On the Way to Laos

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Still out of it from jet lag and constipated from the new food, I started my Laos trip incoherent and unstable. On my third or fourth day (I'm not sure); I found the USAC students from the summer program on the fourth floor and went to lunch with them. Afterwards, on the walk back to our apartment they were asking about my plans and I started to tell them that I was meeting up with my buddy Austin in Vientiane on Monday afternoon and that I was probably taking the Sunday evening train. Then they asked me if I was leaving that night. This in my mind made no sense until they told me that it was Sunday! The whole time I was thinking it was Saturday. So I quickly had to go back to my room and frantically pack so I could get to the train station and buy a ticket (because you can't make reservations over the telephone-you have to go there yourself).

When I got to the train station, the only seats left were 3rd class wooden seats. I was thinking, "Oh no, 12 hours on wooden seats…arrghh." Then the ticket guy says, "Oh wait, there is ONE first class sleeper left" for a ridiculous price. So you know what I said? "I'll take it." There is not enough cushion in any tushion for a 12 hour train ride on wooden seats. The ride to Nong-Khai was pleasant and I met 3 ladies traveling together from Madrid Spain and one from Italy.

When I got to Nong-Khai near the Thai-Lao border, I had to take a tuk-tuk to get to the friendship bridge. At the immigration checkpoint you have to apply for a visa. It's really weird how it works. So it costs $30 US dollars for a 15-30 day visa, this is if you're paying in US dollars and costs $40 US dollars if you're paying in Thai Baht or Lao Kip. So I did something really stupid in my attempt to spite the system (if that's even possible). I went to exchange my Thai baht for US dollars. I lost $6 in this process because of the exchange but saved $4 dollars because I didn't have to pay the $40 dollars. Silly, I know (sigh).

So you do the paperwork, give them the money and your passport and about 2 hours later, they wave your passport for the world to see and grab. So anyone can go up to the window and grab the passport for their "friend". This is common because a tour bus will roll in and instead of the passengers getting off the bus to do the paperwork and wait, there are people on the bus who actually do it for them so that they can sit in the luxury of an air con bus. I'm not sure exactly how all of that works. Anyways, I didn't trust this system so I was watching vigilantly for my passport and it’s a good thing I did because there were some loud obnoxious drugged-up Americans trying to grab it. Why am I so paranoid about losing my passport? Because here, your passport is your lifeline. If you lose it, you’re SCREWED.
With all of that and the tuk-tuk ride into Vientiane, I made it to the fountain where I was suppose to meet Austin just 10 minutes pass 12. Close call huh? (phew).

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Photos

Exit
Exit Receipt. Just 10 more baht before I can enter the country.

Lao Visa stub
Lao Visa Receipt

Comments

[Jonathan]

close call
3rd world bus adventures are great