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View from the pagoda
- hill over Kawthoung
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- The main Thai immigration office in Ranong opens its doors exactly at 8.30am. We are the
first ones at the counter to get our exit stamp. The daily “visa-run” busses
from destinations like Phuket – about 185 miles to the South – have not yet
arrived with their crowds of tourists. Let us tell you about this “visa-run”
issue: Looking for an ‘easier’ way to extend the monthly or three monthly
residence permit (according to the type of visa), it turned out that a ‘quick’
visit in a neighboring country is more convenient and also cheaper than the otherwise
required tiring run through the bureaucratic red tape. Thus, an entire trade set up in the
crossing places along the Thai-Burma-border, because Myanmar is charging only US$5 per
person for a short visit, while Cambodia asks for US$20 and Laos even a hefty US$30
(returning to Thailand however is for free for most nationalities). We leave our
LandCruiser in safety on the immigration parking lot and walk in the already scorching
morning heat to the ‘Burma pier’ where the long tail boats are leaving for
Myanmar. At this busy harbor, most passengers are either of Thai or Burmese origin. After
we get rid of the persistent touts, we are surprised to see that things are pretty well
organized. We enjoy exploring the colorful scene, the hustle and bustle of arrival and
departure, before we make our choice and climb over a line of moored vessels to one that
seems to be ready to sail. One way costs 50 Bath per Person (about 1½ US$).
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- But despite that their diesel engines are already rattling since quite a while, they
still try to attract more passengers and more boats are pulling in and squeezing in
between all the others. Finally, we start moving, passing battered long-legged stilt
houses skirting the shores and golden Buddha’s. Shortly after, we stop again at one
of the many stilt houses built on the water. It is the control checkpoint of the Thai
immigration, where our young boy is climbing up the tree trunk ladder with the bundle of
collected passports. And then all we do is wait and wait in the burning sun without the
slightest sea breeze, because at the same time at least half a dozen other passenger boats
are lined up to be dispatched. Now we are very happy and grateful about the umbrellas
provided by our boat owner.
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Waiting for customers
- in Kawthoung
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A bus unloading luggage
- at a street corner
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- 10 minutes later we are ready to continue and after further 20 minutes the Burmese flag
is already greeting us at another “wild” looking stilt house next to the jungle
on a small island. Under the eyes of the severe looking Burmese officers, who sit on their
shady veranda, we squeeze in between already waiting boats. Contrary to others – we
are not searched for smuggled items. Our boy disappears again with all the passports in
the little hut, but soon comes back with our two 5 US$ notes we gave him for the payment
of the fees for our Myanmar entry visa, which is valid three days. They are not spotless
enough! But we are told that we can pay also in Bath, 300 per person, which equals around
7½ US$! Well, it is also a way to make some extra money!
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- Then, we sail the last few hundred yards towards the magnificent scenery of the Burmese
mainland. In Kawthoung, nestling appealingly between hills and the sea, we first fetch our
exit stamp at the customs house at the pier, as we do not intend to spend the allowed
three days in this small town. As soon as we set foot on firm ground, we are approached
and followed by a persistent youngster with the questions: “Pharmacy?” and
“Viagra?” Amused, we shake our heads. Apparently, this “power drug” is
also on the purchase list of many elderly “Farangs”, how Westerners are called
here. What we are merely interested in is rum, our favorite drink which we always mix with
different fruit juices for our daily aperitif. We buy four bottles for 80 US-cents each
and one bottle of Burmese beer and put everything into our small backpack.
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The children love to
- be photographed
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The bell shaped pagodas are characteristic for Burma
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- It is really beautiful to take in a breath of Myanmar atmosphere again. It is the second
time that we visit this unusual country – the first time it was a short visit of a
week in 1975 - and again we admire with fascination the uniquely bell shaped golden
pagodas, which are so characteristic and which are greeting everywhere from the green
hills. We like to watch the gentle Burmese people in their traditional National dress,
called “Longyi”, consisting of a piece of cloth which both, men and women, wrap
around their waist - just the knot being different. A special sight is also their adorned
faces with “Thanaka”– a beige paste made from sandal wood, which is
supposed to protect their skin against sunburn. Last, but not least also the Buddhist
monks, who wear here dark red and less shiny robes than those in Thailand and who are
sometimes begging persistently, belong to the exotic image of Myanmar. What other
“visa-runners” have told us is true, that there is much more garbage in
Kawthoung than in Thailand. Nevertheless, we find this place very enchanting, very
interesting, very colorful and very lively. And had the burning sun not almost
“killed” us, we would have extended our exploring tour for much longer.
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- The captains of the long-tail boats are as usual on the lookout for more passengers, as
four hours later, we are ready to return to Thailand. And also this time, we are the only
“Farangs” on the boat leaving. But our departure is postponed again and again.
Obviously, they are waiting for someone exceptional to arrive. Finally, a young man
appears, and then we finally set off. Immediately, our boat boy is taking out of a plastic
bag a bundle of identity cards and begins to compare their photos with the face of the
newcomer. He makes his choice and stores the rest in the back pocket of his worn-out
trousers. There is a nervous arguing going on until we reach our first stop, the
„wild“ looking Burmese immigration check point. But things are smooth, nothing
happens and we are continuing. As soon as we are out of sight of the control post, our boy
starts to shave with a sharp razor blade the light beard of the new passenger– really
skillfully and professionally. And long before we reach the first Thai control post –
a kind of floating police, custom and immigration at the same time – he puts back the
blade properly in a piece of tissue-paper.
