vespajw

If I remember rightly the statistics show that the average tourist only stays 7-10 days.

Most arrive by air and will get the 30 day stamp.

For longer stay tourists there is the Single (60 days) or Double Entry (120 days) Tourist Visa from an Embassy/Consulate,

longer if you utilise extensions.

So the affect on the Tourism Industry will be minimal.

It is not tourists who are being targeted here.

The overall length of stay is around 9 days. But what the TAT never shares with us is the actual distribution of that data. What must be suspected is that if the average is 9 days, this actually represents something like 19 true tourists staying 8 days each and 1 pseudo-tourist staying 30 days. It's that final 5% that Thailand has apparently decided it can live without. And they are justified in doing so as the tourism-oriented visa waiver stamp was never intended as a means to enable semi-permanent residence in the Kingdom.

It also ups the number of tourist visas that will be sold overseas which will create additional revenue for the Treasury, while border-running does not save a token amount in fuel and payroll taxes.

As Indo-Siam correctly observed, these changes really affect very few people, and despite the loud expressions of self-interest here, don't really matter all that much in the grand scheme of Thailand. But every little bit counts, especially in tough economic times, so if it's a net win for Thailand then the changes are to be welcomed.

Those who will now find themselves on the outside looking in deserve a measure of sympathy, of course. But for some it's going to be a shock that their self-proclaimed economic clout is no longer enough to hold their place.

This is what you say now, wait untill they start changing the other visas without any notice, guess you won't talk like that anymore.

If they really wanted us here and want money from visa revenues, they could let frangs go to the immigration office every 2 weeks, pay 2000 for another 2 weeks and get cash in their pockets, they could even ask for source of income or bankbook.

The rate of evolution of Thai visa requirements is actually quite slow, particularly within a given class of visa. And my view is that they're quite unlikely to do anything significant to the other more formal classes of visa anytime soon. The drift towards social conservatism has been underway for years now and any changes to B and O visas are more likely to prop up rather than undermine foreigners' commitments to marriage and family, employment and entrepreneurship.

I love Thailand and I've made a home here. A home, not just a place to stay as a reasonably well-to-do consumer. Any changes to the rules with helps Thailand, even if it inconveniences me personally (as some have in the past), is one that I can generally endorse.

And that's really the key to refuting your third paragraph. They don't want only the money. They want social cohesion. The right to hang ones hat here shouldn't be governed only by the power of the purse. It should require a willingness to form enduring social and economic bonds with the native Thai community that go a great deal deeper than being on a first name basis with your bartender and housekeeper.

i think anyone who has spent a fair bit of time in thailand understands the move. 15 days is an awfully short window. i work in thailand and i often use the tourist visa to get around in between jobs - both to job hunt and move (and work as the schools generally cant get all the paper work done before they want you to start-- you neednt comment on that).

who is this aimed at? under-the-table teachers, vagabounds, non-thais? it sounds like the people this will adversly affet the most is the folks who tour multiple countries. living in the norht i meet many folks who are just coming in from a trip through vietnam and laos. if i understand the sit. correctly then they would only get 15 days coming in from laos or cambodia. seems classist to me. one has to start their trips in thailand i guess. also there is the new visa coming out in 2010 (i think) for all of southeast asia (or the greater mekong area, something like that). still it seems a bit harsh and at an inoportune time (tourism is down all around - big and small spenders). any bets how long it will stick?

Go to the head of the class. For most multi-destination legitimate tourists, this ups the likelihood that they will use Thailand as their local hub. The Thais get first (and probably last) crack at their money.

It also ups the number of tourist visas that will be sold overseas which will create additional revenue for the Treasury, while border-running does not save a token amount in fuel and payroll taxes.

As Indo-Siam correctly observed, these changes really affect very few people, and despite the loud expressions of self-interest here, don't really matter all that much in the grand scheme of Thailand. But every little bit counts, especially in tough economic times, so if it's a net win for Thailand then the changes are to be welcomed.

Those who will now find themselves on the outside looking in deserve a measure of sympathy, of course. But for some it's going to be a shock that their self-proclaimed economic clout is no longer enough to hold their place.

