A Journey from Chong Mek to Pakse

 

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!

at the Ubon to wait Border

At the Bangkok, people generally know some English, albeit not fluently. However, in the Thai town of Ubon, people hardly speak English. This isn’t because the region is poor or underdeveloped—it’s quite the opposite. The area is well-developed, but English is just not commonly spoken.

We took a bus from the airport to head to the town, but we hadn’t purchased a SIM card since it wasn’t really necessary for our trip to Laos. Without a SIM, we didn’t have a clear idea of where to go. On the bus, we decided to head to the city center and check out a shopping mall there. Along the way, the bus made a stop, and most of the passengers got off. We, however, stayed on.

Eventually, the bus brought us to the shopping mall near the city center. But to our surprise, the mall was closed. In Thailand, shops don’t open very early in the morning, although they stay open until late at night. This particular mall was set to open at 11:00 a.m., and it was only around 8:30 a.m. at that time.

So, we got off the bus and grabbed some duck rice from a small shop in front of the mall. The dish was essentially rice topped with a piece of duck meat. I found it delicious, but my friends didn’t seem too impressed.

Realizing there wasn’t much point in hanging around there, we decided to head back to the bus terminal to catch a bus to the Laos border. At the terminal, I saw a bus heading straight to Pakse in Laos. However, just as I stepped away to relieve myself, the bus started to leave. Seeing our bus take off, we had to run after it, yelling. But the driver paid us no attention and kept going. We ended up stranded in the middle of town, looking like fools.

Long-distance buses in Thailand, especially border buses, aren’t the kind where you can just hop on and pay for your ride. You must buy tickets from a counter at the terminal before boarding. Once all the ticket holders are seated, the bus won’t stop for anyone, even if a desperate group of foreigners is chasing after it. That’s how strict the system is, and that’s what happened to us.

Embarrassed but determined, we decided to try for the next bus. However, we soon realized another issue. We were three people, but there were only two tickets available for the next bus. The following bus was in five hours, and it wasn’t a direct ride to Pakse either—it would only take us to the Thai-Laos border. This shared "dolphin bus"(Shared Van)  was scheduled to leave at 10:30 a.m., and it was just 9:30 a.m. then.

With an hour to spare, we wandered around the bus terminal, checking out food stalls, souvenir shops, and other little attractions. We also passed the time observing people, reflecting on impermanence, and making the most of our situation before our next adventure.