Scottish tourists in Myawaddy, Burma

Today we visited Myawaddy, the Burmese town across the river and border from Mae Sot. We have never been inside Burma before. Here are photos of the journey.

Just left Thailand.

"Are you sure you want to go to Myanmar?"

the Immigration officer asks us.

Off we go onto the Friendship Bridge

that links Thailand to Burma.

Across the River Moei

Others cannot legally cross the bridge

so this is the alternative way to go.

We are about to enter

The Union Of Myanmar.

First we are asked if we've been in contact with Swine Flu.

Then we pay 500 baht each (£10)

and we leave our passports.

"Go and visit our beautiful pagoda."

So we do and here it is...

Then off to a Burmese tea shop

where we are brought Burmese tea

and surreally watch Gone with the Wind on the TV.

Myawaddy benefits from 24hr electricity a day

because many deals are made with Thai traders.

We visit some Burmese friends.

Off the main road,

we find Myawaddy to be a lot quieter than Thailand,

much less cars but so many bicycles, trishaws and motor bikes.

The area we visit has a lot of green trees and plants

which make it pleasant.

However, there are no pavements and the main roads are full of holes and bumps.

It's really muddy.

We like the quietness though.

Every posting has to have

a beautiful Burmese baby.

Then off on motor bikes to the market.

Aarghh!

Not our normal mode of transport.

In the dark, covered market

are many narrow lanes and

there we find

many tailors sit and sew garments for customers

in this dark enclosed space.

Back on the motor bikes

to a new pagoda in the south of Myawaddy.

Mae Sot is in the background of this photo below.

The view over to the Karen mountains in the south of Karen state.

This new community in the foreground

like most of Myawaddy

has no piped water.

Instead water sellers come round

selling water to the households.

We go back to the Friendship Bridge

where the Burmese Immigration Officials

laugh at my attempt to count to 10 in Burmese,

then give us our passports back.

As we walk back over the bridge to Thailand,

we see these women doing the washing

in the muddy River Moei underneath us.

Then back into Thailand

and to the comfort of water and electricity

in our hotel.

As we go into DK hotel,

we see a guy cycling

with 20 dozen eggs on his bike!

Amazing day.

We've been to Burma.