Visiting Thailand Part 1 (There’s more to it than pad thai, elephants and ping pong shows)

“Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps.

The sleeper must awaken.”

- Frank Herbert

Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn) in Bangkok

This is going to be Part 1 of a Visiting Thailand series.  Let’s start with the obvious:

Part 1: Getting there and staying there (info on travel tickets, lodging, visas, the cash flow needed for survival)

• Flying into Bangkok

Traveling to Thailand isn’t as expensive as the majority thinks.  I have seen round-trip tickets from Los Angeles to Bangkok for as low as $550 after taxes.  And that didn’t take obsessive-compulsive monitoring of airfare prices online like you check your ex’s Facebook status updates.

Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline were definitely not the cheapest options.  Neither was going direct through an airline’s website.  This turned out to be the most expensive option.  Going directly to Southwest’s or Virgin America’s websites, however, usually turn out to be the cheapest when flying domestic within the United States.

I found an online travel agency, courtesy of Travel Zoo, that consistently brokers the cheapest flights to Bangkok from the States, One Travel (http://www.onetravel.com).

Backpacker central Khao San Road on a Sunday afternoon

When flying into Bangkok from another Southeast Asian country, there are a handful of budget airlines to choose from: Air Asia, Tiger Airways and Cebu Pacific are great budget-friendly options (If flying on an Asian airline isn’t your cup of noodle because of fear of quality, you shouldn’t be trotting around Southeast Asia to begin with.  Go visit the local mall instead or stick to watching National Geo).

Google search these airlines for price comparison and buy direct from the airline’s official Website…or through a travel agency if you plan to purchase with an American debit card, instead of a credit card.

Do keep in mind that plenty of Asian airlines don’t allow debit card purchases online due to rampant fraudulent activities.  But the rules might change in an instant so give it a shot if you prefer.

Just don’t panic and yell obscenities from your hotel room in Cambodia like I did when Air Asia declines your American or European debit card.  No you did not max it out on that last round of Tiger Beer (well, I hope you didn’t).  Most Asian airlines just don’t allow debit card purchases online.  Go to a ticketing office instead…or borrow your mom’s credit card with a solemn promise to pay her back like I did.

Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha), Bangkok

• Visas

Holders of American or EU passports don’t need visas to enter Thailand.  Neither do holders of other Southeast Asian passports like citizens of the Philippines, Vietnam or Singapore. If you plan to stay in Thailand for more than 30 days, you need to file an extension at the nearest immigration office in Thailand (1,900 Baht for a 30-day extension). See list of countries and visa requirements here.

Some countries that require Thai visas are able to get visas on arrival at the port of entry.  Certain countries however must apply at the Thai embassy from their own country of residence.  Check online as tourism laws in Thailand can change quickly.

There is a new law that states if you arrive into Thailand by land (coming in from your Angkor Wat tour in Cambodia, aka “wat’ing”, for example), you will be given 15 days to legally stay instead of the usual 30.

Thais would respond, "Mai bpen rai" or "Don't worry about it!"

• Coming up soon: lodging and cash info
  

Beer Lao: History of a “Half-Communist/Half-Monarchy”- owned Beer

The brochure needs some mild spell-checking but over all a nifty piece of work

I took the time to read the brochure handed out to me during my Beer Lao brewery tour. From information I am gathering off the brochure this moment, seems to me I wasn’t too tipsy in previously noting that Beer Lao could very well be my favorite Asian beer.

International Awards won by Beer Lao include:

• Gold Medal from the International Beer Competition in Japan 2008 (My past Asian beer brands of choice includes Japanese-owned Kirin, Asahi and Sapporo. And of course I can’t write about Asian beers and not mention my love for San Miguel Pale Pilsen and Red Horse from the Philippines.)
• Gold Medal from World Selection in Prague, Czech Republic 2006
• Gold Medal from World Selection in Brussels, Belgium 2003 (A country which I personally believe produces the BEST beer in the world, hands down. Cheers!)
• Golden Bowl of Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry 2005 (Since Beer Lao is half-owned by the communist government, this shouldn’t really be a bullet point here.  But as a quasi-journalist I have to report all I see when I’m not seeing double from drinking too much Beer Lao, right?).

