A couple of days in the past, I made my first visa run to Laos, by bus.
Usually I am going to Singapore to get a 60-day vacationer visa, however the final time I went, they refused to present me a 60-day visa as a result of I’ve an open e-ticket again to Canada. They now desire a confirmed ticket, and won’t settle for an open ticket. That is silly, should you ask me. I advised the girl on the entrance desk that if the violence in Bangkok will get unhealthy, I can phone Air Canada and be on my approach subsequent day, so an open ticket is significantly better than a ticket for a selected date. No cube. So I needed to fly again to Bangkok and received the same old 30-day entry on the airport. Your complete journey value me 18,000 baht, counting lodges, flights, meals, taxis, and so on. What a waste.
I did a few visa runs by bus to Cambodia, and discover {that a} pain within the bum, because you solely get 14 days after which need to do it once more, and it prices 2000 baht every time.
So this time, I signed up for the bus to Vientiane.
I have to say that the service by the visa run company was glorious; the bus (a 40-seater) was full, and it was the identical snug bus they use for the Cambodia runs, with the identical driver. The motive force is comparatively conservative, appears to be conscious of the very fact he is received 40 farangs on board, and is as cautious a driver as you’ll need.
The bus left PB Tower on Sukhumvit Soi 71 precisely at 8:30PM.
There was a pee break about an hour later at a service centre, after which one other 2 hours later, and so forth, all through the evening. These gave the driving force an opportunity to calm down a bit, which I assumed was idea.
Sadly, I’ve by no means been capable of sleep on a bus or airplane, and this journey was no exception. Whereas my seat mate fortunately snored away the evening, I sat there bleary eyed, shifting in my seat periodically as my bum received sore. I appreciated the remaining breaks as nicely.
A DVD film was performed firstly of the journey, however after it completed, it was after 11PM, so no extra films have been proven.
We arrived on the border early, earlier than 6:30. I watched the solar come up. We needed to sit round for some time till the border workplace opened, after which one of many bus company girls received all our passports processed. She had beforehand collected them on the bus.
After being stamped out of Thailand, we took 3 mini-buses (vans) throughout the bridge (Mekong River) into Laos, the place once more we waited whereas the girl received our passports processed by Lao immigration. In lower than an hour, we took the mini-buses into Vientiane, and arrived on the avenue for the Thai Embassy about 7:30 or 7:40 AM. There have been already at the very least 200 folks lined up alongside the sidewalk, and it was scorching.
The embassy gates opened about 8:15 AM, and all of us filed into the embassy compound. There was a ticket machine on the entrance, and we joined the queue.
Nonetheless, our erstwhile visa run girl ushered us up the steps into an air-conditioned space and handed out low-numbered tickets from the machine. Our numbers began round 95, whereas the folks on the ticket machine have been getting tickets numbered over 350. So I presume she had some contact in Vientiane who stood at the start of the road on the gates at an early hour, after which handed the tickets to her when she arrived an hour or extra later.
The ticket numbers have been known as out over the general public deal with system in each Thai and English, and repeated as soon as: “Ticket number 37, please proceed to counter number 2”.
I quickly seen that there was no pause within the number callout, the bulletins got here continuous, and shortly reached the 80s. All of us rushed downstairs to the counters and have been there when our numbers got here up. However the numbers simply saved on rolling by. Our girl collected our passports and tickets, and lined all of them up alongside the counter, after which advised us to go wait within the different constructing.
Over there, we discovered there have been 4 extra counters, numbered 3 by means of 6, however just one, counter 4, was energetic, and there have been at the very least 100 folks ready, sitting on chairs. This ready room was additionally air conditioned.
Once more, the numbers have been known as out, however this time there have been massive gaps between, and there was a considerable pause after every number was known as. When a number was known as, an individual went as much as counter 4, acquired a paper receipt, after which exited stage left.
After each batch of 10 or 12 numbers, there was a 5 or 6 minute delay. That was after I seen that the Thai girl behind the counter was printing out after which separating the receipts. Clearly, the passports and purposes have been being processed within the different constructing, entered into a pc, after which the receipt was printed on this constructing at counter 4.
After about 30 or 40 minutes, my number was known as; I went as much as the counter, received my receipt and exited. The man subsequent to me had a decrease number, however his number was not known as, so he received just a little upset and went as much as the counter, the place the girl advised him to attend.
