ED Visa Vientiane Report

[monk213]

I have quite a bit to say in all honesty and I hope people who are in a somewhat similar situation can take some advice from this, so please bear with me

Some quick background info, I have been on an ED visa since May 2011 when I started it in Penang, now I am nearly fluent in Thai speaking but reading and writing is not so hot, also (I have lived in Thailand all the while but went there to activate my visa in 2011). Anyway the Junta and the new rules state we all have to leave once a year, ok then, fine lets do it!

I was paranoid and feeling not so positive about the journey for multiple reasons; 1. I have been on an ED for 3 and a half years and any immigration officer is going to leap on that like a dog to a bone, 2. not to happy about traveling around SE Asian roads for so long.. so I went from HH to Bangkok and got a plane from swampy straight to Vientiane. This was my plan to save time and to be more convenient... saduak sabai

My problems started checking into my flight at swampy. I went with my gf of 4 years and she was in the line next to me, she was processed and I was stood at the desk whilst the woman was looking through my passport for literally 2-3 minutes without a word. I stood there and she finally said in Thai 'why have you not left Thailand in 3 years?' My response in Thai was along the lines of 'I did not have to leave, why should I leave? If you want to chat with me lets chat now, no problem'. By this point my gf had walked around and straightened me out because I was running my mouth in Thai again, you should always be polite and comply, I know this but I had not slept for around 30 hours by this point (don't ask) and was stressed.

Anyway got through to the gate to our plane to Vientiane. And I must say, this is the best way to get to Laos IMO if you do not live near the border. I had written out my departure arrival card and eaten a snack, and then the pilot stated that we were landing! By dangerous Thai roads this would have been cramped, hot and long any other way. I would like to add my school tried to get me to go with their group by some kind of mini bus, 6,500 baht for the trip and visa, I said nope I can do it on my own accord and I was glad I did.

I had done my research on hotels in Vientiane and I wanted a few things as necessary; good wifi, aircon, close to the embassy, not a hostel/guesthouse feel. I chose Souvanna Hotel 1, it is not around the city centre but it isn't too far either. It is only a 5 minute tuk tuk ride to the embassy and a tuk tuk anywhere starts at 200baht or 50,000 kip. In Vientiane you can buy anything from food, to clothes and services in baht and kip, but even I got a little confused with the currency. Kon Lao, when they for example say something is 50,000 kip they will said 50 for short. I can speak Thai and I found Lao easier to speak than Thai and was complimented many times on my Lao.

Anyway VISA TIME
My plan was to go there on Tuesday morning as we arrived on Monday and I had not slept for over a day, but Monday is not a good choice anyway as I was told there were 700 people on the Monday, on my day I arrived at around 8am (opens at 8.30) and I was #49.. That day there was no more than 300. However, even 30 minutes is enough to burn and be hot as hell, so bring an umbrella. Once the gates open you then stroll in and there are many seats with an overhead shelter and they call numbers in groups of 10 to 2 windows. This is when they will check you have all your documents. I was going to use one of the guys outside to do everything, my pictures were not correct and directly across from the embassy they have a little photo setup and a shirt you can wear, they print the right size, colour and clothes for I think 40 baht, so I suggest you use that.
Back inside the gates, once your number is called in groups of 10 you head over to the window. I handed my documents and seriously this woman, she had a face like a slapped ass. I tried to be polite 'sa bai dii' no response. She looked through my passport and documents for a while, ripped out some arrival cards and threw them at me literally. Then she said I had to go and photocopy my Lao Visa stamp. Directly upstairs there is a guy who does photocopies, I already had a copy of my Laos visa, but not the stamp. Get both done before if you can, at Vientiane airport they copied my Laos visa for free...

Once I had done that I popped back to the window with the female version of the grinch and handed my passport etc over, that part was done. I even asked in Laos 'is that finished?' in a polite manner, she did not respond, she must hate her job.
After this part to the left there are steps that lead to an inside room, fairly large. This is where you pay for your visa, 2,000baht. If you get to this point you are pretty much sure your visa is OK. You pay and get a receipt and then have to return the next day at 1.30pm to collect your passport with your visa. Keep the receipt of course.


