Burma, Republic of Mynamar. In the fall of 2002, I traveled to Thailand. From Chiang Rai, in north Thailand, the bus took about 1 hour to arrive in Mae Sae, Thailand's northern-most city. Foreigners with out visas to Burma, were required to leave their passports at the Burmese border post and could enter Tachileik, during the day, but must return to Thailand by 5 p.m. On foot, I crossed the bridge over the Mae Sai river, that marks the Thai-Burma border. Burma is also bordered by Laos, China, Bangladesh, and the Gulf of Bengal. It is now called the Union of Mynamar, with a population of about 55 million people, is twice the size of Germany and has over 135 ethnic groups. The capital city is Rangoon (Yangon) and its' major religions are Budhism, Christianity, and Islam. It's a colorful, interesting place to visit and photograph, and to sample the Mynamar, food and beer; I quickly I found myself surrounded by friendly people who spoke to me in English. Here a few photos from around Tachileik.

Photographs and text by John O'Heron  ©2022