Tomorrow morning at 5am I hop on a bus, then a ferry, then another bus, then another ferry after which I arrive in Kawthuang, Burma (Myanmar). The Thai town from which we leave is called Ranong on the Thai side of the border. I believe we have to cross from Ranong to Kawthuang on that last ferry, at least according to the travel agent.
Both Bob and I are going, which is good. Anything happens and I believe I can trust him to help me sort it out in the best way possible. I don’t think anything will happen of course, Burma is slowly opening up to tourism and even recently there’s been some real progress. From what I can tell, this specific visa run to Burma is one of the newest ones and is by far the most convenient one to take from Koh Samui here. The ferries are all high speed (as I’ve heard) and from departure on the bus at 5am it’s a 13 hour round trip, putting me back on Koh Samui at Nathon by 6pm. Cost of the whole trip should come in around 1200 baht plus the $10 USD for the visa to get into Burma.
Actually that might change a bit. Both Bob and I want to check out Burma a little bit. Everyone’s talking about how Burma is THE next hotspot, kinda like how Cambodia was, well, last year and perhaps still is this year. We’ve talked about staying a night or two, depending on what we find there. In any case I’ll be leaving my laptop back here at AKWA for the duration (and paying for my room, which isn’t unfair). I’ll have my camera though, and I’m sure the trip will make for some interesting photography.
So, wish me luck and if you don’t hear from me in a couple days… um, called the embassy! :D
good luck, after the first bus i would have gone back home.