Thanks for the excellent report. Very valuable information and recommendations.

My pleasure and I hope it's helpful to someone else.

A few additional observations, corrections and addenda:

There's construction going on next door to the Mina Hotel which seems to be an enlargement project. I was never disturbed by any noise. The structure is complete and it's in the fitting-out stage so there shouldn't be any jackhammers, pile-drivers or ersatz machinery noises except for the odd buzzsaw perhaps.

What there is plenty of is red Mekhong dust. Outside the Mina and everywhere in Vientiane it seems. It's a simple fact of life, so you might not want to wear white. And while temps are very cool, even a bit cold at night just now, the direct daytime sun is still very hot. Sunblock if you need it, or the simple expedient of a cap and lightweight, light-colored clothes really helps.

The Mina Hotel can be contacted on +856-21-244-412 (tel) or +856-21-217-563 (fax). However their published URL www.minahotel.com is no longer theirs (it's now a parking page), but their alternate email at [email protected] may still work.

The Mina Hotel is mostly used to serving Laotians and Vietnamese, although there were a good percentage of Westerners, too. At least one of the desk clerks speaks passable English. If he helps you with something, tip him; he's getting married in a few months and the sin sot is killing him.

A correction: In my earlier report I consistently misspelled Lane Xiang Road. Sorry. (It's the same as in Thai "laan chang" or "million elephants" referring to the military might of the erstwhile Kingdom of Laos).

Transliterations of Lao to English are more consistent as a rule than Thai to English. Every standard of service in Laos seems to be more consistent than in Thailand, to be frank. Not always brilliant, but at least uniform as though everyone had gone to the same academy.

The Latin-alphabet portions of Laotian road signs may say "Rue" or "Avenue" but it's almost always thanon in Lao. There didn't seem to be any soi or dtraawk...

As noted by me and others, virtually every person under 30 you'll meet in Vientiane speaks passable Thai. If they don't get the gist of what you're saying, it's probably your accent queering the deal. Slow down and try again.

You'll get farther speaking standard Thai in many cases than trying to speak the Isaan dialect. Hello is a simple "sabaidee" not "sambaidee baw" for instance. Many Lao words are the same as Thai, but many are not, so if you're not sure you're being understood just swallow your pride, set aside your hard-earned Thai language skills and try English or French (or pointing or sign language).

As another example near and dear to my own heart, a small bottle of beer is "gaew noi" rather than "kuat lek" and when it's empty... "gaew bao" not "bia mowt". By all means, try Beerlao at local prices if you get the chance. It's a fantastic light pilsener brewed with modern German technology. A small bottle in a restaurant will set you back maybe 10,000 Kip, less in a convenience store. There are no 7-11's but you can find plenty of clean and honest local alternatives.

It's rather difficult to find a place that's sells 1-2-Call and other Thai top-up cards so load the phone before you leave Thailand. You may notice that there's an overlap between Thai mobile providers and Lao Telecom services in Vientiane as you move inland away from the river.

Your mobile phone should display the name of the network you're on; if it says both Laos GSM and TH-GSM at the same time, you'll pay the Lao Telecom international rate (20 baht SMS to Thailand starts to hurt after a while). This problem goes away when you're on the banks of the Mekhong or along Fa Ngum Road. You'll pay the domestic Thai rate for both SMS and voice calls as the Thai signal predominates.

Internet access in every net cafe I tried was abominably slow. Don't bother trying to do multimedia of any sort. The computers also tend to be old and poorly maintained so anything more than text emails would have to be for optimists only, although calls with Skype do seem to work some of the time from some locations.

Keep in mind the government of Laos has the perfect right by their laws to intercept your communications and invade your privacy in many other regards, too. Think before you speak, write or act. It's not East Germany with informers lurking everywhere, but use a little common sense, please.

When chatting with the locals, there's no need as a rule to discuss Lao politics. Most of us have no direct experience with life under far-left systems of government anyhow, so what would we really have to contribute? Even if you're a Cuban or North Korean and want discuss the glorious revolution, you'll probably find the average Laotian has no interest in the topic. The vast majority are just plain folks trying to get along, not political theorists or doctrinaire banner-wavers.

