By Road
          The government of Thailand, Laos, China and Myanmar have agreed to the construction of a four-nation ring road through all four countries. The western half of the loop will proceed from Mae Sai, Thailand, to Jinghong, China, via Myanmar's Tachilek (opposite Mae Sai) and Kengtung (near Dalau on the China-Myanmar border), while the eastern half will extend from Chiang Khong, Thailand, to Jinghong via Huay Xai, Laos (opposite Chiang Khong), and Boten, Laos (on the Yunnanese border south of Jinghong).

          The stretch between Tachilek and Dalau is now under construction but it's possible to arrange one to three-day trips as far as Kengtung in Myanmar's Shan State. A road between Huay Sai and Boten already exists (built by the Chinese in the 1960s and 1970s) but needs upgrading. Once the roads are built and the visa formalities have been worked out, this loop will provide alternative travel connections between China and South-East Asia, in much the same way as the Karakoram Highway has forged new links between China and South Asia. It's difficult to predict when all the logistical variables will be settled, but progess so far points to a cleared path before 2005.

          The eastern half of this loop, from Boten to Huay Xai, Laos, and across to Chiang Khong, Thailand, can be done relatively easily now, though roadways between Boten and Huay Xai are a little rough.

By Boat

          A third way to reach China's Yunnan Province, from Thailand, is by boat along the Mekong River. Several surveys of the waterway have been completed and a specially constructed express boat made its inaugural run between Sop Ruak, Chiang Rai Province, and China's Yunnan Province in early 1994. For the moment, permission for such travel is restricted to very infrequent private tour groups, but it's reasonable to assume that in the future a scheduled public service may become available. The boat trip takes six hours - considerably quicker than any currently possible road route. However it's only navigable all the way to China during the rainy season and in the period immediately after.

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          You can cross the west coast border between Malaysia and Thailand by taking a bus to one side and another bus from the other side, the most obvious direct route being between Hat Yai and Alor Setar. This is the route used by taxis and buses but there's a 1km stretch of no-man's land between the Thai border control at Sadao (also known as Dan Nok) and the Malaysian border control at Changlun.

          It's much easier to go to Padang Besar, where the train line crosses the border. Here you can get a bus right up to the border, walk across and take another bus or taxi on the other side. On either side you'll most likely be mobbed by taxi and motorcycle drivers wanting to take you to immigration. It's better to walk over the railway by bridge into Thailand, and then ignore the touts until you get to 'official' Thai taxis who will take you all the way to Hat Yai, with a stop at the immigration office (2.5km from the border), for 40B. A new immigration and customs office and bus and train station complex has been built on the Thai side, making the whole transition smoother.

          A daily bus runs between Alor Setar, Hat Yai and Kota Bharu and reverse. There's also a border crossing at Keroh (Thai side - Betong), right in the middle between the east and west coasts. This may be used more now that the Penung to Kota Bharu road is open.

By Sea

          There are several ways of travelling between Thailand's southern peninsula and Malaysia by sea. Simplest is to take a longtail boat between Satun, right down in the south-west corner of Thailand, and Kuala Perlis. The cost is about M$5, or 50B, and boats cross over fairly regularly. You can also take a ferry to the Malaysian island of Langkawi from Satun. There are immigration posts at both ports so you can make the crossing quite officially. From Satun you can take a bus to Hat Yai and then arrange transport to other points in the south. It's possible to bypass Hat Yai altogether by heading directly for Phuket or Krabi via Trang.

          You can also take a ferry to Ban Taba on the east coast of Thailand from near Kota Bharu. On-again, off-again passenger ferry services also run between Palau Langkawi and Phuket. Such services never seem to last longer than nine months or so ; you can make inquires through local travel agents.

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          Several border crossings between Thailand and Myanmar are open to day-trippers or short excursions in the vicinity. As yet none of these link up with routes to Yangon or Mandalay or other cities of any size. Nor are you permitted to enter Thailand from Myanmar.

          Mae Sai-Tachilek The infamous bridge, Lo Hsing-han's former 'Golden Triangle' passageway for opium and heroin, spans the Sai River between Thailand's northernmost town and the border boom town of Tachilek (called Thakhilek by the Thai, Shan and 'Khun' peoples). Depending on the current situation in Myanmar's Shan State, where Shan rebels continue to battle Yangon troops despite warlord Khun Sa's 1996 surrender to Yangon, border permits for up to two weeks may be obtained from the Burmese immigration at the border for excursions to Tachilek and beyond as far north as Kengtung and Mengla. You can also use this border as a way to renew your Thai visa if you happen to be in Northern Thailand.

          It remains off limits to travel west to Taunggyi; you must leave the way you came, via Tachilek. During parts of 1994 and 1995 this border crossing closed for a few months due to fighting between Shan insurgent armies and the Burmese.

          Rumour has it that an overland route all the way to China via Kengtung will soon open here, but so far Kengtung's the end of the line. The road continuing west from Kengtung to Taunggyi is in usable condition, although this runs through the opium poppy harvesting area of the Golden Triangle, a common site for Shan army clashes with the Yangon military, and is definitely off limits to non-Burmese. It's 163km on from Tachilek to Kengtung, and another 450km from Kengtung to Taunggyi.

          Further to the south, in Thailand's Mae Chan district, it is possible to cross the border almost everywhere - with a local and reliable guide. This is opium country and Sunday strollers are not welcome.

          Three Pagodass A gateway for various invading armies and an important smuggling route for many centuries, this is one of the most interesting and accessible of the border crossing points.

          Chiang Dao A dirt track turns left 10km north of Chiang Dao in Chiang Mai Province and leads through the small town of Meuang Ngai to Na Ok at the border. This was the most popular opium route from Myanmar 25 years ago, but the main trading items now are water buffalo and lacquer. It would be wise to be very careful in this area.

          Cambodia As of early 1998, there has been a legal border crossing between Cambodia and Thailand at Aranya Prathet, opposite the Cambodian town of Poi Pet. If you're coming from Cambodia by rail or road, you don't need a Thai visa (or rather you will be granted a free 30 day tourist visa on arrival), but in the reverse direction you will need a Cambodian visa. The latter is available from the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok. Cambodian officials usually request a US$ 'departure tax' when you arrive at the Cambodian-Thai border. The border is open from 8 am to 6 pm daily. You'll have to take a taxi or 'moto' (Cambodian for motorcycle) a further 4km from the crossing to reach Aranya Prathet itself, from whence there are regular buses and trains onward to Bangkok and other points in North-Eastern Thailand.

          Other areas along the border won't be safe for land crossing until mines and booby traps left over from the conflict between the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese are removed or detonated. Travellers can sometimes cross to Cambodia by sea via Hat Lek, but it's very much an on and off situation.

          You can travel by boat between Kawthaung in Myanmar's Tanintharyi Division and the port of Ranong in Thailand via the Gulf of Martaban and Pakchan Estuary. Exiting Myanmar from Kawthaung is now legal, and you don't need a visa to enter Thailand for a 30 day stay or less. In the reverse direction you won't need a Myanmar visa for a day trip, but if you plan to stay overnight or to continue farther north, you'll need a valid Myanmar visa.

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