Visa Run, Or How I Visited 3 Countries In 1 Day

My visa actually expired on the 4th, but since I was out in the mountains I couldn't get to the border too easily. That being said, I had to go to the border as soon as I returned from the village. No rest for the weary. Normally there are vans that go to the border every day just for tourists who want to extend their visas. However, the visa extensions lately have been for 15 days instead of 30 as it was before. With the shorter visas there have been a lot less tourists and less vans going to the border for that sole purpose. So, I ended up going on a tour of North Thailand just so I could get my visa extended. At first I was annoyed, but looking back I am really glad that I was able to do the tour.

Here are some of the highlights:

The White Temple --- typically Buddhist temples are gold, so this one is quite a rarity.

 This was taken from a boat in the Mekong River as we journeyed to Laos. This is the Thailand side and as you can see Buddha's boat has been run aground. Once the rainy season begins, it will appear as though the boat is floating on the water.

Animal whiskey is apparently popular in Laos (?). I'm not completely sure of that though. Anyway, it was one of the popular items for sale on the Golden Triangle (the place where Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand meet).

I think this is self-explanatory.

The only picture I took in Myanmar. I was there for a grand total of 20 minutes--just long enough to get fined! (for my visa being expired)