The Myanmar Experience

Heyhey! I'm getting better at blogging. I left off in BKK prior to an epic public transportation journey that left me with a few hours of sleep over two and a half days. I woke up at 4:30 am intent on catching the 5:30 am 3rd class train from BKK to Chiang Mai. Figured that would be a neat way to see the country side without pushing too close to my visa expiration date. All was well and good until I discovered the 5:30 to be full. I was offered the VIP trains at WAY too much money for my standards. So I sat down for a coffee and a re-think. I found a well-versed Thai information assistant who showed me how to get from BKK to Lopburi (the little city overrun by MONKEYS I'd heard about on my flight from Tokyo) and Lopburi to Chiang Mai, all on the 3rd class train. Shweet! I was in. So from 9:30am to noon, I watched the Thai country side roll by with the rest of the everyday Thai riders. Once I got into Lopburi, I had until midnight for my connecting train.

Stashed my bags at the station and set out to see some sights and chase some monkeys. In search of some grub, I saw my first monkey. Little buddy was just strolling down the sidewalk. And like spotting poison oak while hiking through the forest, you see one, you start to see all the rest...I looked around to discover that it was no myth, the monkeys really DO rule the town. They were EVERYWHERE! Hanging out on the buildings, jumpings around the power and phone lines, scavenging through trash cans, generaly monkeying about. What a riot! One even jumped on my leg as I was squatting to take a photo of a mother and baby pair. Goofy little creatures, to be sure. I decided not to chase or antagonize any of them, as I found myself to be greatly outnumbered and already under their close supervision. In addition to being home to a bunch of monkeys, Lopburi has more motobike repair shops and hairdressers than anywhere I've seen. Seriously, if you're looking fora motobike in Thailand, I suggest Lopburi. I wandered through a few ruins of 13th century temples, ate some street food, and got really really tired before sleeping an hour and a half on the train station bench.

A long, uncomfortable 12 or 13 hours later, I'd given myself maybe a collective 2 hours of creative sleep. I say creative because 3rd class Thai trains are equipped with benches built from Thai bodies...just a little to small. I can't imagine what a tall person would on this ride, probably not take it. The trip was made better by the super friendly Thais I met who shared advice and gave me workable Thai language lessons. Anyway, arrived in Chiang Mai really tired and made my way to the bus station. Figured I'd eat before pushing on to the north so I settled in a little noodle soup shop. While enjoying my tasty lunch, I was approached by a Frenchman named Marc who wanted to know what he should expect to pay for a ride to the city center. I'd just come from there and was happy to share my insight but also offered him a seat. He and I shared the same mentality for arriving in a new city. Simply ignore the insistant touts from taxi and tuktuk (crazy fast taxi-motobike hybrid, named for the unmistakable sound made by their aging engines) drivers, find a quite place to sit, grab a beer or a meal and prepare for the city. In talking with him, I decided I could use a rest so we'd split a taxi to the city and find a cheap place to crash.

Following a shower and a few cups of espresso, I felt rejuvinated and ready to explore Chiang Mai with Marc. He and I wandered the Sunday market, which sprawled across the city center in every direction. I picked up a compass, which has turned out to be indispensible and a Beer Chang T-shirt. Again, Beer Chang is the cheap thai beer that provided the majority of my carbs and hydration through the island experience. For 10 or 15 baht (about 30 cents) here and there we sampled little bits of street food ranging from fried crickets to sushi rolls. After a beer and great travel information swap (he was making the SE asian tour in the opposite direction as me) with Marc, I turned in.

Caught the bus bright and early (actually, it was still dark and freakin cold!) to Mae Sai. Five more hours on a bus and I was dropped into the northern border town of Mae Sai. I made my way to the border, paid my $10 US to enter Myanmar, and crossed the Mae Sai river into a wild new land...

Tachileik, the Myanmar border town opposite Thailand's Mae Sai, is a far cry from the heavily touristed cities to the south. I was told by Roger (name changed for his protection), a self-described rock 'n' roll muslim, that Thailand gripes about a tourist drop to 6 million while Myanmar sees only 200,000. Most of those simply hop the border to shop, gamble, buy sex, or renew visas. I knew once I'd stepped across the border that i was going to spend at least one night in Burma. Found myself a guesthouse, talked down the price enough to pay for my dinner and coffee, and learned just enough Burmese to be dangerous. Right away I nailed down "hello," "thank you," and "no thank you, I don't want it." These proved to be invaluable as I could ellicit laughs from children to touts alike.

I spent the days wandering the surrounding rural areas, poking around temples, snaking on interesting food, and chatting with Roger. A 42-year-old physics major and soon to be father of two, Roger told me about his experiences in 1988 when the mandalay university was shut down for two years as a results of political unrest. He was lucky not to be photographed during demonstations. Some of his friends who did not share in this luck have yet to turn up. Fluant in English, French, and Burmese, Roger now makes his living as a guide. He and I met up at least once a day for coffee and a meal and he would share his enthusiasm for and knowledge of his country's past. Quite a character, Roger was.

A few highlights of Myanmar: strolled through the mafia run druggie areas to get to the Akha village where I was followed by a giggling pack of kids. walked through an open gate to a golden statue of the 13th centurey Burmese king and was subsequently accosted by a uniformed guard (who had been nowhere in sight at first) demanding what soundsed like "money money police!" I just smiled and tossed out the two pleasantries I'd learned and some Germanospanishitalian gibberish as I kept walking toward the gate and down the street...like an ignored crying baby, he gave up. I learned later that I really wasn't supposed to be there but also that he had no right to demand money. walked around a massive government teak stock yard surrounded by the stench of corruption. climbed to the top of a big ol' golden stucca (sp?), or religious tower. tried a few betel nuts for the second time and decided that they taste like lysol. bought a carton of camel lights for $13 bucks to sell to travellers in Laos as camel lights are nowhere to be seen in se asia and I can make enough money to recover my cost of living in Myanmar. Aaaand, I got my ass kicked in street futbol by a bunch of little kids. All in all, it was a good venture and I'm glad I did it.

Currently in Chiang Rei. Signing off because it's time to figure out where I'm sleeping tonight and how little I can pay to do so!

Cheers!