Anonymous participant 312 yeah this was my thinking. I haven’t actually started the process yet but was lucky to open an account on a visa exemption in readiness for retirement visa
Hi. My advice would be to cross with the bike and spend a couple of nights in Laos. Having the bike is definitely a good option as it shows what you are doing in Thailand. (Im also a cyclist and have cycled across this border to do border bounce before).
Good luck
Ps if you have the money for it then using a visa agency is also a good idea