If you get hungry along Fa Ngum Road, have a meal at the Alexia Tex-Mex place. The bartender, Mr. Sai, speaks English pretty well. (Wish him good luck getting his visa to go to Texas.) There's quite a good breakfast to be had at Le Banneton; probably the best cafe au lait in South-East Asia, too. For lunch you won't regret the pulled pork sandwich and fries at the Full Moon Cafe.

And if you find all that eating to be tiring, try a massage at Laomekhong Traditional Massage on Fa Ngum Road. A superb 1-hour oil massage will set you back 50,000 Kip. No funny business.

The 100 baht 7-9 passenger mini-van from Udon Thani airport (UTH) to Nong Khai is fast, safe and comfortable. The ticket booth is inside the air terminal and clearly marked, just to the right of the exit from the building. Make sure you let the ticket booth attendant (English-speaking) and the driver both know you want to go to the bridge ("ao bpai sa-paan, khrap"), although you probably won't be the only one going there.

Good report!

Are you sure the minivan was 100 baht per person? In January I paid 150 and a few weeks ago I paid 200 baht per person.

I may very well have gotten that wrong. I can't clearly recall if I handed them one red note or two. I have the sense that you're right as I seem to recall hotel drop-offs into Udon Thani were priced at 50 or 60 baht. Sorry for the error everyone.

Update: I just found the receipt and it's printed 200 THB / Person. It's also printed "Limousine Services", but be ye not deceived... It's a mini-van. If it's at all helpful, the phone number for the service is 08-1544-3622 in Udon Thani (or elsewhere as it's a mobile number) and 042-411-530 in Nong Khai.

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to reply here and by private message as well. Long story short, I went up to Vientiane on Tuesday, applied early Wednesday morning and got my shiny new double-entry tourist visa before 2 PM on Thursday. Some notes that may be of general interest or help to others:

The 100 baht 7-9 passenger mini-van from Udon Thani airport (UTH) to Nong Khai is fast, safe and comfortable. The ticket booth is inside the air terminal and clearly marked, just to the right of the exit from the building. Make sure you let the ticket booth attendant (English-speaking) and the driver both know you want to go to the bridge ("ao bpai sa-paan, khrap"), although you probably won't be the only one going there.

If you're fast off the plane and without checked bags you may want to get your ticket first, meet the driver, then you'll have 10 minutes to use the toilet and have a smoke if you wish while the stragglers get organized and the van fills up.

You'll be dropped off just a few meters from the Thai immigration plaza at the bridge. Stamping out of Thailand should be mundane and the wait-time should only be ten minutes at most if you don't have an overstay. The ticket for the bus to cross the bridge is still just 15 baht and they go about every 10-15 minutes. Two queues loosely form to board the bus front and rear but it doesn't turn into a Chinese market free-for-all.

Note that there's a changeover when arriving at the Lao side of the bridge. They drive on the opposite side of the road versus Thailand. Get back in the habit of looking both ways before crossing the street...

Laos Immigration is equally as simple. Pay in $US as you'll get a slightly better rate (even after buying greenbacks in Thailand). Small denomination American money can be surprisingly hard to find in Thailand, although the folks at the Kasikorn branch at Sukhumvit Soi 17 or so were able to help me with 5's and 20's. I paid my $35 Laos visa fee with two 20's to see what would happen, and was pleasantly surprised to get back a crisp $5 note.

One photo is required to enter Laos. Another fellow in the line forgot to bring one but Laos let him use a photocopy trimmed from a copy of the photo page of his passport. You'll have both a visa application and an arrival-departure card to complete; both will be processed at the same time.

My wait was about 15 minutes and I got back from Window 3 my passport with a Laos visa pasted in, a Laos admittance stamp, a departure card stapled in and the fiver as above. They won't call your name, just stick your passport out the window with the photo page visible so be alert once the people who applied immediately ahead of you have received their passports back.

As you enter Laos you'll need to pay 10 baht. There's a final checkpoint after that to confirm your stamp. Bienvenue a Prathet Laos, mes amis...

