Mae Hong Son pushes forward plan to upgrade border checkpoint

[Mario2008]

MCOT June 14 2013

MAE HONG SON, June 14--- Mae Hong Son officials are pushing forward a plan to upgrade its Ban Huai Ton Nun checkpoint with Myanmar to become a permanent border crossing in order to boost trade and transport.

continues here: http://www.mcot.net/site/content?id=51bad3ce150ba0052b0004a7#.UbvXB0D-KtV

[Tomtomtom69]

Sounds like a good idea but this story is not newsworthy unless Myanmar allows full overland access from these checkpoints to other parts of the country. Otherwise only local traders on short trips to trade their goods either side of the border will be possible, which is the same situation as now.

[garyk]

I have been dying to drive from Thailand to India? So frustrating. When will things get on track here?

[Minnehaha]

This would be the quickest overland route to Naypidaw. If they actually open the road on the Myanmar side.

[slipperylobster]

Seems like overland travel on any road connecting Mae Hong Son and Myanmar would be a pain in the butt. My gal owns a resort there (Mae Hong Son), and it would be nice just to get a stamp for 15 days ...if that service ever gets started. By the way...Is Myanmar worth the trip? I know the temples are a hit, but how are the people? Would be looking for reasonable comfort/good choice in food. I heard its more expensive there. We like some music and dance (traditional) as well. Would fly in out of Bangkok, but do not want to get caught up in a tourist trap (I mean pushy touts, gimmicks, scams, overpriced tours)

[Mangkhut]

Seems like overland travel on any road connecting Mae Hong Son and Myanmar would be a pain in the butt. My gal owns a resort there (Mae Hong Son), and it would be nice just to get a stamp for 15 days ...if that service ever gets started. By the way...Is Myanmar worth the trip? I know the temples are a hit, but how are the people? Would be looking for reasonable comfort/good choice in food. I heard its more expensive there. We like some music and dance (traditional) as well. Would fly in out of Bangkok, but do not want to get caught up in a tourist trap (I mean pushy touts, gimmicks, scams, overpriced tours)

I have been in Myanmar once in 2011 and it was a group tour but I can nothing but say that is well worth the trip and cost of it.

Its expensive compared to most other asian countries - probably because there is very little competition.

But I noticed that there were cheaper guesthouses and eateries as well.

Yangoon is an interesting capital and not so overcrowded with people, traffic and pollution as asian capitals often are. Motorbikes are not allowed in the city. Some really nice parks, the very impressing Schwedagon pagoda, interesting markets.

Mandalay - just taste the word - is also interesting. Temples, especially the Mingun pagoda outside Mandalay. The very long wooden bridge so often photografed and which name I for the moment forgot.

Then sail from Mandalay on the Irrawaddy river to Bagan. Its a one day journy starting in early morning and arriving late afternoon. Golden pagodas are shimmering around almost every corner of the mighty Irrawaddy river to an extend that are really breathtaking.

Then Bagan - a place with around 3000 pagodas from the 11 and 12 century spread around in a limited area. Its pagoda spires in litterately everywhere you look. They are from the same era as the Ankor Wat in Cambodia and to me Bagan is a much more impresssing place to visit than Ankor Wat.

Another really nice place is the Inle lake where different etnical tribes has settled and live in and off the huge lake. They have been building houses on stilts where they are living, they are groving fruits and vegetables on artifical islands in the lake, they make handicrafts as weaving, gold and silver smiths.

There are a whole lot of hustle and bustle on the lake. And even some wineries on the hills near the lake.

There are ome really really amasing resorts on the the lakeshore. I have hardly been staying in a more scenic place ever. Just pure magic!

There are guarantied some more nice and interesting places as well and for sure some bad places as well. And many places/regiones foreigners are still not allowed to enter. The beach places in the south shall be nice I have heard.

I didnt see any touts at all and experienced no scams exept maybe paying 50 US dollars for good week of laundry in a luxury hotel in Mandalay which can be done for 5 US dollars in Thailand. But then again - my experiences are from a group tour.

So this is my to cents - and please excuse my lack of correct english here and there...

Edited June 17, 2013 by Mangkhut