A couple of days in the past, I made my first visa run to Laos, by bus.

Usually I’m going to Singapore to get a 60-day vacationer visa, however the final time I went, they refused to provide 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, in case you ask me. I informed the girl on the entrance desk that if the violence in Bangkok will get unhealthy, I can phone Air Canada and be on my means subsequent day, so an open ticket is a lot better than a ticket for a selected date. No cube. So I needed to fly again to Bangkok and bought the standard 30-day entry on the airport. Your complete journey value me 18,000 baht, counting lodges, flights, meals, taxis, and so forth. 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 should do it once more, and it prices 2000 baht every time.

So this time, I signed up for the bus to Vientiane.

I need to say that the service by the visa run company was wonderful; 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 aware of the actual fact he is bought 40 farangs on board, and is as cautious a driver as you’d 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 chill out a bit, which I believed was an excellent 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 bought 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 had 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 women bought 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 bought 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 not less than 200 individuals lined up alongside the sidewalk, and it was sizzling.

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 individuals on the ticket machine had been getting tickets numbered over 350. So I presume she had some contact in Vientiane who stood in the beginning 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 had been known as out over the general public handle system in each Thai and English, and repeated as soon as: “Ticket quantity 37, please proceed to counter quantity 2”.

I quickly seen that there was no pause within the quantity callout, the bulletins got here continuous, and shortly reached the 80s. All of us rushed downstairs to the counters and had 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 informed us to go wait within the different constructing.

Over there, we discovered there have been 4 extra counters, numbered 3 via 6, however just one, counter 4, was energetic, and there have been not less than 100 individuals ready, sitting on chairs. This ready room was additionally air conditioned.

Once more, the numbers had been known as out, however this time there have been massive gaps between, and there was a considerable pause after every quantity was known as. When a quantity 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 had been being processed within the different constructing, entered right into a computer, after which the receipt was printed on this constructing at counter 4.

After about 30 or 40 minutes, my quantity was known as; I went as much as the counter, bought my receipt and exited. The man subsequent to me had a decrease quantity, however his quantity was not known as, so he bought somewhat upset and went as much as the counter, the place the girl informed him to attend.

I went out the exit, and there was my visa run girl gathering 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 an area 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 tender drinks had been 20 baht additional.

In Laos, you should utilize Lao kip, Thai baht, and US {dollars} interchangeably. In case you pay in Thai baht, you get change in Thai baht. In case you pay in US {dollars}, you get change in Lao kip, which, like Cambodian forex, has very excessive denominations and no worth. A Pepsi was 20 baht, which was cheap, however no food plan drinks had been obtainable. By the way in which, ATM machines in Laos solely dispense Lao kip.

After brunch, we had been taken by van to the lodge, which turned out to be fairly acceptable, possibly 2.5 stars. There was no pool, only a room, however it was an enormous room, non-public toilet, 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 Films.

The toilet was typical Thai-style, with no shower stall or bath, and a shower head on the wall. There was a flash water heater which labored, and the bathroom labored. The towels had been giant, purple, fluffy, and clearly new.

I had paid an additional 200 baht on the entrance desk for a non-public room. The visa run payment of 5000 baht features a shared room (2 per room). The payment will enhance 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, bought up, showered, watched a film, then went out in quest of dinner. I walked up and down the primary avenue close to the lodge, however there was nothing interesting. Nonetheless, the workplace complicated 20 meters from the lodge 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 in all probability probably the most stunning 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 had been taken to the border. There are a whole lot of “responsibility free” retailers on the border. We waited about 45 minutes or so, after which the visa run girl confirmed up, and all of us went via Immigration with the Lao border individuals simply us, not asking to see our passports, which the visa run girl had 방콕밤문화.

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, tender drinks additional, 20 baht.

The return journey appeared a lot sooner, as a number of DVD films had been performed, which occupies the time and the thoughts.

We arrived again in Bangkok at 1:30 AM. You will get dropped off anyplace alongside the route; some exited at Ramkhamhaeng. I waited till the tip, which is simply beside Ekamai BTS station, the place I rapidly found that the BTS was closed. An 80 baht taxi experience later, I used to be home once more.

Would I do it once more? Undoubtedly, sure. The entire course of was just about computerized. The company took care of every part. You do should 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 quantity, so was out of luck. After all, he had left it till the final day of his visa, so he must depart the subsequent day by some means and pay the five hundred baht overstay payment.

To summarize: you allow at 8:30PM, spend an evening on the bus. Then it is half a day ready round, with brunch included. Verify into the lodge, sleep a bit or, when you have the stamina, discover Vientiane. Not a lot there, although. Have dinner, sleep one evening on the lodge. 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 good English, at 02-713-2498 (workplace hours) or 09-0245-255 (24 hours). They’ve a web website at ThaiVisaRun.com, however it hasn’t been up to date shortly, and solely mentions their Cambodia run, not the Laos run.