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One of the beautiful niches
- of the golden pagoda
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A Burmese in his traditional
- National dress, called “Longyi“
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- How will this most strict of all checks come to an end, we wonder of course. Despite
that we have nothing to do with the whole story we honestly are worried ourselves, as we
see a resolute officer climbing into our boat, starting to compare each passport picture
with the face of its passenger - but again, nothing happens. On the other hand, we are
asked suddenly to open our small backpack. Bad luck for the investigator - we carry only
the permitted quantity of alcohol with us. Finally, we approach the last Thai check point
situated on the water, and again there are no worries for the freshly shaved passenger!
Shortly afterwards, we make an additional and unforeseen detour and stop near an old hut,
where he disappears into the bushes. Who wants to make us believe that everything has gone
the right way? There must be a reason why only recently we read in the “Bangkok
Post” that Thailand is the leader in the list of human trafficking!
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- Finally, we are back at the Burma pier in Ranong/Thailand. Exhausted from our exciting
exploring and visa-running tour, we take a Tuk Tuk for bringing us back to the main
immigration office instead of walking. There, we have to fill out the usual immigration
form and get granted another month stay in Thailand. Yes, so easy and also so adventurous
can be a visa run to Myanmar! We find two business cards placed in the meantime on our
windscreen, saying “Please visit us once!”. Just as we are ready to pull out of
our parking lot, we witness about a dozen of illegal immigrants with handcuffs descending
chained together from a prison car. Obviously they did not have such a lucky day as our
shaved passenger.
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The display of fruits in the
- street market is abundant
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The face of this boy is adorned with “Thanaka” – a beige paste made from
sandal wood, which is supposed to protect his skin against sunburn
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- Being hungry and thirsty, we drive immediately to our lovely lunch spot, to the hill of
the Khao Nives View Point overlooking Ranong, where there is always a cooling breeze and a
dense umbrella of old tropical trees to provide coolness and shade. First of all, we mix
our traditional rum drink and then we enjoy spicy chili sausages, cheese, boiled eggs and
pickles and are completely happy about our eventful “visa’-run” excursion
and the stock-up of cheap Burmese rum. How might the Burmese beer taste? Emil walks around
our car to get the bottle out of our rucksack on the driver’s seat. With a shock he
sees that the protection grill of the driver’s window, which we always fix on both
sides of the car when we park for a longer period, is lying on the ground. Immediately, he
realizes what happened: “They stole our backpack”, he shouts very excitedly.
„What was in there? Did you take out our passports and the money?“ Suddenly, the
adrenalin is speeding up. But I can calm him down, because luckily, right after the
immigration, I stored the passports and money in its original place.
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- What the thief will find in our backpack is only the cheap booze bought in Myanmar, i.e.
four bottles of rum and one bottle of beer, and in addition some exotic Burmese banknotes
which Emil acquired in Kawthoung for his extensive collection. Later though, we miss also
our sewing kit and wonder, what else might have changed its owner. But we consider
ourselves very lucky that we have no considerable losses to deplore. But still, the shock
sits deeply that people were able to rob us while we were sitting and picnicking
peacefully just on the other side of our car. The same cold-blooded behavior happened to
us only once before during our 21 years of travel, and this was in Ouagadougou in African
Burkina Faso. But at the same time, we are especially angry about ourselves, about our own
negligence to have omitted to secure the grills with the padlocks, what we usually do, and
our increasing blind confidence. We make vows to be more careful in the future. The lesson
we have learnt today is: Each time we feel in total security, it had to happen ….
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A genius stove: A bucket is taken
- and filled with cement – just the
- place for the firewood to burn and
- the smoke to escape has to be spared
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A ladies’ tailor in a side street
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- Thus, our “visa run” day is ending in many respects quite adventurous and
exciting. For those who want to exclude any unforeseen happenings and like it a more
decent and relaxed, but of course also more boring way, there is always the possibility to
do it through the Andaman-Club, which is about 8 miles out of Ranong city: Here, you get
the Thailand exit stamp; here you can board a normal passenger boat which ferries you to
the luxury Andaman-Hotel situated on a small island in Myanmar near Kawthoung. There, you
are met by a hostess who shows you the way through the Burmese immigration where you
deposit your passport and pay 650 Bath, which includes the Burmese visa as well as the
boat fare.
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- The monks in Kawthoung
- wear dark red robes
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- Then you board the waiting bus which brings you up the hill to the hotel complex. There
you will be greeted at each corner by elegant stewards, where everything has an exclusive
view: Fountain, garden, pool, restaurant, golf course, beach and even a casino for playing
with one-arm bandits. (For the “real” casino, however, you have to be a member.
An annual membership costs 10’000 Bath = US$250). After 1½ hours to your leisure,
the bus is taking you again to the pier, where you collect your passport with the Burmese
stamp and board the passenger boat back to Thailand’s Andaman-Club. There, after
filling out your entry card, you will get another month stamped into your passport. Yes,
we checked also this sterile version, but it absolutely does not belong to our way of
traveling!
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- The gate to the golden
- pagoda in Kawthoung
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- Myanmar visit without car
from 12/26/2016 to 1/22/2017:
- Part 1:
Yangon (Rangoon) – 'Golden Rock' of Kyaiktiyo
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