I’m now seated inside the Burmese Tuk Tuk travelling to our last tourist attraction in the Town of Tachileik, Myanmar. Below is a Slideshow of photos of the Town of Tachileik taken from where I’m seated :

We arrive at a Burmese Jewelries & Souvenirs Boutique where there’re different kinds of jewelries such as the Blue Sapphires, Red Sapphires, Green Sapphires & many other colored gems. There’re also other local Burmese souvenirs such as scarves & wooden handicrafts etc.

We spend some time looking at the gems helping Mom to select her Blue or Green Sapphire Necklace, but they’re either too elaborate or not suitable for her. And I personally like Red Sapphires or Rubies but too bad the designs here are not what I like, besides Mom & Dad are hungry so we decide to make a fast move.

One tip for those who like Burmese gems & are thinking of buying some when in Burma or Thailand - always be brave to bargain on the prices. Well, cos the calling price of one of the Blue Sapphire Necklaces which Mom picks is originally 7 thousands bahts. But in the end the Boutique sales personnel is willing to let us have it for 3k! Well, I ask for 2k and she says no, no…..then she gives in a little & says 3k!! Wow, that’s more than half the original 7k price!!

Well, I’d some experiences in negotiating with the Thai vendor in Mae Sai last December when I bought my Red Rubies set…..& I know they really mark up their prices very high! So this time I’m really smart!! And I’m sure they’ll let us have it for 2k in the end, but cos the Necklace is really not too pretty for Mom, we decide not to take it at all.

We’re now leaving the gems Boutique & taking our Tuk Tuks to go for lunch.

We soon arrive at the above Burmese Noodle Shop, which is very near the Myanmar Thailand border. And below photo shows one of our 3 Tuk Tuks which we rode on to tour around the town of Tachileik since we arrived in Myanmar this late morning.

Well, we all had a very wonderful time travelling in the Tuk Tuks. It was really comfortable & very windy during the rides, though sometimes sunglasses were needed cos the sandy particles from the dusty roads tend to get into our eyes as we rode on - but all in all, it was alot of fun & a very cool transportation!

Well, we thank the Tuk Tuk drivers & Dad pays for our whole tour of 900 bahts, giving the Tuk Tuk drivers an extra 100 bahts tip, which make them pretty happy! 

Wow, the time now is about 2.15pm, & we’re all kinda starving as we step into the Burmese Noodle Shop :

We immediately order 5 bowls of Noodle & Kway Teow Soups, specially requesting that the Soup be cooked real steaming hot!

Besides selling Noodles, this shop has got a variety of already cooked Burmese cuisines too, & they all look pretty yummy! Too bad we’re all tired & hungry that we forget to order some of the dishes to try, which we only realise later when we’re about to leave!!

Thai & Burmese writings about the food on sales & their pricings on the wall inside the Shop :

See the many varities of Burmese delicacies :

Wow, is that Burmese Curry Chicken below?! Hmm…..they all look kinda spicy & real delicious!!

Some of these cuisines look like what we have in Singapore - Stewed 3-layer Pork (or Pork Belly) with Eggs, Fried Sunny-side-up Eggs & Fried Fish :

The Burmese vendor preparing our noodles :

And the younger Burmese is preparing our drinks :

Hey, there’re Burmese desserts too - looks like Yam in Coconut Milk!! Yummy Yummy!

And this below looks like Sago with Sweet Potatoes in Coconut Milk!! Mmmm, we shall try them all after our noodles heheh!

After a while, we’re served the below saucers of salted Vegetable Pickles - I assume these are to be mixed with our Noodle Soups, or just eaten on its own :

Here come our Thai friend’s Noodle with Fish Balls Soup :

And here below is my very own Burmese lunch - Kway Teow Fish Balls Soup with Coke - though it’s a Thai Coke & not Burmese as I’d hoped to see!