Around Vientiane
After this I could semi relax because I was paranoid about my visa and now I was 99% certain it was ok. The people who can take your documents and do all the work for you can even just review your documents and see if you have it all for free which is what they did for me, they see ED documents daily so they know what is what, I had 2 sheets missing and he was worried I would be denied, but I was ok in the end.
After this me and the better half went back to Souvanna 1 (400 baht a night, double bed, good wifi, great people, quiet hotel and air con). We then went out to the night market, you will know it when you see it because it is a long street of red umbrellas and a market probably about 2km long at least. A great place, also, on the road alongside it are some great places to eat some nice Lao cuisine. I LOVE keng keo wann, but I have never had it like I have there, it was so good I had it 2 days in a row and also ordered some to go home.

I have lived in Thailand for nearly 5 years now and there is a distinct difference in the atmosphere of Lao people to Thais in general, their smile is often genuine, they are more quiet, I saw no trouble at all and considering this was the capital city, it was not so hectic. I should add I hate Bangkok due to the atmosphere, but Vientiane, I could live there. It is like a mini Bangkok with nicer people, less crime, no lady bars, better food, better beer, BEER LAO < this stuff is great for a mainstream larger, kicks ass of chang or anything here in Thailand. I had to ask several times for directions to a toilet or whatever and my Thai gf said 'oh maybe they were lying or didn't know' - nope, in fact they were correct and jing every time. It is hard to explain and I would love to explore outside of Vientiane next time, but the atmosphere, the people everything, it is just so much more laid back and genuine. You do not have a baht or kip sign above your head as much.

Lastly about Vientiane and the night life etc, I wish I had rented a motorbike because we probably rode a tuk tuk 15 or so times, each time that is 200baht or 50,000 kip. There was one tuktuk guy we knew who on the 3rd day when I had to collect my visa (more on that soon), wanted 600 baht for an all day sight seeing dealio plus take us to the embassy and back. We went to 5 key places in Vientiane and they are beautiful, you should find time to see them IMO.

Visa/Passport Pickup
So the day after you have payed your 2,000baht and given your visa in, you need to return at 1.30pm, well actually it is 2,020 as they charge a 20 baht fee. Anyway I thought get there are 1pm for a lesser wait, nope haha. The sun was strong, it is stronger there than Thailand and even 30 minutes early I was #109. You need you receipt from the day before and an umbrella! They opened the gates at around 1.20pm so we could at least sit under the open air shelter I guess. Then at 1.30pm they opened the door to where you pay for the visa the day before, to the left if you are seated. EVERYONE gets up and heads for that door. I basically sat down against a wall with my gf and waited. They were called people up in groups of 20, I was 109 and that took about 40 minutes from when I entered that room. The guy handed my passport and new visa with the stamp and date, BAM finished!

That was the end of that process, now getting back and for me, somewhat concerning the Laos/Thai Border crossing.

Getting Back Into Thailand
I did my research (I cannot emphasize the importance of doing research on hotels, locations, check points etc) and I knew about the friendship bridge. I also knew about 'dtalat Sao' which is a market and a bus station in Vientiane. This is where I got a bus to Udon Thai, it was cheap at around 80 baht each if I recall. You travel to the bridge which takes about 30 minutes and you need to get this key card for a digital turnstile, me and my gf did not know this so even after I was stamped out of Laos, we had to walk back and get one! Then hop back on the bus and head another 10 minutes over the Mekong River and to the Thai checkpoint. Now, this is where I was worried because of my 3 year ED status. There were 3 lines and I waited in the shortest, then I saw the immigration official, you just know when they are going to be difficult, I was lucky because I forgot to get an arrival card so he ordered me to go back, get one and fill it out. I did that and joined the middle line where an immigration officer looked less serious. He was listening to music in one ear and I felt a lot more confident with this guy. I got the spot and handed over my passport. I said 'sa wa dii krap' etc and you know those cameras they have to take your picture? He did not even ask me to take off my hat! Stamped my visa without a word and I said kop jai I think, probably due to my mind still being in Laos, then I got on the bus to Udon Thai which was another 45 minutes.

