Tachilek: Lady Boom Boom

It almost seems that a good portion of the legitimate (or slightly less than) businesses in Myanmar are fronts for something seedier. For example, right as you cross the bridge to Tachilek, you’ll most likely be swarmed by a dozen or so brochure wielding túk túk drivers, offering cheap trips to nearby tourist traps.

The túk túk driver will start by pointing at a picture in the brochure.

“You want see temple? One hour 100 baht”

Then
“You want go town?” [points at picture] “One hour 100 baht”

Then, after he looks around to make sure no one else is listening, he asks in a hushed tone:
“You want lady boom boom?”
This is where my drink (green Fanta, how fitting) came out my nose

I have a new phrase in my vocabulary and I'm trying to find good cause to use it.

Another example, if I may:

Men with baskets of cigarettes strapped to their chests descend on tourists like vultures as soon as they cross into the market area. The cigarettes are cheap knock offs and not really that suitable for smoking, so I’ve been told. They’re also illegal to possess on the Thai side of the border.

This is one of the more memorable sales pitches from today:

Cigarette Man (CM): “Marlboro cheap, Lucky Seven cheap”
Me: “No thanks” [keeps walking]
CM: “Porno DVD?”
Me: “Nope” [keeps walking]
CM: “Biagra, work good.” (The misspelling was intentional)
[Slightly thrusts his hips]
“From India”
Me: “Not interested” [keeps walking]

As a last ditch effort to make a sale, he digs under his fake cigarettes, pornos and pills and pulls out a little pink vibrator. I heard it buzzing away as I walked off.

Strangely enough though, stalls selling endangered animal parts were operating right in the open:

This one had tiger skins and gonads, monkey and leopard skulls, deer antlers, jars of strange looking fluids (probably bear bile smuggled from China).

I stayed in Tachilek for a couple of hours before heading back to the more civilized Thai side.

Photos from Tachilek (Myanmar)

Burmese novice collecting alms. People seem sadder here.




Photos from Mae Sai (Thailand)

A lot of important Buddhist temples sit atop long flights of stairs. It's probably my #1 form of exercise here.

Rio de Janeiro has a big Jesus statue overlooking the city. Mae Sai has this:

Checking out the hot plumage: