Our First Land Border Crossing (Thailand into Laos)

Trivia question.  Everybody knows that the Thai currency is the Baht.  Who knows what the Laotian currency is called?  See the answer below.

Most fellow travelers arrive in a new country via flight; sometimes you cross a border into a new country by car.  Usually it is a very straightforward process.  You hand over your passport and get a stamp – and then you welcome yourself into that country.

Crossing the border from Thailand into Laos had a lengthier process and provided some good entertainment.

Step 1 – We first arrived at the Thai border patrol.  We had to hand over our passports and departure card (make sure you hang onto this from when you first arrived Thailand or it could be a hefty fine).  The Thai border patrol will check to be sure you didn’t overstay your 30-day tourist visa (if you do you have to pay a small fine) and will stamp you out of their country.

Step 2 – Once we “left Thailand”, you are in a waiting area that is considered “No Man’s Land”.  There you wait for a bus to shuttle passengers and their luggage to the border crossing into Laos.  We don’t believe that you can walk from the Thailand exit area to the Laos arrival area.  Despite friendly relations between Laos and Thailand, this “No Man’s Land” is heavily fenced with razor wire.  This ¼ mile or so piece of land is neither in Thailand nor Laos.  Had we arrived an hour later, we would have had to spend the night in this area until the border reopened into Lao the next morning.

Step 3 – Pay 20 Thai Baht (about $0.64 USD) and board a smelly bus with your luggage.  The bus ride is only about 1-2 minutes, and you arrive at the Laos border crossing.

Step 4 – Hand over your passport, along with a passport photo and US$35.00 for the visa processing fee.  Since we arrived late in the day, the Laos government tacked on an “overtime fee” of 10,000 Kip ($1.21 USD).  This fee must be paid if you arrive between 4:00pm and 7:00pm daily.

Step 5 – Wait around for 10-20 minutes until your name is called and your passport is returned to you with a full page, very intricate visa – which is good for one single entry only, up to 30 days.

Step 6 – Walk through the last barrier, with nothing to declare – and we were greeted with a “Welcome to Laos” sign; like the famous Hollywood” sign – however much, much smaller.

This marks the 2^nd country in our Southeast Asia adventure and look forward to exploring Laos for the next 10 days.

P.S.  For you world travelers.  One important item we’ve noted in Asia is that when you make a payment to a government or to a restaurant or even to a street vendor, the bills must be in excellent shape.  It doesn’t matter if one is talking about local currency or US Dollars.  The bills must be crisp with no dog ears and tears or they will not be accepted.  This is not reciprocal however as change is often returned in “weathered” bills.

P.P.S.  A second lesson is that even if one pays in US Dollars, the change is always returned in tattered bills local currency.