Wow!! the mild Soup base is really tasty, & very steaming hot too!! There’re diced Chinese Parsley, Minced Pork & even White Carrots (or White Raddish) in it! I’d already noticed that the Thai people like to use White Carrot as an ingredient in the dishes they cook, & now I see that the Burmese also do the same! And all the time I eat the Thai & now the Burmese cuisines, they all taste really good - guess it must be the White Carrots that make them so tasty ha!

A close-up view of my Kway Teow Fish Balls Soup - well, after eating the Fish Balls, I realise they’re pretty special & not entirely made up of Fish, but also mixed with Sotongs (Squids), making them really springy & yummy!

See, my Kway Teow Fish mixed with Sotong Balls Soup is so delicious I finish eating everything, leaving behind a pretty much empty bowl :

Haha, you must be wondering why I take photos of my empty bowl?! Well, cos I like the round red & green logos with the Elphant & Tiger on it, & best of all, there’re Burmese wordings written on the logos heheh!!

Now, the Burmese vendor is scooping our Burmese Desserts - a mixture of the 2 types! 

Our Burmese Desserts 2 mixed into 1 in each bowl - well, I don quite enjoy it after taking the 1st spoonful cos it’s neither just sweet nor salty, but a combination of both! Well, according to our Thai friend, that’s their Thai & Burmese way of balancing the 2 tastes! But I personally like it either way, & not in between!!

And yes, they’re Coconut Milk & those round transparent balls are Sagos, but the yellow pieces are not Sweet Potatoes as we’d guessed, but Jackfruits! And the light pale colored bigger soft pieces (which is mixed from the other dessert) are not Yams as we’d thought, but Bananas (which I later find out is the popular ”Mon Banana Pudding” or ”Kluai Buat Chi” in Thai - inspired by the Mon State in Myanmar). And all in all, I find the combination, plus its kinda little sweet yet salty flavour, rather strange tasting!!

We’ve just finished our lunch & we plan to go shopping now!!

From just outside the Noodle Shop is the large Street Market of Tachileik, where there’re shops selling all kinds of Burmese handicrafts & goods & food.

Below show the many pretty handmade Burmese Straw Hats, & in this Stall I also see small Burmese Deer Horns on sales :

Beautiful huge fresh Burmese Grapes (called “A-ngoon” in Thai) :

A Nutty Stall with all kinds of Burmese Nuts :

Close-up view of the many types of Nuts :

Burmese Preserved Fruits :

A mobile Drinks stall :

Mom & Dad standing in the middle of the Tachileik Street Market :

Well, Mom & Dad decide to walk back to the Noodle Shop where we just had our lunch to take a rest inside there while our Thai friend, my brother & I go shopping in the Street Market!

Soon after seeing Mom & Dad leave, I immediately start exploring the Tachileik Street Market on my own, leaving my brother & our Thai friend to go on their separate ways :

I soon see many beggars on the Street - see bottom right the small boy squating on the floor under the dark shadows of the tree - unfortunately I’d been adviced never to give anything, especially money, to the beggars unless I wana end up being mobbed by their whole gang :((

Another mobile Street Vendor, which looks in pretty good business as there’re some Burmese locals waiting around to be served :

A Nuts & Tit-bits stall - see its very big fat Chestnuts in the front :

A pretty high-rise rather narrow building with balconies pearched on top of the ground level Street shop :

I soon stop by the below Burmese gem stall to look at its Red Rubies :

And I bought the following 2 sets of Burmese Red Rubies (Sapphires) with 14k gold - one for my 2nd twin sister who loves my Red Rubies Set I bought in Mae Sai last December. However, these ones are not as pretty as the ones I have from Mae Sai, & there’re no matching rings, but they’re the best I can find here in Myanmar so far : 

This below Set is for my sister :

And here below are of brighter red color & they’re for myself :

After buying the Red Rubbies, I walk around the Street Market looking for Burmese Souvenir Magnets, & I’m glad I find these below Miniature Cultural Doll Souvenir Magnets - well, they look like the ones I bought from Chiang Mai 2 days ago, but to me, these are different cos they’re the Burmese ones from Myanmar :))

My colorful Cultural Doll Souvenir Magnets - just look at the beautiful details of their cultural costumes & headdresses!

