Myanmar Opening 3 Overland Routes to Foreigners in August

[Mangkhut]

The interesting journey would be from Thailand to India overland.

Although Burma is opening up there is still trouble with the Naxalites

in India near the Burmese border.

The Burmese will not allow foreigners anywhere near the Indian border.

Anybody have any further information about this?

Your absolutely right here. Its great that Myanmar are about to open up and border crossings will be allowed with own vehicle. The ultimate thing would however be if they allowed foreigners to travel through the whole country with their own vehicles - as in/out from the Indian state of Assam/Nagaland (or what is it?) and then in/out of Thailand somewhere. Many overlanders will drewle upon this possibility....

But I guess one should take one stap at a time and be happy with that.....

Who said border crossings will be allowed with own vehicle? I am pretty sure only passengers can cross from Thailand into Myanmar, but must travel in Myanmar vehicles once inside the country. The current system of applying for advance permission to bring your car or motorcycle across (except for short term 1-day border hopping trips within a few km of the Thai border) will remain, but it's getting easier. A recent Bangkok Post article mentioned that it was becoming straightforward to apply for permission to drive into Myanmar, so you can't just show up at the border and go. I think that perhaps by next year or 2015, it should be possible to drive into Myanmar and travel around the country in your own car without advance permission but right now permission must still be sought in advance.

As for overland travel into India - it has been done this year by some German travelers in their own cars traveling from India to Thailand via Myanmar and Thais/third party foreigners on a caravan tour from Thailand to Bhutan and Nepal via Myanmar and India, but both journeys required a lot of paperwork and advance permission.

Sorry I was into wishful thinking for a moment......

I know about those germans overlanding through Myanmar and I know travelling in Myanmar with own vehicle is possible even today with - as you say - a lot of paperwork and advanced permissions....

[SeaVisionBurma]

There are obviously still a lot of restrictions on travel in and through Myanmar, but these will change in time.

This current change in policy is a positive step in the right direction, and will open up some interesting routes that were previously off limits to foreign independent travellers who wish to see and do something different in a country that has been very much isolated for the better part of half a century. In some instances, it will allow travel to areas that very few outsiders have seen even before the country was progressively closed off in the 60's.

The fact that certain permissions are still required to access particular areas is a given - and should be accepted as just another factor. It should not detract from the fact that Myanmar is slowly opening - providing new destinations into SE Asia's largest country in terms of land mass.

Vehicles in time will be allowed in from bordering countries. There have been isolated cases of special trips across the country being allowed in the past - all with lengthy applications and vetting before being given permits - but for those that put up with these procedures were provided with memorable journeys for their efforts.

Off topic anecdote: Barely 12 years ago - there was an air race organized from London to Sydney as part of the Australian federation centenary celebrations.

As impossible as it sounds, the air race organizers managed to get the support from officials at the time to not only pass through Myanmar, but to have aircraft land, refuel and break their journey in Yangon. Things got interesting when an aircraft had to make an unscheduled landing due to a fuel or engine issue - which had the bureaucrats scrambling - but the event was a success and it was surprising at the time that they managed to pull this off.

My guess is that things can only improve here - and this overland travel is a good start.

[onthemoon]

Somewhat related...

There was an article on the Eleven Media website which I read yesterday about the number of tourists arriving in Myanmar. Thai's topped that list. That may have something to do with it.

Edit:

Thai visitors on top of Yangon's foreign arrivals

Thais are on top of the list of foreign visitors received by the Yangon International Airport from January to mid-July, according to official figures from the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.

Over 366,000 visitors entered through the country's main gateway over the past seven months and the majority of them were from Asia, which accounted for more than 235,000 tourists. It was a considerable increased compared to the same period last year saw 165,000.

Among the Asian tourists, over 52,000 visitors were from Thailand, followed by Japan with over 33,000 visitors and China with 24,000 visitors.

Chinese tourists ranked fourth place this year, a drop from third place on the same period last year.

The airport has also received over 76,000 visitors from Western Europe, nearly 31,000 from North America, over 13,000 from Oceania, over 5,000 from Eastern Europe, over 2,000 from other Americas, over 1,600 from the Middle East, and over 1,500 from Africa.

The airport receives an average of over 1,800 visitors daily, compared to only 1,300 visitors last year.

In 2006, Myanmar saw a surge in tourist arrivals, but the tourism industry suffered three consecutive years of decline afterwards, following the Saffron Revolution and the Cyclone Nargis.

