It's like a little moat around the country
10 March 2010, 09:00It kind of freaked me out a bit to see that the separation between a Democratic Monarchy and a Communist Military Junta was a muddy stream not 30 feet across. That’s Burma there on that grassy knoll. Add to that the fact that on the Thailand side there are steps down into the water, and kids routinely swim in this international boundary, and you get the sense that there’s not much security here.
But before you get to Mae Sai, closer to Mae Chan, the security is obvious. On my way up, our bus was stopped at a checkpoint to ensure there were no illegal aliens aboard. I got pretty worried for a bit, because I’d packed my passport in my suitcase, and it was in the storage hatch at the back. I had no idea what the officer would say when I told him I didn’t have it.
When he got to my chair and asked me for my identification, all I could give him was my driver’s license! English letters and Thai letters are nothing alike, so when he inspected my license, he looked at it sternly, mumbled “Uh huh … uh huh … uh huh”, and gave it back with a “Khop kun krap” (thank you). :~] Good times.
~Jonathan