THAILAND VISA RUN: CHIANG MAI TO MAE SAI.
If you’re on a tourist visa and spending an extended period of time in Thailand you will, at some point, get to experience the infamous visa run. Unless you are planning on incorporating some kind of adventure into it, a trip to the Thailand border is nothing exciting, but if you want to avoid an outdated stamp and a 500 baht a day fine, it has to be done.
If you’re in Chiang Mai – and are not yet ready to go to Vientiane, Laos for a 60 day tourist visa – then the easiest solution is to go to Mae Sai, a small town on the Myanmar border. You can get there by van or bus or alternatively drive yourself. I’ve done all three, but since its rainy season, I decided to hop on one of the silver tour vans as it seemed the most practical.
Rise and Shine, You’re Getting on a Van
One of the best ways to get to Mai Sai is to head to any travel agent and book a seat on a tour van. You’ll get picked up at your hotel, guesthouse or residence around 7am. After everyone is on board, you’ll head up into the mountains. The first part of the drive is pretty awesome; the mountainous jungle lines the winding road and traffic is usually sparse.
Note that I said “winding”; if you get motion sickness, be sure to take medication beforehand – because there’s nothing more awkward than puking on a van full of people you’ll be spending the better part of a day with.
About an hour into the trip, you’ll stop at the Chiang Rai Hot Springs. The scheduled 15 minutes will allow you to stretch your legs, take a bathroom break or sip on some hill tribe coffee. If that does not float your boat – you can also check out the small stream of hot water towards the back; you can even soak your feet for free! Back in the van, you’ll pass through a lot of small towns and rice paddies. It’s a good opportunity to escape back into dreamland for a few hours until you’re awoken by your driver saying something like: “1 o’clock 7-11” over and over.
Getting What You Came For
You’ll get 1 hour at the border. Sometimes, this is plenty of time to stretch your legs, eat and even do some shopping. If immigration is running especially slow, you may end up having only 10 or 15 minutes to spare by the time you get stamped back into Thailand. So, the best thing to do is once you’re off the van, walk straight towards the passport line and get stamped out of Thailand. After this, cross the road so you’re now on the right side, and continue walking over the bridge. You’ll be hustled inside a tiny room immediately after crossing into Myanmar. The immigration officials may come off as being slightly stern, but in reality are nice, especially if you’re a cute girl. They’ll ask if you want to “go shopping” or “go back”. If you’re on a strict timeframe, pay 500 baht and say “go back”. They’ll stamp your passport and you walk back to Thailand.
On the bridge, you may pass a few food carts with Burmese snacks. Try them, they’re cheap and delicious!
Back at the Thai side of immigration, you’ll need to go to the booth to get an entry slip. Fill this out, and then stand in the line to await your stamp. It’s that easy.
You Got Your Stamp, Now What?
On your way to Mae Sai, you’ll get the opportunity to observe natural hot springs. Grab some Thai snacks or a coffee while taking a break.
Now that you have just returned from Myanmar and have your newly secured 15 day visa, if you have some time, grab a bite to eat at any of the stalls or head to ‘Fora Bee’ for honey infused coffee. If you’re looking for knock off sunglasses, knives, binoculars or other gadgets, Mae Sai is a good place for this as long as you have the negotiating skills. You can also buy jade and other stones which were imported from Myanmar. The Jade makes good gifts for mom or granny, but may not be ideal for your 20 something girlfriend – trust me!
Back on the Van
Your hour will go by very quickly; back on the van you will make one stop at a bathroom – so the best advice I can give – is to dehydrate yourself if you have a tiny bladder, because getting the driver to pull over can be very challenging.
3.5 Hours Later…..
You’ll be no doubt be exhausted by the time you return to Chiang Mai. This could be the worst part of the trip because now you have to drop everyone off. Keep in mind if you were the first one on, you’re the last one off. If you know you will be one of these ‘lucky’ people, it may be better to get out of the van once you’re in an area with Songthaews (the red trucks) and jump into the back of one of them. You’ll get home a lot quicker.
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