The tourism industry started to recover in 2010 due to political changes in the country and tourists became more interested in Myanmar due to news coverage by foreign media.

Tourists' interest in Myanmar continues to increase after 2011 and the country reached its goal of receiving over 1 million visitors last year.

http://elevenmyanmar.com/tourism/2912-thai-visitors-on-top-of-yangon-s-foreign-arrivals

52,000 from Thailand and 76,000 from Western Europe. How does that place Thai visitors on the top?

[onthemoon]

When we crossed over up at Mai Sai some years ago talking to the people in the market the feeling I was given that the people of the country wished it to be called Burma as that is "their" name and that Myanmar is the name that represents the governmental control which no one liked.

I felt is was like a Thailand 40 years ago and through distorting glasses.

I liked the place and the people, just a pity all the left hand drive cars drive on the right!

Burma is the name preferred by many of the Burmese, who make up about 50-60% of the population. The many other ethnic groups do not necessarily prefer to have their country named after only one ethnic group.

The name Burma was given by the colonialist British. After the British left, the country immediately switched from driving on the left to driving on the right side of the street.

The reason that most of the cars are right-hand-drive (i.e. the steering wheel is on the right) is that those are second-hand import from Japan.

Your interview sample might not have been representative for the country.

[SeaVisionBurma]

52,000 from Thailand and 76,000 from Western Europe. How does that place Thai visitors on the top?

Thai visitors = 52,000 from one country - Thailand.

Western Europe = 72,000 visitors from all of the countries in Western Europe.

Thailand had the most visitors from a single country, therefore they are placed on the top.

[Tomtomtom69]

When we crossed over up at Mai Sai some years ago talking to the people in the market the feeling I was given that the people of the country wished it to be called Burma as that is "their" name and that Myanmar is the name that represents the governmental control which no one liked.

I felt is was like a Thailand 40 years ago and through distorting glasses.

I liked the place and the people, just a pity all the left hand drive cars drive on the right!

Burma is the name preferred by many of the Burmese, who make up about 50-60% of the population. The many other ethnic groups do not necessarily prefer to have their country named after only one ethnic group.

The name Burma was given by the colonialist British. After the British left, the country immediately switched from driving on the left to driving on the right side of the street.

The reason that most of the cars are right-hand-drive (i.e. the steering wheel is on the right) is that those are second-hand import from Japan.

Your interview sample might not have been representative for the country.

Not immediately, it took them until 1970 to make the switch which was done according to the advice of a fortune teller who told the then President, Ne Win I believe to "move to the right". Personally I think it was a pointless and dumb decision but now that it's done changing back to the left would cost millions and wouldn't bring any economic benefits.

[Tomtomtom69]

That's good. But let's see where they are.

Kawthoung: Off Ranong in Thailand. Google Map

Tachilek: Off just about the most Northerly Point in Thailand. Google Map

Myawaddy: Next to Mae Sot in Tak. Google Map

You could always do a stamp in and out in Mae Sot anyway.

So good news, but not great. Get one open within 3-4 hours driving from BKK and they'd make a mint with border runners.

Yes i agree I would have thought that the newly opened border in Kanchanaburi would have been on the list....though I suspect that the infastructure on the Burma side is not yet ready

Agreed - although it wouldn't matter much about a lack of hotels etc. at the actual border as long as they opened the border crossing, upgraded the dirt road they have now, which then allows fast access to Dawei. Anyway let's be happy about the opening of these three crossings first - more will surely come possibly within the next year. Even one overland crossing would already have made travelers happy 10 years ago but now finally we have 3 - Mae Sot is only a 5 and a half hour drive from Bangkok and there are flights too (with Nok Air), so it's not that far. Once you're there, you have the fastest access to Yangon from any of these three crossings. Mae Sai can be reached in an hour or less from Chiang Rai airport and Ranong has an airport with flights to/from Bangkok I believe.

[IsaanUSA]

That's good. But let's see where they are.

Kawthoung: Off Ranong in Thailand. Google Map

Tachilek: Off just about the most Northerly Point in Thailand. Google Map

Myawaddy: Next to Mae Sot in Tak. Google Map

You could always do a stamp in and out in Mae Sot anyway.

So good news, but not great. Get one open within 3-4 hours driving from BKK and they'd make a mint with border runners.

Hah! With news like this, my trip will most likely be "One Way"...

