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Before being able to leave Laos & get back into thailand where we started our trip a good 4 months ago we had to get our VISA from the thai consulate in Vientiane. Pick-up is between 13-15pm...we had absolutely nothing else to do today so we already went there at 10am. Secretely hoping maybe we could pick ours up anyway since they had already been ready for 4 days....not. Burocracy is the same all over the world...13-15pm only for pick-up. ( we finally got our passports from the same chick at the same desk in the afternoon)
The proces at the thai consulate is a lot like at the butchers in the supermarket, you have to get a ticket with number for pickup/application & it get really busy at the consulate! We waited 2,5h to hand in our application last time so we wanted to get a ticket for pickup at 10am to be the first served at 13pm...not, machine only gives those tickets at 13pm...OK, so camp here till then instead! It was raining terribly anyway outside (imagine? Dry season?? Not today & last night that is)
To our surprise at noon we where kicked out of the consulate cause everybody takes lunch...another hour outside in front of the gate didn't appeal to us so we headed of for some lunch too. When we returned at 12:45 there was at least 100 people lining in front of the gate!! **** Anyway, I (ardan) just waited at the otherside of the street till the door actually opened, then crossed & moved smoothly into the front of the line & through the gate...headed straight to the ticket machine (at double pace vs the others) & got hold of ticket #12. Suckas! ;-) My advice is to get a thai visa somewhere else than Vientiane if possible or pay in a GH to have it done for you. We did get lucky since the tourist visa now is free! (until end march 2011) Tactic to boost tourism since last years riots in bkk that gave tourism a dent.
Once we got hold of our passports we headed straight for the Friendship bridge to cross over into Thailand, Nongkai. It is absolutely possible to bike across (although lots are informed otherwise). We did see a sign that could have indicated it wasn't allowed, but nobody try to stop us...& some had guns, so they would have been succesfull in their attempts. Onc across we were immediatelly greeted by a 7-11 where we bought some tasty snack before getting to Nongkai centre. Nice little bustling riverside town with pleasant market & terrace bars with free&fast wifi (something else than Laos).
We have also decided to keep on the bikes just a bit longer & continue to follow the Mekong to the west. After that we head down through/over the Isaan plateau crossing 2 national parks before catching back up with the railroad to get down to Ayuthaya...besides it will carry us over the 5000km mark. More is more! ;-)
Picasa Album
Before being able to leave Laos & get back into thailand where we started our trip a good 4 months ago we had to get our VISA from the thai consulate in Vientiane. Pick-up is between 13-15pm...we had absolutely nothing else to do today so we already went there at 10am. Secretely hoping maybe we could pick ours up anyway since they had already been ready for 4 days....not. Burocracy is the same all over the world...13-15pm only for pick-up. ( we finally got our passports from the same chick at the same desk in the afternoon)
The proces at the thai consulate is a lot like at the butchers in the supermarket, you have to get a ticket with number for pickup/application & it get really busy at the consulate! We waited 2,5h to hand in our application last time so we wanted to get a ticket for pickup at 10am to be the first served at 13pm...not, machine only gives those tickets at 13pm...OK, so camp here till then instead! It was raining terribly anyway outside (imagine? Dry season?? Not today & last night that is)
To our surprise at noon we where kicked out of the consulate cause everybody takes lunch...another hour outside in front of the gate didn't appeal to us so we headed of for some lunch too. When we returned at 12:45 there was at least 100 people lining in front of the gate!! **** Anyway, I (ardan) just waited at the otherside of the street till the door actually opened, then crossed & moved smoothly into the front of the line & through the gate...headed straight to the ticket machine (at double pace vs the others) & got hold of ticket #12. Suckas! ;-) My advice is to get a thai visa somewhere else than Vientiane if possible or pay in a GH to have it done for you. We did get lucky since the tourist visa now is free! (until end march 2011) Tactic to boost tourism since last years riots in bkk that gave tourism a dent.
Once we got hold of our passports we headed straight for the Friendship bridge to cross over into Thailand, Nongkai. It is absolutely possible to bike across (although lots are informed otherwise). We did see a sign that could have indicated it wasn't allowed, but nobody try to stop us...& some had guns, so they would have been succesfull in their attempts. Onc across we were immediatelly greeted by a 7-11 where we bought some tasty snack before getting to Nongkai centre. Nice little bustling riverside town with pleasant market & terrace bars with free&fast wifi (something else than Laos).We have also decided to keep on the bikes just a bit longer & continue to follow the Mekong to the west. After that we head down through/over the Isaan plateau crossing 2 national parks before catching back up with the railroad to get down to Ayuthaya...besides it will carry us over the 5000km mark. More is more! ;-)
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