Burma and Back…

Entrance to the terminus down at the waterfront, where the visa-run starts from...

The only reason we needed to go to Burma, was to do the “visa-run”…The prospect of getting another flag sticker on our bikes was purely secondary…. Promise…!!

Our Thai visas which we had got when we visited Bangkok two weeks previously, were about to expire… It was either back to Bangkok (no thank you very much…!!) or leave Thailand and re-enter the country again to extend your stay there…

And Burma served our purposes, because it was on the way to Phuket which we heading for after Ranong…

Mothers check to see if their passports are in order before setting off for Burma...

We were collected from our hotel early the following morning and taken down to the waterfront, where hundreds of people milled about, waiting for one of the many water taxis to either transport them across the estuary, or over to Burma…

We cleared through immigration, exiting Thailand, and headed down a steep wooden walkway and were directed onto one of the narrow long-tail boats tied up there…

Water sloshed around in the bottom of the boat, but before I could raise any questions regarding the seaworthiness of the vessel, the boatman plunged the propeller into the water behind us, and we were quickly away from the jetty and into the middle of the estuary…

We stopped on the far bank to clear customs, and then our boat made for Burma…

The long-tail boats that ply the waters between Ranong and Kwa Thaung in Burma...

The stupa on the island...

The noise from the open motor bolted down behind us was deafening, and after a few minutes we gave up on coherent conversation and just sat watching the scenery slide by…

After motoring past buildings and homes built on stilts and concrete pilings over the water, we were soon out into open water…

We passed an island on which stood a sizable statue of Buddha, and once past it, we could see Burma, or Myanmar as it is officially known, in the distance…

Other long-tail boats buzzed around us, and a few much larger ships either lay at anchor out in the open water, or chugged slowly towards unseen docks…

The trip took about 45 minutes as I recall, and as we glided into the Customs buildings, which were built out over the water’s edge, we were reminded that we were not allowed to take any photos of any of the official building in Burma…

One of the crew leapt out, ran up some steps, handed over some money and then hopped back onto the boat…

We motored around another small island and then headed for the town of Kaw Thaung… It stood forlornly on a rocky shore, many of the buildings in dire need of a coat of paint…

The run down town of Kaw Thaung...

Nearing Customs in Burma, we were requested to don our life jackets... They were not deemed necessary in Thai waters...!!

We tied up alongside a flotilla of other longtails and then clambered over the rocks and up onto the main street running along the shore…

The ornate temple at Kwa Thaung...

Drug smugglers beware... The death peanlty awaits thou...!!

The Immigration building stood a few hundred metres away, and once inside, in exchange for the princely sum of $10.00, we were stamped into and out of Burma simultaneously… Just like that…!! No questions about how long we wanted to stay, or where we were heading…!!

Our longboat “captain” advised us that he would be heading back to Thailand in half an hour, and suggested we walk around “town” until then…

The only building worth taking a second look at was a large temple that stood close to the Immigration office…

This place had very little going for it… It was rundown and dirty, the narrow streets clogged with broken down vehicles… I had been told that Burma was severely underdeveloped and rated amongst the poorest nations in Asia… Not surprising when you consider that their government is desperately trying to keep the country 50 years behind their neighbours…

The local bus service did not inspire much confidence...

A novel way of educating folks about biker safety...

“Do you want to look for a place to have something to eat…??” I asked absently, staring at the dilapidated shops and building around me…

Chenty’s raised eyebrows at my question led me to understand that she was not about to set foot in any of the filthy eating establishments around us, so we headed back to the boat and a short while later, were motoring back to Thailand…

A flotilla of long-tail boats wait to take people back to Thailand...

We had barely spent an hour on Burmese soil, and what we had seen of this little town on the southernmost tip of the country was more than enough to make me thankful that I did not have to ride through the entire country…!! Thanks for denying the Big Fella entry from India boys, you did me a huge favour…!!

Army personnel check all paperwork before we exit Burmese waters...

Apart from getting a new visa which would allow us another two weeks in Thailand, we did manage to add another flag to our panniers at least…!! Been there, and have no desire to return…!!

