i have just arrived in vientiane today 3rd march 2011 at 4pm, i have missed the thai consulate today ( i did not know it closed at 12 am ) anyway, i need to make a visa tomorrow friday as my 30 days in thailand expire tomorrow, a taxi driver told me i must submit my visa tomorrow morning and come back on monday morning to collect, is there a fast track way around this as i want to get back home to thailand i.e a tip\backhander ? also another question is this , i said to the taxi that maybe i will just have to wait untill monday morning to get my passport back and i told him in the meantime i wil go up to vang vieng for 2 days to wait as i dont want to hang around vientiane for 3 days , he told me i cannot go to vang vieng without my passport ? why not ? its within laos border and the consulate will have my passport anyway, he is trying it on i think !! he told me he has a friend inside consulate who will process visa in 1 daqy for 6000 baht but im not falling for it !!!

any advice much appreciated guys oh and anyone know where is good to stay near mekong river in vientiane ? i may want some lady company later on ....reasonably priced place ?

first time in laos so im green

HUH?

You have me totally confused.

I assume you are in Laos for a NEW visa (since the Thai Embassy in Laos cannot extend a visa that has already been used in Thailand, Immigration in Thailand offers extensions on Thai visas in Thailand when eligible.)

It would appear that you will have to submit your passport and visa docs in the morning and pick them up on Monday after 1pm.

Most consulates only accept application in the morning so nothing amiss there. Expect you will have to remain until Monday if you do not want to exit and obtain a 15 day entry into Thailand and go back later. Without passport you can not travel - inside Vientiane police likely accept the receipt if questioned but not outside. Believe hotel relationships with Lao are likely illegal so would be very careful of what you do.

Santisouk guest house is one 300bhat there are many up and down the 3 or four main blocks. Yes sometime the fellow who takes your passport in the mornings can have it returned in the afternoon same day for a fee, the agent will charge you more and pay him some of that....

Sorry I just missed you. I left Nong Khai at 8:30 a.m. arrived Khon Kaen 11a.m. bus was there leaving for Roi Et and was in the house in Roi Et at 1p.m. Fastest it has ever been for me. Check your P.M.s I thought you were already on the way back....

Hotel guest houses are available that accept foreigners and Laotian woman.... although it is technically against the law, also you are not to stay in the home of a Laotian woman, as mine told me the last time after 3 days, she figured the police would know, and we went to one of the guesthouses that would accept us, no problem. But I know that you are not interested in any of that, because you have a good woman.

when you travel in Laos they have checkpoints for foreigners, you need a passport