friendship bridge

[thrillbill]

On and earlier post, there was a discussion on where to stay in Vientiane, Laos. I am thinking of taking my first trip to Laos next month and was wondering how much of a hassle is it to enter Laos from the "Friendship Bridge" to get to Vientiane? I know one can fly there from Bangkok, but it is cheaper (I think) to fly to Udon Thani, then go by bus, correct? Eventually I want to get to Luang Prabang from Vientiane. What is the best way to get there...local bus or what? Sounds like the gay scene there is a bit slim, so this will be one of those going to bed early trips. :cyclopsani:

[globalwanderer]

i've done the trip. It is not totally hassle free. There is a minibus direct from the airport to Friendship Bridge. Then go through Thai Immigration, get a bus over the bridge. AT the other side apply for a laos Visa and then go through immigration. The hassle is likely to start there as you will be mobbed by tuk tuk drivers.

If you already have a Laos visa there is a bus from Udon Thani Bus Station direct to Vientiane about 4 times a day... but you need a Lao Visa to buy a ticket

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[elephantspike]

Laos is wonderful. Imagine yourself in Thailand 100 years ago. With French pastries available at street stalls. The people are so sweet, too.

Enjoy!

[catawampuscat]

I have used the friendship bridge many times and without problems. On the Thai side is Nong Khai, which actually does
have a mini gay scene and probably the easiest way to scare up some lads is via gay romeo or another similiar one to let
them know you are arriving.
The minivan from the airport in Udon Thani takes you to Nong Khai and you can get off at the bridge or one of the hotels nearby.

You can save some money if you carry US $ as they don't follow the exchange rates and it is cheaper to use dollars than baht
for your Lao visa. Now with a minor recovery of the US $ it isn't as much but still a few $ ..

Expect to haggle with the taxi drivers on the Lao side of the bridge and I have found it cheapest to find fellow travellers to share
the cost. If you find a couple, your fare should be no more than 200B. but solo will cost more.
One tip is not to ever leave your luggage or bags on the bus that takes you across the bridge as they won't wait for you and your
bag will continue on without you..

You can also find lots of eager lads if you use gay romeo for Vietienne and maybe even Luang Prapang.. Plan ahead and maybe you
will get/give some head or even a romance for a nite or two.. :cat:

[TrongpaiExpat]

The BF and I took the bus from Luang Prabang to Vientiane. It did not look very far on the map but the trip was about 12 hours. They handed out small plastic bags to everyone for bus sickness. The scenery was spectacular. When the bus stopped for lunch few ate and some who ate breakfast were sorry. The bus is slow, climbs and climbs narrow mountain roads with hair pin turns and twists that get your stomach turning too. I was OK, took a dramine before the trip and ate light.

I guess I would not do the bus again but was glad I did it once. It did not cost much.

You might also consider a stop over in Nong Khai. good hotels, good restaurants and some interesting things to see and do.

Pantawee Hotel (http://thailand.pantawee.com/)

Tip Hotel (http://www.hoteleasy.com/Hotel/nongkhai/tip/index.html)

You can break up the trip to Luang Prabang with a stop in Vang Vieng, a restful backpacker turned tourist bus spot maybe halfway between Vien Chang and LP noted for its karst topography and caves to explore along the Nam Kha River.

You can also save a night's hotel cost by taking the overnight train (A/C sleeper) BKK/NongKai station where the friendship Bridge is 2 minutes away easily getting you to Vien Chang mid-morning when it is still cool enough to look for a nice guesthouse around the Fountain area. The lower berths are more desirable and try to get berths near the center of the cars.

[thrillbill]

Has anyone ever picked up their Laos visa in Bangkok before going...if so, how many days/ hours does it take?

Thanks for the info so far.

[sjaak327]

^I don't advise you to do this, as it will be a waste of time and money, the visa will be the same as you will pay at the bridge (fee is depended on your nationality), plus 200 baht express fee, if you want to walk away with the visa stamped into your passport, otherwise you will have to come back the next day

The embassy is reachable by taxi, or by MRT + taxi, so you will also loose money for transportation. The visa on arrival procedure at the bridge is quick, and in many times that I actually crossed there, it has never taken me more then 15 minutes to fill out the form, hand over the form+passport+fee and get the visa stamped in my passport.

Of course if you have that pre-arranged visa, you can take the international bus from Udon to Vientiane, but in order to catch that bus, you need to taxi from the airport to the bus station, by that time the mini bus for the bridge could be half way there already :)