Savannakhet from BKK - so EASY

[Seanbhoy]

Was having no end of trouble getting my non B done from transit visa in BKK.

told my Work I was going to do it my way and just get non O.

wifes ID

house registration book

marriage certificate - not legalised just original from marriage in UK

My passport

2 pictures

5,000b for multiple one year

or 2000b for 90 day

 

NOTHING ELSE NEEDED

take originals, they look, give them straight back. I went alone too

 

i had bank statements, birth certificates, babies birth certificate, duplicate copies etc, not needed.

 

bus there 450b, Laos visa 35us, visa fee 5k or 2k - job done.

 

bad part is, there’s not really much to do here, 

only here for a bit longer and bk to bkk, drive wrong side of road.

theres no snooker halls, there’s no people

 

 

[Phuket Man]

There is a Casino.

http://www.savanvegas.com/

[Roger Lee]

Someone just put up a Blog about Savannakhet.  Really not too bad.  

 

https://thesolotripper.com/where-to-go/savannakhet-dead-city/

 

Perhaps one of the better tips is to get a price for a Tuk Tuk or Cab before you hire.  Personally I enjoyed some of the local markets, temples, farlang food, examples being cheeseburgers, pizza, breakfast buffets, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tonray]

56 minutes ago, Roger Lee said:

Someone just put up a Blog about Savannakhet.  Really not too bad.  

 

https://thesolotripper.com/where-to-go/savannakhet-dead-city/

 

Perhaps one of the better tips is to get a price for a Tuk Tuk or Cab before you hire.  Personally I enjoyed some of the local markets, temples, farlang food, examples being cheeseburgers, pizza, breakfast buffets, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Savannahket may not be a happening town but there is plenty of local culture and food to experience.. I like the great little night market behind the Catholic Church 

[anon789561]

3 hours ago, tonray said:

Savannahket may not be a happening town but there is plenty of local culture and food to experience.. I like the great little night market behind the Catholic Church 

yeah but hcmc is better, sav is bloody boring but each to their own i guess

[Shaunduhpostman]

Pilgrim's kitchen has a whacky open mike night on Wednesday I think. Or they did about 9 months ago. Best place to stay as well, good clean rooms in a newly renovated old French colonial house, nice food and coffee in the cafe downstairs, nice people running the place and staff have a good attitude. Sort of a backpacker vibe, so if you have that kind of allergy that causes you to go apopleptic at the sight of hippies  then maybe something else is your speed, but not too many options in Savannakhet, so either that or maybe some dusty semi-dirty place at non-bargain prices.

[Bardeh]

Savannakhet is a quiet little town without much going on, but it's very laid back and I really do like the food there. The easy 1-year Non-O visas are the reason I go, but if you do go for a Visa, there are worse places to spend a couple of days. Avalon Residence is a little way out of town but is clean, cheap, and has very decent wifi.

[Roger Lee]

5 hours ago, Shaunduhpostman said:

Pilgrim's kitchen has a whacky open mike night on Wednesday I think. Or they did about 9 months ago. Best place to stay as well, good clean rooms in a newly renovated old French colonial house, nice food and coffee in the cafe downstairs, nice people running the place and staff have a good attitude. Sort of a backpacker vibe, so if you have that kind of allergy that causes you to go apopleptic at the sight of hippies  then maybe something else is your speed, but not too many options in Savannakhet, so either that or maybe some dusty semi-dirty place at non-bargain prices.

I agree with the food being pretty good, hard part is knowing where sometimes.  Lin's Cafe and Pilgrim's make a good cheeseburger, well worth the order.  Pilgrim's had some pretty decent nachos, somewhat of a pleasant surprise-TexMex in Laos and good at that.

 

Pilgrim's was booked up so I stayed at the Avalon kinda, they put me up in the old French house next door.  It was okay but a little rustic.  Both my lady and I got ear infections while we were there so beware of the tap water and your orifices.  The on site restaurant was nothing to write home about however the other hotel on the left side of Avalon made some pretty good local food and beverages.

 

The main complaint I had was being careful about being ripped off to absorbent Tuk Tuk and taxi prices (ask first) and everything is so spread out there, longer travels to destinations.  If you don't know where to go it could get troublesome in a hurry.

[EcigAmateur]

13 hours ago, Shaunduhpostman said:

Pilgrim's kitchen has a whacky open mike night on Wednesday I think. Or they did about 9 months ago. Best place to stay as well, good clean rooms in a newly renovated old French colonial house, nice food and coffee in the cafe downstairs, nice people running the place and staff have a good attitude. Sort of a backpacker vibe, so if you have that kind of allergy that causes you to go apopleptic at the sight of hippies  then maybe something else is your speed, but not too many options in Savannakhet, so either that or maybe some dusty semi-dirty place at non-bargain prices.

 

5555+

 

Not too many hotels ? You haven't checked agoda and booking it seems...

