Just Got Back From A Visa Run To Mae Sot

[xerostar]

Anyone that has never been to Mae Sot and is due to make the visa run may appreciate

this info:

I was aware of the distance because I had checked that on a large map of Thailand.

I had been on the (north-south) Nakhon Sawan - Chang Mai Highway 2 years ago.

The road was smooth and straight for most of the distance, however the highway has deteriorated a lot within those 2 years.

There are now many sections that are rough and bumpy. At one spot I saw, what I estimated to be a 12cm block of pavement sticking out of the centre of the fast (right) lane!

That wasn't a problem for me because I drive a pickup with high clearance.

A low slung sports car travelling at over 130 Kmh could be seriously damaged by such an obstacle.

The driver would not have time to avoid it. Such are the risks of driving in Thailand.

Taking the turnoff from Tak for the 80 Km to Mae Sot, the road was wide, smooth and almost flat for the first 14 Km.

I knew we had to cross a mountain range but I was surprised how rigorous the next 60 Km or so was.

There is, what seems to be a never ending series of curves, steep inclines (with precipitous sides). Under certain conditions it would be considered a pleasant drive. However with rain, slippery surfaces, heavy traffic, speeding maniacs, very slow moving heavy vehicles and some timid slow drivers, the mix becomes quite dangerous. I'm not a slow driver but I was reluctant to take the pickup through curves at 100 Kmh at the edge of it's cornering ability. I leave that to the Thai drivers that know the road "like the back of their hand". Even so there were many near misses as impatient drivers overtook on blind curves only to be confronted by oncoming traffic that had to take evasive action.

Many fast drivers simply take the racing driver's approach and use up the whole road when it was completely unneccessary other than for them to maintain the highest speed possible.

So in many cases me and my wife were put in danger through no fault of our own.

I must say most of that road was in fairly good condition, especially considering the harsh environment.

Also there are many convenient passing lanes for cars going in both directions, so only a little patience was needed behind a slow vehicle before a new opportunity arrived for overtaking.

So for anyone contemplating the trip to Mae Sot - just be prepared for an arduous drive through the mountains. Leave home early and you can take your time. Leave it too late and you might be forced to "step on it" in this dangerous section and come to grief.

Even so, I felt much safer driving myself rather than leaving my safety to some "gung ho" young van driver who wants to show off his new found ability!

Time is money to these guys so inevitably they will push the envelope.

My wife said that this road is notorious for many serious accidents and I can fully understand why!

After the gruelling mountain stretch we came down to Mae Sot and by chance on one of the main roundabouts we took the exit which led us into a long narrow street that went through Mae Sot proper.

This is a real pain because of awkwardly parked cars and heaps of pedestrians and samlores and motorcycles it took us half an hour to cover about 5 Km. eventually this road joined back up with the main road which is nice and wide , 2 or 3 lanes heading straight and flat to the "Friendship Bridge"

on the Burmese (Myanmar) border.

The immigration office was on the left side right at the beginning of the bridge which rises up in an arch over the river. We parked the car about 100 yards from the bridge on the right side facing away from the bridge. The left side seemed to be dominated by dozens of taxi trucks (Song Tau) so there was no room to park there.

I presented my passport at the tiny window labelled "foreign passports" and was handed a departure card to fill in. I had to bend down low to see the person inside who obviously wasn't interested (or able) to have eye contact. The departure card is the same as the ones provided at the airports. You need to write you full address, so don't forget to bring a prompt sheet if you don't know the exact details.

Luckily I took my glasses. They had a pen on the counter - one of those so fine tipped ones that are capable of writing the Bill of Rights on a postage stamp.

So if you prefer to write normally - bring your own Biro!

A few moments later I had my passport back and went for the walk over the bridge.

Lucky I had my hat as the sun was hot on my bald head. A few depressed looking Burmese were heading in the opposite direction. Women with strange yellow makeup on their faces. A few limbless beggars along the way.

On arriving at the Burmese immigration (an office on the right side as you face Burma).

Rather than having to wait at a window, an officer opened the door and beckoned me in and asked me to take a seat. Welcome respite for tired old legs!

My passport was recorded with a digital PC camera, hand written details entered in a book plus a few stamps. I was asked for 500 Baht.

