Tamu, Sagain, MyanmarIndians are allowed to go into Tamu, the border town in Myanmar that's Moreh's twin. Its a very interesting arrangement between both countries. The border between Tamu and Moreh is porous - people are allowed to freely cross, but they have to return to their own country by sun down. Both countries have their watertight border some 20 kms inside. You can't cross that without a visa. This porous border is only for citizens of both the countries - foreigners can't do that without visas and immigration formalities.
I still needed a permit to take my car, but that was an easy 5 mts process. Off I went crossing from India through the Friendship Bridge - the bridge is the border point. On the Burmese side, the immigration guys took my permit, gave me a temporary vehicle regn for one day and waved me through. I was inside Myanmar .
The first thing I had to do was to switch to driving on the right of the road (Myanmar , despite being a former British colony switched some years ago to driving on the "wrong side of the road " . And I went off to explore Tamu.
When you cross borders like this, the change is gradual. But two things immediately caught my attention. You can see immediately that the crowds are less. India is bursting at the seams with people. Not so Myanmar. There were far less people. And the second is that the women, although similarly dressed to Manipuris, smear Thanaka on their face. Its a paste made by grinding the bark of specific trees and is very similar to sandal paste. Almost every woman, young or old has this smeared on her face. I didn't know about that at all before.
Women predominantly wear the htamein (the version men wear is called the paso). Both are sarongs, or longyis as they are called, similar to the Indian lungi but not exactly the same.
I went to the market in Tamu and roamed around. It is very similar to a traditional marketplace in India. Despite it being a border town, no Burmese speaks English or Hindi. That was also a surprise. Borders were really closed and sealed until some years ago. The years of isolation are showing. There are a few Indian origin Burmese who have settled in Myanmar, who can still speak Hindi, but they have mostly gone native. Seeing them with a sindoor (the mark on the forehead that Hindu women wear), but in a htamein speaking fluent Burmese, was an interesting sight. There are no Tamils here at all - the Indian origin people are mostly from Nepal.
Trade between India and Myanmar is still miniscule. The result of closed borders and India's obsession with gazing at its navel. As you can see from the photos, you can see some Indian brands in the market, but they don't predominate as they ought to. The situation in the China Myanmar border is different, I am sure.
You may have observed that the roads in Tamu are very good. They have all been built by the Border Roads Organisation of India. They have in fact built the road from Tamu to Kalay some 100 miles into Myanmar. Otherwise roads in Myanmar are a complete disaster outside of Yangon and Mandalay. Myanmar simply did not believe in maintaining any roads.
It was my fond wish on this trip to drive down on the "Road to Mandalay". How wonderful would it have been. I tried hard to get the permits but was vigorously blocked by Ramamritham's equivalent in Myanmar. It would have cost a complete fortune to have got them and I finally gave up. So Tamu is as far as I could go.
As the afternoon progressed, it was time for me to go back. I had to get back to Moreh, brave all the Indian army checks and then get back to Imphal before sun down - its not a great idea to be driving in these parts at night. So, I reluctantly turned back. I would have loved to spend a few days in Tamu and learn a bit more about the Burmese. I know Tamu is not representative of Myanmar, but it would have atleast given some flavour. Alas, permits are only valid for a day. I had to go back. I recrossed the Friendship Bridge, shifted back to driving on the left of the road, had a late mean at Lakshmi Mami's canteen and then set sail back to Imphal.
My Myanmar sojourn was short but sweet. One day, when they really make travel between the countries easy, I shall drive there, with the immortal words of Kipling ringing in the ears
By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' lazy at the sea,
There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me;
For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say;
"Come you back, you British Soldier; come you back to Mandalay!"
Come you back to Mandalay, Where the old Flotilla lay; Can't you 'ear their paddles clunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay? On the road to Mandalay, Where the flyin'-fishes play, An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!
VincyJoseph
2015-03-04
And hurray we touched Myanmar too What is Mingalaba Ramesh?
New place, new practices (thanaba) and new information. And to get all this from our comfort zones, aren’t we indebted to you?
And thanks for taking a front view of Thamien unlike the phanek in Manipur.
Let me ask you a silly question? Do you shop in these places?
