TACHILEIK, BURMA
I’m sure Tachileik isn’t at all representative of Burma – it really only exists as a market for Thais to buy cheap merchandise from China. Still, it’s a whole different world from the Land of Smiles and makes for a pretty interesting daytrip (especially since it’s mandatory).

After the Thai authorities check your departure card and stamp your passport, you’re herded across the Ruak River under the watch of dour Burmese soldiers in ill-fitting uniforms. The immigration office extends a warm welcome with peeling paint the color of vomit, a portrait of Than Shwe and clocks reminding you that, for some reason, Burma is half an hour behind Thailand (though I’d argue it’s more like three decades). Your passport is taken and replaced by an entry permit with your name misspelled.

The town of Tachileik is dominated by the area immediately across the river, a dingy marketplace selling counterfeit versions of pretty much everything (future post). The rest is a squat expanse of crumbling buildings and MacGyvered vehicles with absolutely nothing in Roman script (even the license plates have Burmese numbers), punctuated by a few impressive temples and Myanmar Rum advertisements.

It’s impossible to travel on to Burma proper from here, but you can continue further up to the Chinese border. Those entry permits are good for two weeks, so maybe I’ll stay a while on the next visa run.

by the way, if you’re wondering why I keep saying “Burma” instead of “Myanmar” it’s just because I think it sounds cooler. wikipedia uses “Burma” too, but if you look at the talk page apparently they’ve thought about it a lot more than I have.