Back from Savannakhet.

[Eddy B]

Finally got back home after the trip to Savannakhet. At the crossing on the Thai side I had no problem going through immigration. My wife and step-son however do not have passports so they had to go to office where Thai's can use their ID's as a makeshift passport. She en counted problems, not with the staff but with other Thai people jumping the ques. Getting on the bus from the Thai side was not too bad but still like a mad rush with no system of control, just a head-less chicken mad rush. Laos side getting the visa, no problems.

Arrived straight to the Thai consulate from the border. This place needs a larger roof, I was sweating buckets in the mid morning sun. After about 30 minutes waiting in the queue it was my turn to hand in the documents/passport and he just checked through them quickly and asked for the cash payment. I got my ticket and was done. Went to our hotel, we checked into the Avalon. Nice place with friendly staff, however you can not check in til 12 noon. They do have a newly opened cafe across from their car park now which is nice and charges a reasonable rate for coffees and beer. We got a bit of a shock when they said we can now go to our room as we were led outside to the car park where at the back is an old 1945 built colonial style house, this is where we stayed in the Everest room. It has a total of 5 rooms, two 2nd floor balconies and it once belonged to the Finance minister from France for the southern part of Laos.

My family and I went to Chez Boune restaurant, the food was good but my GOD...............expensive! Nice staff and good service but very very pricey!!

The next day we checked out at 1pm and was at the Thai consulate at 1:40pm. There were a few people waiting then at 1:50pm a group of about 12 Laos people turned up and just pushed their way to the front, absolutely no shame.........they were mainly women. The gate is open and it is now like the bull run in Spain the Laos have got to be first............complete a&^holes. The ticket numbers mean nothing, it is first come first served!

After about 10 minutes I have my passport and new visa in hand after I triple checked to make sure I got what I paid for. Next it was back to the border in the tuk-tuk. Luckily my wife was still sitting in the tuk-tuk as he tried to get people leaving earlier than me to take them to the crossing. My wife told me she saw one tuk-tuk had just done this, driving off with someones bags still in the back of the tuk-tuk. How would you feel if you come out of the consulate to find the tuk-tuk driver was not there and neither was your bags? We did see the same tuk-tuk going back to the consulate as we were on the way to the bridge but still, that's a shitty way to deal with a customer if you have already shorted out a deal before hand.

Arrived at the border around 2:20pm. Laos immigration no problem for all of us apart from my wife had to pay 80 baht for her and son. No it is time to wait for the bus. As we are waiting here come the queue jumping Laos people again. I have no idea why there is only one bus that comes to pick up at this time when they know that many people will have just got their passports back and will be wanting to cross the bridge..............absolute madness!

The bus just pulls up and the Laos are at it again, pushing and shoving people out of the way. I got separated from my wife and step-son and almost did not get on the bus. I had to get a little physical and push back.

On the bus people had sat down and put their bags on the seat next to them, totally ignorant people! Why not put it on your lap as the trip is only about 5 minutes over the bridge???

Arrived the Thai side and filled in the arrival / departure card. This was not easy as they had four officers filling in the forms for the people that can not read English or Thai were writing on top of the cards. No cards were in a pick-up box and no other tables for people to use, so I had to fill it in kneeling on a plastic chair. Finally got through the immigration check point and on the way home.

Arrived home 11 hours later at 2:20am.................I need a beer. All in all the trip was fine, the only real blight on the trip was the Thai consulate needs to improve it's waiting area and control the queuing system to stop the mad head-less chicken run. Also at the crossing there needs to either needs to be more buses put on to ease the flow of people or have a proper system that stops the almost riot-like behavior of mostly Laos and Thai people getting onto the bus.

[Walter Travolta]

I found the same problems at the Lao Bao border coming into Laos from Vietnam 10 days ago. Very ignorant and rude peopele. The next time i go to Laos will be far too soon

[asdecas]

If you think the Savannakhet border is bad, you've never been to Poipet on the first day of the Songkran holiday.

[MickGC]

When in Rome ........ Been on that bus dozens of times. Always managed to get a seat so far. Just join in the scrum with the locals and force your way to the front, otherwise you may get left behind. Sometimes there is an empty casino bus (on the Laos side) parked 100m ahead of the regular bus stop near the little market area opposite the duty free shop. A number of times I have paid the driver Bt 200 to take me across the bridge. Have had the whole bus to myself a couple of times.

[Dannyboy666]

Driving around Nong Khai is a Nightmare with the Lao's, absolute Rude, especially parking at Tesco, then you go near the border crossing and their dumping their trash out the car and truck windows before they cross, A Disgrace...

[wernerkl]

Try to get on the bus (both directions) as the last person. Then you are off the bus first. First at the Lao Visa on arrival counter and your arrival card for TH already filled in the first to enter TH again. You beat them all with brains not muscle.

[godden]

you can't educate pork.

[pkf]

I too made same visa run.add day before holiday to day after and mon. thur. fri. not to run.Had feet walked on barely made last bus home. Why do they hold passports till 2:00 tourist are more able to take punishment than I . If they want return tourists changes need to be made.

[mango66]

Driving around Nong Khai is a Nightmare with the Lao's, absolute Rude, especially parking at Tesco, then you go near the border crossing and their dumping their trash out the car and truck windows before they cross, A Disgrace...

havn't you all choosen this country , and with country neighbours as your pleasant new home ?

So its fine and you should be happy to live with this !!

[mango66]

Try to get on the bus (both directions) as the last person. Then you are off the bus first. First at the Lao Visa on arrival counter and your arrival card for TH already filled in the first to enter TH again. You beat them all with brains not muscle.

great advice !

Its the same what I always do with airline buses on airports!!

[Mario2008]

1 naming and shaming post removed per forum rules.

[Craig krup]

Driving around Nong Khai is a Nightmare with the Lao's, absolute Rude, especially parking at Tesco, then you go near the border crossing and their dumping their trash out the car and truck windows before they cross, A Disgrace...

Laos must be hell when you look at the number of Laotians who come to Nong Khai for no other reason than to buy two trolleys full of ramen noodles.

[Shaunduhpostman]

Had exactly the same experience at the Savanakhet consulate, groups of Lao jumping the entire queue and inserting themselves as close as possible to the front door. Push and cut right in front of people without batting an eyelid, almost cheerful about it, perfectly entitled to do this in their minds. One Australian guy had a standoff with some of them, did no good, they wouldn't budge, wouldn't reply to his questions about what they thought they were doing. A guy tried to get in ahead of me and I just kept getting back in front of him but he persisted and waited for me to drop my guard and try again and again. It was really hard to not lose it, he finally gave up after twenty minutes and got at the end of the queue. A group of Russians decided to invite other Russians to stand with them near the front. It seemed to a kind of response to the Lao arriving in droves and going right to the front or inserting themselves ahead of others

It was also very similar, though worse expereince in Vientiane around 2009. Some Russians or Israelis, couldn't work it out where they were from exactly, maybe both, punched some Chinese woman out who was cuting in line, totally decked her. Broke her face, busted her jaw or something. Apalling situation. Thai embassy probably just views it as good entertainment, I think there may have even been one guard who did nothing at all if he were there. Then omce they open the gate it is an all out stampede running pell mell towards the visa window, people fell down, were pushed, it is a crime against humanity that consulate. I will never ever go there again and I am sure that was their whole idea.