I decided to get the train to Nong Khai, in the North East of Thailand, in order to renew my visa. I had only been in Thailand for 1 week, but as the Tourist Visa Exemption was 15 days, I wanted to get another 15 days whilst I still had the chance and there was no pressure to renew it.

I got on an overnight sleeper train in Bangkok, headed for Nong Khai. I had two options when buying the ticket: either air-conditioning or fan-cooled. I opted for the fan option as it was cheaper and sounded more fun. On the train I met 3 French people, one boy and 2 girls; the boy and 1 of the girls were on an exchange programme and the other girl was the cousin of the boy, travelling with them to Laos just for fun. The boy had an internship with BK Magazine, which I had read in order to get the recommendations for seeing Sukhumvit (see previous post), so I knew roughly where he was working. We had a chat until it was time to go to sleep, with one of the girls not knowing much English, the other enthusing about Australia and the boy asking what it was like travelling alone, as he wanted to do the same thing in future. We arrived in Nong Khai about 4 hours late, after a very sweaty night on the train.

Whilst having my breakfast on the train (toast, coffee and orange juice), I got talking to a bloke who had been drinking since the first time I saw him the day before. He was actually really friendly and we got on really well and he offered to help me find my way around Nong Khai, which he did and ended up paying the quite large amount for the tuk-tuk to the centre. Whilst in the centre of Nong Khai, I tried to change money in a bank without having to get out Thai Baht and get it converted to US Dollars. Someone in the bank suggested that they accepted Baht at the border, so I went anyway, without any Dollars.

I said goodbye to my friend in Nong Khai, as I thought it would be boring for him to follow me around for a few hours whilst I got my visa renewed. This was a bit difficult as even though we had known each other for only an hour or so, we got on well and he was asking if I wanted to stay at his house. I had to say no, as I knew getting my visa renewed was the only reason I was in Nong Khai.

Once at the border, I decided that I would try and get my Thai visa renewed without having to pay the $35 for the Laos visa. I got stamped-out of Thailand and got a bus across the ‘friendship bridge’ to Laos. The bloke in the immigration office said that I could try getting back into Thailand and that all I would need to do was get a bus back again. This I did, but the Thai immigration couldn’t find the Laos visa, so sent me back across the bridge. I got back on another bus and was back at the Laos immigration soon after, where I got some money changed and paid the $35 for the Laos visa. Here, after paying the $35 for the visa, the immigration officer asked me for $1. As I knew this was a bribe, I questioned the reason for me having to pay it. What he was saying was a load of rubbish, but he started to get aggressive, hovering over my visa with a cancellation stamp. Basically, what he was saying was that if I didn’t pay $1, he was going to cancel my visa. I didn’t know if he was going to go through with it, but I made the mistake of saying I had Thai Baht and ended up paying him 40 Baht, which is just over a Dollar. I got a receipt, but I don’t think it was of much use, as it all seemed official.

Once in Laos, I decided to get on a bus to Vientiane, as the visa had been so expensive. I was in Vientiane about 40 minutes later and asked some backpackers where the best place to look for accommodation was. A tourist from Thailand helped me get a tuk-tuk, which took me to the main tourist area, where I found a good hotel.

The next day, as I was planning to go to Vang Vieng, I decided to look it up online. Without a guide book, all the information I had was telling me that it was a bit of a hell-hole and sounded like just the sort of place I didn’t want to go to. I decided to spend the day in Vientiane and go to the Kaysone Phomvihane Museum, getting a bus to Luang Prabang the next day.

Once back in Vientiane, I decided to sit by the riverside and watch the sun going down, finishing off the remnants of a soy-bean type drink and a baguette I had got earlier. As I was sitting down, a novice monk came and started talking to me. We talked for about an hour and we said goodbye after he had pointed out a good restaurant for me to eat in later. I got name of the temple he lived in, but my phone has died, so I can’t find the name!