Suicide mission or planning to live there forever?

[BwindiBoy]

When we crossed over up at Mai Sai some years ago talking to the people in the market the feeling I was given that the people of the country wished it to be called Burma as that is "their" name and that Myanmar is the name that represents the governmental control which no one liked.

I felt is was like a Thailand 40 years ago and through distorting glasses.

I liked the place and the people, just a pity all the left hand drive cars drive on the right!

Right hand drive cars (for the left lane) driving in the right hand lane...

[ableguy]

When we crossed over up at Mai Sai some years ago talking to the people in the market the feeling I was given that the people of the country wished it to be called Burma as that is "their" name and that Myanmar is the name that represents the governmental control which no one liked.

I felt is was like a Thailand 40 years ago and through distorting glasses.

I liked the place and the people, just a pity all the left hand drive cars drive on the right!

same as people in Vietnam still call Saigon Saigon not Ho chi Min/.

[hyperdimension]

I'm thinking of traveling overland from Yangon to Chiang Mai at the end of this year. I guess the new Myawaddy border crossing would be the best route.

Are there buses available from Yangon to Myawaddy?

I'd then cross the border into Mae Sot to go to Chiang Mai.

[mingalaba]

When we crossed over up at Mai Sai some years ago talking to the people in the market the feeling I was given that the people of the country wished it to be called Burma as that is "their" name and that Myanmar is the name that represents the governmental control which no one liked.

I felt is was like a Thailand 40 years ago and through distorting glasses.

I liked the place and the people, just a pity all the left hand drive cars drive on the right!

Burma is the name preferred by many of the Burmese, who make up about 50-60% of the population. The many other ethnic groups do not necessarily prefer to have their country named after only one ethnic group.

The name Burma was given by the colonialist British. After the British left, the country immediately switched from driving on the left to driving on the right side of the street.

The reason that most of the cars are right-hand-drive (i.e. the steering wheel is on the right) is that those are second-hand import from Japan.

Your interview sample might not have been representative for the country.

My wife is Kachin and if she hears people referring to Myanmar as Burma she gets angry... Even most of the Bamar, at least in my experiences, use the name Myanmar. It´s a foreigner thing to still use Burma.

[Tomtomtom69]

I'm thinking of traveling overland from Yangon to Chiang Mai at the end of this year. I guess the new Myawaddy border crossing would be the best route.

Are there buses available from Yangon to Myawaddy?

I'd then cross the border into Mae Sot to go to Chiang Mai.

Yes, the new overland route from Yangon to Myawaddy would indeed be the fastest route. By car it takes about 4 hours from Yangon to Hpa-an and a further 4-5 hours to reach the border at Myawaddy. From Mae Sot, the route via Tak and Lampang to Chiang Mai is fastest. Once the new Dawna range bypass road is completed next year, the journey time between Myawaddy and Hpa-an should be cut down to only about 2 hours or even less. A new expressway is also being planned from Myawaddy to Naypyidaw. Details are a bit sketchy atm though, but it could be open before we know it.

There are plenty of buses between Yangon and Myawaddy. Next year a cross border Myawaddy to Mae Sot service and possibly a Mae Sot-Yangon service will also reportedly begin service. In the meantime, walking or catching a ride with the many cross-border Burmese registered minivans is a possibility.

[hyperdimension]

There are plenty of buses between Yangon and Myawaddy.

How are the roads, traffic and driving from Yangon to Myawaddy? Which bus companies are the safest?

There have been some horrific bus accidents lately in Thailand.

[boomerangutang]

Cool, I have been wanting to go from Tachileik via Kengtung over to Taunggyi then into the middle of the country. Current set-up only allows us farangis to go to Kengtung (and Mong La on the Chinese border) with a gov't-approved guide. I look forward to updates on this.

me same. I wouldn't mind renting a motorbike in Tachilek, but doubt it will be possible anytime soon. I've rented one for a few days in Keng Tung, a few years ago, but I've heard the place up there closed down. My first Burmese g.f. was from Taungyii - what a dish she was! It's not far from Inle lake, where I've been also.

[Tomtomtom69]

Cool, I have been wanting to go from Tachileik via Kengtung over to Taunggyi then into the middle of the country. Current set-up only allows us farangis to go to Kengtung (and Mong La on the Chinese border) with a gov't-approved guide. I look forward to updates on this.

me same. I wouldn't mind renting a motorbike in Tachilek, but doubt it will be possible anytime soon. I've rented one for a few days in Keng Tung, a few years ago, but I've heard the place up there closed down. My first Burmese g.f. was from Taungyii - what a dish she was! It's not far from Inle lake, where I've been also.

