tommmm

I thought Maungmagan beach was very beautiful. not your typical postcard perfect beach and definitley not the best beach i've seen but it is very nice. the beach is very long and at low tide it also gets very wide. in the weekend there are lots of locals on the beach. in the central area there are lots of foodstalls. on the outer parts it's empty and quiet. I've been told that the beaches further along are better.

In Dawei I found lots of english speakers. Outside the city less english was spoken; people are very friendly though and will patiently try and understand you. getting around and finding your way therefore is not a problem at all.

It was definitly a fun trip! Dawei is a charming little town with pretty buildings and very welcoming inhabitants.

My visit coincided with their biggest festival of the year, wonderful time and place to be.

The bordercrossing went very smooth. Between Thai and Burmese immigration is about five kilometers. You can walk ofcourse but there's guys there that will happily take you for a 100 baht or so. You might also catch a ride with other folks that are crossing.

Htee Kee to Dawei; the road is under construction and by the looks of it will need another two years before its finished. took us 6 hours. 5 on the way back. quite long considering its 140 kilometers but the scenery is beautifull all along. There's guys with minivans at htee kee that will take you to Dawei for 30.000 Kyat.

Same price for Dawei to Htee Kee. After crossing back to Thailand, in Pu Nam Ron there isn't much in the way of transport. There was a little shack that looked like they could arrange some form of transport. Otherwise ask the guys at immigration, they're willing to help. I was lucky to hitch a ride with a Thai family on their way to kanchanaburi.

Accomodation in Dawei: The garden guesthouse was full so I spent one night in the peliakari, not reccomended. dirty dark rooms with dirty little beds, no bathroom for 20 USD.

next night moved to a great new place; Shwe Moung Than hotel. open since october 2013. big and very clean rooms, kingsize bed, aircon, with clean bathroom for 15 USD a night.

nice area to ride a motorbike. no place that rents them out but if you ask at your hotel they will find somebody willing to rent you a bike. i paid 7000 kyats for a day. nice little ride to maungmagan beach. great seafood there.

Hi,

I have to do a visarun from thailand and am going to check out the new crossing at ban nam pu ron / htee kee. Thought I'd use the opportunity to take a weekendtrip to dawei. Couple of questions;

- any info on transport from htee kee to dawei? Are there daily busses, also back from dawei to htee kee? morning or afternoon? Read on another forum that a bus would cost $30, that seems a bit steep, this true?

- I found two places to stay in dawei; pearl arika which is a bit pricey for me at $45 a night. the other "the garden guesthouse" is supposed to be cheaper, anyone know their rates? Or maybe recommend another place.

I'd love to hear some recent info. Other tips or comments very welcome.
Thanks!

Tom