This was to be my first time in what could truly be described as a non-Western country and would cement my love of traveling off the well worn path. I felt interest and excitement, this was the experience I’d been looking for. Yes, Thailand is different than the West for sure but the place is set up to receive and entertain tourists; it’s a gentle introduction to South East Asia. I was looking for something else, an adventure, which I found across the Mae Sai Border in Tachileik, Myanmar.
Mae Sai to Tachileik
After I cleared the Thai side of the bridge I crossed the Sai river on a bustling bridge – “Welcome to the Union of Myanmar” A blue sign read. Local traders, cars, tourists too, and myself along for whatever lay ahead as I wondered how welcoming the regime would be. There was nothing to wonder, the Myanmar immigration officials were well used to Westerners coming over for a ‘visa run’. Passport control was efficient. No problems, Burmese officials took my passport and gave me a ticket so I could collect it on my way back. I walked out the immigration office. By this time the bridge was a hive of activity. Traders crossing over to hawk their wares, I joined them on the final part of the walk into this beautiful, foreign Country.
I found myself at a busy round-a-bout, sure the buildings were run down, there were some craters in the roads, the Toyota’s were older and not following as many road rules as their Thai counterparts on the other side, but it wasn’t the hell hole some reports had led me to believe. If fact there were colorful, and dare I say pretty, Buddhist Pagodas visible. I stood on steps overlooking the round-a-bout back toward the border realizing few of the Western faces I crossed with had ventured into the town. The others I had been in the immigration office with preferring to go straight back to Mae Sai adding thirty days to their visa.
I found the local market, which to my disappointment seems to sell the same tourist kitch as the ubiquitous tourist markets found in everywhere in Thailand. With the notable addition of ‘antique like’ firearms and guys walking around carrying usherette trays stacked with cialis, or something labeled as such – firearms and Cialis seemed a strange combination to me. Who they were selling this crap to is hard to say seeing as I didn’t see many tourists browsing the stalls in Tachileik.
I went back to the old round a bout and found some more local style Burmese shops. I considered buying some interesting looking tea pot and cups. They seemed like the real deal rather than tourist tat, then I considered I was traveling light with a backpack and they looked rather fragile. I bought a cold drink from the shop lady and walked out of the footpath and observed the people of Tachileik making their way. Standing in the midday heat I opened the drink and took a sip. There has to be more to see here than this I thought, and there was.
Cafe Burma
After exploring the town a little, I came across a cafe with a large circular outdoor seating area. A a couple of locals sat at one of the tables in the large courtyard. It had the air of an establishment that was at one point palatial, but had fallen into disuse, then perhaps revived as a family business.
Once I walked in, I was waved over to a table by two local guys hanging out in the cafe. They were friends sitting in the courtyard smoking and talking. On seeing their friendly smiles I walked over and as I sat down I offered them both a smoke. They were obviously interested in my being a Westerner and the offer of cigarettes broke the ice and allowed me to join the table as a new friend. The maitre d’ brought out a large samosa with dipping sauces. It arrived with a strong black coffee that was hot and sweet, very nice.
It’s an interesting thing, the friendliness and curiosity people have in parts of the world that are “closed off” as Myanmar still was in 2008 – not to mention tragic events of the past few years in that Country. I did not speak the local language and they spoke no English, yet with welcoming gestures on both sides and some makeshift sign language we were able to have an enjoyable lunch that day.
After finishing up at the cafe I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring attractions like the Tachileik Shwedagon pagoda, which is a replica of the Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon, and riding around town on a bike while avoiding the many potholes on the roads that have fallen into disrepair. Mae Sai and Tachileik were very much a tale of two cities, regarding the infrastructure, and it would be interesting to see if the situation is very different when I am next able to travel there.
My experience in Myanmar gives a hint of the possibilities of taking the path slightly less beaten. Every official advisory I read before going advised not to go, yet Tachileik and Myanmar felt safer than parts of my home town or many other parts of the Western world. Traveling to these places is not something to miss out on but something to be embraced. Myanmar is a special Country, one that deserves better than its current situation, and one I hope to have a repeat visit to one day soon.
The OB
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