Next you'll need transport up to Vientiane and there's a sign-board with some posted rates: tuk-tuk 250 baht, taxi 350 and so on. I somehow ended up with a taxi for 200. The car was a 30 year-old Toyota in decent mechanical shape, the driver was friendly and we chatted in Thai so I gave him 250.

I have no problems recommending the Mina Hotel on Lane Xane for 700 baht a night. It's hard by the Laos National Tourism Authority and about equidistant from the Thai Consulate and Fan Ngum Road, roughly 20 minutes walk each way. The rooms are clean with A/C, a decent shower and bed, clean towels and satellite TV from Thailand plus Lao and Vietnamese programs.

There's a free breakfast of coffee, bread or pastry, and a fried egg and rice gruel. There's no in-room safe, and the staff advises you take your wallet, phone and camera if you go out. You can keep your key, but they seemingly can't or won't do a room make-up unless you leave it.

The morning market and Talat Sao Mall are just a few minutes walk away and those give you options for local food, shopping and foreign currency exchange. Speaking of money, virtually every business will accept Lao Kip, Thai Baht or US Dollars although the latter two will yield a poorer exchange rate than at an exchange booth. Merchants seemed to change at around 235 kip to the baht while the official rate was 243. In no case did I get presented with a blatant rip-off when paying with baht.

While the baht is hovering in this range, the quick-and-dirty conversion is to take the price in Kip, multiply by 4 and then divide by 1000, i.e. drop the last 3 zeroes, to get the price in Baht. It's still off by a few percent, but really you'd just be arguing over pennies if you aren't buying big-ticket items.

Vientiane strikes me as being a very safe place at least on the main streets in the center of town. The only bad experiences I had were with other foreigners, and the few Lao lady-boys who patrol Setthathirath and Samsenthai Roads after 8 PM.

The Lao people are generally very friendly but can be a bit shy around foreigners so if you make the effort to engage them in Thai or even English or sometimes French, you can make friends very fast. They are very curious to know about the wider world as a rule and are happy to answer questions about Laos and Lao language and customs.

Although there are a lot of new cars on the streets and much commercial development in the past few years, Laos is still a poor country. This makes dealing with Laotians a refreshing change from the typical Thai haughty arrogance and sense of entitlement. (Flame on, if you must; I just call them like I see them.)

The line at the Thai consulate on Wednesday must have started to form around 8 AM or shortly before. I arrived at 8:10 and was 15th in the queue (at first). The queue-jumper problem persists to some degree with the main offenders being Africans, Filipinos and Lao visa agents. These later are the biggest problem since though it's just one person in the line he or she is typically carrying a dozen foreign passports which will proceed yours in the processing queue.

The gate was opened at 8:30 AM sharp and there was no further queue-jumping once inside. My application was taken by 9 AM, then I was shuffled off to the main building to wait to pay, and by 10 AM I was a free man again. African passport holders were all sent out of line to go wait in the sun on the other side of the courtyard; apparently their requests for transit visas are secondary to requests for tourist and other visas. So queue-jumping availed them nothing.

If you have a copy of Adobe Acrobat Professional, you can download the visa application form, then use the typewriter tool to complete it. This gives a nice clean look and for some of the text fields it's a lot easier than trying to hand write into tiny little spaces. Then just sign it, sign the copy of your passport photo page, fork over 2000 baht and two photos and that's all there is to the application process.

As you arrive at the Thai consulate there's a few helpful people on either side of the street. One fellow will use a glue-stick to fasten your photos to your application form, or give you a blank one if you've forgotten yours. There's also a vendor who'll sell you a clear passport cover if you fancy one.

At this point you're done and you have a full day to do whatever you wish. I felt a bit odd walking around with no passport, but was reassured with placing in my wallet the visa application receipt, a copy of the photo page of my passport and the Lao departure card which you're free to remove from your passport while the passport remains at the Thai consulate overnight.

