Moreh to Tamu: The Epic journey
Once you enter Moreh town, first look for a place where you can keep your backpack and take a little backpack which includes your daily required items like a water bottle and camera. Please ensure that you have your identity card which proves that you are an Indian resident because it is required during the immigration process.
Table of Contents
-> Gate no.1 & 2 near Moreh
There are two gates which take you to the Myanmar (Burma) border. Gate no. 1 will take you to the exploring part of Myanmar and Gate no. 2 will take you to the market of Myanmar which is connected to the Indian boundary.
Once you are done with your things, head down to the main bazaar area of Moreh. You will see a lot of autorickshaws standing in there. Ask one auto to drop you to Gate no. 1. It might cost you between 30 to 50 bucks. The auto driver will take you through the town of Moreh and then an Indian checkpoint will come where the auto driver will write a count of how many people he is taking. Later he will drop you to the main road near gate number 1.
It’s a gate where you need to provide your ID proof and to register yourself. Walk down to the counter. The person from immigration will take your ID card and keep it with themselves with the serial number on it. After that, he will give you a slip or receipt which will be your one day pass for the exploration of Tamu village. At the same counter, you will get an autorickshaw which will take you to the sightseeing in Tamu village. It will cost you around 250 to 400 bucks. Don’t give more than that. Later, get an auto and he will take you to the places in Tamu.
First and foremost, he will take you to the market area near gate number 2 where you can explore the Myanmar market and experience their way of selling things. The market is really old and gives you the rustic look of the traditional and local way of trading.
Later, the auto-rickshaw person will take you to three pagodas which are known as monasteries in our common language. On the way to the first pagoda, the auto driver will stop at the checkpoint where he will ask for the immigration receipt and register you as a tourist for one-day sightseeing. Once you clear this, you are free to roam around Tamu. The auto driver will take you to the first pagoda. The first pagoda offers a majestic white stupa and a Buddha statue near the gate of the pagoda.
Go there and explore the area on foot. The auto driver will wait for you at the parking lot. Once you are done with the first pagoda, he will take you to the second pagoda which lies to the northern side of Tamu. On the way to the second pagoda, you will be roaming between the lanes of Tamu village where you can see the local life of the Burmese. Also, you will be crossing the lane of houses made of wood. The second pagoda will come after that and it offers a Burmese structured monastery along with the community hall of the villagers. Go inside the pagoda and calm yourself. Experience the peace inside.
Explore the area around and witness the giant golden stupa with Buddhist flags around it. There’s a water pool as well where you can sit peacefully and enjoy nature at its best. All these pagodas are situated in different areas of Tamu so you have a chance to take a walk into the village and witness the local daily life. Do not do anything that will hurt anybody’s sentiment or emotions, please be humble to every person you meet. While in the second pagoda, try the local litchi drink which they offer in a can. It is a pulpy juice that is delicious and offers relief from the afternoon heat.
Get done with all these things and tell the auto driver to take you to someplace where you can have Burmese cuisine for lunch. The auto driver knows which area serves better food and will take you to the dhaba kind of place which will give you a homely cooked food. If they (person in the restaurant) speak English, then well and good but if they don’t, tell the driver to tell them that you want to try Burmese cuisine. The driver will tell them in the local language and they will start preparing your food.
In all these places food takes time to come while in the meantime, you can check out the nearby area and see the daily life of Myanmar. Once the food is ready, the person will get your lunch. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals are available. You just specifically tell them if you want a veg meal or the non-veg one. Both have a different taste altogether. Have your meal peacefully and talk to the driver in the meantime to get information about the place. The local auto drivers are reliable sources of information that you can get during your visit to Tamu.
Once lunch is done, pay them and leave. Do not worry about the currency exchange, the Burmese accept Indian rupee as well. Later on, head to the last pagoda for the day. The driver will take you to the pagoda which lies in the eastern part of Tamu between the local community. At the entrance of it, you will see two giant dragons which signify the welcome posture over the entrance. With these dragon structures, you will see a stairway covered with a wooden roof heading to the upper side of the little hill. Head on to the pagoda and gaze at the view of Tamu village. You will get to see a giant dragon and Buddha statue on your left facing the village. Behind that, you will encounter the biggest stupa compared to the first and second pagoda.
Inside this giant stupa, you will see a statue of Buddha where you can pray and sit peacefully to enjoy the view of Tamu village. Explore the nearby area to see life in Tamu village. Be cautious with the timing of the gate closing at 4 pm IST.
The major change you will get to see is the timing on your phone. Automatically it changes to one hour prior to Indian Standard Time because the Myanmar region follows a different time zone and your phone works on the tower which gives them signal from the nearby area. Once you are done with the third pagoda, explore the natural beauty of the river and jungle in Myanmar.
Pay attention to the time as well. Later, the auto driver will take you back to the immigration point where you took the receipt. Don’t forget to take your ID card back. Pay the auto driver his fare and thank him for the service which he provided. Later, get back to the main road and take an auto to Moreh main bazaar at the same cost which you have come at. Get down at Moreh and explore the market side on foot.
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