"MYANMAR FOR THE DAY" Mae Sai by mrdreameruk

On a trip to Lampang we Decided to go to Chiang Rai, having seen Chiang Mai many times, it seemed like a good idea.
Having driven to Chiang Rai, we decided to go on up to the Border with Myanmur,as the road was going up there. The weather was rain, but by the time we reached Mae Sai it was better conditions.
The first thing I noticed was the clothing was very different being a lot heavier, along with the traditional northern head-dresses.
Also there were women carrying their wares the traditional method of a couple of hanging baskets suspended on bamboo.
We went up to the Border crossing which is placed over a bridge. On arrival at customs as I was the only non Thai in our party i had to have my Passport, unfortunately I had left it behind in Lampang, but they saw my international Driving Licence, and as it has my photo on it, they took that as ID.
I then crossed over the border to see a very different country to Thailand, it was much scruffier and unmade roads, and lots of hawkers selling every type of counterfeit goods under the sun.It put Sukomhovit Rd to shame.Especially as soon as they see a white westerner they were frantic to sell something. We went up to visit the village with the ladies with long necks, had a look at a couple of wats, and had something to eat.
One interesting point is that they drive onthe other side of the road to Thailand, but all their cars appear to be right hand drive, so they are all basically driving on the wrong side of the road.

• Pros:much cheaper than Thailand
• Cons:an awful lot of poverty
• In a nutshell:Vibrant and lively-a must see