April the eighth, 1992 was a memorable day, no doubt about it. It’s not every day that the President of Laos, the King of Thailand and the Prime Minister of Australia get together to make history.

But it’s amazing how quickly such a milestone can become accepted into the consciousness. In three years, the significance of that day has become a part of everyday life.

The event, of course, was the opening of the Friendship Bridge, the first land link in history between Thailand and Laos. In one stroke the two halves of Southeast Asia, separated since the dawn of time by the river, were joined. Old divisions were put to rest and a vision of cooperation was anchored as solidly as the concrete pylons obtruding from the silty water. The mighty Mekong had been bridged.

Not exactly the kind of thing that happens every day.

But that was three years ago. Since then, crossing the bridge has become a routine event. Stepping out of one culture and into another couldn’t be much simpler. And plenty of people are doing it - in October 1996, a record 86,284 people crossed the bridge. Many of these are tourists who enter Laos from Nong Khai in Thailand.

If you are entering or leaving Laos via the bridge, or if you just want to go out and have a look at it, this is how it’s done.

Taxi - A taxi from the Morning Market costs 4,000 kip, or 100 baht, to the bridge.

Tuk tuk - A tuk tuk from the Morning Market costs 2,000 kip, or 500 kip per passenger if more than four are travelling.

Bus - Buses to Tha Deua depart on the hour from the bus station and will drop you at the bridge if you ask the conductor. 200 kip, 45 minutes.

Car - Vehicle export permits for cars registered in Vientiane must be obtained from the Department of Communications, Transport and Construction (DCTC), Vientiane Prefecture. The permit costs 1,500 kip and is valid for one trip. Additional taxes of 5,000 and 3,000 are payable at the bridge.

Toll - 750 kip for cars and jeeps, 1100 kip for pickups, 1850 for minibuses, 3700 kip for tour buses. Parking - 200 kip.

Motorcycle - Motorcycles are not normally permitted to cross the bridge. Tourists wishing to ride across the bridge must apply to the DCTC.

Bicycle - Not permitted.

FROM NONG KHAI (1 kilometre) Tuk tuk-20 baht.

Car - Vehicle import and export permits have to be processed at the customs office at the bridge. Necessary documents include vehicle registration, driver’s identification card, and passport. If the driver is not the owner of the car, s/he will also need the vehicle owner’s authorisation papers and a copy of his/her identity card. A vehicle import permit must also be obtained in advance from DCTC, Vientiane Prefecture.

Third party insurance for Laos: For 5, 7 or 10 days. Private car 2,000cc or under, 219 baht; car over 2,000cc, 249 baht. Commercial vehicle 2,000cc or under, 320 baht; commercial vehicles over 2,000cc 362 baht, for the 5-day policy. Toll - 20 baht for passenger cars, 30 baht for pickups, 100 baht for large buses.

Immigration fees for vehicles with passengers - 25 baht for each vehicle and 10 baht per person.

Parking - 8 baht.

CROSSING THE BRIDGE

Driving is on the right hand side of the road in Laos, and on the left in Thailand. The changeover is on the Lao side. The speed limit on the bridge is 50km/h.

People crossing the bridge without their own vehicle take a shuttle bus which runs every 20 minutes between the customs desk on the Lao side and a terminal beyond the checkpoint on the Thai side. Fare 300 kip or 10 baht.

Immigration and customs formalities are completed at the bridge.

A tax of 600 kip is payable for immigration on the Lao side, as well as an overtime charge of 600 kip at weekends and on weekdays from 12 to 2pm and 5pm to 6pm.

On the Thai side, the overtime charge is 10 baht.

Visitors wishing to enter Laos must be in possession of a valid visa or, in the case of Thai nationals, border pass. The border pass may be applied for in advance at Nong Khai City Hall, fee 40 baht. Lao visas are not available at the bridge. Tourist visas for Thailand may be obtained at the bridge, depending on your nationality. Check with the Thai consulate in Vientiane.

The bridge is open 8am to 6pm, seven days a week. Facilities on the Lao side include currency exchange, a restaurant, and a duty free shop where alcohol, cigarettes, perfume and clothing are available. The Thai side features an ATM for Krung Thai Bank and a VIP lounge. A warehouse and a new duty free shop are under construction on the Lao side, while an enlarged car park is on the drawing board.

On Saturdays, Sundays and special holidays between 3pm and 6pm, people on both the Thai and Lao sides are permitted to walk on the footpath to the middle of the bridge. In Thailand, this is also permitted on Fridays during the same hours.

Even if you don’t intend crossing the bridge, there are a number of interesting sights in the area, along Tha Deua Road. The National Ethnic Cultural Park is on the right just before the bridge, while the village of Tha Deua is just after the turnoff.

A few kilometres past Tha Deua lies the Xieng Khoune Buddha Garden, featuring many exotic Buddhas and Hindu deities fashioned in concrete.

The Beer Lao brewery and the Lao Tobacco Company cigarette factory are other sights of note on Tha Deua Road.

The bridge continues to evolve, as surely as Laos’s joining ASEAN this year show that the spirit of cooperation is here to stay.

This year, computerised immigration facilities will be put in place on the Lao side with Australian assistance, while six new booths will be constructed to streamline customs and immigration formalities.