lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

THAILAND BORDER CROSSING: MAE SOT105Mae Sot is – at least when things are calm – a legal border crossing to Myanmar. Yet aswith all of Myanmar’s land crossings, the situation is volatile and, on our visit, the borderwas firmly shut due to fighting between the Myanmar Armed Forces and splinter groupsof the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA). Even when the border eventually doesreopen, it’s possible to cross only from Thailand to Myanmar, and like other land crossingpoints, visits are restricted to a limited number of days within a limited area, you have toleave your passport at the border and you’re expected return the same way you came in.If things change by the time you read this, immigration procedures are taken care of atthe Thai immigration booth (%Thailand 0 5556 3000; h6.30am-6.30pm) at the FriendshipBridge. It takes a few minutes to finish all the paperwork to leave Thailand officially,and then you’re free to walk across the arched 420m Friendship Bridge.At the other end of the bridge is the Myanmar immigration booth, where you’ll fillout permits for a one-day stay, pay a fee of US$10 or 500B and leave your passport as adeposit. Then you’re free to wander around Myawadi, as long as you’re back at the bridgeby 5.30pm Myanmar time (which is half an hour behind Thai time) to pick up your passportand check out with immigration. On your return to Thailand, the Thai immigrationoffice at the bridge will give you a new 15-day visa.Myawadi is a fairly typical Burmese town, with a number of monasteries, schools,shops and so on. The most important temple is Shwe Muay Wan, a traditional bellshapedpaya gilded with many kilos of gold and topped by more than 1600 preciousand semiprecious gems. Another noted Buddhist temple is Myikyaungon, named forits crocodile-shaped sanctuary. A hollow pagoda at Myikyaungon contains four marbleMandalay-style buddhas around a central pillar, while niches in the surrounding wall arefilled with buddhas in other styles, including several bronze Sukhothai-style buddhas.Myawadi’s thousand-year-old earthen city walls, probably erected by the area’s originalMon inhabitants, can be seen along the southern side of town.For further information, head to shop.lonelyplanet.com to purchase a downloadablePDF of the Northern Thailand chapter from Lonely Planet’s Thailand guide.Ever since Myanmar attained independencefrom the British in 1948, the Karenhave been embroiled in a fight for autonomy.The struggle continues today, and issaid to be the word’s longest-running internalconflict. The main insurgent body,the Karen National Union (KNU), controlsparts of the northern and eastern parts ofthe state, although recent Yangon militaryvictories have left the KNU and its militarycomponent, the Karen National LiberationArmy (KNLA), severely weakened. In 2010the KNU aligned with five other insurgentarmies and, as recently as 2011, parts of thestate, particularly those near the Thai border,still remain a battleground.Some parts of Kayin State are possible tovisit, though, including Hpa-an, the regionalcapital, an easy and highly recommended tripfrom Mawlamyine or Yangon. Kayin State itself,homeland to around a million Karen,has probably received more foreign visitors,who have crossed over – unofficially – fromThailand, than from other parts of Myanmar.Many international volunteers have venturedinto the frontier area to assist with refugeeconcerns.Hpa-anf;"a®%058 / POP C50,000Though Hpa-an has only a limited numberof official tourist attractions, the atmosphereis energetic and the colours on the streetsrich and vibrant. The real draw is in the surroundingcountryside, which contains artgalleries housed in caves, sacred mountainsand cloud-scraping islands. In addition tothis, the boat trip between Hpa-an and Mawlamyineis a gentle cruise through rural bliss.1Sights & ActivitiesThe town of Hpa-an itself is of limited interest.The town’s vibrant Morning Market isfun to explore and Shweyinhmyaw Pagoda,down by the waterfront, is a good place fromwhich to watch the world sail on by. Somemight also describe the central Clock TowerKAYIN SOUTHEASTERN STATE SIGHTS MYANMAR & ACTIVITIES SIGHTS HPA-AN & ACTIVITIES