Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
end of the same street. A motorbike taxi to guesthouses will cost about 15B. Most trans-
port will stop at Thong Pha Phum and Sai Yok. Destinations include:
Bangkok's Northern (Mo Chit) terminal
(249B, seven hours, 7.45am, 9.30am)
Kanchanaburi
(150-175B, five hours, frequent)
TOP OF CHAPTER
Around Sangkhlaburi
Three Pagodas Pass
The eponymous pagodas
(prá jair·dee săhm ong)
appear on the official Kanchanaburi seal
but up close are unremarkable. Nevertheless, this border town is worth visiting for its
heavy Burmese influence.
Across the border is the town of Payathonzu, with a
souvenir market
and
teahouses
. For the
past few years the border crossing has only been open to Thai nationals and, despite con-
stant whispers, that was still the case at the time of writing. If you want to cross through,
ask around locally to check the current situation before setting off.
traders selling Burmese whisky, jewellery, cigars and bizarre health treatments involving
goats' heads. At the entrance to one noodle restaurant is a time capsule that was buried in
1995 by Allied POWs to mark the 50th anniversary of the 'Death Railway'. Come here on
20 April 2045 and you can see it being opened.
Should the border be open, foreigners can only obtain one-day passes, not visa exten-
sions. You would need to temporarily surrender your passport and provide a passport
photo to the Thai immigration office. At the Myanmar immigration office, a copy of the
photo page of your passport and a passport photo is needed, plus 500B or US$10. When
you return to Thailand, you will receive your passport back. There is a small photocopy
shop near the Thai immigration office.
The pass has a history of violence and smuggling, and even today it is rumoured to be
an important drug smuggling route, notably for wood, semiprecious stones and amphet-
amines.
Green
sŏrng·tăa·ou
leave from Sangkhlaburi's bus station (30B, 40 mintes) every 40
minutes. The border is a short walk from the
sŏrng·tăa·ou
stop in Three Pagodas Pass.
