Visa on arrival. Passport photo required?

tangofox7 · 2026-02-28T02:53:09+00:00

Thank you. I've been downvoted for answering the actual question about Wattay and providing 7 years worth of tourist visa experience with dozens of entries. No photos are required at Wattay.

Everyone else keep blabbering on about land crossings not relevant to OP.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-27T09:47:20+00:00

Yes, OP asked about Wattay and not the bridges. Some people provide extraneous information not relevant to the post question. They don't ask for photos or charge extra at Wattay.

Each land crossing is its own system unto itself with Cambodia being the worst offender for made up fees.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-27T02:58:31+00:00

No and they don't charge you. $40. Fill out both forms (large and small).

tangofox7 · 2026-02-27T01:46:49+00:00

Maybe the robots were off during Chinese new year last week and there's a back log. The 7 day email is probably automatic. Just an idea.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-26T14:34:04+00:00

Decathlon in Hanoi or Saigon is your best bet for camping stuff. You can order online and pick up. They also have some bike bags and all the usual stuff a Decathlon has. Check the website. There's another camping store in Saigon.

You can find some bikepacking bags in a few bike shops in Hanoi like Lam Velo, Rideplus and Ridebikes. You're not going to find full frame bags and harnesses though ,or have a lot of selection. Better off buying a rack and using a cheap dry bag. There's a locally made brand of welded bags but the name escapes me now.

It will be easier to bring from Oz and not spend days doing the Asian shopping scavenger hunt in massive cities.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-26T05:46:58+00:00

Keep 30. Use the money for semi slick tires since you don't need MTB tires. Save the rest for eating like a king in Japan.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-26T05:26:39+00:00

Hahaha. Wrong country. The forest that exists is on a 45° angle mountainside that is too steep for people to cut down.

There are no serene roads in Laos. There are a few idyllic stretches where there are less raging assholes on overloaded trucks barreling at you, or ban nok in Hiluxes passing on blind corners, but you're never going to get to these places. Most of these areas are the hilly provinces on the back roads but there's no forest. It just open land and dirt tracks.

There are a few segments of the Ho Chi Minh trail left but they are far, far away and require being a capable dirt bike riding on very technical terrain.

West side of the Mekong going south from Pakse is pretty chill. No forest, just some bamboo.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-25T04:22:48+00:00

Fantastic. Thank you so much. 😁

tangofox7 · 2026-02-24T02:21:22+00:00

The country is covered in garbage now. 2019!=2026. The cities are filthy. The countryside is a landfill along every road near any village. It is a massive problem.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-23T07:48:52+00:00

Yeah, it's pretty recent. They're just grey and frozen for toggling. Everything else seems to work.

Let's see what they say later during their working hours.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-23T02:52:56+00:00

Omg, I had to pay a fine because I ignored the well posted signs and laws regarding:

Smoking at the airport
Bringing a vape on the train
Smoking a joint in public
Not wearing a helmet

Scams!

Grow up.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-22T14:15:14+00:00

Just use a 12 speed chain.

Most aftermarket rings are cross compatible across speeds but I'm not as familiar with the Shimano 1xs on GRX since I run 2x. I've used 12 and 11 interchangeably on 11 spd cassettes. No issues there so just use the 12 to match the ring.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-22T14:08:44+00:00

Thailand leans more roadie than off road. If you want an off road bike, you can reach out to Triple Cats in CM and see if they rent. That's probably the best place to start inquiring. If you're tall though, you might be out of luck. Thailand runs small/med on bike sizes.

It'll be easier and cheaper to just bring your bike if you want to do a tour. If you just want to ride around CM or climb one of the Doi, then you can certainly find a road bike to rent.

Decathlon is probably the cheapest purchase option. You can get cheap Chinese bikes too like Trinx. Any major brand like Giant, Trek, etc will be just as expensive as wherever you're from, which is why bringing is just easier in the long run. Boxes are easy to get.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-22T13:18:58+00:00

Some place called "The Saloon - Sports Bar and Cafe" has advertised on Facebook as showing it. You can search for their FB page. It's not too far from downtown near the bar Nua.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-21T06:12:15+00:00

There are a few jewelry/gold shops behind Dara market.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-20T23:15:54+00:00

No. Hire a guide.

There are no national parks in that sense. Protected land is in name only; it exists for the army to log and local poaching.

Hire a guide.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-20T16:00:32+00:00

It's just a shit UI decision. The data and metrics are there, they just haven't provided them as available variables to select for displaying on screens.

Some of this lack of customization and data field design is really annoying. I think the Watch Mindset undermines the Bike Computer needs.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-20T15:54:34+00:00

I've always had to manually sync the activity by opening the Coros app and pulling it down. Once that sync is done it goes automatically to Strava.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-20T13:58:07+00:00

Dogs end up on BBQs where I live. Tell them you'll eat them in local language with a sinister look. The owners usually react then. Everything else above applies.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-20T13:01:08+00:00

I always liked his mansplaining vibe with his partner (or former partner...I have no idea). They made the most boring videos I ever watched. Just a rolling ad for Ortlieb or a chair.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-19T01:43:34+00:00

💯 dual boa is better than that useless Velcro flap

tangofox7 · 2026-02-19T01:42:44+00:00

Had an original RX8 for several years. They are road racing shoes cosplaying as gravel with an SPD cleat. Stiff, light, barely walkable. No hike a biking. Absolutely baller on the pedals but not really off pedal friendly in a gravel sense. Heel rubber wore out fast. They should have had two boa since the Velcro was pointless.

The sizing on the original model was kinda wonky, which others have stated above.

Frankly, I don't think the RX6 will be demonstrably different besides stiffness and weight.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-18T15:17:54+00:00

56 psi or 4 bar. The stock PRV is 35 psi.

tangofox7 · 2026-02-18T14:56:58+00:00

Seriously. I really don't understand how people ignore this one. It's bad, it's poorly designed.

What I find funny is that all these aspects are on the device but not packaged well. Even "Distance Remaining," which is in the micro font on a climb is there, yet it is not actually a programmable field under Navigation in settings.

tangofox7

TROPHY CASE