The Most Expensive Visa Run Ever....

[peteinchina]

Hi everyone, my first post to ThaiVisa is an epic (for me) trip of around 2100km spanning 7 days (5 days on the bike).

I’ve had many bikes in the past, from Honda SL125 to Suzuki waterbus to Triumph Saint

But for many years stuck to 4 wheels.

All this changed last week when a friend took me to Chiang Rai to get my new (old) Honda twin, 250 rebel (1994) 39,000 baht.

I’m the 2nd owner, the bike being owned by a Policeman, and well maintained by him for its entire life.

Now I am a rash and foolish man, so I decided to take it to Vientiane for a new 2 entry visa. The backup plan being to cut back to CM from Nan if it wasn’t travelling happily.

It was a spectacular journey! I’ve been in Thailand for 4 weeks only and this trip helped me to fall in love with this beautiful country.

Highlights:

Walking to the next town to get fuel (I ran out) and a farmer pulling up beside me with my bike on the back of his ute after I had gone 1km. He refused payment for his 20km trip.

One evening following a girl on a bicycle for 5km out of Tha Li to a hotel, where she sat me down and served me a meal in that devoted Thai, on her knees, way. She did not speak any English, had shut her shop to help me and took 2 hours out of her time to help. Again, she refused payment.

Lowlights:

Vientiane. The dirt, the scammers, the town, the food.

Gotta love Thailand!

Day 1. CM to Chiang Rai (car) to Nan (bike).

Day 2. Nan to Tha Li

Day 3. Tha Li to Vientiane

Day 4 and 5. Vientiane

Day 6. Nong Khai to Phitsanulok

Day 7. Phitsanulok to CM.

Basically back roads following the Lao border to Vientiane and then main roads back. Heavily relied on my Samsung galaxy s2 phone for gps and maps. Good old google maps

Photos…..

[guzzi850m2]

Sounds like you had a very good trip, nice pix too, yes its nice up there.

Welcome to Thailand.

90% of all Thais are very friendly, just ignore the rest.

[IanForbes]

Sounds like you had a very good trip, nice pix too, yes its nice up there.

Welcome to Thailand.

90% of all Thais are very friendly, just ignore the rest.

Agreed, x2

Thanks for the post.

[Semper]

When does the "most expensive visa run" part start?

[supaprik]

nice mini trip report thanks

[BigBikeBKK]

Nice report and great pics but... are you riding in a skateboard helmet?!

I suppose it might protect you from the BiB but hope you never have to test it for crashworthiness!

Happy Trails!

Tony

[steve187]

excellent post thank you

[cdmtdm]

thanks for the post enjoyed the pics , just about to complete a similar trip will get back to phuket on the weekend ... we intended to got to pattaya bike show for the 12th feb but opted to go nth instead .. will have clocked up close to 3500km , will post pics and report as soon as i can once home in phuket ... just a question you mention on your route travelling from nong khai to phitsanalok then onto chiang mai .. cannot see it on your map .... cheers and well done

[ludditeman]

When does the "most expensive visa run" part start?

I was waiting for him to say they charged 100Kbht import duty to let the bike back into Thailand.

[peteinchina]

Oh, the expenses.....

39000 for the bike, 2000 for fuel, 6000 for accommodations and food and luxury items such as beers and massage (pretty tight arse for 7 days!), 2000 for the visa.

total cost, 49000 Baht.

I didn't take the bike into Laos.

Yes. A skateboard helmet, singlet, shorts and flip flops.

At 52, and 42 years of riding experience I like to feel the smoke from burn offs these days.

Folks, don't try this at home.....

[peteinchina]

thanks for the post enjoyed the pics , just about to complete a similar trip will get back to phuket on the weekend ... we intended to got to pattaya bike show for the 12th feb but opted to go nth instead .. will have clocked up close to 3500km , will post pics and report as soon as i can once home in phuket ... just a question you mention on your route travelling from nong khai to phitsanalok then onto chiang mai .. cannot see it on your map .... cheers and well done

Haha yes. The map is a little crude... I've downloaded a tracking software for the next trip so it will be mighty elegant...