Renting motorcycles in many places in Myanmar seems OK nowadays. No idea about Tachilek or Kengtung though - haven't been to the latter place and only went on various day trips to the former. In Hpa-an, Mandalay and other places I have been to earlier this year, there were numerous places to rent motorcycles. Of course in Yangon there are none since motorcycles aren't allowed in the city center.

[Tomtomtom69]

There are plenty of buses between Yangon and Myawaddy.

How are the roads, traffic and driving from Yangon to Myawaddy? Which bus companies are the safest?

There have been some horrific bus accidents lately in Thailand.

I have travelled more than 90% of that road, and regarding the remaining stretch that I haven't travelled, but have seen pictures of I can say this:

Starting from Myawaddy, the first 5km to the outskirts of town are on surfaced roads, followed by a wide unsurfaced stretch that is generally in good condition (at least in the dry season) and will eventually be surfaced. Later on, as you head into the mountains before Kawkareik, the road narrows and goes along a cliff face. This section, probably around 30-40km long will eventually be bypassed by a new road currently under construction by a Thai company. In the meantime, landslides due to the recent heavy rainfalls late last month that also triggered flooding in Hpa-an, Myawaddy and across to Mae Sot on the Thai side will mean this road will be out of action to anything bigger than motorcycles for the next 10 days or so (according to Karennews.com). Also, this section is one day up, one day down meaning if traffic is not headed west on the day you arrive in Myanmar, you'll either have to get a motorcycle driver to drive you at least to Kawkareik, some 60km from the border crossing or stay overnight in Myawaddy and catch a bus the next day. I am not sure of the names of the bus companies, but if you catch an early bus (probably there wouldn't be any buses leaving later than lunchtime anyway) you should be alright, at least after October when the dry season starts to set in. Bus tickets can be purchased at many places along the main road near the border crossing. Once it's open you can ask locals to help direct you to the right shops.

The road from Kawkareik to Hpa-an is surfaced and although has some curves in places is relatively flat, at least from the Gyaing river the last 50-60km into the state capital of Hpa-an. This stretch would take around 1h by bus or 45min by car to traverse. From Hpa-an to Yangon, the roads are good and become wider, still two way until Bago, after which there is a 6-lane road for the last 80km or so into Yangon. Total travelling time from Hpa-an to Yangon is about 4-5hours, from Myawaddy to Hpa-an around 4-6 hours, even though it's only a 125km stretch. Once the bypass road is open next year or so travelling times will improve greatly as will safety.

Traffic is generally fairly light all the way until you nearly reach Yangon. Driving is also a little less "extreme" than what you'll find in Thailand, but I would still take care when travelling along the Dawna range between Myawaddy and Kawkareik as bottlenecks can occur due to the extremely narrow and winding stretch of road there, I'm sure buses have fallen down the cliff face in the past although this shouldn't mean it would happen very frequently. If you are really concerned and would still like to save a bit of money, I would recommend hiring either a motorcycle taxi or a car with driver to drive you from Myawaddy to Hpa-an and then change to a Yangon bound bus from there. You may find yourself needing to spend a night in Hpa-an, since there were no night buses from Hpa-an to Yangon when I was last there in April (maybe this is a good thing), unless you leave Myawaddy at like 5am in the morning after having the spent the previous night there. I recall there were 2 morning departures, 7.30am and 9am. I had a car with driver throughout my trip but we did have to send one of my travelling party (my guide) onto the bus and he left on the 9am bus (or maybe it was 9.30am), anyway something like that.

[Tomtomtom69]

OK some more news regarding the opening of these crossings. I knew all along that the floods would delay the opening of the overland routes, and now have an article to confirm my suspicions.

http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2013/08/floods-foil-easy-entry-exit-rule/

Originally, at Mae Sai/Tachileik they should have opened the crossing since August 6 (see link below), which was a few days ago. Even though most of the flooding affected Mae Sot and Kayin State, I don't see how that should delay the opening at Tachileik. If anything, one should be able to enter overland there and proceed down to Kawthoung and exit there, or from Yangon or Mandalay airports (but not Myawaddy until they clean up the mess that the flooding and landslides caused there).

http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2013/08/myanmar-to-ease-overland-travel/

Of course the Myanmar authorities have likely used the flooding in one place as an excuse to delay the opening of overland access at the other two checkpoints as well.

