We were planning to enter Laos through a land border, specifically the only land border between Laos and Thailand. The other borders are separated by the Mekong River, crossed via bridges. On the Thai side, our shared taxi took us to a place called Chong Mek, which corresponds to a place called Vang Tao on the Laos side.
When we boarded the van, we weren’t entirely sure if it would take us all the way to Pakse or just to the border. After about an hour of riding, half asleep, we arrived at Chong Mek, where everyone disembarked, so we got off too. From there, we had to pay a bit extra for a small taxi to take us to the border checkpoint. In most Asian countries, taxis on both sides of the land border, and even inside the border areas, tend to overcharge, which we found to be true here as well. We finally crossed the Thai border and walked to the Laos border.
As we had read earlier, we had to pay for our visas in US dollars at the Laos border. Additionally, we had to pay an extra fee for photographs, which we didn’t know beforehand. The cost of a photo was around 100 Thai Baht, approximately 900 Sri Lankan Rupees. Sri Lankans are eligible for a visa-on-arrival in Laos, and the visa fee is $40. Paying in dollars is advantageous because paying in Thai Baht would have been more expensive, as we had read, and this turned out to be true.
Crossing the border directly from Ubon to Pakse by bus would have been easier. Unfortunately, we missed the bus, so we had to go through some hassle.
As soon as we reached the Laos side, a taxi driver approached us, quoting 200 Baht to take us to Pakse from the Thai border. I didn’t take the offer and politely declined. After walking a bit further, we exchanged some Baht for Laos Kip, as we thought we might need it quickly. The Laos Kip is denominated in thousands and millions. One US dollar equals about 24,000 Kip, so we exchanged around 2,000 Baht at the border. Then, we walked further ahead.
The vehicles in Laos drive on the opposite side of the road compared to Thailand. Drivers’ seats are also on the opposite side, which was a unique experience for me. After asking around at a few places, we confirmed that the cost of a shared taxi from the border to Pakse was 200 Baht. We finally managed to find a van driver willing to take us.
Once we entered Laos, right near the border, there was a grand pagoda painted in gold. It was a fascinating structure with the name of a senior monk written there, possibly the head monk. There was also a police and military presence around.
Nearby, we noticed a market selling beer, which was surprisingly cheap. For about 250 Sri Lankan Rupees, you could get a 500 ml beer can. I didn’t see any strong beer options, mostly lagers.
After having a beer, we set off from the Vang Tao border towards Pakse. The natural surroundings, trees, and animals looked just like in Sri Lanka, with no major differences. However, the architecture was distinct. The women in Laos are very beautiful, even more so than in Thailand. The women in southern Laos, being closer to Cambodia, share some of the delicate features of Cambodian women. Additionally, overweight individuals are rare in Pakse or southern Laos.
When we finally reached Pakse, we got off at an intersection. Or rather, we were told to get off, but we didn’t really understand the language. So even the basic instruction to "get off" was something the driver couldn’t convey!
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