[Regarding getting a visa at Savannakhet]

Hi everyone, I came to Thailand a few days ago with my Thai wife to visit her family and I entered on a Visa On Arrival (Indian Citizen). I wanted to be here for around 30 days however I only have 15 days on the VoA. Tried to extend it for “visiting Thai spouse” but the local immigration office told me that we can only do it on a TR on non-Imm O visa.

Anyway, now I’m planning to drive to Savannakhet since it’s only 3 hours away from me and then get a visa from the Thai embassy there. Some questions I had:

1. Will I need to show a flight ticket back from Savannakhet to get a Lao Visa on Arrival? I’ll just be driving in and then back to Thailand so I won’t have it.

2. Is it better for me to apply for a visitor visa based on visiting Thai family or better to apply for a O visa. I can apply for either but wondering which one has better chances of being approved or which is faster to get.

3. It might be complicated to take a Thai car into Laos so I’m wondering if there’s a way to park the car in Mukhadan, Thailand and then take public transit or walk into Savannakhet or something of that sort?

4. Is there anyone who has been there recently and can share their experience regarding the wait times at the embassy or anything else I should know with regards to documents I should have. I’ll of course take all usual docs such as marriage certificate (issued in Canada), copy of house registration, my wife and her ID, Passport etc. Can I pay the visa fees in THB cash or will I need another way of paying?

Thanks a lot for your help!