|
Chiang Rai Mae Sai Town Itself "The Border with Myanmar" Mae Sai (แม่สาย) is
the northernmost city of Thailand. The reason behind why we are having that yearning of checking out border towns and the type of feelings we would get while we were there is always the same. A change. With excitement and anticipation, we look forward to small surprises. Here was Mae sai we just got into - still a totally alien town to us and there was Tachilek just a step across, we still wanted to see and know more. Yes, Even though we had not even digest of what we were seeing in Mae sai itself. Here are some
pictures to cover the busy areas of this small border town Mae Sae.
1. Northern most town & Border town with Myanmar The new poster to replace the old signage - The Northern Most Point of Thailand. This is my second point. The first was the Narrowest in Prachap Khiri Khan, and the 3rd I lost, the southern Most Point in Betong
2. An Arch - Most northern most point of Thailand Yes, that's it the original old signage arch
3. Mae Sai @ border with Myanmar More picture, very important as well as nostalgic
4. Immigration Motor bike crossing the check point
5. The border with Myanmar The iconic Border Arch - Burma
6. Burmese Arch Close up and current name - Myanmar instead of Burma
7. Mae Sai @ border with Myanmar This is the updated Thai Check Point
8. Border with Myanmar This is a shed to get form and filling Embarkation forms
9. There the 100 meter long Border Bridge with Myanmar Hawker - on "No man land" very causal
11. Border with Myanmar Sai River sometimes pronounced as Mae Lawa - the demarcation
12. Myanmar Looking across into Burmese soil
13. Mae Sai side Under the bridge - More Hawkers
14. Mae Sai Town's back lane Rather quiet and deserted
15. Mae Sai River Bank's stalls 1 One level below Immigration Check Point - view1
16. Mae Sai River Bank's stalls 2 One level below Immigration Check Point- looking back towards town View 2
17. Mae Sai Border One for the Album - never had enough
18. Mae Sai Different back ground
19, Northern most town & Border town Immigration
Our Maiden voyage 15th December 1996 The town Mae Sae had that special attraction to me. Perhaps the name itself sent out a near impossible to achieve target when everyone in Malaysia still dreaming about Bukit Kayu Hitam and onwards towards Hat Yai, the border town. No one ever thought of driving all the way across Thailand to reach the other edge. That's why even the Thai celebrates this point as the "Northern Most Point". I remembered at that in era Motor Club started to organise themselves as a convoy to do overland travel across Thailand as some mystical land. Here I have done it alone. Only one car. A beaten up 27 years old Jalopy without air-con. Today, I recovered my old pictures and in my autumn days to sing about my conquest. 96-1. Dalmatian Beetle at the Burmese Border Seeing how relaxed the system was, I drove my car into Burma. Approached the Burmese Customs to apologised for having lost my way. Needed his space to do a U-turn. Back into Thailand. No question asked. Never went further to enquire about the formality of bringing a Malaysian car into Burma.
96-2. Dalmatian Beetle in Mae Sae Town No dual carriage highway yet and very low traffic
96-3. Picture of that demarcation Sai River Rather quiet and deserted
96-4. The Burmese Border - Jackie Mood very relaxed. No formality, not until you get into trouble. No disembarkation form and not stamping. Just walk across and back.
96-5. The Burmese Border - Joyce Rather quiet and deserted
96-6. Burmese style Temple One for the album
96-7. Burmese style Temple One for the album
96-8. Another Arch These structures are important - a picture says a thousand words. We were there! Now that this arch is no more in use
96-9. Picture tells a thousand words! This arch now replaced and we have the picture
96-10. The original arch Xan see how valuable this picture is
96-11. Odd looking fruits Did some shopping too.
With that short
period of stay, we targeted to see and understand this new town
Mae Sai that we had arrive at.
|
|