Empty cans of Beer Lao ready for takeoff

50% of the company is owned by the government of Laos and the other half by Danish Carlsberg based in Copenhagen.  According to the brochure, Lao Brewery was founded in 1973 and a deal was made between the government and Carlsberg Breweries in 2005.

What started out as a production capacity of 3 million liters of this wonderful brew in ’73 grew into a capacity of 220 million liters last year.  This is almost a liter per person of the combined population of Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. *

LaneXang, another beer brand by Lao Brewery Co.

If you love beer, especially free ones straight off the brewery assembly line like I do,  talk to your tuk-tuk driver  in Vientiane.  Beer Lao does not post advertisements regarding tours of their factory but a simple walk-in along with my tuk-tuk driver was all it took.

The front desk staff was very accommodating.  The receptionist served myself and the tuk-tuk man a few bottles of free Beer Lao and LaneXang, another brand they brew and distribute.

After 2 rounds, a female employee dressed quite sharply showed us around the brewery which I found to be very clean and safety looked to be a priority.  I’m no expert on safety standards in beer factories (or safety in any sector for that matter.  I was walking aimlessly around an exotic Southeast Asian country just a few hours previously after all…) but I took notice of a clinic in the compound and the machinery looked new and modern.  All areas were definitely clean and one can tell the company is easily a source of pride for the government.

You can taste the quality in the product.  Beer Lao goes down extremely easy and has a fresh, crisp taste to it.

The brewery is located directly under the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge.  Cheers to friendship and a gold-medalist of a beer!

One thing to note though is drinking with your tuk-tuk driver is not always the best decision.  He was polite the entire time, don’t get me wrong, but the alcohol in his system was probably responsible in giving him the guts to ask me right before dropping me off my hotel,”Diana, do you want boom boom?”.

Beer, yes.  Boom boom, uh, no thank you.

+++

* Population rates as reported by LonelyPlanet.com (in millions of people):

87.8 – The Philippines

65  – Thailand

5.6 – Laos

15 – Cambodia

86 – Vietnam

Laos, Border-jumpers, 12 hour road trip….and the best beer in Asia

You get to enter his big fat mouth and check out the view of the entire park

Tourists are typically allowed to stay for 30 days in Thailand upon arrival by air, 2 weeks by land coming from Cambodia, and 30 days coming in by land from neighbor Laos.

As I was drawing close to my 30 days as a tourist in Thailand and was not really excited to pay 500 baht per day I overstayed, I had to do what is known here to falangs/farangs  (foreigners) as a “visa run”.  There are these companies that set up said visa runs for us falangs.  You either travel to Laos or Cambodia by land, then immediately re-enter Thailand (coming in from Cambodia) or stay for a night in Laos.  Picking Laos through these visa-run companies, you end up with a Thai tourist visa that allows you to stay another 60 days in the Land of Smiles.

These visa run companies set everything you need: they pick you up from your home, process your visas at the Thai/Laos or Thai/Cambodia border and hook you up at some 2 or 3 star hotel if you choose Laos…plus meals.  The cost ranges from US$100 to 250.

Buddha Park in Vientiane, Laos

Holders of other southeast Asian passports pay less because we don’t need visas to enter Laos or Cambodia.  That also saves up an extra page in our passports as Laos, I was told by a fellow visa-runner from England, uses 2 pages when issuing visas.  And when you are a professional border-jumper and nomad like myself, you need those passport pages like that statue above needs a mad amount of Kip (Laos’ currency) just to keep his manicure in tiptop shape!

Unfortunately, the Thai government recently changed the Cambodia visa run laws.  Falangs used to get 30-day extension when they do the red-tape fun process of visa-running via Cambodia (a MUCH shorter ride getting there too than faraway Laos). A very inconvenient new law, to say the least.

For what could very well be the a reason called money for the government, doing a visa run from nearby Cambodia nowadays will just get one a mere 15-day extension.  So Laos is the visa run paradise of choice for most falangs currently, myself included.