Everything is done on the water... This is the Customs post in Thailand...

Back in Ranong, and after checking back into Thailand, we went back to relax at the hotel, and then took a short ride on our bikes to explore the town…

You can't go wrong with noodles...!!

Our fondest memory of Ranong will always be the evening we spent having dinner at a huge open air restaurant where we had to cook our own food…

We rode our bikes onto the pavement outside, and parked just metres away from the entrance and out table, bringing the hubbub of conversation to a sudden stop… We were the only westerners there, and drew open-mouthed stares from many of the diners…

We were escorted to our table by what seemed to be the only English speaking waitress there… She was a particularly beautiful young lady, dressed in a pair of tight jeans, a plaid shirt, and sporting a white Stetson hat…

“What’s a cowgirl like you doing in a place like this…??” I asked, which drew a shy smile and a girlish giggle from her…

Hundreds of dishes were laid out on a table that must have been all of ten metres long… I immediately noticed that most of the food on display was raw… In the centre of each table was a large wok-like dish, heated from below by burning coals… This was one of those “self-cook” establishments…

“There better be noodles and rice here somewhere…” I said, “Because I have no clue what most of this stuff is…!!”

Our waitress explained what some of the dishes were, and we loaded up plate-loads of various meats and veggies and headed back to the table…

Trevor and Chenty tuck in to a great meal... As you can see, Chenty wasn't at all sure about the meat that we had plastered over the top of the metal bowl...

Hot water was poured into the outer rim of the metal dish, and into it we dumped noodles and shredded cabbage. The centre of the metal dish was convex, and onto this we were instructed to place the strips of meat to allow them to cook there…

"Trev...!! Did you put one of those "testicle things" on my plate...??"

Trevor and I tucked in, loading strips of chicken, pork and mutton onto the hot surface, while Chenty decided that she would stick to veggies, as she was not at all sure of the pedigree of the meat we were tucking into…!!

With a few large bottles of Singha beer to wash our meal down with, Trevor and I made many trips up to the long table, eating our fill, and even trying some dishes that we preferred not to know the names of…!!

On one particular trip up to the table, Trevor discovered a bowl of crispy-fried chicken skin, and called me over to fill my plate…!! While Chenty muttered things about “eating stuff that we shouldn’t be”, Trev and I happily chewed away with relish…!!

Before we left, Trevor got involved in negotiations for the waitress to accompany “his friend who was without a woman”…

“You will have to ask my Mama…!!” she replied coyly, to which Trevor unexpectedly replied, “Take me to her…!!”

“Oh shit…!!” I thought to myself, used to the pranks we constantly played on each other, “How far is this one going to go…??”

The waitress led Trevor to the back of the restaurant, Chenty and I following sheepishly behind… She introduced Trevor to a stern looking woman, who was either the owner or the manager, and then translated Trevor’s request to her…

I stood there trying to keep a straight face, while Trevor first paid the old girl a few compliments, and then asked her how much she wanted for her daughter…

“Just for a few weeks,” he pleaded, “He’ll return her when he leaves Thailand…!!”

She seemed to run an appraising eye over me while I stood mutely by, and Chenty stood off to one side shaking her head sadly at the antics taking place before her…

For a minute I seriously thought the old girl was considering a price, before she finally shook her head and a string of Thai issued forth from her thin lips…

Her daughter translated: “My mother says I am still too young to be going off with your friend… She needs me here to help her with the restaurant…!!”

Trevor thanked her for her consideration and with me feigning disappointment, we made our way back to our bikes where Chenty was waiting…

"Will you two ever grow up...??" Trevor and I figured she was probably talking to the bikes...!!

“Nice one, Trev…!!” I told him, “But what the hell would you have done is she had agreed…??”

“Well, for one thing, I would have helped you chuck away some of that stuff on your bike to make place for her…!!” was his reply…

I could see that I would have to keep a closer eye on Trevor in future…!!

He was getting quite good at this “practical-joke” stuff… Muscling in on my territory…!!

©GBWT 2011