Thailand to Laos - crossing over

Nong Khai to Vientiane

Arriving into Nong Khai by riding along the river front, we paused briefly for a drink at a small cafe and then walked the bikes to our guesthouse, tucked off a backstreet nearby, at the end of a quiet alleyway.
Saturday night in Nong Khai and the town was buzzing. We could hear a live band playing, and many people were out walking around. The traffic in town was crazy. There must have been some festival on, as the night market seemed incredibly large and varied. Spread out all along the Main Street, it was crammed full of stalls. Food, drinks, sweets, clothes, shoes, produce, fairground type games and wooden furniture all had a presence, vying for customers attention and their Thai Baht!
It was on a scale that we had witnessed in Ayutthaya - the night market was massive and we couldn’t fathom if it was all broken down during the day and then set up again at night! The oversized chunky wooden furniture finished in a shiny high gloss was most incongruous. Where do they put all the solid wooden tables, chairs and other furniture during the day? Who buys it and how do they get it home?
It was great for people watching. We wandered around after dinner and then headed back to our digs, disappointed that we only had one night in the town. It had a really nice feel and it would be our last place in Thailand, so we were doubly sad!

Ready next day to negotiate a ride of 5Km out of town to the Thai Border side of the First Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge, filled us with a little trepidation. We had our eVisa for Laos in place, and carried printed copies, assuming we would pass through the Thai side and then hope to cycle over the bridge, or be made to be put on a bus.
After a ride down a busy wide express way, we arrived at the bustling Nong Khai Border Checkpoint.
Not obvious where to go, we must have appeared blank. Marking us out, an ‘official sounding man’ * pointedly told us that we couldn’t cycle across and could be turned back at the Laos side. The reason why was not clear of forthcoming, safe to say that it was not safe, or the Laos authorities simply didn’t like it. He followed up by saying that “it would be easier for us” to cycle back to the main bus station and buy a bus ticket. Which would take us and our bikes, direct to Vientiane - which we sort of didn’t want to do. However, we assumed he was informed and slightly put out, we retraced our steps and another 6Km, back to the main bus station.
*Note to self - always ask someone else. Ideally someone in uniform, to get a second opinion.

Arriving at the bus station we quickly located the kiosk selling the bus tickets. Lack of Thai on our part and lack of English on the ticket ladies part made this process a challenge for both parties!
For 30 minutes we tried, only to arrive at a stalemate. She said that we didn’t have the correct paperwork and kept tapping the laminated sign on the glass that absolved the bus company of us being refused at the Laos border due to not having the correct Visa etc. etc. We had done our research and knew that an eVisa was ok, acceptable at this crossing. We had printed proof, which we showed her but she shook her head (and tapped the sign again). No dice it seems.
Resolved to getting absolutely nowhere (she wouldn’t sell us a ticket), Amanda and I said we’d cycle back to the Border Checkpoont and try our luck again, knowing that the process was simple in principle and that we had wasted enough time and were now behind schedule… We had another 6Km cycle back there and then had a further 20Km to cycle after passing through Laos immigration on the far side of the river.
The real reason she wouldn’t sell us tickets is that the processing of our eVisa would take longer at Laos immigration (which we found on our arrival). As such, we would hold the bus up and all the passengers who had stamps in their passports making it quick for them to pass immigration. We were simply an inconvenience.
Arriving back at the Thai Border, I went into the passport control office and asked a man in uniform. Google translate helped and he directed me to his boss. She quickly read the translation of what we wanted to do and then she asked for both our passports. After a check of our Visa Entry stamp, a quick fingerprint check and Exit stamp, we were passed through to the other side where she said we could buy a ticket for the bridge bus. One was about to leave so we had to quickly buy two tickets and jump on the bus that was quickly filling up with passengers. Bundled onto the rear of the small bus with high steps required lifting the bikes up. Amanda’s we managed with help but I had to take all my bags off. We were jammed in at the back with our bikes balanced in a small space near the rear row of seats with all of the seats full and a couple folks seated on the steps to the door. Precariously positioned as we were, we laughed to ourselves as the bus bumped and jolted its way across the bridge. We snatched glimpses of the river through the open door and hoped our bikes or ourselves would not fall out!
Arriving at Laos Border control and vehicle drop off point, we offloaded and were directed to the immigration booth. Having passed neither barrier, nor gate, or any form of guard post, we wondered why we could not have cycled over? Who would have turned us back? Traffic on the bridge and a change of driving side withstanding, it would have been less dangerous and much simpler.
We found that our eVisa was not a quick route to pass the Lao Border Control - we had to fill out a paper form with much of the same info we submitted online, as instructed by a rather curt and frosty border official. Welcome to Laos!

Cycling out of the Laos Thanaleng Border Checkpoint we made an extra special effort to remember to cycle on the Right. A change to what side we had cycled on so far.
Wide, dusty and uneven roads greeted us as we headed for the capital of Laos - Vientiane.
The drivers seemed to barrel along faster here and less willing to give us ample room. Large 4x4’s were common, as were loud and noisy trucks, spewing black fumes. We felt back at square one, as one does when you enter a new country. This was a new normal and not a pleasant one, as we hugged the grit and dirt that had drifted to obscure the hard shoulder, or what little strip there was of it. Loud music blared out from shanty bars and mopeds zoomed past us as we tried to find a cash machine on route.
After several duds - machines out of action or looking like it would be a gamble to get any money back at all and/or lose your bank card, we managed to get some cash and found ourselves to be
Kip Millionaires. For comparison 100,000 Laos Kip = £3.40.
As we made our way into the city outskirts, we spotted more modern cars. Sleek unfamiliar badged electric models. Chinese made? We noticed new buildings, high rise, contrasting with the former French colonial and communist brutalist buildings. As we arrived at our hotel we passed along a street that looked like it had been modernised, with new pavements, drainage, landscaping and parking. It was a street of cafes and bars and a few modern hotels. This was a certainly a different Vientiane to the one we visited over ten years ago. It will be interesting to see how it has changed.
A warm and smiley man welcomed us at our hotel and he kindly let us bring Thom and Pete inside. Lucky bikes! Our base for the next week, we looked forward to exploring the city.Read more