Laos may be a Communist One-Party state, but really they are the nicest commies you could ever hope to meet. The Lane Xane Road area has the superficial appearance of a police state, but keep in mind it's both the heart of Vientiane's Embassy Row and home to significant government ministries and banks and trade offices (mostly with the Vietnamese) can be found there, thus the numerous police boxes. The officers manning them are generally happy to help if you get lost and can manage a little Thai or produce a map. A smile and a polite hello ("sabaidee") and thank you ("khobchai") go a long way both for you and for the next guy.

Quai Fa Ngum, Samsenthai and Setthathirath Roads and the many side streets are fine places to shop, or get a meal or a few drinks. Safe as houses and by no means a tourist trap.

To collect the passport and visa you can queue again at 1 PM or wait until a bit later. I decided to go early at 12:45 or so just to see the show, and I had my passport back by 1:30. The queue advances to the outdoor counter where you collect your passport; I didn't notice anyone needing to go to the main building again. Of course you checked your visa to see that the dates are correct, name spelled properly, etc., didn't you?

After that you're good to go back to Thailand. If you want to go straight to the bridge, you can play "let's make a deal" with the lads outside the consulate. There are both tuk-tuks and a few sawng thaews and the price you pay is really up to you and your haggling skills. (There's also a bus service that can be found at Talat Sao Mall which will take you from the mall over the bridge and to Nong Khai or all the way to Udon Thani. The price is apparently 100 baht or less but I don't know the details.)

I struck up a conversation with a tuk-tuk pilot and got him to agree to 200 baht to take me alone to the bridge. I also tried to help him translate and put together a group; 3 Russians just wouldn't agree to 150 per head to take the four of us. Tiring of the negotiations I told my new friend I'd give him 250 if we left now and off we went. We saw the Russians again on the road 10 minutes from the bridge, stuffed like sardines into a 9 passenger sawng thaew and looking miserable...

Had a nice chat with the tuk-tuk pilot on the way. He seemed genuinely shocked to hear about some of the doings around Thailand, particularly in regards to police inaction at the airports, and the earning power of the Russian working girls in Pattaya. At the bridge I gave him the 250 baht as agreed and my last 20,000 Kip banknote as a tip, and he was genuinely pleased. It was the only time, in fact, that I got a wai from a Lao.

Exiting Lao Immigration was very mundane, and there was no additional fee to pay. The bus ride back over the bridge set me back 4000 Kip and the wait was again very short. By some strange coincidence I ended up in the same seat and noted the seat back in front of me had acquired new graffiti.

Thai Immigration was a progenative mass assembly a/k/a/ a clusterf*ck. The wait was lessened slightly by there being a separate booth serving Thai and Lao citizens while we long-nosed cash dispensers had two other queues to choose from. The delay was in some cases up to 5 minutes per person entering.

The Thai Immigration officers seemed to be actively interrogating some people, although there was no clear pattern of gender, age, nationality or number of prior visits to Thailand. In my case I presented my passport opened to my new visa page and was asked to stoop a bit so my photo could be taken. The officer fumbled through my passport a while (it's 112 pages thick now) and I had to ask him what he was looking for.

I had a feeling something was up so I asked in English, and he wanted to see the page with the Laos exit stamp, so I found it for him. Then he asked me if I speak Thai and again I had that feeling so I told him "No, not really" (a prevarication) and he stamped me in. I can't really say what that was all about, but I suspect they are trying to weed out some class of people for further interrogation.

After that I found a tuk-tuk to the Nong Khai bus station for 60 baht and copped a ticket for the air-conditioned bus to Udon Thani for 40 baht. An hour or so later I was in that fine city and enjoying the venality of their public transportation system...

At the first bus stop in Udon Thani one simply hops on the #6 white sawng thaew, rides a bit, then changes to the #14 route (usually red-brown) to get to Robinsons, the Charoensri Shopping Mall and the heart of the farang ghetto. But I decided to test and see how honest folks would be, and was very disappointed.

There seems to be an agreement by the sawng thaew drivers not to answer questions from farang regarding destinations even when asked properly in Thai. I was repeatedly referred to a husband and wife couple who seem to serve as the fixers for the tuk-tuk pilots, and was quoted a ridiculous sum of 100 baht. I stuck to my guns and got a ride for less ridiculous 50 baht, and was given the privilege of riding in the most clapped-out tuk-tuk in town for my trouble.

