Thanks Ludwig for such an informative post! Will be keeping it all in mind, we leave tomorrow!
Ting
Hi all
I am living in Chengdu at the moment, planning on getting to Kunming next week so I can get a bus to Ventiane for a good ol' visa run. I have been reading threads here and on the Thorntree forum about the bus station shifting and different prices quotes - as the information is not so current, I was wondering if anyone here had any up to date information to aid this traveller along.
I plan on taking the train from Chengdu to Kunming - I am under the impression that there are two train stations in Kunming (correct me if I am wrong) as there are 2 options on the ticketing website - which one should I be getting to so I can best get to the bus station for Laos (I think there is a Kunming Station and a Kunming East Station?)
The information I have gathered indicates that I should catch bus 154 to the Xin Nan Bu (Southern) bus station and that the ride takes 90 minutes (?!) Seems a bit out of the way for a regional bus station, but I guess that is the price of modernising and I hear its a ploy for unlicensced taxis to make a cut - anyway, wondering if this is still the case.
Does the bus to Ventiane run daily? Will I be able to buy a ticket on the same day of depature (my partner needs to get out of China before his visa expires). If so does anyone have a current price and time of depature - word on the street is about RMB486 and it leaves around 5pm or 6:30pm takes a whopping 40 hours (hopefully this has changed since 2011 ?)
I also hear differing accounts about the Laos visa on arrival, some say RMB is accepted others say you MUST bring US$ - can anyone confirm this (or is it up to the mood of the immigration officer?) Also wondering if we need passport photos, my partner who was there 4 years ago laughed when I said we need photos as it wasn't required for a visa then, but things always change.
Also wondering if changing money at the China Laos border is a good idea, have heard that you can't change once you get into Ventiane (but then that doesn't sound too convincing - surely city money changers are more reputable).
If anyone can answer any or all of these long winded questions, I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks in advance
Ting
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