What do they sell at Burma border market?

[tonymaroni]

What kind of things have you bought, or do you know of what they have for sale at the Burmese border crossing 2 hrs from Hua Hin?

Any and all info or knowledge will be appreciated. Have a few friends in town, thinking of making the trip this Saturday.

Thanks
Doc

[Spitfire]

You'll probably find that these kind of places, not just there but many others that are near the borders, are where most Thai small traders at night markets and the like get their goods, might even get proper shops from many locations (including MV) buying stuff at knock down prices, then selling it on at the night market etc.

Definitely worth a trip IMO, lots of cheap stuff of all kinds of description, good day out. Regarding what they sell there then you'll probably find a good selection of stuff from handy craft to DVDs to all sorts.

I haven't been to the one you mention but went to the one at Sa Kaeo on the Cambodian border, full of Thai and Cambodian traders buying/selling cheap stuff, then the Thais taking it back to other places to sell on within Thailand.

There are many of these such places that are tolerated as it's good for the Thais, provides jobs and encourages micro business, it is also good for the Burmese/Cambodian etc traders too. However, that is secondary to the benefit of the locals, hence the border pass restrictions on the neighboring country visitors, limited to 3 days and a distance limit to how far they can venture into Thailand to conduct their business/affairs freely. The limit up in Isaan for the Lao traders is Udon Thani, if they go further than that then their border passes are invalid and are liable to arrest, need a tourist visa to go further. There is probably a similar restriction on all these border trading areas all over LOS.

Worth a visit though, for sure, interesting.

[barrys]

tonymaroni wrote: "What kind of things have you bought, or do you know of what they have for sale at the Burmese border crossing 2 hrs from Hua Hin?"

I've been there a few times, mainly to buy furniture.
They make fantastic, solid timber rustic-type furniture on the Burmese side and then sell it pretty cheap on the Thai side at the border market.

Also very good for plants/flowers, especially orchids, and cheap.

Handicraft trinkets are also available, and you'll find the odd monkey/parakeet/goat etc. for sale too.

Even if you don't want to buy anything, it's quite an interesting place to walk around.

Best thing is to make a day tour of it (been covered on the forum before somewhere).

Go to the market first (it winds down around lunchtime), then go to Ao Manao just outside Prachuab - nice beach, cheap Thai food (including seafood), 9-hole golf course. Clean and quiet - not overrun by beach vendors.
At the north end of the bay, there is also a spot where langur monkeys live wild and you can see them swinging through the trees with their yellow babies.

After that, stop off in Prachuab town and walk along the promenade, or sit in the small pizza restaurant on the promenade (can't remember the name I'm afraid), chill out with some good, cheap pizza and wine/beer and look out over Prachuab Bay.

[cookmanchef]

Sounds good! Is this "Dan Singhkon", or something like that?

[Jaime]

At Dan Sing Khon I have bought a rubberwood bookcase and side table, a dark stained hardwood (of some description) table, a small teak chaise lounge, a bronze cow bell with a nice embossed elephant motif on it, some hand painted wooden artifacts like the mirrors with wooden shutters you see in 'antique' shops in Hua Hin, some field worker hats that look nice on the wall and some teak bedside lamps. All for about a third of what I would have paid in HH. Went up there on my last trip (October 2010) and it's changed a lot - with a new market area near the new purpose built border post. It was the rainy season so there wasn't alot going on and there are malaria warning signs everywhere so make sure you take your repellant and cover up if you go. One of the stall holders seemed to think that Thais and farangs would be allowed to cross into Burma from here at some point in 2011 (currently the crossing is only for Burmese) but unlike Mae Sot/Rim Moei on the River Myawaddy in Tak province there is no town on the other side of the border, just endless jungle. No doubt if the crossing is opened up a frontier development will spring up on the other side.

