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I’m A-Lao’d in Laos

Sunday, April 29th, 2007

My passport was returned yesterday with my Laos visa inside so I am officially allowed in the country. I don’t leave till Tuesday morning so it is going to be one last night of partying in Thailand. Tuesday, or May 1st is Labor Day here and it is celebrated in much of the same fashion as the United States. A day off with nothing important to do except relax and eat.

The weather has been strange lately. South East Asia is entering the monsoon season so the winds pick up at night and the rain comes on strong and sudden. The temperature in Chiang Mai the last few days has exceeded 100 degrees topping out at 107. I laid out in the sun today for no more than 20 minutes and I am red. The weather in Laos is supposed to be a bit milder but probably not much.

I will probably report back once I arrive in Laos. The journey will take a full 2 days of travel by bus and slow boat on the Mekong River. I have to stay one night in a small trading village along the banks of the river before continuing on to the main city.

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Government Formalities

Wednesday, April 25th, 2007

Well, I am in Chiang Mai now once again and staying at one of my favorite guest houses so far on the trip. Nuan Pranee House. Great staff and they have been really helpful and the rooms are awesome. My plan was to head to Laos tomorrow but due to poor planning on my part I need a few more days here. U.S. citizens are granted a 15 day visa on arrival to Laos for around $20. The problem is that I need a 30 day visa. I knew this before I started my trip but I guess over time with other things on my mind I let that small fact slide out of memory. So, now I have to go through the red tape. I am sending my passport to Bangkok tomorrow morning and it should take 3 full days so on Saturday I will have my passport stamped with a 30 day Laos visa and can make my way north. I would have preferred to do this in Bangkok so that I just left my passport at the Lao embassy rather than mailing it off but the agency I am using for the visa is responsible if anything happens to it.

I can think of worse places to be stuck for an additional few days and this sticks to the pattern of the rest of my time in Thailand. I may look into some excursions outside of Chiang Mai for the weekend and I will probably be leaving on Monday now. This gives me plenty of time to read up on my Laos book. There is a great night market here that I can use to get any last minute items since it will be much more difficult to find once I’m across the border. Luckily the Lao language is very similar to Thai so I can use most of the stuff I have learned. The numbers are all the same so I can proudly say that I can count to 100 in both Thai and Lao now. For the next few days I don’t foresee any major updates so maybe check back early next week or over the weekend.

Posted in Thailand | 1 Comment »

I’m heading home

Sunday, April 22nd, 2007
After another week in Bangkok for reasons explained at a later time I am heading home. It has been a great trip so far but sometimes you just have to go back to where you come from. Fortunately, ... [Continue reading this entry]

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Songkran – Thai New Year

Tuesday, April 17th, 2007
So my days in Pattaya are over. With the end of Songkran also comes my return to Bangkok to start putting serious consideration into the final portion of my trip. I don't know if I will make it ... [Continue reading this entry]

Posted in Thailand | 1 Comment »

Update

Monday, April 16th, 2007
Just updating to let everyone know there is no update. I will update a real update as soon as I can. I have some pictures from Songkran water festival. Hold tight. In Bangkok now.

Posted in Thailand | 1 Comment »

Good guys go to heaven, bad guys go to Pattaya

Monday, April 9th, 2007
Last Thursday I had met a couple of girls who are teaching in Bangkok but originally from the Philippines. We went out for drinks and realized we both had plans to head down to Pattaya this week. They ... [Continue reading this entry]

Posted in Photos, Thailand | 2 Comments »

Kaosan Tuk Tuk drivers are annoying

Wednesday, April 4th, 2007
I have rarely lost my temper with locals during any of my travels so far. In fact, today I was a bit shocked and disappointed in hearing a farang (foreigner in Thai) argue with the hotel staff at the ... [Continue reading this entry]

Posted in Thailand | 4 Comments »

Beware the beginnings, the ides, and the ends of March

Tuesday, March 27th, 2007
(...continued from previous post) Around 9pm all hell broke lose. I really want to spare details because it seems like for the last month I have had 10 bad things to talk about for every 1 or 2 good experiences. ... [Continue reading this entry]

Posted in Thailand | 1 Comment »

Temples, elephants and waterfalls, oh my

Tuesday, March 27th, 2007
The day after the wedding which would be last Friday the group headed outside of Chiang Mai to visit Doi Suthep which is a very important Buddhist temple high in the mountains. It sits atop Thailand's highest peak at ... [Continue reading this entry]

Posted in Photos, Thailand | 1 Comment »

Thai’ing the knot

Saturday, March 24th, 2007
I am back in full form and as active as I have been since February it seems. The last 3 days have been hectic but really fun. I will start with the wedding and then maybe post tomorrow ... [Continue reading this entry]

Posted in Photos, Thailand | 1 Comment »

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