The "Burma Road" Pt. II
We managed to make the checkpoints and had no real dramas on the road. Little traffic was seen except for the local villagers traveling to their rice fields and the occasional motorbike. We had rain for most of the way and fog in the mountains. I stopped at a checkpoint which according to the hand drawn map was 35 Km before Kyaing Tong. The immigration officer could speak some English and warned me "You MUST stop at the checkpoint at Chop Wai". This was not on my map and I wasn't sure of the location. I asked how far and he said about 1 hour or 40 Km. This was farther than Kyaing Tong so I was really confused. He repeated it a number of times very emphatically. OK, I will press on and see what happens.
Soon I found myself at what I believed to be our destination of Kyiang Tong. According to my map I had missed at least one checkpoint. I saw a police station and pulled in. I told them I was looking for immigration and a checkpoint but they weren't really getting it. After some pantomime it was understood that they would send a police officer with me in my truck and take me to immigration. He directed me down some unpaved and rocky backstreets to a ramshackle location that was marked immigration. I would have never found it.
I turned in my travel permit and was immediately scolded that I had missed the checkpoint at the "Hot Springs". They tried to phone the checkpoint but the phones wouldn't work. I had an idea of where I made my mistake. I saw what looked like a roadside market area, past the golf club (yes, the golf club) about 10 km. outside of town. He said that was it and I would have to go back.
10km outside of town, is a row of tents/shops selling the usual roadside goods and draped with "Myanmar Whiskey" advertising banners. In one of these tents with a small sign hanging on the back wall was immigration. I received my stamps, turned in 4 copies and came back to immigration in Kyaing Tong. (I never did figure out what the Immigration guy was talking about when he said go to Chop Wai).
The guys in the office had a big laugh over the whole affair and actually were pretty jovial and spoke fair English. They kept all my travel papers and documents and said we would have to return before we left town and get our new travel documents to continue.
We found the recommended Princess Hotel. They spoke English and Thai and rooms were an expensive $35 usd. The air conditioning did not work during the day I was told because the electricity was not strong enough. In the evening we found the whole town to be sans electricity. The town ran off privately owned generators. No street lights, and only minimal lighting in the few shops and restaurant that were open.
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We asked what there was to see in town. Trekking is apparently available, the lacquerware factory and the old city (it all looked the same to me), was recommended. No one mentioned golf. We found a number of people who spoke Thai and in the hotel and immigration English was spoken.
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This Buddha statue overlooking the town seemed to say "Get out of town!" Who am I to argue with Buddha. |
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Click on photos for a better view!
If you like old architecture and quiet streets this may be for you. A number of Christian monasteries dot the town.
We were told to go to the morning market to exchange money for some Chinese Yuan which was a must in Mong La.
Onward Journey (more papers, more checks!)
In the morning it is back to Kyaing Tong Immigration where we
were issued a new travel paper. This one would take us to Mong La.
Again I was told "Don't miss the checkpoints!", they thought that was
pretty funny. Also, you MUST check in with Immigration in Mong La
and you MUST come back to Immigration here in Kyaing Tong to get papers to
travel to Tachilek. This is a "transit control office" and you must
report. Oh yeah, make more copies.
Click on photos for a better view!
There are giant rice paddies as we approach Mong La.
A single paddie, farmed by many stretches through the valley for at least
10 Km..
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We arrive at the surreal town
and fascinating story of |
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Click here for Part III |
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