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border crossing (was Re: greetings



Subject: border crossing (was Re: greetings 

/* Written  3:41 pm  Jan 11, 1994 by tun@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx in igc:soc.culture.bu */
/* ---------- "border crossing (was Re: greetings " ---------- */
:From: fstawit@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Tawit Chitsomboon)
:Date: 11 Jan 1994 19:51:21 GMT

:In article <9401111753.AA11437@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> tun@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Coban Tun) writes:
:>................
> >This town is opened for tourists from Thailand to enter without
> >any document. I don't know for how long can one enter without
> >document.
>Same here. I didn't go into Thachilek although I went half way over the bridge.
>My buddy paid $20.00 US to get a one day pass. 

:I think your friend was being ripped off! The fee is and has always been
:about 20 US CENTS per head (5 Thai bahts). I was charged at 40 cents
:rate (But of course I didn't argue, it didn't worth it I reasoned)
:In addition, another guy came afterward and charge me another 10 bahts
:for the car (I drove). I was sure this was another corruption. The guy
:then gave me a reciept which resembled a used toilet paper more than
:a receipt :-) (I remember laughing at this ripping off of cosmopolitanist
My friend was a American.  I stood by the railing on the bridge for about 1 
hour watching people go back and forth and saw no burmese or thai being charge.
Only the Americans and other faranges are being charged outrageous fees.

I found out that official burmese exchange rate at 1 Kyat = 4 Baht where
as black market rate is 1 Bhat = 4 Kyats.  Same exchage rate is also used
at Mae Sot.

Blackmarket rate is consistant with what one dollar is equal to,
namely US $1.00 = 100 to 125 Kyats.

Coban