By far the best bits were Nan to Tha Li - many national parks, and the trip alongside the Mekong to Nong Khai.

Budget on slow speeds if you head into the roads with 4 numbers (eg: 2018) HUGE holes and broken bits, esp near the baans - from the agricultural machinery I guess.

Plus you will get a little lost, even with a GPS. The turn-offs to some of the roads looked like someone's driveway...

But these roads were truly joyful in terms of scenery and lack of traffic.

The trip back from Vientiane was pretty blah by comparison.

Have a great trip!!!

Pete

[flying]

Sounds like fun

I like how you used your SGS2 as a guide too.

Enjoy!

[wana]

Sounds like fun

I like how you used your SGS2 as a guide too.

Enjoy!

i was wondering about that part ,the battery life on my SGS2 is so terrible you could never rely on it for navigation purposes

[nikster]

Sounds like fun

I like how you used your SGS2 as a guide too.

Enjoy!

i was wondering about that part ,the battery life on my SGS2 is so terrible you could never rely on it for navigation purposes

You can but need to connect it to a power source, same as any phone. Using the maps app on the iPhone drains the battery like no tomorrow too, esp. if you use it like a GPS and keep it running. A few hours of that and it's all over.

@OP: Nice report thanks!

Edited February 17, 2012 by nikster

[peteinchina]

Sounds like fun

I like how you used your SGS2 as a guide too.

Enjoy!

i was wondering about that part ,the battery life on my SGS2 is so terrible you could never rely on it for navigation purposes

Ahh, well,

I rooted my phone (like unlock for iphone ok )

Now after a full day of GPS and track softwares running it's down to about 30%.

Normally I get 3 days on 1 charge

I'll pm you with the details...

[wana]

mine is also rooted ,i have clockwordmod + busybox ,superuser accces and about a dozen custom roms on the SD i can switch between in a couple of minutes

some very lightweight and also some with a bit more bling that dont last as long but more nicer to use

[karlos]

Oh, the expenses.....

6000 for accommodations and food and luxury items such as beers and massage (pretty tight arse for 7 days!)

That's pretty cheap for a massuse with a tight ass for 7 days!

Sorry, couldn't resist

BAck on topic, what would be needed to take one's bike into Laos, i might consider taking a trip there during early April.

My bike is on finance so it belongs to the finance company until i pay the final sum, i'm assuming this might be an issue when taking a bike out of Thailand??

Edited February 17, 2012 by karlos

[BigBikeBKK]

Oh, the expenses.....

6000 for accommodations and food and luxury items such as beers and massage (pretty tight arse for 7 days!)

That's pretty cheap for a massuse with a tight ass for 7 days!

Sorry, couldn't resist

BAck on topic, what would be needed to take one's bike into Laos, i might consider taking a trip there during early April.

My bike is on finance so it belongs to the finance company until i pay the final sum, i'm assuming this might be an issue when taking a bike out of Thailand??

You need to contact the finance company to ask them to grant you permission to take the bike out of the country.

The Finance Company owns the bike until you've paid off the loan.

If they agree to let you take the bike out of the country they will fill out a standard form from the DLT which gives you permission to take the vehicle out of the country.

You'll need original documents and copies. It's never really clear how many copies you need and seems to vary from one place to the next, so I usually carry 4 or 5 copies of everything. Small border checkpoints often do NOT have a copy machine, so bring copies with you!

You will need to show that form to the customs agent at the border, along with green book and passport and fill out a temporary export form before you can take the bike out of the country.

I've probably forgotten a few details and hopefully someone else will chime in and fill in any omissions.

Oh, and if you have a Thai Drivers License, it's valid throughout ASEAN, so all good in Laos, not that I've ever been asked to show my license there

Happy Trails!

Tony

[peteinchina]

Oh, the expenses.....

6000 for accommodations and food and luxury items such as beers and massage (pretty tight arse for 7 days!)

That's pretty cheap for a massuse with a tight ass for 7 days!

Sorry, couldn't resist

BAck on topic, what would be needed to take one's bike into Laos, i might consider taking a trip there during early April.

My bike is on finance so it belongs to the finance company until i pay the final sum, i'm assuming this might be an issue when taking a bike out of Thailand??

