283
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
=== Hitchhiking in general ===
no edit summary
Thailand: easily crossable in three places (North to south: Tachileik, Mae Sot, and Kawthaung. The Htee Khee border near Dawei is exit-only). As mentioned earlier, Tachileik is only really usable as a visa-run border to return to Thailand and not for continuing overland travel inside Myanmar.
(Hitchhiking in Myanmar might be technically illegal for foreigners, someone please confirm or debunk this.)
Hitch-hiking in Myanmar is not that difficult, if you know how to do it. First of all, forget about the European way raising your thumb. As in almost all non-Western countries, raising your thumb will not be understood as anything but an odd gesture. Try other ways using body language for instance by waving at the drivers and signalling them to stop, or by waving and pointing in the direction you're going. You need to communicate with the driver in the few seconds you have while he sees you. Once you learn this, you will get rides in no time.
Hitch-hiking in Myanmar might seem difficult at first. You will face some trouble that can make it seem completely impossible. Here is a list of things you should be prepared for:
* People won't understand what you are doing: You If you are white, you should be rich and for sure you have enough money for the bus or a taxi.* Holding up a hitchhiking sign (in Myanma script) helps tremendously with communicating what it is you're doing. Even without knowing the concept of hitchhiking, people understand you're asking to travel to the place on your sign.
* This is usually not the case, but some people might be afraid about getting in trouble with the government, when they pick you up. I does not mean that the Burmese people are afraid of getting in contact with foreigners, but some will tell you this reason if you ask them about difficulties with hitchhiking.
* Many pick-up trucks are considered to be short-distance buses. Of course they will be delighted to pick you up, but make sure about the payment first.
Myanmar hitchhiking is like heaven and hell. Here comes the heaven. Between Mandalay and Yangon is a brand new express-way since December 2010. They put much effort in this project. It was the third time after the fifties and the seventies, that they tried to build this road and finally it worked with Chinese support. Now they did it and it is one of the the greatest an easiest roads you can hitchhike. It is not really a challenge, good for beginners and a nice trip. A lot of cars drive the whole route between the two biggest cities, so you can jump on and off where ever you want. There is no confusion about what you do, because there are no taxis on this highway, only express buses in the night so the understand quickly, that you are looking for a ride in a car on the highway. Also the feeling is very special. It might be like Germany in the early fifties. You have a very new, big and fast road, but there are almost no cars on it. Maybe 10 cars per hour, which is not much for a toll road (the drivers pay about USD 7 from Mandalay to Yangon). At the moment there are still people around the highway planting trees, or fixing some road borders and sometimes you might see some kids which are flying a kite in the middle of the road. Awesome. This would never be possible on the crammed European highways.
=== Useful Vocabulary === MIN-ga-la-baa = HelloCHAY-zu-baa = Thank youMyoot = City/TownshipToe gate = Tollgate == General information ===
Some things that might be important before entering the country:
* There's an e-visa you can apply for online (January 2020). You'll get a maximum stay of 28 days and it costs US$50. [[user: MOAH | Mind of a Hitchhiker]] and partner got their e-visas within 2 working days. You'll need to print this out. * There are now ATM's ATMs in Myanmar. All major cities have them and all accept visa/MasterCard. Money is given is local currency not USD and you are charged anything from USD 2 to USD 15 for using the machine. Paying by card is possible in high end hotels(with a 3% surcharge), but not on the street so make sure that you have enough cash on you for daily spending. Also make sure to spend/exchange all your Kyat before you leave Myanmar as it's not a currency that's easy to exchange.
* In general you should know that a lot of information about travelling in Myanmar is wrong, because things are changing so fast. This addresses the USD 300 you have to show at the airport (wrong!), the USD 10 airport tax (included in AirAsia tickets since August 2011), the interview in the visa process (getting a visa in Bangkok is straightforward, fast and very easy) and many other information you will find. As a tourist they will not make your life difficult with absurd rules.
* Generally the people won't cheat you. Cheating is a new thing to them, but this is changing as well, especially when it comes to changing money in the street. '''Never do it!''' Not even if it's Sunday, the banks are closed and you need money for the hostel. Find another solution, because the guys in the street are only there to cheat you. They won't change your money!
* Cars and buses are very old (because of the embargo), stinky and slow. The traffic is not so much, but in the cities the air might be more polluted as in Bangkok during the rush hours. Sometimes you find yourself while hitchhiking beside the street surrounded by a black smoke cloud, or you sit in the back of a truck and it is a bit annoying to breath the delicious exhaust fumes that pass through you. You can wear a facemask in cities and in the back of pickup trucks to prevent yourself inhaling that stuff. It's totally normal to wear a facemask in public.
