Flight Bangkok – Udon Thani
Thai Airways
Thai Airways has 3 daily flights from Bangok (Don Muang) to Udon Thani:
9:25 - 10:30
13:20 - 14:25
18:00 - 19:05
The schedule for the return flight is:
11:10 - 12:10
15:05 - 16:05
19:50 - 20:50
I bought my ticket at Don Muang airport the day of the flight and paid 2100 THB. Today, their website quoted me 2300 THB (to Udon Thani) and 2250 THB (to Bangkok) for advance reservations with random dates.
http://www.thaiairways.com
Nok Air
Nok Air has 3-4 daily departures from Bangkok (Don Muang) to Udon Thani:
6:00 - 7:05 - Daily
12:20 - 13:25 - Daily
16:40 - 17:45 - Daily
19:45 - 20:50 - Mon-Thu-Fri-Sun
The schedule for the return flight is:
7:35 - 8:35 - Daily
13:55 - 14:55 - Daily
18:15 - 19:15 - Daily
21:20 - 22:20 - Mon-Thu-Fri-Sun
When I enquired about ticket prices at Don Muang airport an hour before the flight, the price was 2250 THB. Today, their website quoted me 1690 THB (to Udon Thani) and 1640 THB (to Bangkok) for reservations with the same dates.
http://www.nokair.com
Air Asia
Air Asia flies daily from Bangok (Suvarnabhumi) to Udon Thani:
16:15 - 17:15
The return flight is:
17:40 - 18:40
Today, their website quoted me 870,98 THB (to Udon Thani) and 817,48 THB (to Bangkok) for reservations with the same dates. Air Asia being Air Asia, they charge 30 THB extra per item of checked in luggage. They charge 80 THB per kilo for excess luggage (over 15 kg)...
http://www.airasia.com
Udon Thani - Vientiane
From Udon Thani airport, there are minivans directly to the Friendship Bridge for 150 THB.
The bus over the Friendship Bridge costs 15 THB.
The taxi mafia awaits you on the Lao side of the bridge. I shared a tuk-tuk with a French couple. They hastily agreed to pay 250 THB. My share was 100 THB.
Bus Nong Khai - Bangkok
Heading back to Bangkok, I elected to go by bus. From the Friendship Bridge, you can catch a song taew (baht bus) to the bus station in Nong Khai (30 THB). I bought a ticket for the first available bus to Bangkok (2nd class A/C; 370 THB). The journey took over 11 hours, with stops at all the major bus stations along the way.
Visa on Arrival
Lao visas on arrival are available at international airports and most land crossings, including the Friendship Bridge. They cost 30 USD for most nationalities and are valid for 30 days. If you’re not holding the correct currency, visiting the currency exchange booth at the border should work out cheaper than paying 1300 THB.
I was also charged an “Entrance fee for foreigners carrying a passport”. Since it was only 10 THB, I didn’t bother challenging this ridiculous charge.
Accommodation
Lao-Paris Hotel
Address
- Thanon Samsenthai 100
The Lao-Paris hotel has 3 types of rooms. The smallest rooms cost 700 THB. The biggest rooms are equipped with a PC and cost 1100 THB. My room was 900 THB.
All rooms feature A/C, hot water, TV and an empty fridge. Wireless Internet is available, but is terribly slow. At hotel reception, PCs with faster Internet access are available free of charge for hotel guests.
Of course, the hotel is perfectly guest-friendly. They’ll even let your girl park her motorbike inside.
SIM Card
There are no formalities to buy a Lao SIM card. I bought a TIGO card for 50.000 LAK, which included 10.000 LAK phone credit.
ATM Machines
I withdrew sufficient THB at a Thai ATM at the border before entering Laos and exchanged THB into LAK as necessary.
I didn’t need to use an ATM machine, but Vientiane seemed littered with them. Apparently, they accept both debit and credit cards and dispense up to 700.000 LAK per transaction, with a maximum of 10 withdrawals per day.
Of course, pussy is priced in THB. Hotel room rates are in THB or USD. Not holding the correct currency means you’re liable to get screwed on the exchange rate. Mongers are advised to carry plenty of THB!
Loso