C & C globetrotting around the world…

Since we crossed into Thailand by land, we only got 15 days in the country (as opposed to 30 days if you arrive by air). So before our 15 days are up we did a “visa run”, as it is called here. Many people do these for an extended period of time, as there is no restriction on the amount of entries you can have. Apparently this 15-day entry was introduced to help control drug trafficking over land borders. The closest border crossing from Chiang Mai is at Mae Sai in the North, at the border with Myanmar (Burma). We first took the bus to Chiang Rai to visit our CS hosts and friends (Taylor and Oh). The guys are just so nice. It’s the week-end and they don’t work, so they decided to come with us. First we drove to Mae Sai about an hour away to do our “Visa run”. When we arrived in Mae Sai the guys dropped us off right by the gate and we did the formalities of checking out of Thailand and crossing into Myanmar over a small bridge. We had to pay 500 baht each (17$), filled out a short form, got our picture taken and received an “In” and an “Out” stamp. Christoph even chatted a bit about soccer with his border officer, but we were out of there very quickly. We can say we set foot in Myanmar and were also at the northern most point of Thailand. It took longer to get back into Thailand since the queue was long with many foreigners doing the same thing as us. While we were waiting, there were hundreds of Thais passing us. They had gone shopping into Myanmar and many were coming back with hair dryers and blankets. As many things that are illegal in Thailand (eg drugs, guns) are permitted in Myanmar, who knows what else was hiding in the blankets…

We then spent about an hour in Mae Sai, which is surprisingly larger and nicer than many border towns. The market is huge, selling lots of Chinese products brought over the border. Wat Pra That Doi Wao on the hill overlooks Mae Sai and Tachileik (Myanmar). There is also a monument to King Naresuan, a Lanna king famous for beating back several Burmese invasions and killing the Burmese crown prince in a duel. As a symbol, there is a giant scorpion statue brandishing its claws towards Myanmar.

After our successful visa run we drove to the Golden Triangle, the junction between Thailand, Myanmar and Laos at the confluence of the Ruak and the Mekong rivers. Historically it has been one of the most extensive opium-producing areas of Asia and the world since the 1920s, but since the Princess Mother started eradication programs to free the area from opium-growing and drugs have become illegal in Thailand. The Golden Triangle is now a touristic area with a giant gold Buddha and 2 elephant statues. The Thais believe that walking under elephants brings a long life, so we tried our luck too.

On the way back to Chiang Rai, we stopped in Chiang Saen to visit the temple where Oh was a monk. Wat Phra That Pha Ngao is situated on a hilltop that provides panoramic views of the Mekong river and the border of Laos. At the top of the hill is a large white chedi (stupa), which contains a bone from Buddha’s knee. The temple is made of Teak wood with intricate carvings depicting Buddha’s life from birth to enlightenment. We had dinner on the Mekong riverside sitting down on mats. The food was amazing once again and we tried some new dishes Oh and Taylor ordered for us.

Back in Chiang Rai, met up with Sandra and Lena at the clock tower for them to see the 7pm performance. We also had dessert together: Mango Sticky Rice. It was a huge portion and we also got plenty of extra coconut milk, so Cecilia was in heaven. We strolled through the “Saturday Walking Street”, but we were in no mood for shopping. At the end of the bazaar, there was a place for Thai “circle dancing”, which was our actual destination. Except Oh, everyone joined in the dancing and we had fun. The music was pleasant and the steps not too difficult, so we participated in a few. There were Thai ladies happy to show us the steps and delighted that foreigners are interested in their culture.

The guys are just too nice. They drove us to town in the early morning because they said “friends don’t take the bus”. We had breakfast with Taylor and Oh. The Thai tea was really really sweet and with milk. It’s funny because it gets served with jasmine tea, I guess to reduce the sweetness. Even Christoph’s coffee was served with jasmine tea. Cecilia had rice with chicken, but Christoph tried “chok”, a thick rice porridge served with ground pork, ginger and coriander and liked it. You always discover new things when you are with locals. Thanks again!