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10 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | FEBRUARY 2021 By Colin Taylor, Resident and CEO of Taylor Adventure Tours Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a conventional vacation with my wife — fancy hotels and restaurants, visiting tourist spots. But sometimes I fancy a little more adventure. Like in 2017 when I decided to backpack up through Burma (Myanmar) to Yangon. Kathy said she would rather go to Vegas with a girlfriend, a good choice for her I think. I didn't ask any buddies if they would like to accompany me because they would ask where I planned to stay, how I planned to travel, what I planned to do and none of those details were planned. That's what makes it an adventure. My only booking was a round trip ticket from Los Angeles to Bangkok, Thailand. Google advised me there was a morning train from Thonburi station in Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, three hours north. That part was easy as the ticket and timetable were printed in English. One day in Kanchanaburi allowed me to see the bridge over the river Kwai and visit some spectacular temples. Burma is still under military rule but is starting to open up to visitors. They really need the hard currency. There are very few tourists, partially because it is not easy to get to and not easy to get around when you are there. Recently, they opened a new land crossing between Phu Nam Ron, Thailand and Sinbyudaing, Burma. That was my first location objective. A 50 Baht ($1.50) van ride got me up to the Thai border. What Google had not mentioned was that there is over a mile of "no man's land" between the two international check points. Another dollar got me a cramped seat on this open-air truck/bus. I was the only farang (non Thai or Burmese) on the bus but they all smiled with that genuine Thai smile. That's why they call Thailand the land of smiles. As we crossed no-man's land I knew the next building would be the official Burmese customs and immigration department. I was not expecting a super grand structure but I was a little surprised when we pulled up in front of this little shack. I wondered why it had a little bar/restaurant attached to the official government building. Everyone got their passports stamped and went next door for a beer. When I realized the van down to Dawei wasn't due for two hours, I tried my first Myanmar beer — the first of many in the next two weeks. And, as I ordered my beer, I recognized the barman as the immigration official who had just stamped my passport. He had changed hats, but nothing else. The two hours turned out to be three before the van arrived so that beer turned into several. The crowd of travelers became quite jovial and jokes were flying. My understanding of Burmese is very limited so the jokes were over my head but their delivery was amusing. I felt I should contribute to the entertainment so I did some rope magic and cups and balls magic using beer glasses and bottle caps. After every trick someone bought a round of beers. I did notice that my beers were 20 Baht ($0.60) and others were 10 Baht. I smiled. I was more than happy to contribute to the local economy. The van ride down to Dawei was through thick jungle with several crumbling, decrepit road bridges that looked ready to collapse even without a vehicle on them. continued on following page

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