We’re along the Thai western border with Burma. Yesterday we visited Three Pagoda Pass. Shut down due to Covid. No entry, no exit. I do not know if this applies to the locals, they might have a slip through in the early morning hours but I doubt it.
So, total lack of customers has some impact on the local vendors, although they are still there. Everything you can normally buy there is present in abundant, or at least adequate, supply at tax free sale prices. Few shoppers, little traffic, bored shopkeepers, few smiling faces.
We were/are in the area so we stopped in so the girls could do some shopping. We stayed for an hour or two, bought a few things on the cheap then left.
Stayed the night at a decent hotel. Nice views, nice location in Sangkhlaburi.
This AM we visited the Mon Bridge (wooden bridge) built in 1984 to connect a Mon Village with a Thai Village for trade purposes. Baan Nam Lai (Thai) and Baan Wangka (Mon). The Mon Bridge is the longest wooden bridge in Thailand.
We viewed the bridge, did some shopping in the Mon Village Shops and took a longboat tour of the river. The longboat took us up river to a couple of stops, one on the Mon side and one on the Thai side. On the Mon side we visited the remains of a Wat that has been subject to frequent flooding over the past seventy years or so. Yes, seriously water damaged and considered a nice place to worship or make merit when the waters have receded.
The Thai side Buddha is not subject to flooding but is a bit of a climb up some questionable stone stairways and a fairly poor conditioned pathway.
Not a bad visit. Not a whole lot going on. Other than cheap Mon Village shopping for stuff available just about everywhere for slightly more than you get at the Mon shops.
All-in-all worth a visit but certainly not on a “Do Not Miss” list.
Interesting that this trip we have gone through many, many, many police checkpoints. At each check point, as soon as they see a falang, they wave us through. Didn’t get my paperwork checked once.
The Mon Bridge
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Looking to the Mon Side
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Trading Barges and Longtail Boats
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Bridge
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Our Longtail
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