Here there was no direct bus to HH so we got a tuktuk to the airport which was ONLY 100 BAHT and was maybe 15 minutes. We bought 2 Nok Air tickets there and then, flight was 45 minutes to Dong Muang and then I got a bus back to HH.

Summary
Basically I love Laos, I do not like lady bars and all that jazz, but good food, a nice happy vibe for a night life and good people, if this is the capital then the villages must be great IMO.
Make sure your school has all the documents, get the pictures taken correctly, bring an umbrella, do your research and when coming back, scope out which immigration officer you want to talk to! Good luck all

[falkan]

very good report, Am surprised you haven't got yourself a new fresh passport, It always looks better..

[monk213]

It does, I have 6 years left yet only 3 pages. On top of that, way back in 2010 when I was a 21 year old naive &lt;deleted&gt; I was with some English guy and he smoked yaba that night, at 5am he stormed into my room saying I had his passport which I did not, he punched a hole in the guesthouse wall and then took my passport. I followed him outside and it was around dawn. He punched me over a motorbike and people saw, some Aus guy knew my situation and took me to a hotel because he knew the police were going to arrive.

Anyway, my English friend threw my passport into the sea, 5 minutes later he felt guilty so jumped in and got it. Ever since my first stamps are blurred and always have been. The police did come, he had no yaba, smoked it all but had to pay a fine to the police and to the hotel, SOM NOM NA. I do need a new passport though, running out of room. I have read you just need to go to Bangkok if you are British?

ANYBODY INTERESTED IN THE SUBJECT MATTER OF ED VISA REPLY OR PM

[jspill]

Cliffs: OP got a 4th Ed visa in Vientiane. Good to hear

[TheSpade]

I have read you just need to go to Bangkok if you are British?

I'm fairly sure that's no more and all applications for new passports have to be sent to London.

[monk213]

I have read you just need to go to Bangkok if you are British?

I'm fairly sure that's no more and all applications for new passports have to be sent to London.

What the documents or the people... I know Thais treat paper and people the same so I would like to make sure haha...

Yea I can speak Thai really well and I was shouting things to my gf whilst in line so maybe he heard, but I swear 75% of it comes down to the immigration officer, try and g by instinct and choose someone who is either very relaxed or doesn't care much about their job

[Maestro]

I guess what the OP got was a single-entry non-ED visa.

[monk213]

I guess what the OP got was a single-entry non-ED visa.

Yep like old times, single entry and now I have 1 year of just reporting to my local immigration every 3 months

[HooHaa]

I tried to be polite 'sa bai dii' no response.

. I even asked in Laos 'is that finished?'

why on gods green earth would you speak Lao to a native thai employed by the thai consulate?

[paz]

why on gods green earth would you speak Lao to a native thai employed by the thai consulate?

A "native Thai" working in Vientane is with all likeliness from Isaan, which language is very similar to Lao (and to Thai as well). Nothing wrong using one or another if not know what the other person prefers.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

You liked Laos and it's people after living there for 1 day? I think you have issues with Thailand. I love Japan and how genuine Japanese girls are. In Tokyo when I ask directions on the street Japanese girls just run away. I love the honesty to he...erm.....honest.

[siampolee]

South Korea helps Thailand improve science and math education

Monk 213

Posted 2014-08-22 21:20:18

haha sorry I cannot stop laughing, the headline alone is too much! ayyyy lmao!! Seriously, help from SK, I know they need it but to make it so public... hahaha wow this has made my night complete. Thank f*#^ I am leaving this place soon

Just a little question .

Are you really being truthful about your visa experience Monk 123 ?

Seems as you recently stated elsewhere you were in very expletive thankful comment ''so glad to be leaving this place soon.''

Edited October 24, 2014 by siampolee

[mrtoad]

I guess what the OP got was a single-entry non-ED visa.

