I Like To Travel Burma

[Quidnovi]

Hello, I will to go travel by car in Burma if someone has already go to Burma wich are the formalites and securite ?

Thank you.

[sonnyJ]

Hello, I will to go travel by car in Burma if someone has already go to Burma wich are the formalites and securite ?

Thank you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Could you tell us a bit more about your travel plans?

Where do you plan to enter Burma, to travel to, for how long time..

[Quidnovi]

Could you tell us a bit more about your travel plans?

Where do you plan to enter Burma, to travel to, for how long time..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hello I thing to enter Mai Sot, and for about one week, Thank

Edited December 17, 2005 by Quidnovi

[sonnyJ]

Mae Sot.

I have no recent info, but few years ago it was only possible to visit around there as a day trip. Personal car was possible to take with but expensive for permit, also it is not alloved for foreigners to drive cars in Burma. I understood some people managed to get in on 1 month tourist visas there though, car would make that even more difficult. Also travel in the Southern Shan State is very restricted for all foreigners. Not many places beyond Tachilek - Kentung road.. By the way, where is your car registered in?

Please let us know how things develope.

Have a nice trip.

[thaivisitor]

I don't know about Mae Sot but correct me if I'm wrong, its not easy to have a foreign car go into Tachilek thru Mae Sai.

Even if they allow, its not easy to go out of Thachilek to other places as the security is very tight. Moreover, there are some places that they will not allow foreigners to divert to.

I remembered when we were travelling from Tachilek to Jing Dong, the paper work for the burmese taxi was so tight. If the paperworks state that 4 people were to be in Jing dong, no one along the way can board or alight from the car to other destinations. There were so many check points the driver has to report to for the officials to check the passengers, and also at the final destination.

Maybe thru Mae Sot could be easier.

[george]

I wonder how the Burmese coast line looks like? Paradise beaches and islands with no tourists?

[bkkmadness]

I have a long time friend in Thailand whos Burmese and he's always saying its such a beautiful country spoiled by a terrible government. He hopes to set up a tourism business bringing people to Burma one day. I expect it could be tourist destination to match Thailand one day.

As far as I know from Mae Sot you can only get a one day visa, and driving and train travel is restricted for foreigners though I haven't looked into it for some time now. I think the deal is you just fly around to the various destinations.

[thaivisitor]

I wonder how the Burmese coast line looks like? Paradise beaches and islands with no tourists?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Don't know about the coastlines or beaches but can safely say, they do have some nice spots (along the way from Tachilek to Jindong) but unfortunately, they don't know how (or don't bother) to make it into tourists attractions.

for example, we passed by a group of large hot springs (haven't seen anything like dat in Thailand) where it looks like a padi field being steamed from afar which I'm sure would do well for visitors.

Also, along the way, we passed by villages of various tribes where in Thailand, sometimes you got to pay to go into the village, take pictures with them and buy overpriced handicrafts, etc, etc.

But when you hit the other provinces inside Burma, other than the capital, be prepared to "live off the land".

Like in Jindong, there are some hotels and guest houses which charge US$10 per head per night instead of per room. Needless to say, we each take a room by ourselves.

Electricity from the government is like a lucky draw. Houses there will have electricty in their house ONE DAY a month from morning to evening only and they DO NOT know which day will be their turn!!!! So they just leave their electrical appliances like irons, fans, etc. If happen you house has electricty for that day and no one is around the house to make full use of it, good luck to them.

Richer homes has generators. Hotels will only turn on their generators from 7pm to 11pm, and then it's lights out.

I could go on and on about my experiences, but guess I better not bore the readers.

[sonnyJ]

Right.

Mae Sot to Myawaddy.

Sorry for mistake.

I don't think you will need a car over there since all travel out of town is forbidden for visitors, if there hasn't been any revolutionary developement in that part like peace with the Government and christian KNLA faction. The road to Hpa-An is not long but in a very bad condition. There are local busses and other traffic going but it's considered not safe. Last time I heard there was a war going on (well this was few years ago, but it's been on since 1949).

Things should be changing as this is the start of the Burmese government planned road to India. The one Thaksin was promoting so laudly too. I'm still pessimistic on the subject... Would be very interested to know of anykind of developements though.

[Quidnovi]

Hello thank for the answers, I see is impossible to travel in Burma, I am disappointed because I thind the Burma is more beautiful tha Thailand, I watch Burma TV sometimes but sure they show the best ?.

I live in Thailand for 20 years and like to see another contries in Asia, because a know Thailand north-south and west-east, Sorry for people in Burma.

[zzap]

...

Richer homes has generators. Hotels will only turn on their generators from 7pm to 11pm, and then it's lights out.

I could go on and on about my experiences, but guess I better not bore the readers.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not boring at all!

I'd like to read more first-hand tips and experiences about Burma, it's hard to come by.

More, please...

[thaivisitor]

...

Richer homes has generators. Hotels will only turn on their generators from 7pm to 11pm, and then it's lights out.

I could go on and on about my experiences, but guess I better not bore the readers.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not boring at all!

I'd like to read more first-hand tips and experiences about Burma, it's hard to come by.

More, please...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

OK, I'll tell of my hotel experience there.