As Spitfire mentioned above, there is a limit to the time you can spend and the distance you can enter into Burma when crossing. At Rim Moei I think you can go up to 20km from the border. They take your passport at the check point and give it back to you when you return!

[dozer]

Its a few years since I was there, but reading this thread has got me curious, so I think going to take a drive down on Saturday.

[caller]

I visired 3 times about a year ago (from Bangsaphan). Loved it and did as Barry says, morning at the market and pm in Ao Manao or Prachap Town - loved that as well!

My impression is furniture and orchids/plants are the mainstay of the market.

Can I ask a further question about the furniture - before you get to the market and crossing itself, I noticed some more established places on the left, that looked more like stores - are these the furniture warehouses?

[PeteC]

We have some more threads with info about this:

http://www.huahinafterdark.com/forum/vi ... 36&t=16178

http://www.huahinafterdark.com/forum/vi ... 22&t=16400

We've never heard back about the parrots. Maybe set free by now, or lunch? Pete

[bozzman101]

ahhhh the parrots one fell off his perch and died so i got 3 budgies to keep the other one company and a new mynah bird cant curse in thai yet !!!! or english
but squwaks a bit also the only good restraunt there seems to be the one on the way in about 2 klicks out
have venison on the menu so had lump of it with oyster sauce ask for neua gwan menu in thai only 100 b a portion bit chewy but can taste the venison!!!

[hhfarang]

They take your passport at the check point and give it back to you when you return!

Is this considered officially as leaving Thailand so that you need a re-entry permit not to lose an annual visa. I did it once up past Kanchanaburi at Three Pagoda Pass and had to fill out a one sheet visa type paper and have my photo made. It only allowed us to go into the Burmese border town as there was another road block leaving the small town a few hundred meters further on. I did have a multiple re-entry permit at the time so didn't even think about it, but now I don't have one.

[barrys]

Caller asked: "Can I ask a further question about the furniture - before you get to the market and crossing itself, I noticed some more established places on the left, that looked more like stores - are these the furniture warehouses?"

These are shops that sell more factory-made furniture, but also from solid timber - very good quality most of it and reasonable priced.

The actual market sells rustic garden/patio-type furniture literally cut out chunks of trees, a lot of it with some fantastic grain patterns.

[barrys]

They take your passport at the check point and give it back to you when you return!

Is this considered officially as leaving Thailand so that you need a re-entry permit not to lose an annual visa. I did it once up past Kanchanaburi at Three Pagoda Pass and had to fill out a one sheet visa type paper and have my photo made. It only allowed us to go into the Burmese border town as there was another road block leaving the small town a few hundred meters further on. I did have a multiple re-entry permit at the time so didn't even think about it, but now I don't have one.

Farangs cannot cross the border at Dan Singkhon, though we also heard that this might change some time in the course of the year.

[tonymaroni]

Great feedback!
Many thanks to all who replied.

Doc

[Jaime]

They take your passport at the check point and give it back to you when you return!

Is this considered officially as leaving Thailand so that you need a re-entry permit not to lose an annual visa. I did it once up past Kanchanaburi at Three Pagoda Pass and had to fill out a one sheet visa type paper and have my photo made. It only allowed us to go into the Burmese border town as there was another road block leaving the small town a few hundred meters further on. I did have a multiple re-entry permit at the time so didn't even think about it, but now I don't have one.

As Barry posted this is not currently possible at DSK but when I did it up at Mae Sot, yes, it did mean I had officially left Thailand - I had a multiple entry tourist visa at the time. The passport was stamped on the Burmese side and again by the Thai side upon my return.

[Jaime]

Can I ask a further question about the furniture - before you get to the market and crossing itself, I noticed some more established places on the left, that looked more like stores - are these the furniture warehouses?

When we bought our stuff the shops you mention was the market, which, along with the border crossing itself did not exist. The market near the crossing point has more 'trinkety' stuff from what I could see, whereas the warehouses/shops sell the more conventional traditional hardwood furniture.