Yep like old times, single entry and now I have 1 year of just reporting to my local immigration every 3 months

I thought you were leaving for good?

[snottgoblin]

Cliffs: OP got a 4th Ed visa in Vientiane. Good to hear

He might be a genuine student

[monk213]

I am a genuine student haha... I can choose what classes to learn and I have chosen speak 1-8 mainly before reading or writing, I have dabbled in them more recently and realise that the more you learn to read the more you understand how to speak as well, the structure of sentences etc.

There are a few personal reasons why I am staying in Thailand, I miss Laos and you can feel the difference in the atmosphere, the culture here in Thailand is just more intense, more strung out and money fueled. The land of smiles is a land of mainly grimaces and fakes smiles, whereas in Laos people will smile at you in a genuine way and be happy to just talk with you even if you are not a customer. If I could, I would live there and maybe in the near future I will do.

why on gods green earth would you speak Lao to a native thai employed by the thai consulate?
In Vientiane at the consulate they are not Thais, they are also wearing Laos uniforms and even then, most locals in Vientiane speak Thai and Laos as it is near the border.

My last point about the differences I personally felt between the 2 countries is the police. The BiB are a certain way, we have all dealt with them from time to time and for me it has always been on the unpleasant side of things even if just slightly. However in Laos I did not see in 3 days any officer trying to stop people to get a fine, tracking down money on wheels or whatever. They were so laid back and respected each person as a person and not a baht sign!

But I hope people who have some issues or qualms about going to do their ED visa and take somnething from this. Next year I am going to ask my school if I can go back to Penang because that was so much easier, 20 people at most if I recall, not 300 or so.

[mrtoad]

Well, an interesting report, and I hope the genuine students such as yourself not affected by the ED visa abusers.

I can understand why you like Vientiane, not been for a couple of years, so its probably a bit more developed than when I was last there, but I did enjoy the place and found it fairly chilled out.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

So the Lao lady at the embassy was in fact not Thai, extremely rude to you yet you seem to love Lao people so much saying they are so much better than Thai. This is just one of many hypocrisies.

[Maestro]

A troll post and the reply to it have been removed.

[jarrcbb]

I'm curious about your visa actually. I'm on my 3rd year of studying Thai and my school said I can switch to another language, but can't keep doing Thai. Maybe it depends on your school for how long you can study for?

[Mario2008]

Yes, it depends on the school and for how long their course is certified. At some schools you can study Thai language for 5 years.

[inbangkok]

I guess what the OP got was a single-entry non-ED visa.

Yep like old times, single entry and now I have 1 year of just reporting to my local immigration every 3 months

This is not completely correct. You are not guaranteed extensions anymore. You have to apply for then and they can indeed be rejected for various reasons, or if immigration wants to make something up. Happened to a few students at my school.

[monk213]

I'm curious about your visa actually. I'm on my 3rd year of studying Thai and my school said I can switch to another language, but can't keep doing Thai. Maybe it depends on your school for how long you can study for?

Yea my school has a 5 year plan, if you are serious about learning Thai you should be fluent by then. However, from personal experience I find it really helps to hang around with Thais and speak Thai with Thai friends. Immerse yourself in the culture and language plus the lessons and it will all click into place. I don't even think what I have to say when I speak anymore.

So the Lao lady at the embassy was in fact not Thai, extremely rude to you yet you seem to love Lao people so much saying they are so much better than Thai. This is just one of many hypocrisies.

One person out of an entire city. She probably hates her job and I would probably have the same slapped ass face if I had to do what she did every day, but that is her decision I guess.

I can understand why you like Vientiane, not been for a couple of years, so its probably a bit more developed than when I was last there, but I did enjoy the place and found it fairly chilled out.

Yea it even has a dairy queen! But it is not as developed as most towns and cities in Thailand. It is hard to explain but the general atmosphere is just more relaxed, content and friendly. I felt totally safe there and did not see any incidents whatsoever, considering it the capital city that is quite something. Even my Thai girlfriend on the way home was saying to me how Lao people are more chilled and Thais in general are more strung out and care about money to a greater extent etc. I will be going back for sure, next time for longer and to explore elsewhere.