Then I was on my way back over the bridge, with shouts from beggar boys on the other side of the

bridge railings "Papa, Papa!" they shouted, hoping to receive a coin or something.

I used the left side of the bridge as I knew that was the side for people going into Thailand.

(not that it mattered really). On arriving back on the Thai side I peeked into one of the tiny

portholes and an officer beckoned me to a sliding door where his desk was. He gave me an entry form to fill in. There are some tables and bench seats there for the purpose. I came back to the sliding door and he checked my visa carefully, stamped the passport and filled in the date allowing 90 days stay. My wife was waiting patiently for my return. Then she wanted to go shopping (what else!)

We went to the market which is to the right of the bridge, next to the river. There is parking for a dozen cars there. An interesting market with some real bargains. Lots of clothes, jewelry, souvineirs,

hardware, toys, wooden items, furniture, consumer electronics, watches, sunglasses etc.

There were groups of Negroes (or Indians?) hollering to get our attention. They were selling some stuff, but their unruly appearance made us hurry inside the market.

They must have had "day passes" issued by the Thai Immigration to try and sell stuff to market goers. Unfortunate people I guess ..

After that we headed up to the Centara Hotel about 2 or 3 Km on the left side. We could have researched more to find a cheaper and better place, but I was too tired to go any further. So we checked in. I think we were two of about 8 guests staying there. I Assume it's low season but with the economic downturn the place must be barely able to stay in business!

The hotel is nicely laid out with very nice gardens. Facilities for tennis and golf. A nice gym and a lovely swimming pool with bar etc. Our room was OK except the carpet was badly stained. The management were obviously not spending much on maintenance. So we felt the 1300 Baht was excessive considering the poor presentation of our room. Anyway we were glad to have a long sleep to get over the long drive and to re-energise for the return journey.

If anybody has any questions I'd be happy to reply.

[sunholidaysun1]

Anyone that has never been to Mae Sot and is due to make the visa run may appreciate

this info:

.

You should write a book !!! Oh , you already did !

[skipvice]

Good Info, Thanks xerostar

[Veazer]

....

There were groups of Negroes (or Indians?) hollering to get our attention. They were selling some stuff, but their unruly appearance made us hurry inside the market.

They must have had "day passes" issued by the Thai Immigration to try and sell stuff to market goers. Unfortunate people I guess ..

...

You do know that 'negro' has been considered a racial slur for about 40 years, right?

I agree with the drive though, I once laughed at a thai friend who told me curvy roads are dangerous. After seeing how Thais use the lanes, i fully understand.

[gpdjohn]

Good report, except for the racial slur.

[Baht Simpson]

I've done the Tak - Maesot journey a couple of dozen times both driving and by coach and it can be a hair-raising experience. It's a serpentine route for about 60km until you get to Maesot.

The "strange yellow makeup" you mention is traditional thanakha face paint.

http://www.roadtomandalay.com/myanmarmisce...anakha_tree.htm

I've never seen any "negros" (sic) at Moie immigration. They were probably Burmese Indians.

[TerryLH]

Nice. Very descriptive.

I'm curious about one thing you said.

"I presented my passport at the tiny window labelled "foreign passports" and was handed a departure card to fill in."

Didn't you already have a departure card from when you last entered Thailand?

I know that on my extension applications and my 90 day reports they ask for the number on the card.

[billd766]

I was up there this month enquiring (with my wife's help) about the married visa extension but at the Immigration department itself at the side of the bridge.

They are open from 08.30 until 12.00 and from 13.00 to 16.30 Monday to Friday excluding Thai public holidays.

We wne in after lunch and there were perhaps a dozen Chinese (I think) people in front of us and one of the officers asked my wife what we wanted. She explained and they gave us a list ( the photos are probably not necessary but I will take them anyway).

They were very helpful and gave me a list.

I have to go to BKK next month to get my pension papers letter from the UK embassy and everything tidied up for the last week of July which gives me around a month to see them and get it sorted out.

It will be my first time there as I used to go to Suan Phlu.

You are correct about the road though on the day we went there were several trucks broken down in the middle lanes.

There is not much in the way of gas stations from the Tak turn off until you get to Mae Sot so be aware of that but plenty in Mae Sot itself.

I think the best way to describe that road trip is "interesting, very interesting".

