One Day In Burma (Myanmar)

Burma

My plan was to head from the Gulf (east) side of southern Thailand to the west or Andaman side. However, before-hand I would need to leave the country and re-enter. In Thailand you are allowed to stay for 30 days but then you have to do a "border-run" to get a new 30 days or end up being fined a lot of money. The only border close by was - Myanmar, the modern name for Burma. It took one overnight boat to the mainland, then a short bus ride to the Thai border (Ranong) - easy. Getting into Burma was more problematic though. On the way I had made good friends with Elina from Sweden, renamed "my border run partner".

To get from Thailand to Burma you have to take a boat across a huge inlet. It takes an hour to get there. The scenery in Burma is stunning, yet the small town that they drop you off at, certainly isn't. When you arrive there is a huge sign, which reads "Please help us to eradicate narcotic drugs". As you step off the boat, the guide who directs you to the immigration office to get stamped suddenly pulls out a box of 200 cigarettes, a crate of whiskey and a large bag of opium and offers them to anyone willing to buy. You later find out that it is one big scam. On the boat trip back to Thailand, the boat suddenly pulls into a small island and the Burmese Army jump on and start searching everyones bags and persons. The military and the drug dealers are clearly working together to catch any travellers stupid enough to purchase, making them a lot poorer leaving the country than when they entered.

Because Burma has severe problems at the moment, your visa is valid for 2 weeks only. However, you are not permitted to travel anywhere else in the country, your stuck there on the border for the duration. You are also not allowed to take any photo's of the town (although I got a few), which appeared to be filled with shanty buildings and kids playing in large rubbish tips. The whole place had a slightly corrupt feel about it and I was glad to be moving on.

However it is possible to fly into Burma and travel around the country, and one day I would like to do it - because it does look a fascinating place. Not this time though, and my border run partner and I were out of there, she going to Bangkok and I to Krabi.....