Visa Run Circa 1969

[sabaijai]

For amusement purposes, from an advertisement in the Bangkok Post, 13 November 1969

Need to renew your visa? Then fly with us to Nong Khai and be back to your office within 6 hours.

We arrange special chartered flights to Nong Khai every Friday by modern, twin-engined Sahakol Air aircraft with experienced pilots. You leave Bangkok in the morning, enjoy a wonderful in-flight breakfast, arrive in Nong Khai, renew your visa in Vientiane and you'll be back to work in your Bangkok office within 6 hours.

For further information, contact Crane Co Ltd, 144 Sukhumvit Rd, Bangkok Telephone: 54061-8

[jdinasia]

wow! I'd pay for that service!

[Moonrakers]

That telephone number doesn't seem to work - TIT

[JimsKnight]

For amusement purposes, from an advertisement in the Bangkok Post, 13 November 1969

Need to renew your visa? Then fly with us to Nong Khai and be back to your office within 6 hours.

We arrange special chartered flights to Nong Khai every Friday by modern, twin-engined Sahakol Air aircraft with experienced pilots. You leave Bangkok in the morning, enjoy a wonderful in-flight breakfast, arrive in Nong Khai, renew your visa in Vientiane and you'll be back to work in your Bangkok office within 6 hours.

For further information, contact Crane Co Ltd, 144 Sukhumvit Rd, Bangkok Telephone: 54061-8

Heh, interesting, I figured visa runs were non-existant back then as you could get a courier to run your passport to and from the border 'back in the day'

[dominator]

Thank g#d they used experienced pilots, I take it that if they were inexperienced, there would be a reduction in price?????

[Wandering]

Heh, interesting, I figured visa runs were non-existant back then as you could get a courier to run your passport to and from the border 'back in the day'

Those "services" are still illegal.

[JUDAS]

I wonder how much it actually cost back in 1969?

[Neeranam]

Heh, interesting, I figured visa runs were non-existant back then as you could get a courier to run your passport to and from the border 'back in the day'

Those "services" are still illegal.

Not only difference is it's 20,000 baht more expensive.

[dominator]

Heh, interesting, I figured visa runs were non-existant back then as you could get a courier to run your passport to and from the border 'back in the day'

Those "services" are still illegal.

Not only difference is it's 20,000 baht more expensive.

?????????

[Moonrakers]

^^^^

Dominator.

Your avatar is a tad disturbing.

[cashill]

Yeah its not in color

[terrier123]

Yeah its not in color

Excellent snippet -- just shows how things have improved after 40 years. About 3 years ago it took me nearly 6 hours just to get across the Friendship bridge.

[jukapot]

It was in 1969 that we were returning to Vientiane from a quick trip to Bangkok on the over night train. We had just finished checking out with Thai immigration in Nongkhai when we noticed a French woman sitting by herself in tears. She told us that her Thai visa had expired and she was on her way to obtain a new one in Vientiane. She had checked out with immigration on the Thai side and took the ferry to Laos to obtain another Thai visa in Vientiane. Lao immigration refused her entry because she had no Lao visa, so she returned to Thailand but the Thai officials had cancelled her expired visa and and refuse her entry. Neither country would let her in and she was doomed to spend the rest of her life riding the ferry between the two countries.

The solution was simple, we told her to come on the ferry with us. On the Lao side we all just walked passed the immigration official waving hello as we went by. Because we never officially checked out of Laos there was no need to check in. Having smuggled her into the country we took her in a cab and let her out at the French Embassy in Vientiane.

I wonder if the French Embassy ever figured out what to do with her..