I went out the exit, and there was my visa run girl accumulating the receipts, after which ushering us over to one of many vans. My receipt had proven “60 days double entry vacationer visa” and “payment: $0”, so I used to be comfortable.
The van took us to a neighborhood restaurant the place we had a Thai/Lao meals breakfast or brunch of fried rice and no matter. This was free, paid for by the visa run company, however soft drinks have been 20 baht further.
In Laos, you need to use Lao kip, Thai baht, and US {dollars} interchangeably. If you happen to pay in Thai baht, you get change in Thai baht. If you happen to pay in US {dollars}, you get change in Lao kip, which, like Cambodian foreign money, has very excessive denominations and no worth. A Pepsi was 20 baht, which was affordable, however no weight-reduction plan drinks have been out there. By the best way, ATM machines in Laos solely dispense Lao kip.
After brunch, we have been taken by van to the resort, which turned out to be fairly acceptable, possibly 2.5 stars. There was no pool, only a room, however it was an enormous room, personal lavatory, and cable or satellite tv for pc TV with many Thai, a couple of Lao, and a few film channels, together with HBO and Star Motion pictures.
The lavatory was typical Thai-style, with no shower stall or tub, and a shower head on the wall. There was a flash water heater which labored, and the toilet labored. The towels have been massive, pink, fluffy, and clearly new.
I had paid an additional 200 baht on the entrance desk for a personal room. The visa run payment of 5000 baht features a shared room (2 per room). The payment will improve to 6000 baht after the free vacationer visa promotion ends June 5.
In bed by 1PM within the afternoon, I slept for a number of hours, received up, showered, watched a film, then went out in quest of dinner. I walked up and down the primary avenue close to the resort, however there was nothing interesting. Nonetheless, the workplace advanced 20 meters from the resort had a restaurant, so I went in there and located 5 different farangs from the visa run additionally there. The meals was good, the costs weren’t costly, and I used to be capable of pay with Thai baht. The younger girl behind the bar was most likely probably the most lovely girl I’ve ever laid eyes on, and I’ve been to Thailand off and on for 20 years. She made me want I used to be 25 once more.
Subsequent day, I had breakfast on the identical restaurant, after which round 1PM, we piled into the vans once more and have been taken to the border. There are numerous “obligation free” outlets on the border. We waited about 45 minutes or so, after which the visa run girl confirmed up, and all of us went by means of Immigration with the Lao border folks simply taking a look at us, not asking to see our passports, which the visa run girl had 아포스티유.
Again throughout the bridge to Thailand, the place we waited one other 45 minutes or so, then it was again on the bus for the return journey. Inside an hour, we stopped at a restaurant, the place we had one other Thai meal, once more free, soft drinks further, 20 baht.
The return journey appeared a lot quicker, as a number of DVD films have been performed, which occupies the time and the thoughts.
We arrived again in Bangkok at 1:30 AM. You may get dropped off wherever alongside the route; some exited at Ramkhamhaeng. I waited till the top, which is simply beside Ekamai BTS station, the place I shortly found that the BTS was closed. An 80 baht taxi journey later, I used to be home once more.
Would I do it once more? Positively, sure. The entire course of was just about automated. The company took care of every part. You do need to ebook a seat prematurely, although. One farang apparently known as to search out out the value and time, confirmed up and was offended that there was no seat for him. However he had not made a reservation, had not left his name or phone number, so was out of luck. In fact, he had left it till the final day of his visa, so he must depart the subsequent day someway and pay the five hundred baht overstay payment.
To summarize: you permit at 8:30PM, spend an evening on the bus. Then it is half a day ready round, with brunch included. Verify into the resort, sleep a bit or, when you’ve got the stamina, discover Vientiane. Not a lot there, although. Have dinner, sleep one evening on the resort. Subsequent day, wait round for a morning or go to Vientiane, then bus it again to Bangkok, arriving about 1:30 AM.
If you wish to do that your self, the company I used was “Fast Thai Visa Run”, sixth floor, PB Tower, Sukhumvit Soi 71. The contact is Phillip, who speaks excellent English, at 02-713-2498 (workplace hours) or 09-0245-255 (24 hours). They’ve a web web site at ThaiVisaRun.com, however it hasn’t been up to date shortly, and solely mentions their Cambodia run, not the Laos run.