=== Living ===
* [[Mandalay]]
== IndiaBorder Crossings ==When applying for the Myanma e-visa, the government provides you a list with valid crossings for foreigners. This list includes all international airports like Mandalay, Naypyitaw, and Yangon and a handful of land borders. You'll need to provide them with your intended entry border and exit border. It's not clear what the consequences are of using a different entry/exit border than the one you announced when applying for your e-visa. === International Airports ===Mandalay: [[User: MOAH | Mind of a Hitchhiker]] and partner (Dutch and German passport) used this airport to enter Myanmar in January 2020 coming from Chiang Mai (Thailand). We had e-visas printed out and the process was very fast and smooth. No questions asked and no intimidation. We didn't hitchhike the 40 kilometers from the airport to the city because it was already nighttime and took a taxi instead. (feel free to add entry/exit info) Naypyitaw: (feel free to add info) Yangon: (feel free to add info) === Borders with Thailand ===There are lots of land borders between Myanmar and Thailand, but they're often not allowed to be used by foreigners. It's not clear whether that also means that Thai citizens can't cross into Myanmar. Tachileik (Myanmar) - Mae Sai (Thailand): popular with visa runs. Foreigners can't travel overland from Tachileik to other places in the country due to travel restrictions. (January 2020) Myawaddy (Myanmar) - Mae Sot (Thailand): the biggest border between the two countries and also popular with visa runners. Kawthaung (Myanmar) - Ranong (Thailand): a river/sea border. You'll need to charter a (shared) longtail boat here. [[User: MOAH |Mind of a Hitchhiker]] and partner used this border to exit Myanmar Border in January 2020. It was very hectic. === Borders with Laos ===(someone please add info) === Borders with India ===
As of 2014 it seems possible to cross the border from Myanmar to India at Tamu - Moreh, at a cost of $50 - $100 for a permit (depending which agency you arrange the permit with)
You will need: Copy of passport and Myanmar visa; copy of Indian visa (when applying avoid mentioning you are crossing by land). It is possible and easy to get Indian visa in Yangon, as of March 2015 no plane or hotel bookings were required; Itinerary: just a list of cities to be visited along the way to the border (choose the most touristic destinations); Fee ($50 - $100 per person, just depending on the agency you choose)
Officially it takes 15 - 20 days to obtain the permit, but it could be less (like 10 days). There is no need to collect the permit in person, the agency sends a scanned version by email and one can simply print it out.
You can read more about it here...
[https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/asia-south-east-asia-mainland/myanmar/myanmar-india-land-border-crossing-at-tamu-moreh-open?page=3 India/Myanmar border 2014]
EDIT 2019 seems that crossing the Myanmar-India border no longer requires a permit (since 2018) and there is no more restrictions about having to exit the country from the same crossing point as you entered. Check yourself to be sure! Crossing Bangladesh and China borders still seems to not be possible for foreigners. borderhttps://www.go-myanmar.com/arriving-and-departing-over-land
== Myanmar/ChinaBorder = Borders with China ===
It is apparently possible to cross the Myanmar China border at Ruili. The process should be similar to crossing the Indian border: copy of passport, valid visas, and a permit. An agency confirmed it to [[User: Rovingsnails | RovingSnails]] in May 2015.
=== Borders with Bangladesh ===
The land/sea borders with Bangladesh are closed for foreigners in (February 2020). The border might even be closed for Myanma and Bangla nationals as well.
== Hitchhiking Experiences ==
[[User: MOAH | Mind of a Hitchhiker]] traveled from Mandalay to Kawthaung over 28 days in January 2020 with partner. The waits were usually not very long because we always got out of the zones with lots of foot traffic. We always used hitchhiking signs written in Myanma script to tell people where we were going. It was very easy and no one ever expected payment—not even on the toll roads. The people were amazing and super friendly, but the police were often confused as to why there were foreigners riding along with locals. The cops sometimes made a fuss, but they always let us travel on. I blogged about every single hitchhiking day and added our hitchhiking spots to the maps. We did: Nyaung-U (Old Bagan) to Naypyitaw, Naypyitaw to Yangon, Mawlamyine to Dawei, Dawei to Myeik, and Myeik to Bokpyin to Kawthaung.
== External links ==
* [https://mindofahitchhiker.com/tag/myanmar/ Experiences hitchhiking in Myanmar in January 2020 with other Myanmar-related articles in English]. Iris and Jonas stayed in Myanmar for 28 days and hitchhiked 1585 kilometers north to south with 9 vehicles, while also working online from the hotels.
* [http://marcandoelpolo.com/como-es-viajar-a-dedo-autostop-en-myanmar/ Information, tips and personal experiences of hitch-hiking in Myanmar]. A 1545 km journey on 33 vehicles (only in Spanish), by Marcando el Polo.
*[http://rovingsnails.com/2015/03/10/hitchhiking-from-myanmar-to-india-overland-crossing-at-tamu-moreh/ How to cross from Myanmar to India overland at Tamu - Moreh] Bureaucracy and tips by [[User: Rovingsnails | RovingSnails]]