I stayed in what was then the best and most popular hotel there. The hotel was quite nicely done up with big spacious rooms. I didn't know that the generator wasn't on and that they had this "timing" system. I wanted to take a shower and as normal, undressed and went into the bathroom. I turn on the hot water tap and waited. When no hot water came out after a while, I turn on the cold water tap thinking sometimes they might fixed the taps wrongly. Still no hot water.

Dressed up and check with the hotel staff and was told in broken English they have hot water. Even followed me to my room and showed me which tap it is. The one that I had turn on. So I thought maybe I had to wait a little longer. Waited and waited for nearly half an hour and still no hot water. Finally gave up bathing as the weather was quite cold. Later my local friend came and then only was I told that electrcitiy will be on only at 7pm.

The hotels also have a common room where there is a TV. This TV is also controlled by the main TV in the owners house which is inside the compound of the hotel. As such, we cannot decide which channel to see and can only watch what the owner and his family wants to see in their house. That's fine with me.

So after dinner, we decided to watch some TV and sat there relaxing. They were able to receive Thai Channels too. We were watching a channel when suddenly, it change to another channel, as I think someone in the main house decided to watch a different channel. In a few minutes, the channel change again. What the heck! It keep changing to the whims and fancies of whoever the idiot in the main house wanted to see and was ###### irritating to us. My frined walked over to the house to "request" that they don't do that but unfortunately, it was their son, about 10 years old.

Lights out was 11pm and the hotel was kind enough to put a candle the size of a birthday candle with matches in every room in case you need some lights at night.

Sorry for the way I construct my post as I normally write in "Singlish" where there are a lot of "lah, Leh, mah" expressions..

[snoophound]

Great Stuff

Real five star accomodation

Was the 10 year old son the duty manager??

.

I stayed in what was then the best and most popular hotel there. The hotel was quite nicely done up with big spacious rooms. I didn't know that the generator wasn't on and that they had this "timing" system. I wanted to take a shower and as normal, undressed and went into the bathroom. I turn on the hot water tap and waited. When no hot water came out after a while, I turn on the cold water tap thinking sometimes they might fixed the taps wrongly. Still no hot water.

Dressed up and check with the hotel staff and was told in broken English they have hot water. Even followed me to my room and showed me which tap it is. The one that I had turn on. So I thought maybe I had to wait a little longer. Waited and waited for nearly half an hour and still no hot water. Finally gave up bathing as the weather was quite cold. Later my local friend came and then only was I told that electrcitiy will be on only at 7pm.

The hotels also have a common room where there is a TV. This TV is also controlled by the main TV in the owners house which is inside the compound of the hotel. As such, we cannot decide which channel to see and can only watch what the owner and his family wants to see in their house. That's fine with me.

So after dinner, we decided to watch some TV and sat there relaxing. They were able to receive Thai Channels too. We were watching a channel when suddenly, it change to another channel, as I think someone in the main house decided to watch a different channel. In a few minutes, the channel change again. What the heck! It keep changing to the whims and fancies of whoever the idiot in the main house wanted to see and was ###### irritating to us. My frined walked over to the house to "request" that they don't do that but unfortunately, it was their son, about 10 years old.

Lights out was 11pm and the hotel was kind enough to put a candle the size of a birthday candle with matches in every room in case you need some lights at night.

Sorry for the way I construct my post as I normally write in "Singlish" where there are a lot of "lah, Leh, mah" expressions..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[thaivisitor]

Great Stuff

Real five star accomodation

Was the 10 year old son the duty manager??

  .

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Probably the GM.

[thaivisitor]

Hello thank for the answers, I see is impossible to travel in Burma, I am disappointed because I thind the Burma is more beautiful tha Thailand, I watch Burma TV sometimes but sure they show the best ?.

I live in Thailand for 20 years and like to see another contries in Asia, because a know Thailand north-south and west-east, Sorry for people in Burma.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It is not impossible to travel Burma. It is difficult and troublesome if you were to use your own car (maybe impossible) but you can always go there using their transportation system.

There are some places restricted to you, but then you can still experince the different cultures, or rather difficulties, etc, etc and its a totally new experience.

[sabaijai]

Where is "Jing dong" or "Jindong"?

[sonnyJ]

Kengtung is pronounced in burmese raffly as Jindong or Jengtung I guess.

[SeaVisionBurma]

I wonder how the Burmese coast line looks like? Paradise beaches and islands with no tourists?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes George,

There are many of the 800+ islands of the Mergui Archipelago which are both stunning and devoid of tourists. Most activity to the islands originates out of Kawthoung (through Ranaung)

Closer to the coast, especially in the northern part of the archipelago nearer to Myeik (Mergui, some 200 miles north of the Ranaung/Kawthoung border) - there are muddier, dirtier waters surrounding the islands, congested with many local fishing boats.

Want some pics?

also a video here if you have the bandwidth to download it (I know you do, I meant some others with dial up )

***link to poster's website removed***

[sabaijai]

Kengtung is pronounced in burmese raffly as Jindong or Jengtung I guess.

I get it, yes the Burmese is Kyaingtong, the 'ky' being pronounced more or less like the English 'j'. Also known to the Thais as Chiang Tung, and a fascinating place.