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Bangkok to Brighton by tuk tuk: Crossing from Thailand to Laos Saturday 3rd June 2006: Setta Palace Hotel, Vientiane Ants writes... "Yesterday Jo, Ting Tong and I tukked over the Friendship Bridge linking Thailand and Laos and breathed a collective sigh of relief. Ever since we arrived in Thailand two weeks ago crossing into Laos has been our biggest perceived obstacle. We’d heard from a number of sources that Thai registered vehicles had been banned from crossing the Friendship Bridge and there was also uncertainty as to whether you needed a carnet de passage to bring vehicles into the country. The consensus was that a carnet was unnecessary - they are very expensive and complicated to arrange so we had long ago decided against getting one - but we had heard from a few overlanders that life would be much easier if we had one. So it was with baited breath and butterflies in our stomachs that we eased down the gears and drove up to the border yesterday afternoon.  Jo has been in charge of organizing all the paperwork for Thailand, Laos and China, so as she disappeared into the ominous sounding ‘Room 6’ at Laos customs, I selected Leftfield on my iPod and nervously waited. Leftfield was shortlived, however, as a bevy of Tourist Police, customs officials and bypassers were soon crowded round Ting Tong. ‘Where are you from?’, ‘Where are you going?’ ‘How much was your tuk tuk?’ - all the usual questions were fired at me. And then the familiar raised eyebrows and looks of ‘Are you crazy?’ upon learning of our destination. One lady spoke very good English and warned me that Route 13 is very mountainous and that we should avoid driving at night due to the Hmong rebels in the north. All things we have been told before. More interesting was her revelation that there is only one psychiatrist in the whole of Laos and that depression doesn’t really exist here. After about an hour Jo emerged triumphantly; we had been granted special permission to enter Laos, but had to wait until Monday in Vientiane in order to get permission to enter the other provinces. It seems that the Thai press cuttings Jo had showed the Laos immigration had worked their magic and rather than facing an unpleasant diversion, all we had to do was endure a weekend of city arrest in the Laos capital. Not exactly a hardship. We hadn’t even thought about where we were going to stay in Vientiane, so we glanced through the accommodation options in the Laos Lonely Planet where our eyes quickly fell upon the ‘Top End’ section. Overjoyed at being allowed across the border, we decided to celebrate and head straight for the best joint in town, The Setta Palace Hotel. Off we tukked, realizing as we turned off the bridge that they drive on the wrong side of the road here. Not until England will we drive on the left again. Crossing borders is a strange experience. How in the course of a few hundred metres everything can be so different? Language, faces, roads, food, smells. We had got used to the rampant westernization that has invaded Thailand, where the roads are nearly perfect, the cars new and shopping malls litter the roadsides. Yet the instant we crossed the mighty Mekong into Laos, the cars got more battered, the tarmac more potholed and the driving more chaotic. On Monday morning we head north up the (slightly) dreaded Route 13, stopping at Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang and Luang Nam Tha en route to the Chinese border at Boten."  Jo writes...
"I will now back track to recap on the past few days. We left Phimai and its historical park (containing a Khmer temple that predates Angkor Wat) and headed for Khon Kaen. The drive passed without problems and we tukked up at our hotel. Ting Tong has us wrapped around her little wing mirrors and after unloading her we got her ready for bed i.e. unrolled her rain covers and put on her silver nightie (tuk tuk cover).  Why are Ants and Jo undertaking this crazy trip?The girls are completing the 12,000 mile journey from Bangkok to Brighton in an attempt to raise £50,000 for the mental health charity Mind. Here at gapyear.com, we fully support their efforts and wish them the best of luck in their challenge. We'd also ask that anyone who has a spare few pennies sponsors Ants and Jo, as it really is a fantastic cause. Click here >> for the full story More about Mind  Mental health problems can affect anyone, rich or poor, young or old, shattering the lives of those affected and the lives of the people close to them. One in four of us will experience a mental health problem at some point in our lives. Each year more than 250,000 people are admitted to psychiatric hospitals and over 4,000 people take their own lives. Mind is the leading mental health charity in England and Wales working to create a better life for everyone with experience of mental distress. Click here >> for an interview with Ants and Jo Click here >> to sponsor them now - every penny counts... Click here >> for Ants and Jo's website Click here >> to find out more about Mind Click here >> for more fundraising information |
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Our night out in Khon Kaen was a little bizarre. We went out for a meal and decided on a street stall. We were all given a plate of spicy salad which was flavoursome, but ultimately unsatisfying. We then went to a restaurant complete with a live band. Musically they were good, but they chose to sing a collection of old Country and Western songs, which Dad found quite odd. The band ended and then came a couple of Thai comedians. I didn’t understand a word, but still found them funny. They called us farangs (foreigners) and said a joke that made everyone who spoke Thai laugh - I think the joke was probably on us. 
Immediately in Laos one knew that we were in a different country. There were pot holes galore for me to try and navigate around and I realized that Laos would be far more challenging to drive through than Thailand. I had already read about the hotel where we are staying and it was in my fantasy list. Ants and I decided to split the cost between our personal credit cards and indulge ourselves for the weekend, as we cannot leave Vientiane until receiving permits from the authorities on Monday. After a hectic couple of weeks, including a week of successful driving and Ants still recovering after her illness, we felt it was both justifiable and deserved.
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