After travelling for 15 hours from Bangkok: Scooter – Meter Taxi – VIP Bus – TukTuk – Public Bus – Taxi Bike, I’ve arrived unscathed in Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR. Whenever I arrive here in Vientiane, one of my first acts is to change £200 GBP into Lao Kip. Despite crypto fortunes being made in swift time by so many, in my world, visiting Lao PDR or Vietnam is still the quickest way to become a multi-millionaire. I know it’s childish, but after all of these years travelling, it still feels immensely satisfying to have ’a few million stashed in your back pocket for shits and giggles’. Two Million Lao Kip… let’s party.
My usual guest house was fully booked, and for Vientiane, that’s unusual. But as I found an alternative room, I realised that tomorrow - Wednesday 28th February - is Makha Bucha Day, a public holiday in Thailand and Lao PDR. Well, they call it Makha Bucha Day in Thailand, but here I believe it’s called Boun Khao Chi. It probably has the same meaning in English, which is Disciple. Anyway, it marks the day when Buddha ordained 1,250 disciples as the first Buddhist Monks, but I’ll report more on Makha Bucha Day, after it’s happened.
After experiencing Bangkok, or any other major city in Thailand, most tourists would probably find Vientiane a little too quiet and small for their tastes. But, I actually like that about this place. Despite major development in recent years, not all of which has been pleasing to the eye, it still has the feel of a village. Well, it feels that way for a tourist, but living here would probably feel quite different.
I first came here almost thirty years ago, and since then much of Vientiane’s French Colonial architecture has been demolished and replaced. Unfortunately to my eye, the newer buildings appear to have been crafted not by the artistry of the architect’s pen, but by the cold calculation of the accountant’s spreadsheet. To me, Vientiane now looks a little soulless, but if you’re prepared to linger and scratch beneath the superficial glass and stainless steel structures, then you'll certainly discover the heart of a community that still beats strongly.
The essence of Poor Circulation dictates travelling at a reasonable price, and for that, Vientiane is a perfect city in which to relax and explore. Any city that can afford to bury its cables is generally a little too expensive for me, and with Vientiane’s main attractions all located within walking or cycling distance from it's heart, staying here ultimately costs just as much, or as little, as if I’d stayed at home.
More of Lao PDR’s attractions will follow in the coming days, but given the refreshing taste and reasonable price of Beer Lao, blurred pictures and wonky text might well be the order of the day.
Riding and smiling as always …. Geoff
Enjoy your time in Vientiane! We might be heading there in exactly a month's time for Becca's visa run. It's seems the logical route: 1,250 baht return on Air Asia to Udon Thani (Thailand) and then a short trip across the border into Laos. Time constraints does not allow us to travel that 15 hour journey you did. It's sounds very interesting! We'll pay a little bit more to see more in Vientiane as we'll probably be there for 24 hours only. Yangon might be an option, but not sure what to do there.
I normally use Vientiane for my Thai Visa and the process is usually painless and swift. Of course, every year the systems change and become slightly more complex. But when they do, I just imagine the hoops a Thai needs to jump through in order to gain a visa to UK or USA,..... and it all feels painless again.
I've previously flown Don Meuang to Udon Thani, taken the minivan to Friendship Bridge and then gone directly to the Thai Embassy to apply for the new visa. Collect the visa the next afternoon and then take a bus of minivan back to Udon Thani for the flight home.
Thank you @poorcirculation for your advice. We thought everything would be done at the border regarding the visa. Didn't know you had to go to the Thai embassy. Good to know.
Yes, that's what we are hoping - smooth and swift process within 24 hours in and out! It is less painless than Thais getting any visa outside ASEAN region. Sam's mum has finally received a five year 'visiting' UK visa, but still has to go to the visa offices every year for a Schnegen one as she often does trips to Europe once she's in England.
At the Thai/Lao border, you should get visa on entry (30 days). Just need 1 passport photo and $35 cash. When arrive at Lao Immigration, window on Left will give you the forms: 1 Application Form + 1 Exit ReEntry form (like your TM7 for Thailand). Fill in the forms, pass them back trhough the same window with $35 – they will give change – then your passport with new Lao 30 day visa will be given to you at Window #3.
For Thai Tourist Visa, visit Thai Embassy in Vientiane (Mon-Fri 8am to 1pm) and make the visa application. (You’ll need 2 x passport photo, copy of passport pages 1: main page 2: Thai entry/exit stamp 3: Lao entry visa.
The following day (1pm to 3pm) you collect the tourist visa and pay 1,900 Bt.
Your tourist visa will be for 60 days, single entry. But, they might ask for 1: Proof of onward journey out of Thailand. 2: Proof of address in Thailand. 3: Proof of resources of $1,000 of 30,000Bt.
Ask me more as you get closer …… happy to help.
Thank you very much @poorcirculation for this information. We will need to take a screenshot of this and remember to bring all of what is needed and know the ins and outs. We'll surely be in touch if we have any issues. :)
So we opted for a visa run to Singapore (slightly more expensive) as Becca does not want to rush her first time in Laos and would prefer a week exploring. She will only be given two days off, so it made sense. KL was cheaper to fly and stay, but we were there in August. Thanks for the information again and we will be sure to use it within the year (Sam is sure of it).
No problem .. hope it all goes smoothly for Becca
Nice pics, looking forward to seeing more, hopefully not too blurred! No idea how you travel so far by scooter... :s Enjoy that million Lao Kip :)
Thanks mate. This journey was only a few Km's on my scooter (home to the highway) but there'll be a few hundred Km's on a rental once I get to Vang Vieng.
A few hundred km's on a scooter! I hope you've got a cushion for the seat :) Please can we see some pics of the scooter? All the best, look forward to future posts. Thanks
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