Ban Saeo > Thailand border (47km) > Laos border (3km by bus) > Roadhouse (53km)

DSCF2109

Big day today, I’ve done much more kilometres than expected. This morning, I’ve covered the 47km that separated me to the border. I had one gentle hill few kilometres after I started and then all the way was flat. Then, I went directly towards the immigration office. I realised that my visa ended on the 4th so I had to pay 500baht (about 13€) for this extra day. I’ve read online that for one day the immigration would let me go but that was not the case today. That’s my fault, I should I checked more carefully. Another surprise is they did not let me cycle on the bridge. I had to catch a bus and pay for that… Finally I arrived on the other side of the Mekong, organised my VOA (Visa On Arrival) and started my journey through the mountains in Laos :-)

Map.

2016.04.05-BAN-SAEO-)-THAILAND-BORDER-(47KM)-)-LAOS-BORDER-(3KM-BY-BUS)-)-ROADHOUSE-(53KM)

Elevation.

20160405_082645

Back to this morning when I was still in Thailand. I passed that gentle hill, kept going a bit more until I found a restaurant where to have breakfast.

20160405_082650

That restaurant is a bit fancy so I guess the price will be a bit higher but hey, this is my last day in Thailand :-) Look at the tables which are remastered canoe. All the place is like this here. The people who own this restaurant must be creative and manual. I had a soup and juice and paid something like 70baht (1.80€).


DSCF2102

The haze is still thick these days.

DSCF2103

That’s a flat road for sure!

DSCF2104

I’ve done about 30km since this morning now. Let’s have a break in that shelter.

DSCF2105

And I keep on going.

DSCF2106

I know there is two ways to get to Laos from here. Apparently we can go cross the river by boat but I’ve read on another blog that this way is now close because of the construction of a brand new bridge towards which I’m heading now. The huge building ahead is the immigration office.

DSCF2110

As I mentioned I’ve had to pay 500baht for the extra day I’ve spent in Thailand. Once I passed the immigration, I thought I could simply cycle other the bridge but that’s not possible. I had to pay 20 baht for myself and 100 for the bicycle! What a rip off. At least, the staff was very pleasant and helped me to fit all my stuff in the bus.

DSCF2109

The bike stays with me when the trailer is in the boot.

DSCF2111

In 3km I will be front of the Laos immigration office. That’s the Mekong river :-)

DSCF2112

Before I left Thailand I could exchange money. I knew I could pay my visa in US dollars or in Thai Baht but the price is very different. It cost 30USD or 1500baht (about 43USD at this time). The ration exchange at the Thai immigration office was honest too so the decision was easily made.

When I get off the bus, I went to the Laos immigration office. I obtained a VOA (Visa On Arrival) for a period of 1 month. The Laos immigration office asked for one ID picture and the classic informations like name, surname, passport number, blablabla… I paid the 30USD and that was it. I did not queue at all. In 5-10 minutes the whole process was done.

I’m on the other side now :-)

DSCF2113

First, I need to go to the nearest city to withdraw some money and have lunch.

DSCF2114

That’s Huay Xai city center. I’ve found a bank and withdraw 2.000.000Kip (about 220€). I expect to be okay for a month with that. Then I found a restaurant for lunch. The meal, a fried rice with pineapple and peanuts was 20.000 (2.20€) and I took two fresh fruits juice 15.000 Kip each (1.60€). This first experience tells me that Laos is more expensive concerning the food. Have you noticed how much big and modern 4 wheels drive there is here? Laos is considered as a poor country but some industry must the very happy with their customers obviously.

DSCF2115

I tried to stretch the time in that restaurant but then I thought it would be better if I could find a shady spot outside. I got on my bicycle again and started to look for a nice place. On the way, I did not find something suitable so I decided to keep going.

DSCF2116

I left the city behind as the villages and started to climb a very long and steep hill. That’s how I thought would look the northern part of Thailand but I found that here. That road was tough! I walked, pushed my bike, kept walking… It was endless. Yesterday when I left, Kom gave me some food. Some dry noodle and chocolate powder. I might sleep somewhere in the bush tonight because I cannot find any village. I finally reached the top and hesitated to stop up there. The temperature might be cold at night and maybe the village will be in the next valley. Ok, let’s see that.

DSCF2117

I enjoyed the very long downhill and reached the valley. There, only one house was standing along the road and it’s surrounded by a huge carpark. As the night falls, I saw many trucks stopping here overnight. It looks like a roadhouse like in Australia :-) On the side of this house, onto the carpark, there was this shed. I asked to the man if I could sleep here. I understood a “yes” so I set up my camp for the night. There is also toilets, so I could enjoy a fresh shower, wash my clothes and filter some water. In fact I was a bit short in water today but everything came back to place at the end of this long day. Good night!

3 thoughts on “Ban Saeo > Thailand border (47km) > Laos border (3km by bus) > Roadhouse (53km)

  1. i think, you lost your weight on the pictures. it’s been so long time i haven’t seen you.. but looking so happy trip with your friend(bike) that bring to you amazing experience.:)

Comments are closed.