Crossing the border

Living in a border town is an interesting experience. It means that no matter how small the town is; the hours that the border gates are open will be bustling and vibing, with border markets and street vendors prominent, as well as heavy traffic.

Crossing the border into Myanmar for the day is relatively easy, you have to bring your passport which gets stamped as well as 500 baht (20 New Zealand dollars). You get your passport examined, then have a brief meeting in a small room with an official who asks you why you are going through and what you are doing in Thailand. Because we are still on our tourist visas we were advised to mention nothing about work, and state the purpose as for tourist reasons. On return you find out how many days get added to your tourist visa. This is up to the discretion of the official on that particular day and I was praying for fifteen more days (which I was granted!) Not so lucky for a New Zealander who went a few weeks before me and only got 7 more days, meaning she would have to cross the border again in a weeks time. 

This is the river that separates Thailand and Myanmar, with Thailand on the right and Myanmar on the left. Apparently some of the Burmese people can be seen walking through the river to cross the border illegally. 

If you look closely you can see the yellow paint on my face. All of the Burmese women wear this mask to protect themselves from the sun as well as for decoration. 

Street view in Myanmar . 

Its interesting that when you cross the bridge into Myanmar, there is a half an hour time difference and the cars drive on the opposite side of the road. Being from New Zealand, an isolated country this was my first time walking across a border and it was a really strange experience! A thirty second walk and its a whole new world with a different written and spoken language, time zone, road rules and culture. 

The golden triangle refers to the meeting of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar where the growth and trade of Opium was and still is prominent. 

"The republic of the Union of Myanmar". 

The architecture in Myanmar is very different to Thailand, it has a British influence because of the British rule from 1824 to 1948.