:D

Stuff_to_take_for_my_visa_v2.xls

[xerostar]

"I presented my passport at the tiny window labelled "foreign passports" and was handed a departure card to fill in."[/i]

Didn't you already have a departure card from when you last entered Thailand?

I know that on my extension applications and my 90 day reports they ask for the number on the card.

I still had the original half of the departure card stapled to the passport page

(it wasn't crumpled or dirty ..)

but they removed it and gave me a new departure card to fill in.

When I got back from Burma they gave me a new arrival card to fill in.

Maybe they like to compare what you wrote on each one just in case your trying to pull a swifty

using different passports/info, addresses etc? Who knows what the crims get up to ..?

I'd also like to apologise for the unintended racial gaff.

[apetley]

Good report of my favourite border hop.

Best to allow at least an hour from the Tak turnoff to the border crossing, hour and a quarter if you drive sedately.

Your right about all the Samlors taking the parking right next to the bridge. I always drive down to the river on the left side, u-turn under the bridge and find a space on the road back up to the immigration office.

I missed the sign for the bridge too on my first trip and had the same crawl like you through town. Bridge is the third exit from the roundabout entering town.

Found a reasonable guesthouse near the centre of Mae Sot too that was quiet for 600 bht a night with wifi called Rujira Guesthouse.

[luap]

xerostar you stated "stamped the passport and filled in the date allowing 90 days stay".

i thought all land border crossings were only for 15 days.

luap

[ubonjoe]

xerostar you stated "stamped the passport and filled in the date allowing 90 days stay".

i thought all land border crossings were only for 15 days.

luap

If you have a visa you get whatever the visa is good for, Non immigrant is 90 days. Tourist is 60 days (for some it is only 30).

If you don't have a visa you only get 15 days unless you are from a country that has an agreement with Thailand that allows for more.

[luap]

thanks ubonjoe

xerostar appreciate the helpfully info

cheers............luap

[billd766]

Thursday night my wife said she wanted a later start, up at 7 and on the road by 8am. We were but in Thai time or 8.20 farang time.

There were a couple of rolled trucks on the way between Tak and Mae Sot but we made fair time and were at the 7/11 by 11 am. My son said he felt sick so I took him to the toilet and he was promptly sick. Better there than in the car I suppose.

Immigration had only 1 farang in front of me and no other customers so we got dealt with fairly quickly.

I took original and photocopies of just about everything and what a surprise they wanted of my TM6 card which I HAD forgotten. My wife went to a furniture shop opposite Immigration on the other side of the bridge to get 2 copies of that and everything was pretty much OK except that the officer dealing with me got a bit confused between $NZD, $USD and GBP which caused a small problem with the exchange rates.

It was settled at 55baht = £1 GBP so I was OK on the exchange rates.

I took copies of MY passbook and also OUR passbook and they took our passbook as the record even though I did tell them. They only took 1 or the 5 pages for the map and didn't mention or look at the translation of the marriage certificate.

Just before we left the senior officer signed off my 90 day report at 60 days.

I asked if there was a new immigration office opening in Nakhon Sawan and he said yes, probably next month and I should be going to that one next. He did not know exactly when it would be opened nor the address but I expect that will come out soon and be posted on Thai Visa.

All in all it was a much nicer experience than the madhouse at Suan Phlu.

We called in at the Muser market on the way home and my wife stocked up on pork things and bought 7kg of melons for me for 100 baht.

I you have to go to Tak / Mae Sot it is a nice place however the road from the route 1 near Tak is not the best at any time and when it rains it can be dangerous as the buffalo drivers as my wife politely calls them rarely slow down. At 1 point we were in the overtaking lane ( legally) behind a couple of pickups and a veery slooow truck when some numbnut in a pickup went past us all on the wrong side of the road on a blind corner and almost got wiped out by someone coming the other way.

[Hahhi]

Thanks for all the info, guys.

I'm planning to make a visa run after a couple of weeks to Mae Sot, and have some questions:

- Do Thai nationals need a passport to visit Burma-side, or is an ID enough? (My wife has a passport, but the driver, her brother, does not...)

- What does the "one day visa" to Burma cost?

- Is there anything interesting on the Burmese side, like tax-free stuff, Burmese curiosities, etc, that couldn't be bought from the Thai-side?

Thanks in advance.