[KED]

I traveled often to Vientianne around 2006-2010 when I first moved to Thailand and was under 50 years of age. I even managed to get a few tourist visas during the free period. Luckily, I was able to qualify for the retirement extension once I reached 50 and have not been subject to the crackdowns over the last few years. I always enjoyed visiting Laos and Vientianne specifically - I even travel back occasionally for a long weekend.

I think the biggest difference in Laos versus Thailand is there just isn't as much tourist influx of bodies and money - so there aren' many people who can make a living from tourists - either by legiitimate businesses or scams - however, Thailand has so many tourists in major areas like Bankok, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Koh Samui that some/many locals either set-up legitimate, honest businesses while others prey on unwitting tourists.

[mango66]

I'm curious about your visa actually. I'm on my 3rd year of studying Thai and my school said I can switch to another language, but can't keep doing Thai. Maybe it depends on your school for how long you can study for?

Yea my school has a 5 year plan, if you are serious about learning Thai you should be fluent by then. However, from personal experience I find it really helps to hang around with Thais and speak Thai with Thai friends. Immerse yourself in the culture and language plus the lessons and it will all click into place. I don't even think what I have to say when I speak anymore.

So the Lao lady at the embassy was in fact not Thai, extremely rude to you yet you seem to love Lao people so much saying they are so much better than Thai. This is just one of many hypocrisies.

One person out of an entire city. She probably hates her job and I would probably have the same slapped ass face if I had to do what she did every day, but that is her decision I guess.

I can understand why you like Vientiane, not been for a couple of years, so its probably a bit more developed than when I was last there, but I did enjoy the place and found it fairly chilled out.

Yea it even has a dairy queen! But it is not as developed as most towns and cities in Thailand. It is hard to explain but the general atmosphere is just more relaxed, content and friendly. I felt totally safe there and did not see any incidents whatsoever, considering it the capital city that is quite something. Even my Thai girlfriend on the way home was saying to me how Lao people are more chilled and Thais in general are more strung out and care about money to a greater extent etc. I will be going back for sure, next time for longer and to explore elsewhere.

I agree with you !

Vientianee is fine,

and i had a lot of fun on day market,

never felt I were cheated, even i dont speak Lao-Thai;

relaxed to seat on a bar near the river, enjoy your beer,

without disturbed by sex girls or whatever;

[monk213]

I'm curious about your visa actually. I'm on my 3rd year of studying Thai and my school said I can switch to another language, but can't keep doing Thai. Maybe it depends on your school for how long you can study for?

Yea my school has a 5 year plan, if you are serious about learning Thai you should be fluent by then. However, from personal experience I find it really helps to hang around with Thais and speak Thai with Thai friends. Immerse yourself in the culture and language plus the lessons and it will all click into place. I don't even think what I have to say when I speak anymore.

So the Lao lady at the embassy was in fact not Thai, extremely rude to you yet you seem to love Lao people so much saying they are so much better than Thai. This is just one of many hypocrisies.

One person out of an entire city. She probably hates her job and I would probably have the same slapped ass face if I had to do what she did every day, but that is her decision I guess.

I can understand why you like Vientiane, not been for a couple of years, so its probably a bit more developed than when I was last there, but I did enjoy the place and found it fairly chilled out.

Yea it even has a dairy queen! But it is not as developed as most towns and cities in Thailand. It is hard to explain but the general atmosphere is just more relaxed, content and friendly. I felt totally safe there and did not see any incidents whatsoever, considering it the capital city that is quite something. Even my Thai girlfriend on the way home was saying to me how Lao people are more chilled and Thais in general are more strung out and care about money to a greater extent etc. I will be going back for sure, next time for longer and to explore elsewhere.

I agree with you !

