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| Bus in Bagan, Myanmar |
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| Travel Documents |
We knew our trip would be a long time, but we underestimated how slow and difficult it would be to get from one place to another. This was especially the case for Myanmar and Laos. Over the trip we took a total of 12 plane rides, 14 different buses sometimes with several days on the same bus, 6 tuk tuks, 14 boat trips and 1 bicycle tour. We stayed in 15 hotels ranging from one night to 3 nights.
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| Yangon Air out of Myanmar |
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| Tuk Tuk in Vientiane, Laos |
In Myanmar the popular tourist destinations such as Yangon, Mandalay, Inle Lake and Bagan are open to foreigners. However, much of Myanmar is closed to foreign travelers, and many land routes to far-flung areas are also closed. Myanmar's infrastructure is presently being built and rebuilt. Since the sanctions were lifted in 2013, a number of highways and bridges were built, and many roads are now more modern, making more destinations accessible. An interesting feature is that most vehicles are designed to be driven on the left side of the road, but the traffic is on the right side of the road.
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| Biking in Sukhothai |
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| On The Mekong River in Laos |
In 1970 all traffic was moved to the right. One theory is that the ruling dictator’s wife’s astrologer said that the country would be better off driving on the right side of the road. The second is that the dictator had a dream that the country should switch directions. Either way, the dictator called the shots and traffic was directed to move sides overnight. Despite the lane shifts, virtually every vehicle in Myanmar has right hand steering.
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| Our bus in Laos |
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| Taxi in Myanmar |
The adjective that was most often applied to Laos is forgotten and traveling by air, road or river in Laos can be as interesting as the destination itself, but flexibility is important for the near inevitable delays, cancellations and breakdowns. The cars are designed to be driven on the right side of the road and this is the side that the traffic is on. The highways in Laos have improved in the past ten years, but 80% remain unpaved. The main routes connecting Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang and Savannakhet are now mostly asphalt. On these roads you see pedestrians, animals, tuk tuks, buses, minibuses, big trucks, various converted trucks and everything else I have forgotten.
In Thailand they drive on the left side of the road and the cars and other vehicles are those designed for this side driving. Thailand's roads are head and shoulders above its neighbors Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, but driving habits are still quite dangerous. We had excellent drivers but speeding and reckless passing are common and motorbikes drive close to the curb and on the wrong side of the road. Accidents increase major holidays, especially Songkhran (New Year), when bystanders often throw water on passing cars and bikes. Many drivers don't use headlights at night and we seldom were on the road at night, except in cities.
