Border Crossing
by Willettsworld
As of April 2009, an entry permit into Myanmar, valid for up to 14 days, costs 500 baht/US$10 (be sure to bring clean US notes, without any marks, stamps, etc. on it - otherwise customs officers will refuse it and, if you don't have another one, happily receive significantly higher payment in baht instead). Travellers using this option are given a paper entry permit and their passports are held at the immigration office until they return to Thailand. From here, you can travel as far as Kengtung (Thai Chiang Tung), 160 km away, but to travel to the rest of Myanmar, a visa in advance is needed.
I only travelled into Myanmar for an hour or so in order to look around the market and to get another stamp in my passport. You have to leave your passport at the Inward office and collect it about 20 minutes later (minimum) from the Outward office on the opposite side of the road. Remember that a land crossing back into Thailand now only gets you a 15-day stay.
A Hilltop View of 3 Countries
by BorderHopper
While in Mae Sai it's easy enough to cross the international border for a walk around the town of Tachilek, Myanmar. We went up to the golden pagoda, which is easily visible from the Thai side of the border, & from the top we were able to see the entire Mae Sai region. From this vantage point (note the picture) you can see the southern edge of Tachilek, Myanmar in the foreground. Where the blue & gold pagoda stands is where the Sai river divides Thailand and Myanmar. Just past the blue pagoda is the city of Mae Sai, Thailand. In the distance you can see taller mountains....that is where the Mekong River flows and those mountains actually lay in Laos.
Ledgend Says a Piece of Buddha's DNA is Entombed
by BorderHopper
There are several significant temples in Mae Sai that are open to the public and visitors are welcome. I didn't note the name of these temples but they are all easily found around the Sai river and the surrounding hills. My friends and I rode our motorbikes up a steep paved road near our guesthouse and came upon a temple complex that also offered a beautiful viewpoint into Myanmar. If you drive up at night, as we did, you may encounter Thai lovers enjoying the city lights far below. The temple is lit up brightly and makes for a nice walk around the complex. It is said that some of Buddha's hair or other remains are entombed in the temple.
You don't see the monks walking around naked!
by BorderHopper
Most people coming to Thailand for a visit know, or at least read up on, the cultural do's and don'ts of Thailand & her people. I'll use this space to write a bit about a horrifying sight we saw on our family trip to Thailand. I was disgusted at what I saw and felt sorry for the Thai and Burmese people who saw the same thing I did. Prior to getting up to Mae Sai we had stopped for a few days in Chiang Mai. One night as we walked around the night market a German woman and her boyfriend passed us by on a crowded, narrow sidewalk. As the tall, blonde German woman passed thru the crowd heads truned and most people had a look of shock on their faces. As she passed me, my friends, and our family I could see why she was such a spectacle. She was wearing a completely sheer (see thru) black top which totally exposed her breasts. This statue of a woman, with her short cropped blonde hair had obviously forgotten to read about the do's and don'ts of Thai culture before walking the streets dressed as she was. Have some respect. To my shock we saw her again (obviously she was on the same circuit as we were) walking from through the markets in Mae Sai wearing the same see thru top with no bra.
Take a swim, a hike, explore a cave....
by BorderHopper
Swimming. There are several really nice swimming holes such as the one I have pictured here. These places aren't even listed in the Lonely Plant puplications but they aren't hard to find. If you can find the "Big Cave" you just may come across this swimming hole just as I did.
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House of Opium
Mae Fah Luang Garden
Northernmost point in Thailand
The bridge between Thailand & Myanmar
