lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

Spice Roads (%0066 2 7125305; www.spiceroads.com)Bangkok-based operation,offering two 14-day itineraries(including eight daysof riding) from $2150 perperson. One follows part ofthe old Burma Road fromPyin Oo Lwin to Mandalay.BoatA huge fleet of riverboats,remnants of the old 1920seraIrrawaddy FlotillaCompany (IFC), still plyMyanmar’s major rivers,where the bulk of travellerorientedboat travel getsdone. Some boats are ramshackle(but certainly lively)government ferries. Othersdate all the way back to theBritish era and others stillare old-style IFC liners convertedfor luxury cruises.The main drawback of thismode of travel is speed – orlack thereof. Boat trips formany routes are looselyscheduled in terms of days,not hours.There are 5000 miles ofnavigable river in Myanmar,with the most importantriver being the Ayeyarwady(Irrawaddy). Even in the dryseason, boats can travel fromthe delta region (dodgingexposed sandbars) all theway north to Bhamo, andin the wet they can reachMyitkyina.Other important riversinclude the Twante Chaung(Twante Chanel), which linksthe Ayeyarwady to Yangon,and the Chindwin River,which joins the Ayeyarwady alittle above Bagan. The ThanlwinRiver in the east is onlynavigable for about 125 milesfrom its mouth at Mawlamyine,though the five-hour tripto Hpa-an is one of the country’smost scenic waterwayjourneys.It takes great expertiseto navigate Myanmar’s waterways.Rapidly changingsandbanks and shallow waterduring the dry season meanthe captains and pilots haveto keep in constant touchwith the changing pattern ofthe river flows.In addition to the rivers,it’s possible to travel alongthe Bay of Bengal betweenSittwe and Taunggok (northof Ngapali Beach).375TRANSPORT BOATBORDER CROSSINGSMyanmar’s land borders are closed to foreign tourists, except for three specific casesdetailed here, each of which is subject to special conditions. No bus or train service connectsMyanmar with another country, nor can you travel by car or motorcycle across theborder – you must walk across. Have your visa ready before you get to the border (seep 369 ).Overland links could change at some point in the future. Most of Myanmar’s neighboursactively covet Myanmar ports and are planning on investing for infrastructureprojects to eventually criss-cross Myanmar by road. This may mean connections fromDanang, Vietnam (through Laos and Thailand) to Mawlamyine, and up through centralMyanmar, across the Indian border at Morei to New Delhi.To/From Mae Sai, ThailandNorth of Chiang Rai it’s possible to cross to Tachileik (p 197 ). Travellers are issued a 14-day entry permit, not a visa, at the border for B500. You can travel to Kengtung, but cannotcontinue anywhere else (even if you have a regular tourist visa).Travellers wanting to exit Myanmar here can do so with the 14-day permit, or if theyhave a permit from Myanmar Travels & Tours (MTT) in Yangon.To/From Ranong, ThailandThis exit is generally closed for outgoing tourists, though it’s possible to cross into Myanmarfrom Thailand on a ‘visa run’. See p 105 for more.To/From Ruili, ChinaYou can only enter or leave Myanmar from this border with China on a package in both directions.Coming from Kunming you should book a multiday ‘visa-and-package trip’ – youcan’t go on your own – to cross the border at Mu-se and on to Lashio. It’s about Y1400($200). Ruili is about 20 hours from Kunming by road, and Lashio is a five-hour trip fromthe border, but you can stay in Mu-se if necessary.Heading in the other direction, MTT in Yangon and Mandalay quoted us deals fromLashio to the border, including a permit, guide, car and driver for one/two/three passengers,for $170/220/255. Once across the border, onward connections to Kunming andDali are straightforward. For more details see the boxed text, p 267 .