You need to contact the finance company to ask them to grant you permission to take the bike out of the country.

The Finance Company owns the bike until you've paid off the loan.

If they agree to let you take the bike out of the country they will fill out a standard form from the DLT which gives you permission to take the vehicle out of the country.

You'll need original documents and copies. It's never really clear how many copies you need and seems to vary from one place to the next, so I usually carry 4 or 5 copies of everything. Small border checkpoints often do NOT have a copy machine, so bring copies with you!

You will need to show that form to the customs agent at the border, along with green book and passport and fill out a temporary export form before you can take the bike out of the country.

I've probably forgotten a few details and hopefully someone else will chime in and fill in any omissions.

Oh, and if you have a Thai Drivers License, it's valid throughout ASEAN, so all good in Laos, not that I've ever been asked to show my license there

Happy Trails!

Tony

Also, you can't take it over the friendship bridge into Laos, but I think you can come back that way.

The Chiang Rai crossing is OK evidently.

GT rider has the details.....

[BigBikeBKK]

Oh, the expenses.....

6000 for accommodations and food and luxury items such as beers and massage (pretty tight arse for 7 days!)

That's pretty cheap for a massuse with a tight ass for 7 days!

Sorry, couldn't resist

BAck on topic, what would be needed to take one's bike into Laos, i might consider taking a trip there during early April.

My bike is on finance so it belongs to the finance company until i pay the final sum, i'm assuming this might be an issue when taking a bike out of Thailand??

You need to contact the finance company to ask them to grant you permission to take the bike out of the country.

The Finance Company owns the bike until you've paid off the loan.

If they agree to let you take the bike out of the country they will fill out a standard form from the DLT which gives you permission to take the vehicle out of the country.

You'll need original documents and copies. It's never really clear how many copies you need and seems to vary from one place to the next, so I usually carry 4 or 5 copies of everything. Small border checkpoints often do NOT have a copy machine, so bring copies with you!

You will need to show that form to the customs agent at the border, along with green book and passport and fill out a temporary export form before you can take the bike out of the country.

I've probably forgotten a few details and hopefully someone else will chime in and fill in any omissions.

Oh, and if you have a Thai Drivers License, it's valid throughout ASEAN, so all good in Laos, not that I've ever been asked to show my license there

Happy Trails!

Tony

Also, you can't take it over the friendship bridge into Laos, but I think you can come back that way.

The Chiang Rai crossing is OK evidently.

GT rider has the details.....

True true!

AFAIK all the Thai-Lao bridges are off limits to bikes FROM Thailand TO Laos, but it's fine to ride your bike FROM Laos TO Thailand. <deleted> is up with that?!

On GT Rider there are reports of folks occasionally getting permission to ride their bikes over the bridges, but those seem to be the exception to the rule.

So, when planning a trip to Laos by bike it's best to cross at one of the checkpoints that has ferry service.

Complete and comprehensive list on the GT Rider site

Happy Trails!

Tony

Edited February 18, 2012 by BigBikeBKK

[smedly]

Sounds like fun

I like how you used your SGS2 as a guide too.

Enjoy!

i was wondering about that part ,the battery life on my SGS2 is so terrible you could never rely on it for navigation purposes

You can but need to connect it to a power source, same as any phone. Using the maps app on the iPhone drains the battery like no tomorrow too, esp. if you use it like a GPS and keep it running. A few hours of that and it's all over.

@OP: Nice report thanks!

to solve this problem I have a car charger for my phone and bought a cigar lighter socket that fit under the seat attached to the 12v bike battery - works like a charm

[BigBikeBKK]

Sounds like fun

I like how you used your SGS2 as a guide too.

Enjoy!

i was wondering about that part ,the battery life on my SGS2 is so terrible you could never rely on it for navigation purposes

You can but need to connect it to a power source, same as any phone. Using the maps app on the iPhone drains the battery like no tomorrow too, esp. if you use it like a GPS and keep it running. A few hours of that and it's all over.

@OP: Nice report thanks!

to solve this problem I have a car charger for my phone and bought a cigar lighter socket that fit under the seat attached to the 12v bike battery - works like a charm

Hope it's fused?

