Please note: This content has been ported to the current blog. The dates concerned are as per the previous post (accounting for differences in time zones).
I’ve just completed a journey on the China-Laos Railway, or as it’s known in Laos itself, the Laos-China Railway. And yes, that very stamp — Laos-China Railway — is now forever affixed onto my 2018 Swiss passport, right on page 23!
Better yet, on the way out, it was also affixed onto the railway ticket. I didn’t mind — in fact, I would’ve personally affixed it a wee bit clearer, but oh well, better than nothing!
Interestingly, I was delayed for about 5 minutes at the border heading back into China. Problems with my Swiss passport? (Swiss citizens get 14 days in Laos visa-free, so I guess they wanted to check for the e-visa?) Or problems with my Chinese Green Card? (It’s a very rare card, I admit!…)
However, re-entry back to China was simple at both border checkpoints. I told Lao exit control staff, who asked me where I was in Laos, that I particularly loved Luang Prabang — a huge sigh of relief after three years of Zero Covid, where they threatened to trap you in supertowers in Beijing — and back in China, crew cleared my entrance pretty quickly.
Of course, at border crossings, there’s strictly no photography or videotaping, but I did see China Customs with some super high-tech gadgets as I made my way in. This part of Asia, alas, does have a drug trafficking problem, so it’s no surprise Customs are more than prepared.
With a trip to Hong Kong and Macau planned soon, I’m looking to get a few more stamps added to this booklet — which survived the horrors of Zero Covid!
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Posted at 22:16 (UTC+08:00) on 27 September 2023 in Beijing, China
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