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 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, if you happen to ask me. I informed the woman on the entrance desk that if the violence in Bangkok will get dangerous, I can phone Air Canada and be on my means subsequent day, so an open ticket is significantly better than a ticket for a specific date. No cube. So I needed to fly again to Bangkok and acquired the same old 30-day entry on the airport. Your entire journey price me 18,000 baht, counting lodges, flights, meals, taxis, and many others. 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 comfy bus they use for the Cambodia runs, with the identical driver. The motive force is comparatively conservative, appears to be aware of the very fact he is acquired 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 night time. These gave the driving force an opportunity to chill out a bit, which I believed was a good suggestion.
Sadly, I’ve by no means been in a position to sleep on a bus or airplane, and this journey was no exception. Whereas my seat mate fortunately snored away the night time, I sat there bleary eyed, shifting in my seat periodically as my bum acquired sore. I appreciated the remaining breaks as effectively.
A DVD film was performed initially 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 women acquired 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 woman acquired our passports processed by Lao immigration. In lower than an hour, we took the mini-buses into Vientiane, and arrived on the road for the Thai Embassy about 7:30 or 7:40 AM. There have been already at the least 200 individuals 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.
Nevertheless, 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 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 referred to 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 observed 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 have been there when our numbers got here up. However the numbers simply stored 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 by way of 6, however just one, counter 4, was energetic, and there have been at the least 100 individuals ready, sitting on chairs. This ready room was additionally air conditioned.
Once more, the numbers have been referred to as out, however this time there have been huge gaps between, and there was a considerable pause after every quantity was referred to as. When a quantity was referred to as, an individual went as much as counter 4, obtained 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 observed 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 quantity was referred to as; I went as much as the counter, acquired my receipt and exited. The man subsequent to me had a decrease quantity, however his quantity was not referred to as, so he acquired just a little upset and went as much as the counter, the place the woman informed him to attend.
I went out the exit, and there was my visa run girl amassing the receipts, after which ushering us over to one of many vans. My receipt had proven “60 days double entry vacationer visa” and “price: $0”, so I used to be joyful.
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 comfortable drinks have been 20 baht further.
In Laos, you should utilize Lao kip, Thai baht, and US {dollars} interchangeably. Should you pay in Thai baht, you get change in Thai baht. Should 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 regimen drinks have been accessible. By the way in which, 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, perhaps 2.5 stars. There was no pool, only a room, but it surely was an enormous room, non-public rest room, and cable or satellite tv for pc TV with many Thai, a number of Lao, and a few film channels, together with HBO and Star Films.
The lavatory was typical Thai-style, with no shower stall or bathtub, and a shower head on the wall. There was a flash water heater which labored, and the toilet labored. The towels have been massive, crimson, fluffy, and clearly new.
I had paid an additional 200 baht on the entrance desk for a personal room. The visa run price of 5000 baht features a shared room (2 per room). The price 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, acquired up, showered, watched a film, then went out in quest of dinner. I walked up and down the principle road close to the resort, however there was nothing interesting. Nevertheless, the workplace complicated 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 in a position to pay with Thai baht. The younger girl behind the bar was most likely essentially the most lovely girl I’ve ever laid eyes on, and I’ve been to Thailand on and off 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 lots of “obligation 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 by way of Immigration with the Lao border individuals simply taking a look at us, not asking to see our passports, which the visa run girl had 미국 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, comfortable drinks further, 20 baht.
The return journey appeared a lot sooner, 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 will get dropped off wherever 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? Positively, sure. The entire course of was just about automated. The company took care of all the pieces. You do need to e book a seat prematurely, although. One farang apparently referred to as to search out out the worth 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 title or phone quantity, so was out of luck. After all, he had left it till the final day of his visa, so he must go away the subsequent day someway and pay the five hundred baht overstay price.
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 resort, sleep a bit or, when you have the stamina, discover Vientiane. Not a lot there, although. Have dinner, sleep one night time 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, but it surely hasn’t been up to date shortly, and solely mentions their Cambodia run, not the Laos run.