SE Asia 2011: A day in my life in Tachileak

A day in my life in Tachileak (Tha Khi Lek etc)

When I, as a Canadian, flew into Thailand I was granted a 30 day permit without a visa. This period didn't quite cover my expected stay until Dec 27 so I needed to get an extension. I probably could have obtained that at the Chiang Mai Immigration Office but I wasn't totally clear that that was the case. A more certain way to extend a non visa permit stamp is to leave the country and re-enter. If one re-enters by surface mode, then you get a 14 day stamp ( for Canadians and other qualifying passports).

I opted to go to Myanmar as opposed to Laos just for the experience and to accomplish getting my new stamp. (The same process can be used if travelling on a Thai visa). The penalty for overstaying a stamp or visa allowed days is 500Baht per day. I took a Green Bus van to Mae Sai, Thailand to cross the border into Tcchileak, Myanmar.

So I go through Thai immigration and fill out a Departure Card and get an exit stamp in my passport. (The person in front of me paid 500B for his one day overstay.) I then walked to Myanmar passport control where the first order is to show my passport and pay 500Baht entry fee. Then the passport gets handed to another official who takes my photo and prints out a Myanmar entry permit card. The entry permit card and passport gets handed back to the same desk where the fee was paid, the official takes your passport and hands the entry permit to me. The entry permit allows only restricted access to Myanmar; namely Tachileak and surrounding area. Most people just turn around and re-enter Thailand getting either a new visa or entry stamp. I figured since I was 'there', I might as well spend one night and explore the town. (Up until a couple of weeks ago the permit fee was either $10US or 500B (about $17. Then they stopped the US option. Maybe it had something to do with Hillary's visit. LOL)

When first entering a Myanmar border town one has to run the gamut of offers for Viagra and Cealis; cigarettes (which are made from locally grown tobacco and packaged in counterfeit American Branded cartons), girls and the odd porno dvd. No offer for drugs. The immediate area along the border is a market of mostly Chinese and other manufactured counterfeit goods.

I checked into a nearby hotel, knowingly paying too much. Since no English was spoken I found it pointless to try to negotiate a lower rate.

Then I just did my usual thing and started walking and wandering around. General conditions all round are on quite a bit lower scale than in Thailand. Infrastructure is very poor and the main street is unpaved.

Pics show street scenes in TachiLeak
There is only the odd personal vehicle in sight, including obvious lower motor bike ownership than found in most Asian countries. People are generally quite a bit poorer than Thailand and at the border there is a steady steam of Myanmar people returning from Thailand where they can work ( with proper documents) for a higher wage than in Myanmar.

I had a very good evening meal. But again I was honored with special outrageous tourist price for the meal (higher by far then would have been in Thailand). But why complain?

I didn't have a very restful sleep as there were loud barking packs of dogs throughout the night and there was no barriers to keep the sound from penetrating my hotel room.

I was up early and headed for the border. I handed in my Myanmar entry permit and got my passport back. Then I walked to Thailand passport control, filled out and entry card and got my new 14 day stamp.

(Have to exercise a bit of care when walking the sidewalks!)

Then at customs I was delayed a bit. I think because firstly I stayed overnight ( which hardly anyone does) and secondly because it was early in the morning and I was the only foreigner passing through. They wanted to know where I had stayed. Fortunately I had the foresight to insist on a receipt from the hotel ( which one normally does not get). Even then it seemed to raise questions in the customs officials and he called over a female colleague who spoke English. She explained that he wanted to see my receipt again and to know where all I had been. Then he seemed satisfied. It was all very friendly and the immigration process goes very smoothly in both directions. It could take quite a bit of time though if you happened to get there behind a full busload.