Friends of mine usually take the wives/Gf with them , they all get the boat across to Laos. The Girls go ashore , the men stay on the boat. The girls come back with the beer, carried by a porter or 2 and load it onto the boat. They then cross back to the Thai side, land the beer and come back by BUS. No need to worry about passports as your not leaving the Thai boat or landing in Laos, unless of course you want to exit Thailand and pay $30 to enter on the other side.

I'm just wondering if your talking about a border type run here Sunny. Sounds like a good plan, I certainly hadn't thought about it. maybe just send the missus and stay in thailand. forget the boat.

I think the Golden triangle thing is a little different. No immigration post. correct me if I'm wrong.

If you go into Sob Ruak, right next to the large Buddha on the river, there's a company that will take you to the Win Win casino (it's a hotel with a back room done up as a casino and some slot machines outside it) in Myanmar and you go through what looks like a Thai immigration point. When I say 'looks like' there's a fella in a uniform who salutes at you whilst taking your 500 baht (50 baht for Thai nationals) to put a stamp on the photocopy of your passport! They do the same at the Myanmar Immigration. Not sure exactly how official it all is!

Just outside Sob Ruak, there's a chinese company that will do the same thing for nowt (but they take you to Laos) as long as you walk in and out of their casino, then they drop you at the little market a bit further along the river. No passports or any checks at all, they copied Ms Tastic's ID card and my Transport for London Travelcard (told them it was my ID card!)

In Chiang Saen you can get a longtail boat that will take you to the point where the rivers, and presumably the borders, meet, then drops you to the same market for an hour or so before taking you back to Chiang Saen for 400 baht. No copies of any cards at all.

The new bridge to Laos is well under way in the pics you can see the new road that will link up with the 1020, also you can see the supprots that are being constructed.

The new bridge to Laos is well under way in the pics you can see the new road that will link up with the 1020, also you can see the supprots that are being constructed.

Thanks for the update

Update on the new bridge linking Thailand with Laos (Chiang Khong), as you can see the construction is well under way.

Update on the new bridge linking Thailand with Laos (Chiang Khong), as you can see the construction is well under way.

Next question when will it be finished!

Update on the new bridge linking Thailand with Laos (Chiang Khong), as you can see the construction is well under way.

Next question when will it be finished!

I've been seeing the sign "second friendship bridge" on the way to Mae Sai for 2 years now. Good question

Update on the new bridge linking Thailand with Laos (Chiang Khong), as you can see the construction is well under way.

Next question when will it be finished!

I've been seeing the sign "second friendship bridge" on the way to Mae Sai for 2 years now. Good question

We have been told by Chiang Khong immigration they will be opening a new office at the bridge with 70 staff, expected opening is 18 months, but if Thai time is anything to go by who knows ?.

Maybe they'll move the office down from Chiang Saen?

Update pics

Slow progress but better than no progress I guess.

Here is a recent dry season shot of the not so mighty Mekong.