Pha That Luang in Vientiane, capital of Laos

The caveat?  A 12-hour car trip when coming from Pattaya or Bangkok.  Very fun indeed. ..if you like sitting in a cramped vehicle for that duration and enjoy convenience store food. The van that picked me up was comfortable enough however and they did stop at a few 7/11′s for some classy snacks and WC stops (Water Closets to you Americans).

Going through the Thai and Laos borders was a breeze, thank goodness.  You bypass the lines, the visa run company does all the paperwork for you and then the van drops you and all the other border-jumpers to your
hotel in the Laos capital of Vientiane (pronounced Viang Chan and means Sandalwood City.  I like giving away useless information).

a strip of European-inspired cafes and restos in Vientienne

Now most people familiar with Laos (I don’t know many from this lot) realize that the capital of Laos is not exactly the country’s prettiest jewel.  That would have to be historic Luang Prabang with its enigmatic Plains of Jars (some hours by land away) or another great way to enjoy Laos is to check out the very fun alcohol-induced activity called tubing in Van Vieng which, unfortunately, is also some hours away from the capital city.

With just one day and a night to stay in Laos, most visa-runners choose to stay inside their hotels and drink all the Beer Lao they can get their hands on.  A beer that is, by the way, that turned out to go down really easy and taste oh so fresh.  I could now probably say it is my favorite Asian beer.  Just don’t tell other Filipinos I said that.

Beer Lao FTW

We are very proud of our San Miguel and Red Horse beers very, very much, you see.  San Miguel, the most popular Filipino beer brand, has been around since 1890.  Yes, another useless piece of information again.  But, yes, we are proud of our local Pinoy beer for sure.

As I am not like most tourists (or most human beings for that matter) I decided to leave my hotel room and check out what so-called boring Vientiane had to offer anyway.

I did get a free tour of the Beer Lao brewery during my day trip (a separate post on that later).  Yes, Beer Lao is that special to me.

I found my tuk-tuk driver right outside this Euro-inspired structure

A tuk-tuk driver was waiting outside some temple as I was walking aimlessly about the very simple and rural-looking capital city (reminded me of Phnom Pehn, Cambodia). He offered his 3 to 4 hour driving services for 700 Baht.  That included an hour of driving to Buddha Park, Pha That Luang temple, a stop at the Beer Lao factory and a view of the Thai-Laos friendship bridge.  A very crappy looking bridge but, contrary to what some ex-boyfriends of mine believe, I do admire the concept of friendship and peace so I will post a picture of the bridge.

A US-Mexico Friendship border in the future for easy crossing? Probably not

The Buddha Park turned out to be a surprisingly enjoyable experience for me.  It is not large, probably less than the size of a football field (American football to you Europeans) but full of Gothic-styled statues, some of which about a hundred feet tall with some imposing war stance.

The style of the statues at the Buddha Park exponentially raised my interest in Lao culture.  The Gothic art and lack of over-commercialization of the country appealed to me very much.

Only 20 Baht entrance fee plus another 20 if you have a camera. Talk about cheap!

View of the entire Buddha Park on top of Big Mouth

Light rain was dampening my charm and style, so I left the park after taking some interesting photos and my tuk-tuk driver took me to a very beautiful temple called Pha That Luang. While admiring the architecture and walking around its perimeter, I felt like I was in some Arabian tale.  Or the Prince of Persia video game.

Enigmatic Pha That Luang

It's no Angkor Wat, but it still soothes the mind and eyes

Laos-inspired Street Fighter scene

Angkor Wat in Cambodia brought me to the Tomb Raider game in my head.  Seems to me these video game designers pick southeast Asia as their top choice for inspiration.  Sure enough after looking at my Laos photos back in Thailand, someone commented how the lying Buddha statue is straight out of the backdrop of a Street Fighter game.

Straight out of a Street Fighter scene!

A virgin sacrifice in Laos. Very impossible to accomplish in Pattaya for, er, lack of the necessary ingredients.

Next post…the Beer Lao Brewery tour and my tuk tuk driver’s indecent proposal.

Lao trip highlight, for sure