LAO P.D.R.
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Published: December 8th 2012
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Chiang Khong Immigration
Before crossing Mekong River into Lao PDR LOGISTICS re: VISA RUN TO LAO DPR (LAOS):
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VIDEO OF BOAT ON MEKONG RIVER
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Time again for a run to the border to renew my visa. I've been to Laos a long time ago but only the capital city of Vientiane. The place has gotten very popular with backpackers and also tour groups, mostly French, visiting their former colony.
The bus from
Chiang Mai to
Chiang Khong on this side of the Mekong River, leaves twice a day. I took the 8:30am bus which stops for half an hour at Pha Yeo before arriving at Chiang Khong about 3:30pm. Hotels here range from $6 to $10 depending on the distance you are to the immigration point and boat crossing to Lao. I spent the night there. The next morning at 8am the Thai Immigration post opens (see
photo). Even though there may not seem to be many foreigners in town the night before, people begin lining up at 7:30am. It's fairly organized and after receiving your exit stamp you walk down
to the river bank (
photo), pay 40 Baht ($1.30) and climb into a long boat which takes you across the river to
Houey Xai, Laos.
This is where it gets a little hectic. There's little organization for collecting passports and handing out visas. A crowd quickly forms and waits until their name is called. It wasn't uncommon for someone to collect what they thought was there passport then returned to look for their own. Depending on your nationality, you'll pay $30 (eg. French) or $35 (most others) or if you happen to be Canadian you have the unique privilege of paying $42. Why? I don't know.
If you came the night before and spent the night in Laos, you may get an early boat to go down the river but boats are advertised to run at 10:00am or 10:30 or 11:00. If you buy your ticket from one of the restaurants, you'll pay a little more than if you buy at the dock for 220,000 Kip (900 Baht) ($30). (
see photo) Your boat will probably leave at 12:30pm to give time for the touts selling rooms for your overnight stop in Pak Beng. There's enough people offering rooms
Crossing Mekong River
Chiang Khong, Thailand to Houey Xai, Laos at the dock once you reach Pak Beng that you may get a better deal there. I think the boat leaves a little late so that they predict to arrive at sunset and perhaps stir up a little anxiety at getting a room in the dark. Boats aren't allowed to travel after sunset on the river.
Pak Beng (
see photo) is a small town whose economy is based on the tourists that arrive by the river boats. There is some luxurious accommodation there for about $30 compared to most for about $10. Although the trip down the river to this half way point was spacious and comfortable because there were two boats bringing everyone this far. We were led to believe that our "reserved seats" provided guaranteed space, that's not so. It was scramble and get what you can. The seats were old Japanese mini-van seats in this boat but other boats have wooden seats and its suggested to buy cushions for the trip. From Pak Beng the passengers from the two boats were crowded into one and in addition there were four big motocycles put on by some Dutch adventurers. Apparently they weren't as adventurous as they thought
Other side of Mekong
This is how you know for sure where you are. because they didn't want to continue on the road even though there were a number of bicyclsts doing that trail which
is adventurous in my mind. Continuing on the trip to Luang Prabang the boat occasionally stopped to pick up locals that live in villages along the Mekong (
see photo). It was shameful to see the foreigners complaining that they shouldn't be picking up the locals with their motorbikes because it was so crowded. It was particularly embarassing when a French-Canadian woman (I figure she was a retired Air Canada flight attendant) stated that the bike would obstruct the exit rout to the door. It was ludicrous to think that people would line up in an emergency to exit via the "door" when they could just step over the railing to exit.
We made it safely to
Luang Prabang and even though there were many local transports available, the whole town is within walking distance. All price range of food and accommodation is here (
see photo). You can fill up a plate as high as you want for $1.50 or you can have a quaint lunch for about the same as you'd pay in Europe. The night market has
a multitude of souvenirs available. Lots of tuk-tuks (motorcycle with a cab,
see photo) offer tours or you can rent your own motorbike, bandages on backbackers usually are an indication that its not a place to learn how to ride. It's interesting the number of buses going from here to China or Vietnam. But the majority are heading south to Vientiane, the capital, or halfway to Vang Viang which is a mecca for the young backpackers as party central. Only curiousity made me take the bus to
Vang Viang. The place was quieter than usual because of pressure from a high profile Australian lawyer whose son was a recent fatality of the drunken antics. There seem to be a lot of young people lying on cushions in the restaurants enjoying a television marathon of the sitcom "Friends" or "The Family Guy". Pot use is condemned with undercover police (or phony police) collecting a $500 fine if you're unlucky. The buses often travel at night some drivers use stimulants to keep themselves awake all night and imagine they're macho race car drivers. Careful.
The next next leg of the journey, to
Vientiane leaves around 9:30am and arrives at the bus
terminal where you're shuffled on to a commuter bus which charges almost the same price as the 4 hour trip from Vang Viang to go to town. Rip Off. The Mekong River is not nearly as majestic, at least at this time of year, as it should be. To get into Thailand the best way is to walk to the local bus station and take the InterNational Bus which was provide by the Japanese to Nong Khai (Thai border town) or as I did to Udon Thani as I did in order to meet my friend Bill and his fiancée, Nit. We took a day trip to the world heritage sight of
Ban Chiang (
see photo) where pottery and civilization where being made in 1000 BC. Like a lot of sites in Thailand there is a two tier entry price. One for foreigners, $5, and one for Thais, $1. After that, an hour bus ride to
Nong Bua Lamphu showed me where Bill had set up shop. There's comfortable lakes about and a monument and shrine with more donated rooster carvings you could every hope to see (
see photo). The town is very flat but hills are nearby (
see photo)
Boat down Mekong River
From Houey Xai to Pak Beng and although there doesn't seem to be many expats in town they do live around and we spent an evening with one couple(see photo).
From here an overnight VIP (seat reclines into a bed) Bus took me back to Chiang Mai. All in all a good visa run.
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