On Saturday my stamp into Thailand was officially up! I had spent roughly a full month here already! Thailand let’s people with US passports enter the country visa free meaning that I can just show up at the border and they’ll let me stay for 30 days. To contrast, Vietnam required a paid in advanced visa that either has to be filed at an embassy or online. It’s nice to not have to deal with the paperwork, but that doesn’t mean there still isn’t a hassle to long term stay in a foreign country, even with favorable tourist laws.
That is why I made a quick “border run” they call it to Myanmar.. or Burma. Not really sure on the cultural identity that is most politically correct when referring to the country. I know a lot of people refer to themselves as Burmese, but everything official, like the signs and passport stamps, say Myanmar. Even on Google Maps it says Burma in parentheses. Apparently, there is some genicide happening in the northern regions of the country. That all seems like another conversation. Regardless, I got to experience a taste of this new culture.
The border system in Myanmar is different than I’ve experienced anywhere else. First, they make you pay 500 baht ($15) to get in the country, but that’s nothing odd. The weird part is once you pay they give you this type of “receipt” that has your name and passport info and then they take your passport to keep at the border checkpoint. Part of the reason they do this is to control those who are just trying to border runs versus the legitimate visa holding travelers who will be journeying further into the country. With this “receipt” I am only allowed in this certain border city called. Tachilek, Myanmar. I am not allowed out. I think the strict controls have been imposed to die some of the political instability in the north.
Regardless, the Burmese know well that the main purpose of this particular land border is for Thai expats and tourists who are looking to extend their trip by another 30 days. With that reality, they do a really great job in Tachilek to make the most of their opportunity to engage all these tourists. Since the government is a little more lax on regulations, this city is a haven for pirated movies, cheap drugs, and any type of counterfeit good you can think of. The pirated movie shops were genuinely impressive. I couldn’t believe the selection. I saw recent movies all the way to the first season of “iCarly.” First thing into the market, though, you’ll be bombared by vendors trying to sell you tax free cigarettes and Viagra. Looking for fake Nikes, Gucci clothes, Versace handbags? They got it. Later, I found the market the actual locals in the town visit and that’s the picture above where you can see cabbage for sale and more practical goods like food.
What good is a visit to a South Eastern country if I don’t visit the local temples? It was nice to get up to this relaxed monument because it had a nice view out over the city. Even though I was only a stone throw away from Thailand, it some how seemed distinctly different. They still accept the Thai currency, but you can feel the difference in especially in economy. Myanmar felt more like Cambodia in terms of economic opportunities for the locals than it did Thailand. You can definitely see pretty quickly what kind of opportunities these local people have. I saw more poverty by way of rougher looking local shops and restaurants, and just frankly more people who seemed unemployed.
Just seeing a shop/club that offers both karaoke and massage raises questions about the economy and how these people really have to hustle to make a living. Little street food stands are of course a staple in SE Asia, and the lady in the picture above opened my mind to the deliciousness of deep fried bananas. I need to figure out where to find these in Thailand! Lastly, the picture with the barwire shows a shut down carnival.
For those of you following along with my journey, you know I just recently suffered a concussion. This border run happened less than 48 hours after the incident and needless to say it was a rough day for me. I had to wake up a 5am to ride my bike 45 minutes to the bus station. Then I spent 10 hours on a bus riding through bumpy mountainous paths at points to only spend two hours in Myanmar. But I’d do it again, because I love the adventure! It’s cool to see another culture even if for just a short time, and of course I did need a new entry stamp!
For my medical update, I attended a doctor’s appointment this morning. This appointment cost me 870 baht ($26.32) for a one on one consultation with a Western doctor, Dr. Scott is ironically Scottish, and two new prescriptions. The diagnosis is that my head is still fine, but what I thought what might have been nerve pain down my arms could just be muscular soreness from the initial trauma. So we will give the new meds a go and I will return to light working out and see if my condition improves. We have a follow-up appointment scheduled for Wednesday!
Not sure what’s up next on the blog. I will be continuing relaxing the next couple of days before I return to training. I will have an opportunity to watch a full game of Monday Night Football which really excites me, especially since my fantasy football matchup relies solely on this game. I still haven’t talked about how my procurement of additional income streams has gone… I have some exciting opportunities unfolding there, so I may wait for that blog post. Either way, I’m sure I’ll have some news sooner than later! Thanks for reading!
