March 28, 2019

Tachileik, Myanmar

I crossed the border from Mae Sai, Thailand to Tachileik, Myanmar. I was well aware that there would be a $10 fee when crossing the border. What I was not counting on though was that the Myanmar border officer not taking the money. He said that the bill was “wrinkled.” All said and done, I didn’t and still don’t see much choice but to pay the 500 baht toll, which is about $15.

In terms of the sights, I don’t see much that is hugely spectacular in the less than a day I’m here in Myanmar. Outside of the script that looks quite different from Thai, I can tell that I’m in a different country. The men here wear long skirts and the women have sand coloured paint on their faces.

The temples also look distinctively different besides there being hardly any English. The illustrations depict violence, such as boiling people alive, burning people, stabbing and choking. I can’t read any of the text, but it does make me wonder what all this is about. Another thing I noticed is that I’m the only American I’ve been able to see. Both in Tachileik and Mae Sai. Perhaps this is because I’m here in the slow season outside of November-February but even so it’s still surprising.

Kingston S. Lim

March 28, 2019

Tachileik, Myanmar