04. The train car that is used as the immigration office to get an entrance or departure stamp in Laos

Based on advice from a fellow traveler, we decided to book an organized ticket all the way from the island of Don Det in Laos to Kratie in Cambodia via the border crossing at Voen Kham. This included a boat to the mainland, a deluxe mini bus to the border and an AC coach bus the rest of the way. Pretty much the only thing that was as advertised was the five minute boat ride.

After arriving on the mainland, we had to wait with dozens of other tourists heading all over Laos before boarding our cramped minivan for the hour trip to the border. Our first task was getting an exit stamp from an office located in an old train car. The stamp was supposed to be free but because it was a weekend the corrupt stamp-giving men decided that there was a $2 per person fee.

Next, we walked through a gate onto a 500 meters long road that was neither in Laos nor Cambodia. Why they couldn’t just put the two country’s offices next to each other we will never know. Anyway, once in Cambodia we had to get a visa on arrival from a dinky shack off to the side. Next, we walked to another shack to get our entry stamps.

06. Once a Laos exit stamp has been obtained, one must walk this 500 meter stretch of road in neither Laos nor Cambodia

It literally took three men to give us our stamps. One person checked the visa, another collected more corrupt money and a third one’s sole job was to make sure that the first guy had actually stamped the passport. Unreal. Finally, we had to fill out a health declaration form stating that, as always, we had no contact with swine flu. However, this time the guy at the health office asked for our immunization history cards…good thing I had ours in my bag.

In all our travels around the world, this is the first time anyone has ever asked for our cards. The best part…he just glanced at them and gave them back. No checking to make sure we had the proper shots or anything; I guess he just wanted to make sure we had them?

Finally a legal visitor to Cambodia, we found a bus waiting on the side of the road. After talking with other travelers heading to all parts of the country we determined that we were all supposed to get on, but there was no driver to confirm this for another half hour.

Shocker, the mystery bus had no AC and only took us as far as a nearby town before we had to wait for more than an hour for the travel agency staff to figure out where everyone was heading and put us on yet another hot and stuffy bus to conclude our journey. I would say I was shocked by all of this, but by now it is really just standard operating procedure.

To walk through the whole border crossing process, just click the first image then use the on-screen navigation to go through them all.

Getting a Thai exit stamp from the Chang Kong, Thailand, border office

Land border crossings vary from country to country. To get into Singapore and Malaysia we had to enter big buildings with lots of security and lines and have our bags screened by x-ray machines. Before entering Thailand we had to pass a health examination. And then there was Laos.

Six hours after leaving Chang Mai by bus, we arrived in the small border town of Chang Kong, located on the shores of the Mekong River. A quick tuk tuk ride later we were standing in a line to get our passport exit stamps from a small booth on the side of a dusty road. Once stamped, we headed down a hill to a dock area, bought a ticket from a tent for double what the locals pay and boarded a dinky wooden speed boat.

Once another dozen people got on board, the boat departed Thailand and made the two minute journey across the Mekong to the shores of Houayxai: the Laos border town. Some passengers had to step in shin-deep water to get off the boat. I jumped the few feet onto the shore and had Carrie pass our bags over. We walked up a small barely-paved road for around 25 feet before hitting the arrival section, which was nothing more than two small office windows and a few tables with benches to write on.

Laos visa on arrival

Unlike other countries where you must have your visa before leaving home, Laos offers visas on arrival. For $35 per person, payable in US dollars or Thai Bhat (for a $10 surcharge), the Laos government gives you the legal right to stay in the country for 30 days without leaving (aka, a single-entry visa). Want to go check out another country and come back? Another $35 please.

We filled out the forms, provided the passport photos that we’ve been carrying around since NYC, paid the cashier and moved onto the adjacent window for a passport stamp. With all paperwork taken care of, all that was left to do was finish walking up the small hill, show the one police officer at a guard post that we had our stamps and visas and enter Houayxai.

Carrie and I were joking that we couldn’t imagine a border anywhere with one single guard. What happens if someone runs by? Do they chase after him/her and leave the border unguarded? Do they just shrug their shoulders and say meh? Who knows!

