A ROAD TRIP, CROSSING INDO-MYANMAR BORDER

July 13th, 2019. We set off early around 3 in the morning. Moreh, a town located on the Indo-Myanmar border is about 5 hours ride from our village. I was accompanying my aunt and uncle in one of their frequent trips across the border. They deal in buying and selling goods bought from across the border.
Winding roads, lush green vegetation covering the surroundings hills, scattered settlements, the journey to the border had already begun. The sceneries along the way were spectacular. I can't help but stare out of the car window with the cold breeze hitting my face, absorbing the captivating beauty of the surroundings along the highway and taking pictures with my phone.

The road to Myanmar

Breathtaking view of Manipur hills

We drove non-stop till Pallel where we made a quick pit stop to have our breakfast and then continued our journey. Pallel is situated at the edge of Imphal valley and it's all hills from here till Moreh.

Pallel town

We drove through Tengnoupal, the highest point on the highway at an altitude of about 1400m. It's relatively colder here owing to its higher elevation. The clouds constantly moving about the surrounding hills, driving through this region surely made this journey much more intriguing and unforgettable. Tengnoupal is the headquarter of the newly formed district in Manipur and Moreh is part of this district.

Tengnoupal

Tengnoupal main market

Clouds covering the hills

We reached Moreh around 8 in the morning. Moreh is a rustic town situated at an elevation of about 200m. Coming from the hills the change in the weather from cold to warm was pretty evident. On account of its strategic location right at the border, this town has become an important business and commercial centre in Manipur. It is mainly inhabited by the Kuki tribes along with other communities like the Meiteis, Nagas, Nepalese, etc. Moreh is also infamous for contraband smuggling. We had a quick meal and made our way towards the border on foot. For Indian citizens all that is required to cross the border is to show your identity cards, it could be your Aadhaar card, passport etc, but you have to report back to India before sunset.

The town of Moreh, an important business and commercial centre in the state of Manipur, India

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Indo-Myanmar Friendship gate put up at the border between the two countries

Just across the border on the Burmese side is a big market known as Namphalong market. This is where people from all over Manipur come to buy goods of all kinds - electronics, food, furniture, clothes, household items. This market sells almost everything. You name it. These goods come mainly from China, Thailand and other South-East Asian countries. Hindi, Manipuri, Burmese and Kuki languages are mainly spoken here. They also accept Indian rupees. In fact, Indian currency is mostly used here. I exchanged ₹50 and I got 1000 kyats. I kept that as a souvenir.
It rained for a while when we reached the market. We had to wait for the rain to stop to explore the open-air sections of the market.

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People taking cover from the rain in Namphalong market

Namphalong market, Myanmar

After exploring the market a bit, we decided to head to Tamu, the closest Burmese town just 10 mins away. There are sharing tuk-tuks that run between Namphalong market and Tamu. We hopped in one of the tuk-tuks and headed further into Myanmar.
Tamu is a town having an elevation of about 180m in Sagaing region of Myanmar. It is much larger and is also a lot cleaner with better infrastructures than its twin town on the Indian side. One of the first things you will notice if you come here (if you're an Indian or from the Commonwealth countries) is the change in traffic. Myanmar follows the right-hand traffic practice.

Tamu, Myanmar

Downtown Tamu

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Road sign in Tamu (top) Burmese women cycling (below)

We walked around the town exploring the main market. Tamu market is less busy and there were few people compared to Namphalong market which is situated at the border.

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Tamu market

Hats of all kinds sold in the market

The majority of the people in Myanmar practice Buddhism and you will find many Buddhist temples scattered around in Tamu. We visited Tamu Buddhist temple which is situated on a hill on the western side of the town. It offers a panoramic view of the town. The temple was undergoing renovation when we visited so the inside of the temple was closed to visitors. We walked around exploring the various structures inside the spacious temple complex.

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Main entrance gate to Tamu Buddhist temple guarded by two mythical creatures

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Tamu Buddhist temple

Me posing with the temple

View from the temple

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Two structures inside the temple complex

The temple complex was very peaceful with lots of trees. In fact, you can spot the locals spending their leisure time and resting here. After we were done exploring the temple, we head back to the town centre to catch a tuk-tuk back to the Indian border. At this point I was sweating like a pig, it was so hot and humid. I got tanned so bad. Maybe this is the reason why Burmese people apply that yellowish-white paste called thanaka on their skin to protect themselves from the harsh sun. So, be prepared if you come here during the summer months.

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A Burmese hawker with thanaka on her face, neck and arms

Back at Namphalong market, we did a little shopping. We packed all the goods that we bought inside the car and made our way back home in the late afternoon. We had to get out of there a bit early because there will be a long line of vehicles coming from the border waiting to be checked by the Indian army for any contrabands near Khudengthabi.

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Vehicles waiting in line to be checked by the Indian army (top). Roadside shops near Khudengthabi (middle). Crossing a steel and wooden bridge (below)

It was already dark by the time we reached Kakching. We made a stop to have our dinner.

Manipuri pork thali

This trip was such a unique experience. The idea of crossing an international border into another country is actually quite interesting. This is my second time crossing an international border on foot. The first time was crossing into Nepal in 2012. I'm looking forward to visiting Myanmar again in the future.