A new experience.
Crossing the border by land... in this case, river. All the borders I
crossed before were in an airport. So I was curious this time. Upon
arriving at the border post on the Mekong River, I didn't know what
to do. But everything was easy. Passport delivered, red tape filled
and a stamp on the passport. I was officially out of Thailand. I
went down to the river and took a long and slender boat that were
waiting for passengers.
At the sound of the engine, We were set off to a new country. It was a strange feeling. The crossing of a no-man's-land filled with water. Whenever I pass a river, I hope to find the same city. In this case too i felt same, only the flag told me that it was another country.
Once I set my foot on the other side, I felt it was different. Something subtle. I walked a little towards the border post. I was greeted with broad smiles and introduced to the red tape needed to enter a country. One question was impossible to answer: "where would you be staying?" It should have been easy, but from the beginning of my travel, it had been a normal thing for me not to have a prior booking. In this case, I didn't even know which city I would be at that night. I asked him if it was a must to fill that part. He said: “it is not important”. With everything sorted, it's time to pay for the visa ...
"What? Not Euros? "
"No Euro ... Dollars " he answers me. I check how much cash I have and it isn't enough. I look around, trying to find a solution. I notice that the exchange office is closed:
"When does it open?"
"2 P.M." he answers ... this means I would have to spend the night there. A delay in the trip that I did not feel like doing
"Other place?" I asked with almost no hope of a solution. I say ‘almost’ because of the optimistic person i am. I had to find solution to the “impossible-to-solve” riddle: "No money, no visa. No visa, no money... "
"Yes ... ATM ... end of the road. "answers me with a friendly smile. "You can go to the ATM ..."
I couldn't believe. With that response, the riddle became an “impossible-to-solve-unless-in-Laos” one. That was my first experience of entering Laos. Without a visa, disoriented and looking for an ATM. A strange feeling of illegality and into a country that seemed different from what I had experienced so far..
At the sound of the engine, We were set off to a new country. It was a strange feeling. The crossing of a no-man's-land filled with water. Whenever I pass a river, I hope to find the same city. In this case too i felt same, only the flag told me that it was another country.
Once I set my foot on the other side, I felt it was different. Something subtle. I walked a little towards the border post. I was greeted with broad smiles and introduced to the red tape needed to enter a country. One question was impossible to answer: "where would you be staying?" It should have been easy, but from the beginning of my travel, it had been a normal thing for me not to have a prior booking. In this case, I didn't even know which city I would be at that night. I asked him if it was a must to fill that part. He said: “it is not important”. With everything sorted, it's time to pay for the visa ...
"What? Not Euros? "
"No Euro ... Dollars " he answers me. I check how much cash I have and it isn't enough. I look around, trying to find a solution. I notice that the exchange office is closed:
"When does it open?"
"2 P.M." he answers ... this means I would have to spend the night there. A delay in the trip that I did not feel like doing
"Other place?" I asked with almost no hope of a solution. I say ‘almost’ because of the optimistic person i am. I had to find solution to the “impossible-to-solve” riddle: "No money, no visa. No visa, no money... "
"Yes ... ATM ... end of the road. "answers me with a friendly smile. "You can go to the ATM ..."
I couldn't believe. With that response, the riddle became an “impossible-to-solve-unless-in-Laos” one. That was my first experience of entering Laos. Without a visa, disoriented and looking for an ATM. A strange feeling of illegality and into a country that seemed different from what I had experienced so far..
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