After that, I took my normal accommodations in Udon Thani and started sorting out the return to Bangkok. Eventually I settled on the 06.54 train which is a decent value, paying 479 Baht for a seat in 2nd Class A/C, and arriving at Bang Sue Station at around 16.40 which is a terminus of the Bangkok subway.

The #76 train is a decent ride, they don't bother you if you go stand on the bogie joint to smoke cigarets as long as you're discrete and don't block the train crew too often, but it might not be a good choice if you've got a bad back, motion sickness or small kids in tow. It can be bumpy and loud in some of those diesel-electric rail cars, so not a good option for a deep sleep. (There are also 3 overnight trains with sleeper cars which are much quieter.)

The train crew has drinks for sale at 7-11 prices and some meals early in the trip as well, plus there are the local folks who board every few stops to hawk Thai food.

I didn't keep a detailed budget, but my sense is that the whole trip cost just under 12,000 baht. That includes a flight BKK-UTH, Laos entry, Thai visa fees, meals, three room nights, the UTH-BKK train and other transportation and minor costs. I'm sure it could be done cheaper on a tighter schedule but there was no need for speed this time, and it was quite a nice experience for the most part.

Leave the guarantor blanks blank. Its not required.

Thai consule is it. In Thai and Lao you would say consule when asking to get there by taxi even.

Again, many thanks Joe. And shame on me, I never knew "gong sune" was a loan word until now...

There are some guesthouses near the consulate but it's a boring part of town. If you want to go to the Fa Ngum area which is where all the fun is like riverfront restaurants, bars, better selection of guesthouses and coffee shops etc then you will need to travel from your guesthouse anyway. I was just there last week and rented a motorbike for 150 baht a day. The roads are much safer than CM for example the people actually obey the laws in the city. Outside of town its normal chaos of wrong way motorbikes, water buffalo, geese and goats. So anyway I would just go down to the riverfront tourist area and get a better pick of guesthouses and convenience. It's maybe 4 km from the waterfront to the consulate. I stayed this last time at the Orchid guesthouse and it was 600 baht a night and plenty clean, AC, UBC. You will end up being in VTE for a minimum of 2 nights. I stayed for 3 just because it is a nice change of food/drink from Thailand.

Last week at the Consulate there were about 40+ Africans applying on Tuesday morning. A lot of them are polite but the Nigerians would all cut in line. I showed up at 7:30 but by the time they all cut in line I was about 30th or so in line. Then it became like a pushing and grumbling scene from the Africans. I tried to talk to a lot of them outside and before opening about where they are from and Obama etc and a number of them where protective of my group. Finally the Consulate woman came out and made all the African country people get into a separate line across the courtyard. What a drama. When they all moved to the new line there was all sorts of pushing and some fights broke out. The consulate was only issuing people from Africa 2 week transit visa's now.

As far as currency the $USD is most desirable followed by the Kip and Baht. You will get the best exchange with the Kip but no problem with the baht as its accepted everywhere. Just keep in mind that whatever you use usually you will get kip for change. A few times I requested baht for change and got some baht and some kip.

When your going back the friendship bridge then no problem to exchange kip back to baht or also at the many exchange counters around town.

I was pleasantly surprised by my visit and looking forward to the next time.

Other than African stuff that it was very smooth process. I maybe spent a total of 90 minutes inside the compound for both days combined. BTW I have been in Thailand for most of the last 4 years on various visa's and they didn't give me a second look or ask for any additional docs etc.

other notes

1000 baht per entry for tourist visa. only baht accepted

Take 2 photos and photo page zerox copy of you PP

print and fill out the application form before you show up. you will thank me for that.

The agent like guys outside will do a 2 entry TV for 5000 baht. It's a big markup but you don't have to stand in line. I saw them passing their applications inside to the guard before the gates opened and talked to a few people who used them and no problems. Still I guess its risky because they are not official but lots of people did use them.

