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barrafish
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A couple of days ago I did the above visa run. Visa into Laos was 1500b for 30 days, sign said 15 days but they stamped my p/port for 30days and said it was OK when I questioned it.
When you arrive at Thai immigration on the southern side of Friendship Bridge in LOS, your passport is stamped 'Departure'. Pass through immigration and jump on bus and it takes you across Friendship Bridge, cost 15b.
At LAOS immigration you will see sign 'Arrival'. It is all under cover and there are plenty of seats in the open area. The office has 2 small windows they keep shut and open only to receive passport/paperwork and the other to hand passport back. Between the 2 windows is a small tray with a one sheet form you must fill in when you hand passport and money over, US$30, THB or LAOS currency 'Kip'.
One THB = about 265kip. Make sure you have plenty of THB 20's, 50's and 100's and a few 500 and 1000b notes, they come in handy for tuk tuks and no problem to use TB in LAOS for hotels etc.
When you receive your passport back, go around the corner and see 3 booths, 2 say Foreign Passport and the 3rd, Border Pass. Border Pass is for local Thais and Laotians that cross the border frequently for shopping, visiting relatives or whatever, maybe hooking. The LAOS immigration records passport particulars and you go through to either taxi, big tuk tuk or little tuk tuk. From when you arrive at Thai immigration until you finish at LAOS immigration, it could be up to 2hrs or a bit longer, depends how many are in front of you.
Taxi (about a 1970 or 1980 Datsun) may cost 400b, little private tuk tuk 250b or big tuk tuk 50b and they will take you to centre of Vientiane, about a 35-50 min ride. Be prepared to go back in time. Vientiane the capitol of LAOS is coming to terms with the 19th century. People are friendly and trying to get by.
I stayed at Khamkhoun Hotel (girl friendly) on Lane-Xang Avenue, just up from the minature arch de triomphe thingy. Hotel was OK, clean, air-con just working, friendly staff and was 800b night. Cheaper places around 350-500b, just gotta look. And this was in the centre of the capitol of LAOS. There is a Novatel and up market hotels, but cannot tell you about them. At 8pm the 'city' is very quiet. I strolled down to the Mekong River where there are quite a few little bars, shops, hotels and a little bit of nightlife. Prostitution is illegal in LAOS same as LOS, be carefull in LAOS from what I heard.
It is left hand drive in LAOS, like the US and I was going to hire a car. The cars were expensive, so I hired a left hand drive motor bike, that was different.
The next night I stayed at Riverside Hotel on the river, 600b, good air con, fairly modern and girl friendly. Had a look at a few bars and nothing like LOS. Working girls are non-existent from what I had seen, however a few tuk tuk drivers wanted to take me to some places, but from what I have heard, this may have been a bit risky, so I declined.
I am now heading out for a look around Nong Khai and will complete this a bit later on, and besides, I'm getting hungry.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 4:56 am on Aug. 6, 2006
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LocalYokul
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Quote: from barrafish on 6:04 pm on Aug. 6, 2006
Working girls are non-existent from what I had seen
they are available in the hotel bars/karaoke
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 4:59 am on Aug. 6, 2006
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barrafish
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LY, no doubting your nose for sniffing out girl action, if it is there, you will find it. Maybe I don't have the bigger nose, 555.
VIENTIANE AND NEARBY MEKONG RIVER PLAY AREA.
On Friday night a Lao girl was riding a motor bike along the esplande and I caught her eye. You know the feeling you get when know someone is working, same as LOS when you catch their eye, this could be on. I was in a tuk tuk heading back to 'town' and going in the opposite direction so never worried about it and thought, ' This is how a pick up is done'.
Down on the river bank esplande, there are a few bar's, maybe 2 or 3 that would cater for girl's. On Saturday night, I was reminded of western girl action in one of those bar's. Located about the centre of this half mile resort area is a bar called the '4th Floor'. This 4th Floor is just that, on the 4th floor of a pool/snooker complex, like a small version of Country Road, soi 19 Suk.
I was in this bar and other nearby bar's for 2 night's (closes around 11.30pm btw). The second night there were 4 or 5 Lao girl's working the customer's and rated these girl's around a 3 maybe 4 at top's. They were very small in stature and most Thai girl's would run ring's around them IMO.
Back to the white heifer's. Two western girl's from UK, not knocking UK btw, were the centre of attention with a large crowd of western male's from UK, US, OZ and maybe German or French (can't tell the difference). The bloke's were all over the heifer's, buying them drink's, dancing in front of them, wrestling each other, kissing each other, the thing bloke's do when they are boozed to the eyeball's. I was not interested in the Lao girl's and walked out around 10.30pm.
After I left the bar on Sat night, I casually strolled along the esplande and sure enough girl's were appearing on motor bike's, sometime's 1 girl per bike, 2 girl's per bike and the bike that stopped me had 3 girl's on board. Same bike's as LOS. They wanted me to take them to the disco at nearby Novatel Hotel. The girl's were going there anyhow, no doubt looking for customer's.
Girl's were just average, 20 to 25 old, small, spoke little English and were around a mark of 3, no more. They wanted 1000b ST each. I said, 'same as TG's', they said, 'yes same'. I said not interested and walked away, they never reduced the price. I was stopped by another single girl on a bike and the same price and look's. No thank's, I will wait till I get back to LOS. There were maybe 20 girl's or more riding up and down, just got to pick the one's that are working and not riding around for something to do.
This part of town has great little cafe's and restaurant's. Lao, Malay, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian and western food available and a bit cheaper than LOS. Eg, large pizza was around 70b. I took the receptionist from my hotel and her friend (girl) to lunch at a Malay/Lao/Indian restaurant on the esplande. Five main course's, 3 coke's and 3 plate's of flavoured rice came to around 600b and we chose the expensive food.
Overall I enjoyed myself in that area, even though I did not have a girl, don't have to get a girl all the time IMO to have a bit of fun. It's quiet, laid back, cool, right on the Mekong River and has a friendly atmosphere. I must add there are up-market restaurant's, hotel's and a couple of boat restaurant's in the area and cannot tell you anything about them. I could afford them quite easily, but wanted to feel the common touch.
Vientiane conclusion by me. A nice place to go, not over the top, friendly people creating the same atmosphere. I would go back, but will take a TG with me.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 8:01 pm on Aug. 7, 2006
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Mel Gibson
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I remeber getting a few too many un-friendly discourteous questions at those windows on the friendship bridge,,, FUKERS after all us Aussies paid for that fuken bridge.
I don't like Loas and be VERY carefull about their " corrupting a Loas citizen" laws,, gaol ( jail ) for sleeping with a hooker is the down side,,, at least 500 US dollars is up-side.
Give the place a miss.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 10:05 pm on Aug. 7, 2006
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barrafish
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Mel,
Have to go against you there mate, sorry. I found the Lao authorities and people helpfull and courteous, did not have a problem at all, and was treated like other people doing the same visa thing, can't ask more than that. You may have got a couple of people just having a bad hair cut day, it happen's.
Australia did build the bridge joining the 2 countries at great cost, many million's of $'s, cheap for Oz. I think it was a good achievement to build it in that region, very easy for the countries to conduct commerce.
Probably just like anywhere, keep your nose clean, have the antenna operating at all time's and be mindfull of the law's.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 9:06 pm on Aug. 8, 2006
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