[louse1953]

The interesting journey would be from Thailand to India overland.

Although Burma is opening up there is still trouble with the Naxalites

in India near the Burmese border.

The Burmese will not allow foreigners anywhere near the Indian border.

Anybody have any further information about this?

And Nepal.

[louse1953]

Somewhat related...

There was an article on the Eleven Media website which I read yesterday about the number of tourists arriving in Myanmar. Thai's topped that list. That may have something to do with it.

Edit:

Thai visitors on top of Yangon's foreign arrivals

Thais are on top of the list of foreign visitors received by the Yangon International Airport from January to mid-July, according to official figures from the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.

Over 366,000 visitors entered through the country's main gateway over the past seven months and the majority of them were from Asia, which accounted for more than 235,000 tourists. It was a considerable increased compared to the same period last year saw 165,000.

Among the Asian tourists, over 52,000 visitors were from Thailand, followed by Japan with over 33,000 visitors and China with 24,000 visitors.

Chinese tourists ranked fourth place this year, a drop from third place on the same period last year.

The airport has also received over 76,000 visitors from Western Europe, nearly 31,000 from North America, over 13,000 from Oceania, over 5,000 from Eastern Europe, over 2,000 from other Americas, over 1,600 from the Middle East, and over 1,500 from Africa.

The airport receives an average of over 1,800 visitors daily, compared to only 1,300 visitors last year.

In 2006, Myanmar saw a surge in tourist arrivals, but the tourism industry suffered three consecutive years of decline afterwards, following the Saffron Revolution and the Cyclone Nargis.

The tourism industry started to recover in 2010 due to political changes in the country and tourists became more interested in Myanmar due to news coverage by foreign media.

Tourists' interest in Myanmar continues to increase after 2011 and the country reached its goal of receiving over 1 million visitors last year.

http://elevenmyanmar.com/tourism/2912-thai-visitors-on-top-of-yangon-s-foreign-arrivals

52,000 from Thailand and 76,000 from Western Europe. How does that place Thai visitors on the top?

Is Europe one country now?

[onthemoon]

Somewhat related...

There was an article on the Eleven Media website which I read yesterday about the number of tourists arriving in Myanmar. Thai's topped that list. That may have something to do with it.

Edit:

Thai visitors on top of Yangon's foreign arrivals

Thais are on top of the list of foreign visitors received by the Yangon International Airport from January to mid-July, according to official figures from the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.

Over 366,000 visitors entered through the country's main gateway over the past seven months and the majority of them were from Asia, which accounted for more than 235,000 tourists. It was a considerable increased compared to the same period last year saw 165,000.

Among the Asian tourists, over 52,000 visitors were from Thailand, followed by Japan with over 33,000 visitors and China with 24,000 visitors.

Chinese tourists ranked fourth place this year, a drop from third place on the same period last year.

The airport has also received over 76,000 visitors from Western Europe, nearly 31,000 from North America, over 13,000 from Oceania, over 5,000 from Eastern Europe, over 2,000 from other Americas, over 1,600 from the Middle East, and over 1,500 from Africa.

The airport receives an average of over 1,800 visitors daily, compared to only 1,300 visitors last year.

In 2006, Myanmar saw a surge in tourist arrivals, but the tourism industry suffered three consecutive years of decline afterwards, following the Saffron Revolution and the Cyclone Nargis.

The tourism industry started to recover in 2010 due to political changes in the country and tourists became more interested in Myanmar due to news coverage by foreign media.

Tourists' interest in Myanmar continues to increase after 2011 and the country reached its goal of receiving over 1 million visitors last year.

http://elevenmyanmar.com/tourism/2912-thai-visitors-on-top-of-yangon-s-foreign-arrivals

52,000 from Thailand and 76,000 from Western Europe. How does that place Thai visitors on the top?

Is Europe one country now?

Not yet, but almost there. Not all of Europe, but the EU. But that is a totally different discussion, off-topic here.

It has already been said that these statistics refer to individual countries, so I am not sure why you ask this question. Cheers.

[ARGUSEYE]

The "Mizzima" article states - quote - "Visitors will be allowed to travel to all areas except restricted areas" - unquote.