Carrie walks into the Thailand section of the border

With our new friends Claire and Karen in tow, Carrie and I left the Perhentian Islands in Malaysia at 7:30am to head to Koh Phangan, Thailand, for the Full Moon Party. Referred to as the best and biggest party in the world, we had based our entire schedule for Malaysia and Singapore around getting to the party. It was something that we just had to experience. Little did we know that getting there would be an experience all in itself.

Our day began with a quick boat “taxi” to the speedboat ferry that would take us from the Perhentians back to the mainland. From there we hired a proper taxi to take the four of us to the Thailand border at Sungai Kolok. Getting our passport stamped to leave Malaysia was quick and painless. Getting into Thailand was not.

Checking to make sure no on has swine flu before entering Thailand

First we had to undergo a health check, which involved filing out a form swearing that we had no swine flu symptoms and getting our temperature checked. After mine came out at 36.7 degrees Celsius the nurse showed it to me and said, “very close.” I freaked out a bit until I saw the sign that said 38 was the minimum for concern. What was she scaring me for?!

Next we had to wait on a long and hot line to get our passports stamped with our Thai visas. While waiting, a money changer approached me and tried to give me a terrible exchange rate. As everything does, it turned into a little scene that ended with me refusing to give him my money.

The encounter did have a positive effect though, as Reuben, a Spaniard traveling alone and standing behind me in the line, asked me why I didn’t want to change money with that guy. We continued to talk about traveling and soon established that he too was going to the party without pre-booked accommodation. And just like that we had a fifth member of our crew.

The full moon gang (from the left: Claire, Karen, Reuben, Carrie and Me)

After successfully getting through the border check and entering Thailand we found that the train station we needed for the next leg of our journey was about 4 kilometers away. There were no car taxis anywhere so we had no choice but to all hop on the back of motorcycle taxis with our big bags. For ten minutes we caravanned through the streets of Sungai Kolok: waving, hooting and hollering at each other. Depending on whom you ask it was either a fun or terrifying experience; Claire said she had never been more scared in her life!

Safely arriving at the train station and buying our tickets to Surat Thani, we joined a train full of other Western travelers heading to the same place. The ride was long, dusty, hot and highly entertaining. Reuben was sitting next to a Thai who was drinking beer for 10 hours straight. Karen and Claire drank whisky with a Thai police officer in the food car. Carrie and I met an army officer who loves scuba diving as much as we do. Good times were had by all.

The sleeping quarters on board the overnight ferry to Koh Phangan

We finally arrived at Surat Thani at around 9pm and quickly started looking for cabs to take us to the boat dock. However, we had somehow picked up a straggler (we’ll call him San Diego because that’s where he’s from and I don’t know his name) who invited himself into our group to try and save money on the cab. He alternated between making sure to latch onto us and trying to find his own cheap deal. In the end he tagged along with us, which made us need two cabs instead of one and we all had to pay an extra 10 bhat for helping him. No problem, I would hope the same would happen to me in that situation.

The boat, which doubled as a cargo ship filled with food, beer and other dry goods, wound up costing double the normal price due to the party. The inside was lined with mattresses both on the floor and elevated in the aisles. Everyone had an assigned spot, though we did have to kick a few sleeping locals out of our beds after playing cards until nearly 1am. It took a while, but we all finally fell asleep to the rocking of the sea.

We made it!

Arriving at 5:30am, we were awoken by the sounds of the ship’s horns and countless taxi drivers on the jetty shouting “good morning! You want taxi? Where you go?” through the boat’s windows. Still groggy, we had no choice but to enter the taxi gauntlet waiting for us and try and figure out where we were headed. Not surprisingly, it was at this point that San Diego reappeared after being MIA all night and tagged along with us. Our destination: a hotel with a room big enough for six.

The epilogue to the story is that Claire’s place didn’t work out but we did find a wonderful AC room that we could cram the original five into. San Diego had been both trying to find his own place and make sure to stick with us all morning just in case, so we were a-ok with him doing his own thing. We even helped find him a cheap single room, but were completely done with him. Finally, at around 8:30am we all plopped into our beds and passed out.

Final tally
1 train ride
1 motorcycle taxi
3 car taxis
3 boats
26 hours of travel

Views from the back of our motorcycle taxi to the train station

The scene on the dock when our boat arrived at the full moon party at 530am