Travel
Burma is very different than its progressive neighbour Thailand.
On the Thai/Burma border
BY GRAEME MOUNT
Winter 2011 |
Seated on the balcony outside one of the 13 cabins at the Mae Sai Guest House, a winter-weary Canadian can observe both sides of the Thai-Burmese border. The Mai Sai River, barely larger than Lily Creek in the spring, separates Mae Sai, Thailand’s most northerly city, from its Burmese twin, Tachilek. (Few apart from its notorious military government refer to Burma as Myanmar.) On the Thai side, the per capita income is seven times that in Burma. Thais and tourists eat and drink in riverside restaurants, play badminton or soccer in a park beside the river, or walk or cycle toward the huge market near the international bridge. ATMs and 7/11s abound, and internet cafés are available. Motorbikes are ubiquitous on both sides of the border but more numerous in Thailand, where people of all ages use them. The life expectancy of a Thai is 10 years longer than that of a Burmese. Burmese go into the water in much greater number than Thais in order to swim or fish. Effluent from both sides and garbage from the Burmese side make the thought of a fish dinner unappetizing; it is surprising that any fish survive. Burmese, often with two people at opposite ends of nets stretched most of the way from one shore to the other, spend hours in search of what fish might be there. Thai law requires property owners to remove debris from their shoreline. On the Burmese side, any such law—if there is one—is totally ineffective. The luxurious Allure Resort Casino in Tachilek, reportedly Thai-owned, attracts Thais and Chinese into Burma. Casinos are illegal in Thailand, and Tachilek offers four—all located at upscale hotels. Canadian visitors to Burma may question the morality of their visit. In 1989, Aung San Suu Kyo decisively won the presidential election, but the Burmese military would not let her assume office. In 1992, she won the Nobel Peace Prize, but the junta kept her under house arrest and prevented her from running in the 2010 presidential election. The junta remains very much in control of the country. Given the junta's reputation for brutality and incompetence, people of conscience may not want to finance its survival. Fortunately, there are ways to assist ordinary Burmese people without unduly enriching the junta or its friends." My wife, Joan, and I walked across the international bridge. Despite initial misgivings, once in Tachilek, we felt perfectly safe. In Thailand, licensed merchants sell cigarettes, but as in Ontario tobacco products must remain out of sight. In Tachilek, individuals with cartons of what appeared to be Marlboro cigarettes—as well as packages of Viagra and Cialis—swarmed us. All these are probably counterfeit merchandise from North Korea. We looked at the Allure Resort Casino’s immaculate and well groomed front and gardens, strolled past a mosque for Muslims from China (the exterior writing was Chinese), and viewed homes and stores. Until 1948, Burma was a British possession, and there were some beautiful buildings from the British era. (Admittedly, a coat of paint would have approved their appearance.) Tachilek has a wealthy Chinese community, and while Mae Sai is the more prosperous of the border cities, the difference is mainly one of degree. Thai monks usually dress in yellow, Burmese ones in red. Many Burmese women and the occasional man apply a yellow ornament to their cheeks. Burma is one of the world’s few countries not to use Arabic numerals, and to us vehicle licence plates were unintelligible and illegible. Around noon, we went to a busy restaurant near the Tachilek side of the international bridge. A man named Danny, who said he was 59 but who repeatedly called himself “old, sat down uninvited. He spoke English, which he said he had learned in an American jail after a failed attempt to smuggle himself into that country. Badly in need of dental work, Danny guessed I am his age. I am 70, but we did not correct him. Danny, who claimed to have an engineering degree from a Burmese university, explained why he had chosen to live in Tachilek. Burma’s inept government had impoverished the country to the point that border cities offer the few pockets of relative prosperity. Thais in search of cheap cigarettes, imported wine, or casino winnings stimulate the economy. Thai money is acceptable everywhere in Tachilek. Literally hundreds—perhaps thousands—of people from Tachilek work in Mae Sai. Danny, however, said he could not easily visit Mae Sai because a trip across the border would cost him the equivalent of $5 in exit and entrance fees. We slipped Danny some money, then hired a tuk tuk (a three-wheeled motor vehicle) for a tour of the city. The tuk tuk driver was an ethnic Indian and a Muslim, who also claimed to have a university degree. His ethnicity and his religion, he said, prevented him from finding a better job. He too lived in Tachilek because chances of survival were better than elsewhere in Burma. He had to support his aged parents, his wife, and his seven-year-old son. The driver’s father, now 85, had served 35 years in the British Army, which had transferred him from India to Burma. When Burma gained independence, the Burmese government accepted responsibility for his pension, now the princely sum of $6 each month. The driver took us to three magnificent Buddhist temples, architecturally different from those in Thailand. We were happy to pay him, and to buy handicrafts from the people who made them. Well before the 5 pm deadline permitted by our day passes purchased at the border, we walked back to the bridge, retrieved our passports, and returned to Thailand. A word of warning is in order. Passengers who fly into Thailand from Canada—usually via Japan, China, or Hong Kong—receive a permit which allows a stay of 30 days. A trip to Burma, even if only to Tachilek, negates that permit, and the one issued at the bridge permits only 15 days. Canadians can make a second trip to Burma within those 15 days and gain another two weeks, but the departure date on one’s air ticket may require some strategic planning. If this means a few days in Mae Sai, there is no shortage of attractions and activities. On top of a mountain mere blocks from the bridge, there is a Buddhist temple with spectacular views of the two cities. Mae Sai’s open air markets offer a wide range of merchandise. There are comfortable hotels and restaurants in the downtown core, within easy distance of the bridge, as well as guest houses along the banks of the Mae Sai River. Reaching Mae Sai Air Canada’s Star Alliance partner Royal Thai flies from Chiang Rai, whose airport is located between Chiang Rai and Mae Sai. Taxis go from the airport to either city, at a reasonable price regulated by the Thai government. To cut costs, go to Chiang Rai and take a bus to Mae Sai. The trip takes about 90 minutes. Trains and buses link Bangkok with Chiang Mai (not to be confused with Chiang Rai), from which there are buses to Chiang Rai. On visits to Thailand, we have never been sick. Many Thais and some Burmese speak English. In Bangkok, there are excellent hospitals with world-class standards, reasonable prices, and service in English. Graeme Mount is a retired history Laurentian University professor and author of several books.
