- Tachileik
Tachileik (also spelled "Tachilek") is a
town in theShan State of eastMyanmar . It is the seat ofTachileik Township inTachileik District .It can be accessed from the Thai town of
Mae Sai , which sits directly south on the other side of the smallMae Sai river . There are twobridge s that provide access between Mae Sai and Tachilek, one is actively used forborder crossing s and the other newer one was not yet being utilized as of January 2007. It may be possible fortourist s to take abicycle across the bridge, but logistically it would be difficult. It is aporous border and is actually not difficult to wade across the river. Burmesemerchant s used to be able to cross over and do theirbusiness in Mae Sai for days at a time. As of 2006 there is a rule that says all Burmese border hoppers must return to the Burmese side beforesundown Fact|date=February 2007. The border is also a popular destination forwesterner s (referred to locally asfarang ) who either reside in or are visitingThailand and who need to get theirpassport visas renewed.There is no charge for a 'visa run' going from Thailand to
Burma on the Thai side, but there is a charge of US$10 on the Burmese side. Fact|date=February 2007A modern six-lane
highway runs all the way from the northern outskirts of Tachilek pastCheng Tung all the way toMong La at the Chinese border. It has anairport which links to three other Burmese cities -Yangon ,Mandalay andCheng Tung .Tachileik has retained the habit of allowing
vendor s to openly sellendangered animal parts. It has been suggested by some that this trade is fuelled by the many Chinese who frequent the area.Fact|date=February 2007The crowning
tourist attraction is a largegold -coloredstupa which, among other things, showcases the sevendays of the week . The idea is for apilgrim to go to the spot which has the day he/she was born and do a simple spiritual ritual.Tachileik has a reputation as being a rough town, since it is a major distribution point for
heroin and ya ba (speed pills) moving from Myanmar to the world market.ee also
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Tachilek Airport Notes and references
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