Vientianee is fine,

and i had a lot of fun on day market,

never felt I were cheated, even i dont speak Lao-Thai;

relaxed to seat on a bar near the river, enjoy your beer,

without disturbed by sex girls or whatever;

Exactly this, I know it is broken English but I understand. I live in Hua Hin and even here there is a red light district, walk down there day or night and expect to fend off women every other minute. I remember in Phuket when I visited there, I walked along the beach front and literally every minute someone tried selling me something, so in the end I emptied my wallet and just showed them a wallet with no money in it but that was still annoying.

KED hit the nail on the head, less tourism = less greed, corruption and loss of culture. I HATE Bangkok because how hectic and crazy it is, I hate Pattaya and Phuket because of how touristy they are, and I am only 26, so I should be out partying right? I partyed hard from age 16-20 back home and these days prefer a quiet drink and meal with close people. In Vientiane i never once worried about who was walking down some side street, never worried about being cheated by a taxi driver or whatever, and never worried about much at all to be honest. Lovely city with generally lovely people who keep to themselves, even the sellers at the night market with the red umbrellas, they were so kind and fun to talk to. Oh yeah, have to mention beer Lao, that stuff kicks ass of any mainstream Thai beer by far. Also the food, I love geng keo wann and I had the same dish at the same place 3 nights in a row because I have never tasted geng keo wann like that, it was the tastiest I have ever had, sep sep! I also went to an expensive Italian place for pizza and at the centre point with the fountain, I had the best tasting steak I have had in Asia easily. Attaching some relevant photos.

[GuyL]

Great report indeed.

Just one remark about tuk-tuk fares. You can pay much less than you did (maybe apart from your last ride to go back to the airport).

I live in Udon Thani province, so, I usually cross the border at the Friendship Bridge. From the Friendship Bridge to the consular section of the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane, I usually pay from 50 up to 80 baht depending on the number of people traveling with me if the vehicle is a tuk-tuk (100 baht per person if it's a mini van or a private car with a/c).

From the Royal Thai Embassy to my hotel (I usually stay in the very center of the city), I never pay more than 60 baht (sometimes only 50) or 15000 kip (and even as low as 10000 kip depending on the number of passengers sharing the tuk-tuk). It's the same price from my hotel to the Royal Thai Embassy.

From the Royal Thai Embassy back to the Friendship Bridge, I very seldom use a tuk-tuk (it's quite easy then to find other people who want to share the ride in a more comfortable vehicle) and again, it's maximum 100 baht (or 25000 kip) per person within a mini van or a private car. I sometimes paid even less than this price (for instance, when a mini van has already more than 4 passengers and is about to depart).

The trick for getting a fair price for a tuk-tuk ride is to avoid tuk-tuk that are stopped and those that are in the immediate vicinity of the Royal Thai Embassy or of your hotel. Just walk a few meters away and to wait at the nearest road and soon you will probably see a tuk-tuk on the move with no or very few passengers. Just wave to the driver and tell him (or her) where you want to go and state your price (for instance 50 baht which is a reasonable fare for most ride within Vientiane). The driver will try to get a higher fare (80 baht), but if you keep being smiling, polite and firm, you will easily get your price or a slightly higher fare (60 baht).

[jspill]

Fathima restaurant on the promenade has excellent Indian food, and cheap, eat there every time I'm in Vientiane. That and easy access to bananas are my two favorite aspects of Vientiane.

If it had more nightlife options and metered taxis I might live there. There's the tourist track of bor pen yang, samlo, then @home, and a few clubs for locals like catwalk and romeo but apart from that it's a bit quiet. Dealing with tuktuks is pretty annoying, still beats Pattaya and Phuket, hate those too, but doesn't beat BKK. May consider living there and riding a scooter. Or there is one metered taxi company you can get the number for and book a cab through.

Edited October 24, 2014 by jspill

[monk213]

Great report indeed.

Just one remark about tuk-tuk fares. You can pay much less than you did (maybe apart from your last ride to go back to the airport).

