lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

198EASTERN MYANMAR KAYAH STATE©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd4SleepingIf crossing the border into Thailand is anoption, you’ll find the accommodation therebetter in every respect. Hotels in Tachileikprefer payment in Thai baht, but some placeswill accept US dollars.River Side Hotel HOTEL $$(%51161; r 600B; a) Located on the river lessthan a block from the bridge that connectsMyanmar and Thailand, this hotel has cleanrooms with attached bathroom.In Mae Sai, on the Thai side of the border,the Maesai Guest House on the river isrecommended.8 Getting There & AwayAir Bagan (www.airbagan.com), owned by TayZa (see p 21 ), and Asian Wings (www.asianwingsairlines.com) fl y from Tachileik to Kengtung($42, 25 minutes) – but not in the oppositedirection.Buses depart from Tachileik’s bus station,2km and a 10B truck ride or a K1500/40B motorcycletaxi ride from the border, at 8am andnoon (K10,000, fi ve hours). Alternatively, youcan charter a taxi for 2500B or, if you’re willingto wait, get a front/back seat in a share taxi forK15,000/10,000.KAYAH STATELike Tanintharyi (Tenasserim) Division inthe south, Kayah State (kyC"¨p–'ny') isyet another one of those uniquely Burmesedestinations that’s open to foreign tourists,but not really open.Wedged between Shan State to the northand west, Kayin State to the west and south,and Thailand to the east, tiny Kayah State ishome to a disproportionate number of tribalgroups, including the Padaung, Yinbaw,Bre, Kayin (Karen) and Karenni (Red Karen).It is indeed possible to visit KayahState, but only with permission from thegovernment and only on a prearranged,government-sanctioned package tour. Thenorm is a five-day trip that largely centresin and around Loikaw (the state capital)and terminates with a boat trip to InleLake. Sounds fun, but it’s rather costly andthe feedback we’ve heard from the handfulof those who have done the trip wasn’t allthat inspiring. If you’re determined, at leastsix weeks ahead of time, contact one of theYangon-based travel agents in this book (seep 69 ), who will initiate the necessary permitsetc on your behalf.© Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd. To make it easier for you to use,access to this chapter is not digitally restricted. In return, we think it’s fairto ask you to use it for personal, non-commercial purposes only. In otherwords, please don’t upload this chapter to a peer-to-peer site, massemail it to everyone you know, or resell it. See the terms and conditionson our site for a longer way of saying the above - ‘Do the right thing withour content.’