CSN (George Throughgood reference?), thanks for the reply which helps a lot. I'm not really worried about boring. My day to day life in Thailand is interesting enough that three hots and a cot sounds paradisical. I don't need fancy accommodations and riverside as I recall was plagued with skeeters. But if it means better food available within walking distance, I'll look at Orchid and some other choices. I'd have one other request, but it seems that by board policy it should not be voiced here; I'll check a few other boards for that.

I wish I remembered more about Vientiane, but I didn't have a camera when I visited with my Thai ex-wife (thus my old "O" visas) 7 years ago, and the grey matter is getting less reliable every year... But I do remember being eaten alive while dining along the Mekhong.

I'm actually looking forward to doing this on my own and going solo farther than the old out-and-in at the bridge. KL, Penang and Singapore have just gotten to be such a bore... I do seem to recall from my other trip to Vientiane that nearly every Laotian there under 30 years of age had a functional grasp of Thai, so it shouldn't be too much of a challenge. Or perhaps I'll see how much of the Isaan dialect I can recollect and how far I can get with that.

No problem getting visa with all your other entries and etc.

2000 baht is correct and only baht is accepted.

No need for proof of onward travel.

No need for the cash at border

There are ATM's but they give you Kip. You don't want to have to many kip when you leave because you can't change it back. It's best in my opinion to take plenty of baht with you and use it since most places gladly accept baht.

You will not be going to the embassy. The consulate and embassy are not in the same place.

I can't be of any help for the quest house question.

The following is link to embassy website. Home page has a link to Holidays and opening hours plus you can download the application. Just don't pay much attention to the requirements for a visa since most of it is not needed.

Joe, thanks very much for taking the time to reply and for the quality answers. I'll make sure I'm cashed up with baht and greenbacks before heading to the border. Otherwise it sounds like fairly smooth sailing...

What is the recommended reply to "Name, address and telephone of local guarantor" and "Guarantor and address in Thailand" in Section 5 of the visa application form?

Also, can anyone provide Google Earth coordinates for both the Thai consulate (the "right place") and the Thai Embassy (the "wrong place")? When hovering around Vientiane and doing a search on "thai" one gets a result labeled "Thai Consule" at 17°58'27.42"N by 102°37'42.18"E but with the streets not being marked (and my French being rudimentary) it's not confirmed to be the correct place to cop the visa. Can someone confirm?

And, hey, if the ThaiVisa Powers That Be are lurking... Have you ever thought about putting together a GoogleEarth .kmz file with all the essential locations such as nearby Thai Consulates and Embassy's, foreign Embassies and Consulates in Thailand, Thai Immigration offices, airports and rail depots, and other "survival guide" type locations?

Hi, I'm planning to make my very first attempt at a Tourist Visa this coming week in Vientiane, but I've got a few questions and I wonder if somebody could help out with answers. This thread's been very useful, but there's a few things I'm concerned about.

I've got an American passport, 12.5 months validity remaining before renewal, plenty of blank pages thanks to the "extra pages" scheme. No overstays. Also plenty of old B- and O- visas (single and multi over the last 8 years), and I'm currently on my 3rd of 3 visa exempt entry 30-day stamps from the Cambodian border.

Q. Based on this, is there any reason I might have trouble getting a double-entry tourist visa in Vientiane?

Q. Is the fee for the double-entry tourist visa issued at Vientiane 2000 baht total?

Q. Can the visa fee be paid in Thai baht, or are US dollars, Lao Kip or other currencies required?

Q. Will the Royal Thai Embassy, or the Thai Immigration folks at the Friendship Bridge ask for proof of onward travel?

Q. If so, is a Bangkok-Butterworth train ticket dated for mid-January 2009 sufficient proof?

Q. Is anyone going to ask me to show cash at the border when re-entering Thailand?

Q. Are there ATM's in Vientiane which will accept a Kasikorn Bank or Siam Commercial Bank ATM card linked to a savings account (debit card, not a credit card).

Q. Can anyone make a recommendation for a guesthouse within 1km of the Thai Embassy with air-conditioning for under 1000 baht per night?

Q. Are there any holidays, strikes, etc., that would pose a problem to traveling into Laos on Tuesday, submitting on Wednesday and collecting on Thursday (25-27 November)?