved just two days before departure, and a hot-air-balloon inquiry that — it turns out — never actually happened here at all; that flight happened later, over Vang Vieng in Laos instead. The shortest country stay of the whole Southeast Asia run also turned out to be the one with the most last-minute rewriting behind it.
Approval came through just before departure here — don't assume same-day or next-day turnaround.
A booking here got cancelled with a fee attached — refundable options cost a little more but save real money when plans shift.
It's a well-used route between Thailand and Cambodia, but the crossing process takes longer than the map distance suggests.