And what lies right across the border when I cross at Tachi Lek??

The eastern Shan state, and that is very very much restricted!!! Entry only allowed with gov. guide and then only the corridor to Gaing Thong and Mong Lar.

The article contradicts itself.

No way will we be allowed to travel freely through Eastern Shan State to Taunggi. Even government trucks go only in convoy due to security reasons and the state of the road. I talked to a government official once, he said it took them a week to reach Gaing Thong from Taunggi.

Maybe they allow us to take the plane from Gaing Thong or Tachi lek to Heho and Mandalay, that'll be all.

[Tomtomtom69]

The "Mizzima" article states - quote - "Visitors will be allowed to travel to all areas except restricted areas" - unquote.

And what lies right across the border when I cross at Tachi Lek??

The eastern Shan state, and that is very very much restricted!!! Entry only allowed with gov. guide and then only the corridor to Gaing Thong and Mong Lar.

The article contradicts itself.

No way will we be allowed to travel freely through Eastern Shan State to Taunggi. Even government trucks go only in convoy due to security reasons and the state of the road. I talked to a government official once, he said it took them a week to reach Gaing Thong from Taunggi.

Maybe they allow us to take the plane from Gaing Thong or Tachi lek to Heho and Mandalay, that'll be all.

It isn't restricted anymore and the guide requirement has been waived due to these new regulations (no idea about flights from Kengtung to Taunggyi though, but you can cross and see for yourself). You are quoting old information from 1, 2, 3 or more years ago. No need for speculation. Go there and come back with a trip report and then you'll see how things have changed rather than moan about the "inaccuracies" of this article. Many news articles in the past week with photos show numerous travelers having entered and/or exited at these 4 newly opened checkpoints and official opening ceremonies were held on August 28. I'm heading across the border in a few weeks (although at Myawaddy not Tachilek) and I know there won't be any restrictions as the borders are now open. Also, if you want to be guaranteed to only use overland transportation, then cross at Myawaddy, Htee Khee (wherever that is, but probably somewhere around Prachuab or Chumporn provinces) or Kawthoung, where full overland access is definitely allowed. As for Kengtung to Taunggyi, well, you need to go there and ask.

[morocco]

Interesting posts. Last year when I was extending my bike papers for another month (me and bike were from Cambodia) at Tachilek border they mistakenly thought I wanted to take my bike across border. Well before i knew what was going on they had papers for my bike and me to cross. lol

​It took more time to straighten this out than getting across border papers. The Thai side and Burma side were extremely nice and going out of their way to accommodate me during both situations. Bearing in mind that I was being very patient and very respectful. I ask a couple of border officials "where could I have gone over land if I did cross?" and they said depends on where I wanted to go. Kind of a grey area answer. I will be back there this December or January and will find out exactly where I can go over land travel with my own bike,if possible. It would be an amazing trip to enter at Tachilek and exit at Mae Sot.

[Tomtomtom69]

Interesting posts. Last year when I was extending my bike papers for another month (me and bike were from Cambodia) at Tachilek border they mistakenly thought I wanted to take my bike across border. Well before i knew what was going on they had papers for my bike and me to cross. lol

​It took more time to straighten this out than getting across border papers. The Thai side and Burma side were extremely nice and going out of their way to accommodate me during both situations. Bearing in mind that I was being very patient and very respectful. I ask a couple of border officials "where could I have gone over land if I did cross?" and they said depends on where I wanted to go. Kind of a grey area answer. I will be back there this December or January and will find out exactly where I can go over land travel with my own bike,if possible. It would be an amazing trip to enter at Tachilek and exit at Mae Sot.

Some very good questions I would like the answer to myself. Overland travel in Myanmar registered vehicles is definitely possible now since last week, but in 6 weeks time I would like to bring across a car, probably Lao registered though it could also end up being Thai registered, via Mae Sot to Myawaddy and then driving onto Hpa-an, Mawlamyaing (Moulmein) and Yangon for a business trip. I hope I can secure permission in time, unless the permission requirement has now been waved? (Although I somehow doubt this, but I can ask a combination of travel agents and a Myanmar immigration official at the Myawaddy crossing to find out more). My feeling is that crossing by car may be more easily allowed than before - but probably with a Burmese guide to accompany us, which wouldn't be such a bad thing, given I can't read nor speak Burmese beyond the most basic words and sentences and we were planning on hiring a guide for our exploratory business trip anyway.