I’ve now come to one end of the Street Market where the Myanmar Thailand Border Bridge is just above, & I see there’re actually other streets to the Market!

And this part of the area seems more rowdy & dark & it suddenly dawns on me that this is Myanmar, Burma, Tachileik; the rough town where illegal Opium production & smuggling are still going around!! And I’m suddenly filled with a certain level of fear that I’d better be more extra careful since I’m all walking alone down here!!

And as I’ve no time to explore further, I make a u-turn back to where I came from.

Well, the Street Market consists of all kinds of shops selling Burmese crafts such as lacquer & wood carvings, brass artifacts, toys, electric goods, CDs & VCDs etc. And there’re many counterfeit goods such as handbags & clothings too! And there’re also vendors who walk around carrying & trying to sell their goods stored in big plastic containers with cloth handles slinged across their shoulders!

And I again see many poor beggars on the Street either walking around or squating on the floor begging for money :

Below is a Burmese building with 2 dragons at the top - I find it really cool & unique!!

I’m now walking back to the Burmese Noodle Shop where my Mom & Dad are resting & waiting :

And along the way, I notice more side lanes leading from the main Street Market - too bad I’ve got no time to walk further!

2 Burmese vendors seated & selling their goods on the floor - see the glistening yellow Thanaka powder on their faces :

As I’ve taken more photos of the Street Market & its Burmese buildings, I’ve put them in the following Slideshow, inclusive of a Burmese Video which is made up of 5 Burmese Songs of which some of the tunes sound kinda familiar to me as if I’ve heard their Chinese or English versions before :

Now, I’ve just joined my Mom, Dad, brother & our Thai friend & we’ve decided to make our way back to Thailand.

We’re now walking back to the end of the busier Street Market where I’d walked to (by myself earlier on) so that we can climb up the stairs to the Bridge where the Myanmar Thailand Border is located.

And WOW, the sizable marketplace is now becoming more packed with locals & tourists - & I’m glad I get to see how the local Burmese people go about their daily lives!!

We’re now up on the Bridge where the Myanmar immigration office (below) is - leaving the very bustling Burmese Street Market far below us :

The below photo shows the staircase leading to the below ground area where we took our Burmese Tuk Tuks at the beginning of our Myanmar tour when we first arrived here in the Town of Tachileik this morning :

We’re now walking towards the Union of Myanmar Gate & just before we leave Myanmar, I ask to stop by the below Tachileik Intershop at the Golden Palace Plaza to have a last look at Burmese products :

We’re now inside the Burmese Liquor Shop at the Golden Palace Plaza :

And I bought 2 cans of German Light & Dark Beer - they’re so cheap cost only 65 bahts in total!!

We’re now leaving the Golden Palace Plaza :

My brother standing infront of the Union of Myanmar Gate :

Passing through the Union of Myanmar Gate, we’re now walking out of Myanmar towards Thailand :

Well, I’m really glad we made it to Myanmar today & get to see quite alot of the Town of Tachileik & the culture & lifestyle of the Burmese people. In fact, my brother & I were almost here last December with my hubby when we visited Mae Sai with our Thai tour guide, but unfortunately we couldn’t cross over cos we left our passports in our Chiang Mai Hotel! And today, if it’s not for our Thai friend being with us, this trip to Myanmar would not be possible cos we’d be too scared & worried & not dare enter Myanmar all alone!!

We’re now a little away from Myanmar & almost reaching Thailand now - walking half way on the “No Man’s Land” on the Myanmar Thailand border Bridge where only the Myanmar Flags can be seen on the railings of this half side of the Bridge :

See the below left side of the Bridge where the Thailand Flags are, beside the Myanmar Flags towards the right - as you can see, we’re but only tens of steps away from Thailand across the Bridge on No Man’s Land!!

Well, we shall see you soon in Thailand! See ya later!!