We are now in Myanmar – the SAAB and us. Just as we suspected we are not able to move around as we like. But still we feel like it is a victory to get our car in to the country.

To make a daytrip to Myanmar is simple. At the border you just pay 11 Euro, the customs confiscates your passport and give you a temporary permit instead. The whole procedure takes only 10 minutes. But for us it was a bit more complicated. We wanted to stay for a couple of days and bring our car in to the country. But at the customs they were very helpful, and after an hour and a half we where through.

Immediately we checked out exactly how limited our freedom really was. We took the road westwards. After only 3 kilometers we where stopped by a road barrier and told to go back to the border town of Tashileik. Well OK we thought, and took the road as far eastwards as we possibly could. This time we got about 10 kilometers before hitting a road barrier again and had to turn back. At this second road barrier we met a man who actually had a business visa and a valid travel permit for this area. But he still could not get through.

Back in town we went for a meal and to celebrate we now were in Myanmar, letting a nice and cold beer down our dusty throats. We love it when restaurants have multilingual menus. But this time it was not much help since we don’t speak Chinese, Thai or Burmese…

Of course we where not allowed to sleep in our car. We had strict orders to check in at a hotel before 6 PM. We chose the Regina Hotel & Golf club where there also had a casino. Since gambling is not allowed in Thailand, a lot of people go across the border to visit casinos.

Today we took a walk around town to see the sights. In Myanmar most people are Buddhists too. The skyline is dominated by Tachieik Pagodas shiny golden monument.

In the shopping area close to the border the vendors was nagging us about watches, torches, fans etcetera all the time. But the cigarette vendors were worst of them all. Even though we said “no smoking” they still didn’t leave us alone.

In the afternoon we got to see some traditionally dressed village women, such as both old and young ” Long Necked ” tribe women. We had absolutely no idea that they were to be found in these parts of the world. We also met a woman dressed in beautiful bells and a woman wearing huge earrings . Very exotic!

Most women we have seen in Myanmar have their faces smeared in a yellowish mud . We thought it maybe was a religious thing. But know we know better. It is beauty care ”The Myanmar way”. They take a piece of wood, rub it against a stone, mix it with a few drops of water and rub it on their faces. It works as a kind of sunscreen plus it keeps the skin dry and cool all day. Maybe it works; but it looks like shit.

Today we also got to meet a very old woman . Believe it or not; she is 117 years old but still going strong. Perfect vision and hearing and she walk around by her self. Isn’t that just amazing! It was really an honor to shake her hand.

Today our SAAB has run 250 000 kilometers ! We think that is great for an old car that has been running on really shitty roads for this past year and a half.

We went back to Thailand today to go on to northern Laos. The brownish Mekong river forms the border between the countries and winds its way through the lush, hilly and beautiful scenery. Since the 70-ties this borderland has been called “The Golden Triangle” because of the big production of opium in this area.

We stopped along the way to visit the Opium Museum, a large, interesting and very lavish museum in the middle of nowhere. To reach the museum we had to walk through a long winding tunnel of scary sounds and screaming wall art. This was to get a feel for what opium feels like in our brains.

Myanmar is by far the biggest producer and exporter in the world of opium. The production takes place in remote mountain villages up north. Thailand has fought the war on drugs successfully by providing the mountain villagers alternative sources of income, education and healthcare.

In Thailand the laws are very strict about possession of narcotics and drug smuggling. Death penalty is what you get. After our visit we can tell you that it is no use even trying. The customs already know about all the inventive ways of drug smuggling, for example let small packages of drug grow inside cabbage, put drugs in a teddy bear or on the body of a child, soak clothes in a drugs or make religious amulet’s out of a mix of clay and drugs. We also got to play customs in a computer game to trying to find drugs.