Saturday, February 25, 2006
Run for the Border (Thai tourist visa renewal)
If you're in Thailand for an extended length of time, you'll need to do a border run. To renew your tourist visa, you'll need to physically depart the country and renew your visa just by crossing back into the country.A. Burma Border Crossing -
From Chiang Mai - take a bus to Mae Sai and get off and follow the few westerners onto the red taxi truck. Pay again and get let off near the border. Be prepared for a busy, hectic, hot place!! Go to the middle of the street before the bridge and to your left. Get processed going out of Thailand - then walk on the sidewalk on your right into Burma. Go in and pay your USD$5 and you're in the Burmese market town of Tachilek until the border closes. The market's relaxing and has a lot of Chinese imported goods. Get back across the border - don't forget the time change. If you're staying a couple nights, there are a lot of guesthouses overlooking the river. A nice one is:
The Mae Sai Guest House -688 Wiangpangkham, Mae Sai. Tel: (053) 732 021
The best location in Mae Sai with wooden bungalows right on the river. 17-25 fan rooms at 400B. There are many guest houses with similar name but this is the best one. From the main road turn left just before the bridge into Burma. Go to the end of the road and then continue up the hill behind the buildings. Go past the Mai Sai Riverside Guesthouse and then drop down to the entrance of the Mae Sai guest House it’s right on the river.
B. Malaysian Border Crossing - This shuttle bus is actually the one that will take you into Malaysia. I'll write more on this later....
