Burma/Myanmar and Thailand Border Crossing

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Tamagotchi

Mae sai is a border town in Northern Thailand and Tachileik is a border town in Burma/Myanmar.

Many people I met did not like Mae Sai but I liked it.  They said it’s just a small border town with full of junk shops. People just go there to extend their Thailand Visa. ( You get one month visa at the airport and 2 weeks at the border for free.  Visa extension within Thailand costs )  But to me, because of that, I was interested in looking at many different people, products and action.  It’s a good place for people watching. I saw many nice cars parked at Tesco.  Yes, that’s Tesco, British grocery shop.  Tesco is everywhere in Thailand now.  I did not see that last time I visited Thailand.  It’s changed a lot.

Mae Sai is not only for shops and people watching but also the town has very peaceful river side and sleepy atmosphere.

Mae Sai Guest House

I stayed at Mai Sai Guesthouse by the river.  It’s located at very end of the small street from the heart of Mae Sai which just has one road,  passed the market along the river.  It was very peaceful.   I stayed at the cheapest room (200THB) with shared bathroom which has hot shower!  It was December, so it’s nice to have hot shower.   They were not friendly as some of the web says, though.

The river is not wide at all and on the other side of the river is Burma.  Listening the noise from Burma and I felt, “Wow! the land divided into two different countries by this little river!? .  The life on the other side is different from this side? ”  I am from an island of Japan.  This is strange to me.

Left-Mai Sai Guest House. Right - Burma

From the Border Bridge. Right - Thailand. Left- Burma

After meeting with a local operator we deal with ( it’s nice to meet people who always e-mail but never seen before ) , I crossed the bridge and went to Tachileik, Burma.  The operator told me that visa is US $10 or 500THB.  At that time ( December 2011 ) , 1 USD was around 30THB.  So if you pay in Thai Baht, it will be around $17.  So he said I should pay in USD, of course.  But the officer at the border insisted me to pay in Thai Baht.  I told him that I was told it’s US $10 and I did not bring 500THB.  He made me sit and wait for a while.  I showed him 200THB in my wallet and he finally accepted $10 and gave me a visa.  I’ve never put lots of cash in my wallet …. safety …  it also works for negotiation.

At the border, you will get a temporary card and you need to leave your passport. The card is good for a week or so and you can go to inland. I forgot how far but enough for hill tribe trekking for a few days which our local operator runs the tour.  Then when you come back to the bridge,  you go to the other side of office and pick up your passport.

There are many taxi or bike drivers waiting for you to take a sightseeing for a few hours. You can visit pagodas and some sites within Tachileik (close to the border but it’s far to walk around ) .  There is 30 minutes time difference and I did not want to end up on the other side of the bridge,  so I just wondered around the town and market.

Many Thai people go to this market for shopping, especially for cheap DVDs and CDs. Those are coming from China.  I saw many copies in China and Nepal but Tachileik was the cheapest.

Market in Tachileik

They have many Korean TV shows, too.  Korean shows are very popular in Japan now and I was watching with my mother when I was in Japan for 3 months before traveling to South East Asia.  I was tempted but it may be just in Korean and Thai, plus it would be heavy to carry around.  So I did not buy it but finally I got ” LOST” season 6!!  6 DVDs for 50THB!! 6 DVDs in one package, so it was not too big and heavy to carry around in my backpack.  I was so glad finally I got it because I was also looking at this in Nepal.   I just finish watching it and on the last DVD, I realized that CTV logo on the bottom corner which is Canadian TV station.   That’s interesting.  Somebody taped or copied in Canada??

I walked up to the temple ( Wat Phra That Wai Dao ) on the hill in Mae Sai and enjoyed the view of both Burma and Thailand in Sunset.

looking at Burma from Thailand in Sunset

A Brazilian backpacker I met in Chang Sean, he rent a motor bike and ride around Mae Sai.  He is another person who liked Mai Sai and showed me nice pictures of mountains and countryside of Mae Sai.

