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Kawthaung
Southern
Myanmar
South Myanmar
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Kawthaung, southern
Myanmar, Myanmar
tour, trip to Burma,
south Myanmar,
Myanmar Burmese.
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Southern Myanmar is
the long tail all
the way down to Kawthaung
or as the British
called it Victoria Point.
British colonial
time in Myanmar is
long gone but the
colonial British
are still very
virulent in the area
by different means.
One of them was
Rudyard Kipling and
the Burmese girl at
Moulmein. Victoria
point has morphed
into the Myanmar
original Kawthaung
and a trip to Burma
is not as difficult
anymore but still
not easy. This area could have a
great development
but the relevant
people in the
capital don't care
about anything, e.g
even when having a
official visa from
the Myanmar embassy
there is no way to
come in or exit at
any border crossing,
there is only one
option and this is
Yangon Airport.
A great story, poem
or whatever you
want. Today there
are people who try
to reinterpreted all
this stuff, but they
fail because today
is different and
nobody can seriously
backwards interpret
what happen at that
time.
Probably the best
stories of southern
Myanmar in the
past come from
Maurice Collis and
not Kipling. The
story "Siamese
White" of the
Maurice Collis is
the best book ever
written about that
part of
Myanmar in
reference to the
past, its a absolute
classic.
This area
always was a a ball
jumping back and
forward between
Myanmar Kings of the
past, Thailand Kings
of the past and
Portuguese, English,
Chinese and Dutch,
all of them left
their mark on Yangon
or Rangoon, Pegu or
Bago, Moulmein or
Mawlamyine,
Tavoy or Dawai,
Mergui or Myeik, the
archipelago in
between and
Kawthaung or
Victoria Point, the
southernmost tip of
Myanmar, then Burma.This includes the
Isthmus of Kra just
a bit north of today
Kawthaung and Ranong
in Thailand where
since centuries the
idea to create a channel
between the Indian
Ocean and the
Pacific lived.
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The Isthmus of
Kra is where the
shortest way over
land between the two
oceans exists. A
channel such as the
Panama Channel there
would cut down
the distance the
ships have to travel between Europe
and east Asia by around 10.000
kilometer. |
Kawthaung
Ranong Visa Run is a very
special thing.
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Since there are
plenty of foreigners
in Thailand who want
to stay little bit
longer it needs to
extend the visa. The
only way to do this
is, exit Thailand
and come back. Now
every day some
busloads of
foreigner from
Phuket, Ko Samui and
even to Prachuap
arrive at the Thai
border at Ranong
take the short ride
to Burma get a new
visa and that's it.
The biggest problem
here is, the Myanmar
authorities want $
10,-, no that's not
the problem, the
real problem is they
only take notes
fresh from the press
which is impossible
to find.
This is the
stumbling point at
many arrivals
because they are
totally stubborn and
there is now way to
deal with it, if the
dollar bills are not
absolute new, they
wont give the visa.
The immigration guys
which finally are
the military say
they are forced to
do so by the Myanmar
foreign trade bank,
but it doesn't
matter because for
the traveler it only
matters the big
problem. So avoid to
go to Myanmar, they
don't want you
there. Go to
Malaysia, it only
takes a few more
hours or even
Cambodia is an
option since be
using the bus via
Bangkok it wont get
much more expensive.
Myanmar Thailand Border at
Kawthaung |
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Trip to Burma by
ferry |
Liveaboard
processing |
Jetty |
Waterfront |
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