Savanakhet is still a shoootehole but hotels and food are getting better, there are so many westernized restaurants now, but they are all overpriced compared to Thailand.

 

 

 

 

[JackThompson]

 

11 hours ago, Roger Lee said:

The main complaint I had was being careful about being ripped off to absorbent Tuk Tuk and taxi prices (ask first)

For a Tuk-Tuk, Expect 2x to 3x the price you would pay in Bangkok IF you ask first.  If you don't ask, that goes up to 5x+ overcharge.  Also, when you disembark, they will try to drive away without giving you your change.

 

Also be prepared that if going to your hotel with luggage (he can see you are not checked-in yet), the driver may have a "preferred hotel," and harangue you the entire way to accept his "advice" on a "better" hotel.  The more well-known ones tip them out, over and above the rip-off rate you just paid him.

 

Dealing with the rude Tuk-Tuk drivers (mafia) is by-far the worst aspect of the whole "Lao experience" in Savanakhet or Vientiane.

 

3 hours ago, EcigAmateur said:

there are so many westernized restaurants now, but they are all overpriced compared to Thailand.

... and the local food (which I prefer) is also sold at rip-off prices - 3x to 4x Thai prices printed right on the menu in Kip - so do the math, before you order - or even sit-down. 

[GaryAdriaenssens]

It seems to become a sort of trading place with Mukdahan district. Wonder if in the years to come some biz opportunities can arise for foreigners. A frequent visitor to the Thai consulate there said that Lao business laws concerning setting up something are way more relaxed than in Thailand, so could be interesting if you have some good idea to go into business for yourself and still wish to be close to the land of smiles!!! I could be wrong here, always a risk to do this anywhere. By the way, it may be a boring place (I agree fully) but some seem to like not too boring looking cars!!!!

[JackThompson]

38 minutes ago, GaryAdriaenssens said:

... By the way, it may be a boring place (I agree fully) but some seem to like not too boring looking cars!!!!

Two reasons I can think of to explain the cars:

• Corruption
• Selling coffee at Starbucks NYC prices, and food at Singapore prices while paying Laos overhead costs.

I was similarly stuck by the Lexus SUVs in Phnom Penh on my first visit.  What is their major export, again?  Did I miss the oil-wells?

[Rawairat]

Nice beer by the Mekong River as the sunsets

[Seanbhoy]

Yeh I just went to the casino, pretty average tbh, min bet was 200baht a go on blackjack.

i think there relaxed on Visa there and make it a 2 day process purely for local hotels and small restaurants to make a bit of extra cash, good idea for local economy imo.

maybe 50 visa goers a day all spending 1500baht plus is 75000baht extra being spent in savanakhet everyday, times that by a year it’s quite a lot for such a small place.

I stayed at simchot something 5 mins walk from consulate, 450baht, clean, WiFi, hot shower, resident ladyboys that will bugger you through the night too, ok last bits a joke but rest is true.

tuk Tuks are fuckin annoying there too, iv never been so harassed so much for a 100baht tuk tuk, I had to point blank say, I don’t need a tuk tuk, you see the building there, that’s where I’m going, about 5 times.

got to see all the scuzz English teachers who couldn’t get a job stacking shelves back home teaching kids, all getting rejected for non imm b haha- 

[EcigAmateur]

9 hours ago, JackThompson said:

 

For a Tuk-Tuk, Expect 2x to 3x the price you would pay in Bangkok IF you ask first.  If you don't ask, that goes up to 5x+ overcharge.  Also, when you disembark, they will try to drive away without giving you your change.

 

Also be prepared that if going to your hotel with luggage (he can see you are not checked-in yet), the driver may have a "preferred hotel," and harangue you the entire way to accept his "advice" on a "better" hotel.  The more well-known ones tip them out, over and above the rip-off rate you just paid him.

 

Dealing with the rude Tuk-Tuk drivers (mafia) is by-far the worst aspect of the whole "Lao experience" in Savanakhet or Vientiane.

 

... and the local food (which I prefer) is also sold at rip-off prices - 3x to 4x Thai prices printed right on the menu in Kip - so do the math, before you order - or even sit-down. 

 

Never been harassed by tuk tuk anywhere in Laos. Yes, they ask, but then go to the next one if you say no.

 

Also, I will never trust anyone eating any Lao food then complaining about the price: of course it is more expensive, but how ridiculous can be someone to it Lao food that is just Thai food without the taste. Especially when so much western food at good price is available everywhere in Laos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JackThompson]

2 hours ago, EcigAmateur said:

Lao food that is just Thai food without the taste

The dishes I ordered - Issan-style items - were just fine in taste.  Just cost over 3x more than the same order would be in Thailand.  My wife (Thai) didn't have any complaints about food-quality on the trip she took with me.  I had warned her in advance about the tuk-tuks, but she was still shocked by the drivers' behavior.