I live in Udon Thani province, so, I usually cross the border at the Friendship Bridge. From the Friendship Bridge to the consular section of the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane, I usually pay from 50 up to 80 baht depending on the number of people traveling with me if the vehicle is a tuk-tuk (100 baht per person if it's a mini van or a private car with a/c).

From the Royal Thai Embassy to my hotel (I usually stay in the very center of the city), I never pay more than 60 baht (sometimes only 50) or 15000 kip (and even as low as 10000 kip depending on the number of passengers sharing the tuk-tuk). It's the same price from my hotel to the Royal Thai Embassy.

From the Royal Thai Embassy back to the Friendship Bridge, I very seldom use a tuk-tuk (it's quite easy then to find other people who want to share the ride in a more comfortable vehicle) and again, it's maximum 100 baht (or 25000 kip) per person within a mini van or a private car. I sometimes paid even less than this price (for instance, when a mini van has already more than 4 passengers and is about to depart).

The trick for getting a fair price for a tuk-tuk ride is to avoid tuk-tuk that are stopped and those that are in the immediate vicinity of the Royal Thai Embassy or of your hotel. Just walk a few meters away and to wait at the nearest road and soon you will probably see a tuk-tuk on the move with no or very few passengers. Just wave to the driver and tell him (or her) where you want to go and state your price (for instance 50 baht which is a reasonable fare for most ride within Vientiane). The driver will try to get a higher fare (80 baht), but if you keep being smiling, polite and firm, you will easily get your price or a slightly higher fare (60 baht).

Cheers for the info, I will keep that in mind next time. I normally haggle with sellers in Thailand but 200 baht to 50,000 kip for 2 people seemed fine to me so I did not question it. I tipped way too much as well at a restaurant, I had to get my head arund the baht to kip conversion and on the second day I tipped the place like 180 baht or something haha!

I had never been to Udon Thai and that is how I got back, I went to Dtalat Sao and got the bus over the bridge. jeez at Udon Tani when we got off we were pestered like crazy, I have been asked where am I going and do I want a taxi at a bus station before but this was insane. I had to pull my gf off of some taxi guy trying to grab her bag and ask where she was going.

Fathima restaurant on the promenade has excellent Indian food, and cheap, eat there every time I'm in Vientiane. That and easy access to bananas are my two favorite aspects of Vientiane.

If it had more nightlife options and metered taxis I might live there. There's the tourist track of bor pen yang, samlo, then @home, and a few clubs for locals like catwalk and romeo but apart from that it's a bit quiet. Dealing with tuktuks is pretty annoying, still beats Pattaya and Phuket, hate those too, but doesn't beat BKK. May consider living there and riding a scooter. Or there is one metered taxi company you can get the number for and book a cab through.

I love Indian food and spotted 2 places and forget the names, one was on the same road to the market, a cheapish place and the other was an inside restaurant with wifi and all the works, the menu was ok too, around 50,000 kip for most curries. Yet we went for the Italian that night.

I would never live in Bangkok unless I was paid too. I hate that place so much, it is just too dirty, big, hectic and crazy. London I can handle but Bangkok I cannot. I would probably have to live in Lumphini Park or something to find solitude.

In Hua Hin I have my own bike, well I did I had a Honda wave that was stolen a few months ago, now I just rent one. I was contemplate renting on in Vientiane but as I am from England and being in Thailand for several years, I have never ridden on the right hand side of the road, so I would probably get into some incidents.

One last thing, the police. It seems the police in Laos are NOTHING like they are here, sure I bet they are corrupt but I think they are not so souless and negative towards foreigners. I did not even encounter one in person, I just saw them from time to time chilling or doing their thing. Like I said for a capital city in 3 days I did not see 1 arrest, 1 accident, 1 traffic stop nothing...

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[Roda07]

Hello Monk,kindly check your inbox.Thanks

[phil2407]

If you need new passport - you have to make appointment by email at the Trendy Building Sukhamvit Soi 13 near Nana BTS in bangkok - this is at least a month waiting for appointment- then you go there and if all documents ok expect 6-9 weeks for your new passport to arrive and you go back to bangkok to collect it