Mae Sot

- Mae Sot Thailand lives more or less from border trading with Myanmar.

Mae Sot is only reachable by road travel Bangkok to Mae Sot and other directions, that could be Chiang Mai to Mae Sot and any other place in Thailand.

The border trade is not a one way road as it can be seen every day when they they sit along the main road trying to do some business. The gem shops have jade and ruby for sale and the prices are real below average. Gems bought can be inspected right away through the gem guy who have a look either with the naked eye or by means of pencil-light torch or lens, like the guy below, who make a living as independent inspector. There are several guest house and hotels in the city center and a bit off the center.

At the other direction are all kind of consumer goods carried by trucks from Bangkok to Mea Sot or even Chiang Mai to Mae Sot. They are offloaded from the Thai trucks hoisted on Myanmar trucks and sometimes just at a Myanmar Car.
Myanmar people come in -via the border trade regulations- and offer their more or less cheap jade items right on the road or in a empty shop space they rent for a few baht. Lots of other Myanmar people work in all kind of services and nightlife places. Since this is very well known to the Thai authorities they implemented 3 roadblock on the way out of Mae Sot towards Tak, staffed by military to make sure there is no illegal crossing into the rest of Thailand.

The Myanmar’s can easily come into Mae Sot and the Thai border area and are prevented to move further east by this way. Myanmar is also a huge economical factor in this -and other- areas since a lot of goods are bought here and moved into

A short trip into Myanmar over the bridge crossing the Moei River could be done, but keep in mind that officially you will exit northern Thailand and come back on a new entry stamp. Due to the immigration regulations implemented in late 2006 this can get

you lost in Myanmar when the Thai immigration wont let you in anymore since they do a different day count now, check the Thai immigration website for the conditions. On the Myanmar side you are allowed only in the area of Myawaddy no way to go further.

There is a brisk trading on gem's, jade and other precious stones  going on along the main street in Mae Sot.

Many trader inspect gems either with the naked eye, by means of pencil-light torch or lens -picture left-  who make a living as expert to estimate the value of the precious stones -here some jade pearls-.

See the Mae Sot video.

Myanmar people come in -via the border trade regulations- to Mae Sot and offer their more or less cheap jade items right on the road or in a empty shop space they rent for a few baht.

Lots of other Myanmar people work in all kind of services and nightlife places. Since this is very well known to the Thai authorities they implemented 3 roadblock on the way out of Mae Sot towards Tak, staffed by military to make sure there is no illegal crossing into the rest of Thailand.

- The Myanmar’s can easily come into Mae Sot and the Thai border area and are prevented to move further.

The Khaomao Restaurant -left- with a private lake of in Mae Sot is alone worth a visit there is hardly a more beautiful environment to be found anywhere a real pleasure dome. The food is below average and service very slow but the panorama is great.

The Mae Sot Central Hotel also has a very beautiful located restaurant beside a pond.

In order to really enjoy the area, one should have a vehicle, at least a motorbike, however due to the driving manner of the people here and elsewhere in Thailand a very dangerous  issue, that very often finishes in the hospital or in the grave since most of the people don't care about rules on the road. From Mae Sot a trip to the south around Umphang is highly recommended the area is really great.

- If you make the trip down south to Umphang you will see some refugee camps,

this are mainly Karen people who fled Myanmar years ago on the advice of their headman and live there mixed with Thai Karen. It is very difficult to look through since Karen are around in this area since ages, they move more or less freely in this border area.

Karen are so called hill tribes living in the hilly terrains of North-West Thailand. Karen inhabits the today Thailand and Myanmar border area since ages, actually this borders were brought up during by the British during colonial times. There are approximately 300,000 Karen living in the hills of Thailand, that includes the Karen refugees from Myanmar.

The Karen mainly live in bamboo and wooden houses -see above- raised on stilts, with pigs, cow and chickens as the main livestock. Agriculture, if any because the terrain Karen live is not supporting agriculture due to the steep hills, is growing rice.
Most of Karen people are animists who believe in supernatural elements and some are Christians . They perform rituals to nat's, the spirits of land, water and the house. They also believe that spirits live in rocks, tree, and mountains. They believe that this guardian spirits help them in leading harmonious lives.

 
Private Lake Khaomao Restaurant Mao Sot

Namtok Pra Charoen National Park Waterfall

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