lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

BORDER CROSSING: THAILANDTachileik is a legal crossing point for foreign tourists. But, as with all of Myanmar’s landcrossings, there are several caveats and the following information is liable to change, socheck the situation locally before you travel.At the time of research, we’d received reports of a few travellers who had been permittedto cross into Thailand at Tachileik with advance permission from MTT in Yangon.Permits are issued in around two weeks and cost at least $50, but you may be requiredto book your flights and a taxi to the border through MTT. If you do obtain permission tocross into Thailand, the Thai authorities will issue you a 14-day Thai visa on arrival, or youcan enter with a Thai visa obtained overseas.If you’re starting from Mae Sai, in Thailand, it’s very straightforward to cross to Tachileikfor the day and slightly more complicated to get a two-week visa and permission tovisit Kengtung.The Thai immigration office is open from 6.30am to 6.30pm. After taking care of theusual formalities, cross the bridge and head to the Myanmar immigration office. Hereyou pay 500B and your picture is taken for a temporary ID card that allows you to stay intown for the day; your passport will be kept at the office.If you’d like to stay longer or visit Kengtung, you’ll be directed to the adjacent TouristInformation office. There you’ll need three photos, $10 and 50B to process a borderpass valid for 15 days; your passport will be kept at the border. It’s also obligatory to hirea guide for the duration of your stay. Guides cost 1000B per day (400B of this goes toMTT), and if you haven’t already arranged for a Kengtung-based guide to meet you atborder, you’ll be assigned one by MTT and will also have to pay for your guide’s food andaccommodation during your stay. See p 193 for some recommended Kengtung-basedguides and p 198 for details on getting to Kengtung.For further information, head to shop.lonelyplanet.com to purchase a downloadablePDF of the Northern Thailand chapter from Lonely Planet’s Thailand guide.197KENGTUNG EASTERN MYANMAR & BORDER 8 TACHILEIK AREAS 8AirAir Bagan (%22790; www.airbagan.com), ownedby Ta Za (p 21 ), and Asian Wings (%22300; www.asianwingsairlines.com) have offi ces in town andoperate three fl ights a week between Kengtungand Heho ($85, one hour). If you’re bound forYangon ($130, three hours), you’ll have to fl y viaHeho and Mandalay ($95, 1½ hours).Taxis charge K5000 and trishaws K2000 forthe 2-mile trip to/from the airport.Bus & Pick-Up TruckForeigners can travel by road to Tachileik butthe 280-mile road between Kengtung andTaunggyi is completely off-limits. Offi cials blamebanditry and fi ghting between the governmentand Shan and Wa rebel groups, but the banprobably has more to do with the suspectedsmuggling of opium and methamphetaminesthrough the Golden Triangle.If you want to visit Tachileik by bus fromKengtung, you must fi rst visit the immigrationoffi ce in order to get written permission that willallow you to pass the route’s numerous securitycheckpoints. The same procedure must be carriedout at the Tachileik immigration offi ce toreturn to Kengtung. In practice, it usually helpsto get someone from your hotel to help withthese arrangements.Shwe Mya Taw Express (%23145; TachileikRd) and Thet Nay Wun (%23291; Kyain NyanRd) each run buses to Tachileik at 8am and noon(K10,000, fi ve hours). Share taxis, which departfrom 6am to noon from Kengtung’s bus station,charge K10,000 to K15,000 per seat or about2500 Thai baht, about US$75 for the entire car.8Getting AroundDrivers of motorcycle taxis and trishaws wearcoloured bibs. The going rate for a downtowntrip is K1000. A trishaw from the airport to towncosts K2000.Taxis can be arranged at Harry’s TrekkingHouse and Princess Hotel; rates are cheapest atthe former and start at K36,000 for a full day.TachileiktCxYIlit'%084 / POP C10,000Facing the town of Mae Sai across the Thai-Myanmar border, this nondescript town islike border towns all over Asia – it’s a borderpost and a magnet for black-market goods,and sports a handful of hotels catering totravellers en route to somewhere else. Thaibaht is the accepted currency here.