On The Border

[buadhai]

Ms. B and I were in Ubon recently and decided to check out the border crossing at Chong Mek. We didn't plan to walk into Lao, just have a look. But, when we got there I suggested she walk across and maybe (wink, wink) pick up a few Beer Lao.

Well, she declined so we toddled off for lunch.

During the meal she mulled it over and changed her mind. Back to the border we walked. She paid a visit to Thai immigration to fill out the exit card and walked into Lao.

Meanwhile, I'm cooling my heels at the crossing. There is a huge, new structure at the border that looks complete. It has several lanes for vehicles and plenty of windows for foot travelers. For some reason, it's not being used and there is a single dirt track for both foot and vehicular traffic. The Thai immigration, customs and border police are all housed in crummy looking temporary shacks.

Customs has what I presume to be a drug-sniffiing dog sleeping along with her trainer under a shelter at the crossing point. I'm sure that at the slightest waft of an illegal substance this canine and her master will spring into immediate action.

My first observation while waiting for Ms. B's return was that most border crossers simply ignored all formalities. I saw many people enter Thailand with full shopping bags. The customs guy gave a few cursory searches and then most of these folks just walked straight on by the Thai immigration post without showing any sort of documentation.

I noticed some interesting orchids in the trees near the border so I decided to walk south along the fence to see if I could see more. About 50 meters from the official crossing and within sight of the dozing customs officer a pickup truck backed up to the fence on the Thai side. The driver got out and began tossing parcels over the fence to a couple of guys with another truck who had been waiting on the Lao side. How nice of the authorities to have provided this informal port of entry for those exporters not wanting to be bothered with documentation formalities. I was about to photograph this activity when a stern look from the exporter provided me with ample evidence that this wasn't a good plan.

At this point I decided to walk north of the formal crossing to a market that hugs the border. I soon came across a lovely little nursery full of orchids, the purchase of which easily occupied my idle time. As I was leaving the orchid shop I noticed a group of young men dashing from what looked like an empty stall on the other side of the road. I went to have a look and found that this stall backed up against the ditch and fence that forms the border at that point. Again, the thoughtful authorities have provided a less formal border crossing point: a person-sized hole in the fence and some boards across the ditch make leaving and entering Thailand easy for those who have forgotten their passport or haven't the time to apply for a visa.

By this time Ms. B had been gone for well over an hour. She was supposed to call when she was returning over the border. I called her and found that her phone was out of service. Fearing some sort of problem I rushed back to the formal border crossing happy to see her returning with several bags of shopping.

Once I confirmed that the purchases included a six pack of Beer Lao I asked how she enjoyed her sojourn in Laos. She replied that she really hadn't gone? The confused look on my face begged the obvious question.

She went on to explain that the Lao immigration authorities had failed to stamp her passport upon arrival. When she reported to Thai immigration upon her return they were in a quandary as to how to handle this. They finally set upon the only possible solution and cancelled her exit stamp. So, as far as Thai Immigration is concerned, Ms. B never went to Laos that day; my Beer Lao not withstanding.

New border facilities:

Laos on the left, Thailand on the right:

Edited November 24, 2005 by buadhai

[meadish_sweetball]

Great. Then you'll be able to drink your Beer Lao without fear for alcohol-related damage, since they technically do not exist.

[cdnvic]

People have been not officially going to Laos ever since the Vietnam war. Must have become part of the culture.

cv

[craigt3365]

I stayed at a guest house in Mae Sai a few years ago. Right on the river. What I was not prepared for was a constant flow of people across the river. All day and all night.

It was a well organized operation complete with rafts to get folks across without getting wet. Amazing.

I have to admit I was a little scared, especially when you hear a large group come across at 3 or 4 am. The entry and exit point was about 20 meters from my cabin!

Oh well...so much for security!