Pranav
2015-03-04
Dear mother of god...you got all the way to Burma!!! Bloody impressive..I loved this post. I owe you a proper e-mail..I got yours a couple of days ago..I promise I will respond today.
sriram
2015-03-04
You have done well, my friend.
Shachi
2015-03-04
Border crossings by road are quite something. I've done Mexico and Canada from here, and Nepal from India. Don't remember anything else.
You are a sooper trooper - can't wait to see what's next!
Ravi Rajagopalan
2015-03-05
So you took the Road to Mandalay...Very romantic.
India's soft power has not been projected at all. China practically owns northern Burma. I read somewhere that India has fewer Foreign Service personnel than Singapore. Something we need to correct.
Suja
2015-03-05
Ah you are now 'Burma returned' (Myanmar returned doesn't sound the same, does it?) Interesting photos - similarities and differences, I noted them both. Wonder why the ladies smear that paste, must google..
TheMillionMiler
2015-03-05
Bravo! Burma! Always wanted to go there, especially after seeing pretty photographs my father had taken when he spent 3 months in the early 80s as a guest of the Burmese Government. I believe you can travel into Myanmar quite easily.
indigoite
2015-03-05
@Vincy - Mingalaba is Hello in Burmese ( I think !). No I don't shop at all. In all this trip, I haven't bought a single souvenir. My memories and this blog are what will stay with me.
@Pranav - Hey; delighted to see you here. Hope you are doing fine. Say Hi to P Diddy for me :)
@Sriram - My friend, that is the highest praise I can get. I am touched.
@Shachi - I am sooper trooper ??? Hurray Abba :)
@Ravi - I wish I could have gone to Mandalay. I tried hard - blocked by a ridiculous cost. Yes, China has a lot of presence in northern Myanmar, but only economic. They don't even know the meaning of soft power. They are not liked by local populations everywhere.
@Suja - Yes, I am"Burma returned". In the good old days, that would have pushed my social status a couple of notches. Now ..... :):)
The thanaka is a cosmetic. Beauty aid, complexion care, perfume, etc etc all rolled into one. Wonder what the Burmese men think of that
indigoite
2015-03-05
@Kiwi - Go there. Its not yet infested with tourists although I believe Bagan, Inle, etc etc have load of them now. Yes, you can go easily , as long as you fly in. The problem is taking your car - horrendously expensive.
Asha
2015-03-06
Yay! 'i went to myanmar too....ofcourse through your pics and lovely write up,thank you. We bloggers are lucky to write down such experiences and store them for posterity , re read and experience again. No?
Btw, even i have travelled over land from one country to another ( KL to singapore) and hold that travel special and will carry tales about that and retell to people till they run away from me.LOL.
indigoite
2015-03-06
@Asha - Yes, of course. I read your blog posts on the Malaysia Singapore crossing. It's always an interesting experience to cross land borders.
Well, I just touched the tip of Myanmar. It must be an interesting country to visit, despite its close down for many a decade. Maybe you'll travel there and we'll follow you through your blog posts ! Mr B, are you listening ? :):)
Vinod
2015-03-09
My Grandma's sister moved to Burma after marrying my Grandpa who was working there and they had a son. All three of them had to leave Rangoon for Madras. On the walk back she lost her husband and son, they both died of illness. She survived and reached home and went on to live for another 50 years. Your blog took me to my childhood days when i remember here explaining her journey on foot through across forests, rivers and arid lands with little clothing, food, sanitation and protection! It brought me for a brief while closer to my Grandma again. Thanks!
indigoite
2015-03-09
@Vinod - Wow. That's a touching story. Did your grandma ever go back to Burma again ?? Just to visit ?? What a horrible experience for her.
Sandhya Sriram
2015-03-10
It is so paradoxical, all of us want to see other countries, experience it's culture, people etc in our heart, but our minds have very clear boundaries and need just a small instigation to start hating someone outside our country, state or even a neighbor
Vinod
2015-03-11
No, she never did. There wasn't anything there for her to go back.She remembered the journey back and spoke about it too. If she were alive, it would have been good to learn about her experiences in Burma but unfortunately she passed away while I was in school.
indigoite
2015-03-11
@Sandhya - So true. If we travel, we broaden our minds and hopefully won't succumb to that.
@Vinod - Oh. Yes, the generation that experienced that is mostly gone.