Visa Trip Report: Day 1, Part 1

(30 OCT 2019 Vientiane, Laos)

Woke up in Nong Khai, Thailand

(BB House Hotel: cheap, clean, older joint with a hard mattress. Just a hop and a skip from border.)

At the Bridge about 7:30am

I got there behind a long line of Laos people. It moved quickly. About 20 minutes to process over 50 people at 2 lines.

Bus over bridge for 20฿.

Laos: I saw one other farang but lost him. There are/were no foreigners when I was there.

Gave a US$50 to pay for visa. No rips or tears. Good condition. A tiny stamp on the back. One the bank presumably put there.

Immigration rejected my money. They calmly and politely explained it in English. Didn’t accuse me of giving a fake bill, said they know it’s real. They insist their bank wouldn’t accept it because of this mark. The immigration officer suggested I change it at the bank on border for another one.

Bank just past border on right. Opens at 8:30. I was able to change it for another $50 after both tellers looked at it and brought it to back office for approval from a manager.

Back to make a visa. Still no farang. Got it in about 2 minutes.

Agreed to give a taxi 300฿ to take me to consulate. (Yes, there’s a bus for cheap to town, and yes, you could bargain hard with taxi, but a man has to pay petrol and feed a family. If you think the extra 20 or 40฿ is better off in your pocket, that’s your decision.)

Arrived at consulate. A small crowd was waiting. About 40 or so farang. Made a couple photocopies outside. Glued my photos, two 3.5x4.5 white background. (If you need photos he does 8 for 100฿, that’s a deal.)

Walked in with my number group. All very smooth. Went to window. Was grilled a bit in Thai and English. Was told to bring a bank statement back tomorrow. (I’m applying for a type ED.)

Back outside I talked with a fixer. Why not? What’s their take on the visa situation? There’s 3-4 of them around.

Now, I’m repeating what he told me:

“We can’t guarantee visa anymore. The PM fuck everything up. Before I can take passport and do everything. You don’t have to go inside. Now we just fill out the form and make copies. Business is not good. Not many people come here anymore.”

He then suggested what he thinks should happen to the PM.

Is this useful for anyone to know? Do you want to hear part 2 tomorrow? Let me know.

Note: Delhi Durbar is a fantastic Indian restaurant near the consulate. Lunch buffet for 65,000 kip (about 230฿) Veg and non veg dishes, includes water, coffee, and ice cream. Highly recommend.