Mae Sai: Myanmar Border

I originally had no intention of crossing into Myanmar (formerly Burma) when I was plotting out my route a few weeks back, but with my tourist visa expiring shortly, I figured a quick stopover wouldn’t hurt. The lonely planet sells Mae Sai (on the Thai side) short in many respects, claiming the town lacks charm and “is little more than a modern trading post.” Though I suppose this is in part true, my guesthouse (creatively named Mae Sai Guest House) has more than made up for it with its well kept, quaint little huts along the Thai-Myanmar border.

My hut in the above picture is hidden behind the two trees on the left. The border runs smack dab in the middle of the Mae Nam Sae river. Thailand is on the left, Myanmar on the right.
Because this section of the river is only knee deep, Burmese illegal immigrants have become a huge problem. A police checkpoint has been set up not far from my guesthouse to counteract this but I doubt it’s effective - I spent a couple of hours on the veranda watching illegals wading across not long after sunset.

I’ll be crossing into the town of Tachilek (legally, of course) on the Burmese side tomorrow. I hope I don’t run into any problems.

Another one of the more interesting accommodation options: