Exercises in celibacy - trip to Thailand and Vietnam in Jan 2025

[zoomomancs]

23 hours ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

That photo (below) reminds me of a trip that I did years ago when we (Woody, Non, and myself) did this similar trip - when we were sold by the boat tour agents on the river a tourist trip of 3 countries.....

FALSE sneaky Advertising - we departed on the Mekong river from Thailand, floated by as close as was legally possible to Myanmar (boat guide told us - sorry due to the situation we cannot disembark on the Myanmar territory - I was very disappointed), then we moored on a Laos island (Don Sao) that was in the middle of the Mekong river that was in Laos territory and we were allowed to disembark - with no stamping of passports, as this Laos island was tiny, where its sole purpose was to give some local merchants a chance to sell us stupid tourists some trinkets and souvenirs and to earn some hard currencies.

So, my desire to enter into Myanmar was temporarily thwarted.

However, my 2 lovely tour guides, Woody and his partner Non, took me to the 3 Pagoda Pass Market - which sits on a mountain pass at the border with Myanmar.  While roaming around this market (unattended as Woody and Non did not think that I would do anything stupid) when between the market stalls some sexy guys waved at me to come over to behind the stalls - which I stupidly did - and then Woody and Non realized that I had inadvertently crossed over into Myanmar - they both rushed to the edge of the invisible border and called me back into Thailand - it was quite a commotion, as I was the stupid American not knowing / understanding what I had just done.

So, technically, I was in Myanmar for 10 seconds -  but no passport stamps to prove it.

I once did an afternoon trip to Tachilek in Myanmar, getting a minibus from Chiang Rai, which can serve as a visa run if needed. Worth a go if it's still safe and doable. 

[zoomomancs]

3 hours ago, Marc308 said:

Hi Vinapu, Squirrel House is listed at US $39 today. Doesn't look too bad. But yes BBB Inn was definitely cheaper.

And in 2014 BBB Inn had 6 very sexy Vietnamese lads working massage. I'm still in touch with some of them. Sadly the coup sent them home.

[macaroni21]

43 minutes ago, zoomomancs said:

And in 2014 BBB Inn had 6 very sexy Vietnamese lads working massage. I'm still in touch with some of them. Sadly the coup sent them home.

Coup? There has not been a coup in Vietnam since 1963. Do you mean the coup in Thailand in 2014? But if so, why would a coup cause them to be sent home?

Or do you mean the 2021 coup in Burma? Why would that send them home either?

[bkkmfj2648]

50 minutes ago, vinapu said:

They also made sure to point to everybody present that this farang put protector on bare feet, how brave  guy he is !

Vinapu - please show us a photo of your "protector on bare feet".... I am very curious as to what they look like.

Us readers may also want to use this technique....  or is it patented like the Vinapu Tuck....

[bkkmfj2648]

52 minutes ago, vinapu said:

Thai official was speaking English and politely explained that owing to situation in Myanmar not only locals can cross on day pass and foreigners must fly over border

Almost exactly what happened to me, when I arranged my first 7 days of traveling together with Woody and his partner Non.  I had specifically told Woody when making the plans for this trip that the MOST important part of the to-be trip was to cross over into Myanmar.

Well, that day arrived - perhaps it was back in 2013 or 2014 - I wrote a previous trip report about this - and when we got to the exit Thailand gate - Woody was told that if he crossed with me that he would not be allowed back into Thailand - as Woody was still a refugee from Myanmar (now he is all legal with proper documents to live in Thailand).  Woody insisted that I cross over anyway - but I would not go without my precious Woody.  So, still to date, I have not yet entered into Myanmar - and like most of us here - wee are waiting for this never ending Myanmar conflict to end.

Woody saw how saddened that I was and he surprised me by taking me to that exact same point where you can overlook into Myanmar (this was before they built the glass Sky Walk overlook) AND Woody invited one of his friends who lives in that Myanmar border town = Tachileik to cross over into Thailand and join us for lunch up on the overlook - so that this Myanmar guy could explain to me about what we could visibly see in Tachileik.  We were originally supposed to eat lunch with this guy in Tachileik and he would give us a tour.  So, in lieu of our original Myanmar plan, I was still very happy and appreciative.  And, how could anyone be angry with adorable Woody.....

[zoomomancs]

1 hour ago, macaroni21 said:

Coup? There has not been a coup in Vietnam since 1963. Do you mean the coup in Thailand in 2014? But if so, why would a coup cause them to be sent home?

Or do you mean the 2021 coup in Burma? Why would that send them home either?

It was the coup in Bangkok in 2014. Maybe the hotel manager was over anxious and told the lads to go home to Vietnam. But the army were almost sat outside BBB Inn along Rama IV before the coup so it was an anxious time for everyone.  

[vinapu]

14 hours ago, zoomomancs said:

I once did an afternoon trip to Tachilek in Myanmar, getting a minibus from Chiang Rai, which can serve as a visa run if needed. Worth a go if it's still safe and doable. 

as it was  explained to me by border official  , at the moment only  Thais and Myanmarese can cross  border there at the moment. Quite possible not even all as he used wording ' only local people are permitted"