Mae Sai is not just a border town to get Visa.  You can stay 2~3 days to relax and enjoy the different food from street vendors.

Sticky Rice cook with Coconut Milk in Bamboo.

First I had this at the camp when I went to hill tribe trekking.  I love it!

A vender on the Bridge.  I think sweet potato inside of the pancake. It was good.

I did not try cakes but cookies were good ( in Mae Sai )

If you do not want to cross the bridge, you can see Burma from here.

The northern-most spot of Thailand

Small Local Market in Tachileik

There are a few local stores for locals in Tachileik

Motorbike taxi drivers in orange waiting for business


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Touristy But Things You Need To Do in Australia

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Tamagotchi

It’s touristy!  BUT you should take pictures with Koala bear !!

Yes,  it is very touristy and any kind of photo things overcharges us.   But Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary was not too bad.  They allowed me to use my own camera, too.   So they used a fancy camera to take a few pictures of me and Koala bear, then she used mine to take more so that I can keep the original.

Actually I did not care for photos.  I just wanted to touch and hold the Koala bear.    In order to do that, I needed to take picture with him.  But I was so glad I did it!  He was so cute and soft.  Not like Kangaroos,  it is hard to spot Koala bear in the wild even I saw the sign ” Warning for Koala bear crossing “.  It seems that Koala bears are everywhere but they are not!  I was looking for it everytime when I saw the signs.

On the other hand, Kangaroos are everywhere according to my Aussie boyfriend. Unfortunately I only saw a few live kangaroos jumping across the street in residential area.  I think I saw more dead one along the road.  Sad…

Australia

Surprisingly Kangaroos are also very soft.  I thought their hair is hard.   You cannot tell until you touch them!

I really liked  Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary .  It’s one of the things to do from Gold Coast, Australia.  The location is nice and quiet in natural setting.  Their Bird show is amazing to watch, too.  I did not think the birds can act!   There are many different kind of Kangaroos, crocodiles, birds, and also some entertainment. You can spend one full day easily.  Any age can enjoy, not only for kids.

Koalaberry … So cute, holding each other. But Look!! The one on top is poo on others! I am not quite sure if it is comfortable sitting on the tip of tree… ( the one in front )

Kangaroo is crossing the street

Isn’t he so cute?

My next dream will be walking with Lion in Zimbabwe!  I saw a picture of the girl who is petting the lion.  It’s kind of scary but it’s neat!  This Kumuka tour includes Cheetah Farm & Lion Walk.   Cape, Delta & Mozambique Explorer .  Cheetah was my favorite when I was small.  It goes from Johannesburg to Cape Town via Victoria falls and Namibia ( runs also reverse itinerary )  .   There are a Delta, Falls, Beaches and Dunes.  Encountering animals, local people and beautiful scenery.  I enter their contest.  I hope I can win and take this trip 😉

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Pet can get a heart attack on the plane

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Tamagotchi

I remember my teacher at Canadian Tourism Collage told us the pet can get a heart attack when they travel by air.

When you check in your pet, your pet goes to the cargo area. In the dark, all the sudden they will hear loud engine noise and it scares them. So it is not good for them to travel on the plane. However people sometimes need to take them on the plane and the airlines try to make the pets as comfortable as possible by temperature-controlled and pressurized cargo (Not all the aircrafts have one. So you need to call and book your flight.  ) or ship without owner.

I just saw this Delta airlines’s news.

Pets No Longer Accepted as Checked Baggage or Cargo on Boeing 767 Aircraft Effective June 10, 2012

(June 8, 2012) – To ensure the best possible experience for customers traveling with pets, Delta is amending its policy for acceptance of live animals traveling on Boeing 767 aircraft .  Delta is proactively attempting to contact affected customers to assist with making alternate travel arrangements. Customers with questions may contact Delta Reservations at 800-241-4141 (International) or 800-221-1212 (Domestic).

You can also find information from these links;

Pet Travel Option

Pet Travel FAQ

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