[karlos]

Sweet mother of god, if i was going with a group i'd consider doing this but as the bike's on finance and i can't cross the bridge i had planned to cross i think i'll use a visa run company.

Thanks for all the info guys and sorry to disappoint with my decision not to take the bike now.

Another ride must be in order during March?? Right Tony?

[BigBikeBKK]

Sweet mother of god, if i was going with a group i'd consider doing this but as the bike's on finance and i can't cross the bridge i had planned to cross i think i'll use a visa run company.

Thanks for all the info guys and sorry to disappoint with my decision not to take the bike now.

Another ride must be in order during March?? Right Tony?

We're riding to Malaysia in March- Cameron Highlands, Penang, Betong and more! Woohoo!

FWIW, if you're keen to ride in Laos I say you're better off flying / driving to Vientiene and renting a bike there.

Lao roads will not be kind on your beautiful new road bike. When I go back it will be on a 250 dirtbike. With the roads being what they are, anything bigger is a waste in Laos in my humble opinion.

[karlos]

Sweet mother of god, if i was going with a group i'd consider doing this but as the bike's on finance and i can't cross the bridge i had planned to cross i think i'll use a visa run company.

Thanks for all the info guys and sorry to disappoint with my decision not to take the bike now.

Another ride must be in order during March?? Right Tony?

We're riding to Malaysia in March- Cameron Highlands, Penang, Betong and more! Woohoo!

FWIW, if you're keen to ride in Laos I say you're better off flying / driving to Vientiene and renting a bike there.

Lao roads will not be kind on your beautiful new road bike. When I go back it will be on a 250 dirtbike. With the roads being what they are, anything bigger is a waste in Laos in my humble opinion.

Fair point Tony and i doubt i would be able to sleep well at night knowing my bike will be outside 'some hotel'.... :S

I was considering the ride up there to be the fun part, then once in Vientiene use the bike to just potter to the Scandinavian Bakery and back as often as i wished to, dam i love that place mmmmmmmmmmmmmm But it seems alot of hassel for me at this point in time to take my bike there.

I'll rent a little bike, as i hate bartering with the tuk tuk drivers every single time i want to go some where.

[MaiChai]

Interesting read; I always like to read about these trips.

Highly recommend a Garmin GPS with ESRI maps; best maps for Thailand. 3900 baht for the cheapest one. You can then load up other maps; I found a free Laos map that was basic, but had the main roads and some Points Of Interest. I also used mine in Indonesia and the UK when I am back there. Just a matter of juggling map names around and enabling/disabling maps.

Its not such an expensive visa run; you can always sell the bike and recover your money? Probably get nearly the same you paid for it?

[billd766]

Sounds like fun

I like how you used your SGS2 as a guide too.

Enjoy!

i was wondering about that part ,the battery life on my SGS2 is so terrible you could never rely on it for navigation purposes

You can but need to connect it to a power source, same as any phone. Using the maps app on the iPhone drains the battery like no tomorrow too, esp. if you use it like a GPS and keep it running. A few hours of that and it's all over.

@OP: Nice report thanks!

to solve this problem I have a car charger for my phone and bought a cigar lighter socket that fit under the seat attached to the 12v bike battery - works like a charm

Thats how I power my GPS.

I soldered 2 wires to the battery terminals and fed them into a small connector block. I then wire the cigar lighter socket to that and hey presto, it works.

The advantage of that is you can put a digital voltmeter across the terminals and check the battery and alternator voltages as well.

Edited February 19, 2012 by billd766

[ALFREDO]

For a good year. I used my NOKIA C7 with D-Tac and GPS and Google Maps, finding my way everywhere.

But since month Google maps only works when I am connected to WIFI.

When I try to connect to D-Tac, the display shows, -You are not connected to a Network-

Somebody understand that? Legal matters, license problems? Also a Google did not give me an answer.

Edited March 10, 2012 by ALFREDO

[barefoot1988]

When does the "most expensive visa run" part start?

I was waiting for him to say they charged 100Kbht import duty to let the bike back into Thailand.

i actually loled at this

[Carib]

Nice report and pics, a breath of fresh air comparing this to the usual gloom and doom on TV.