Border "bounce".

[herfiehandbag]

Just in case anyone is interested, and with the Mae Sai/Takilech option closed, here is the score on the border at Chiang Khong. As of yesterday 25th October.

 

Bus from Chiang Rai "downtown" bus station to Chiang Khong. These (red) buses run half hourly departing on and half past the hour. Some run via Wiang Chiang Ring, some via Phaya Mengrai. They claim to do it in two hours - try three!

 

Bus fare (pay on bus) is B90. The fares have recently gone up from B70 - which led to some pretty pungent comments from the locals!

 

The buses are ancient, and the road surface is often "corrugated" - I guess from overloaded trucks. Fiendishly uncomfortable ( I have a crippled foot which reacts badly to every jolt and jar) they sail past the actual junction for the border and deliver you to the market in Chiang Khong 4km further on - from where a tuk tuk driver (one of those ancient motorcycle trike affairs) will take you back to the border for a further B120. If I had known I would have got off at the border junction - mind you I bet the driver wouldn't stop!

 

The border itself is quite straightforward - stamp out, shuttle bus B25 across the bridge. Laos immigration insist on a visa on arrival, for which you now pay B1900. If you tell them in and out they will do all the stamping at the visa office! B25 bus ride back, stamp into Thailand and there is a Songthaw back to the bus. 

 

Be aware the last bus back to Chiang Rai leaves at 3 pm, if you miss it there is a van service. I missed it (reason later) and they charged me B300 for the van ( I speak enough Thai to negotiate) but some on the van were apparently charged a lot more ( the negotiation for one couple started at B1900 for two)!

 

I had a bit of a problem. I had all my previous visa and extension in my old passport, which was still valid until next year but was full, but had the corner clipped. The IO insisted on stamping me out in the old (no longer valid) passport. Laos immigration would not accept that exit stamp, and presented with my new passport turned me away. I went back to Thailand and the IO said he couldn't do anything. Eventually I found a senior officer who reluctantly agreed to transfer old visa and extension to my new passport, then back to Laos, all smiles, in and out, free bottle of water for the inconvenience and back to Thailand. A bit of a grilling from an IO who wanted to know why I was no longer using a Multiple Entry type O, ( he didn't know about the new rules) and then was worried about the fingerprint biometrics ( both hands are crippled by arthritis so I can't use the finger pad! Eventually he stamped me in! Too late for the bus though.

 

Anyway, not as easy and a sight more expensive than Tachilek used to be!

 

Going to look into the 3 month single entry option from Savannakhet - don't fancy this every couple of months!

 

 

Edited October 26, 2023 by herfiehandbag

[hakancnx]

What new rules.??

 

A single Non O you can get in Chiang Mai. 

[Antiparovian]

I crossed that border  10 days ago. It is 40 USD. You paid the equivalent of 52 !!!

[Lemsta69]

4 minutes ago, Antiparovian said:

I crossed that border  10 days ago. It is 40 USD. You paid the equivalent of 52 !!!

 

 

[KhaoNiaw]

16 minutes ago, Antiparovian said:

I crossed that border  10 days ago. It is 40 USD. You paid the equivalent of 52 !!!

There's a USD price and a baht price. They don't work out one from the other. 

[Rotweiler]

Next time check the rates posted at the office - they vary depending on which country's passport you travel on.  

[herfiehandbag]

On 10/26/2023 at 3:21 PM, herfiehandbag said:

Just in case anyone is interested, and with the Mae Sai/Takilech option closed, here is the score on the border at Chiang Khong. As of yesterday 25th October.

 

Bus from Chiang Rai "downtown" bus station to Chiang Khong. These (red) buses run half hourly departing on and half past the hour. Some run via Wiang Chiang Ring, some via Phaya Mengrai. They claim to do it in two hours - try three!

 

Bus fare (pay on bus) is B90. The fares have recently gone up from B70 - which led to some pretty pungent comments from the locals!

 

The buses are ancient, and the road surface is often "corrugated" - I guess from overloaded trucks. Fiendishly uncomfortable ( I have a crippled foot which reacts badly to every jolt and jar) they sail past the actual junction for the border and deliver you to the market in Chiang Khong 4km further on - from where a tuk tuk driver (one of those ancient motorcycle trike affairs) will take you back to the border for a further B120. If I had known I would have got off at the border junction - mind you I bet the driver wouldn't stop!

 

The border itself is quite straightforward - stamp out, shuttle bus B25 across the bridge. Laos immigration insist on a visa on arrival, for which you now pay B1900. If you tell them in and out they will do all the stamping at the visa office! B25 bus ride back, stamp into Thailand and there is a Songthaw back to the bus. 

 

Be aware the last bus back to Chiang Rai leaves at 3 pm, if you miss it there is a van service. I missed it (reason later) and they charged me B300 for the van ( I speak enough Thai to negotiate) but some on the van were apparently charged a lot more ( the negotiation for one couple started at B1900 for two)!

 

I had a bit of a problem. I had all my previous visa and extension in my old passport, which was still valid until next year but was full, but had the corner clipped. The IO insisted on stamping me out in the old (no longer valid) passport. Laos immigration would not accept that exit stamp, and presented with my new passport turned me away. I went back to Thailand and the IO said he couldn't do anything. Eventually I found a senior officer who reluctantly agreed to transfer old visa and extension to my new passport, then back to Laos, all smiles, in and out, free bottle of water for the inconvenience and back to Thailand. A bit of a grilling from an IO who wanted to know why I was no longer using a Multiple Entry type O, ( he didn't know about the new rules) and then was worried about the fingerprint biometrics ( both hands are crippled by arthritis so I can't use the finger pad! Eventually he stamped me in! Too late for the bus though.

 

Anyway, not as easy and a sight more expensive than Tachilek used to be!

 

Going to look into the 3 month single entry option from Savannakhet - don't fancy this every couple of months!

 

 

Bit of an update - the buses which leave "on the hour" take a shorter route through the mountains via Wiang Chiang Rung. Smoother road and a bit quicker than via Phaya Mengrai. 

 

I can only imagine how much faster it might have been if the bus had all four cylinders firing consistently, and a functioning clutch rather than an on/off switch. The driver was the absolute master of the art of "double declutching"! Fun day out!

 

The route follows that of the railway they are building - lots of construction activity!

Edited December 22, 2023 by herfiehandbag