Kawthaung, Myanmar,
Burma, Victoria Point, Kawthaung pictures,
Ranong, visa run, Kawthaung photo, Travel to
Kawthaung, Kawthaung photo gallery, Myanmar.
Kawthaung, smuggling, casino and
islands.
Kawthaung is opposite
Ranong Thailand
and a
somehow interesting
destination. A few islands around
invites to play Robinson. Take a tent
and have some time on the beach. You
only can do this with a Myanmar tourist
visa from the Myanmar embassy /
consulate not with the entry visa you
get at Kawthaung city. This visa only
allows to stay at Kawthaung city. If you
like to spend more time around use the
ferry from the casino -their pier is a
little bit outside Ranong-. There you
have the limited possibility to move
around on the islands. Along the
waterfront are some Myanmar hotels.
Kawthaung or the former Victoria Point
has quite a huge fishery harbor.
If you want to loose some money you can
go
gambling in the casino on the Casino
Island.
The owner, a Thai offer free rides
with a private ship out of Ranong.
In Thailand, gambling is prohibited -but
almost everyone gambles- this drives a
lot of money into the underground
gambling industry, this gambling
industry in turn is controlled by shady
-influential- people, which means ..
well I guess you know what.
Kawthaung is a typical small harbor city
where not much has changed since British
colonial times. A partly rotten environment
where everyone try to make some money with the
people coming in from the seaside, smuggling and
fisheries.
The daily
trips from
Ranong
to Kawthaungare also attractive for Thai people
since
Kawthaung
somehow functions as a duty free area.
That means beside the "Visa Run" out of
southern Thailand -about 200 people per
day- paying each 10 dollars to the
Myanmar immigration in Kawthaung a
continues stream of Thai coming in to
buy cheap cigarettes, cheap whisky and
other stuff. In resent
years Kawthaung become also known
for the nice girls from all of southern
Myanmar who travel to Kawthaung for some
business. They have very pretty girls
and the prices are quite low.
So
Kawthaung is somehow a heaven for guys
who want to have fun -yes not only girls
want to have fun- as Cindy Lauper wanted
to tell us !
Kawthaung pagoda
Kawthaung Boat Landing
The owner
of the casino,
Thai businessmen made a deal with
the Myanmar authorities to get the
island on long term lease,
built a excellent beach resort
with a casino and make a lot of money.
They also offer sightseeing and
scuba
dive trips into southern
Myanmar and the
Myanmar islands
around. But there is a big difference
compared to
Thailand Islands.
On
Thailand Islands there is almost
always some kind of infrastructure, on
Myanmar Islands there is usually no
infrastructure.
This is the main reason
why all scuba diving trips via
liveaboard are done out of Phuket which
is just 300 km to the south.
Here you
can see the Kawthaung water front
other Kawthaung Photo show boats, the
Kawthaung Harbor
Kawthaung Water Front
small harbor
and the the small Pagoda
Island 100 m off
Kawthaung town.
The problem with the
Kawthaung and
Ranong
area is, climate is very wet.
Actual one of the most wettest
areas on planet earth because
the clouds coming in from the
Indian Ocean or here the
Andaman
Sea, stall on the
hilly coast and empty the water.
Kawthaung is also the destination for the
very popular - visa run - from
Phuket,
Samui,
Phang Nga
and around
one can easily get a bus to go to
Ranong and exit Thailand.
Take a long tail boat
for Baht 300,- and have
a short sea travel to Kawthaung
for an hour. After
back to Thailand for a new
entry visa.
Since the Thai
government only
issue entry visa to
Thailand via road or sea
for 2 weeks now,
business is brisk.
Kawthaung is a real
rotten city in terms of
infrastructure like
most other cities in
Myanmar.
It looks like
not much has changed
since the departure of
the English colonialists
who called the area
Victoria Point, the
southernmost tip of
Myanmar or Burma.
Victoria Point under
English colonial rules
is today the Myanmar
city of Kawthaung.
Nothing left of Myanmar
history, if you ask one
of the younger guys if
know Victoria Point they
smile I say "mate ou"
this means I don't know
in Myanmar language.
A few Myanmar hotels are
around very close to the
waterfront as you can
see at the Myanmar
picture here.
Myanmar tours are very
seldom to Kawthaung or
Victoria Point. The only
Myanmar tour over here
is for a Myanmar visa.
Traveling between
Thailand and Myanmar.
Kawthaung 2 Boats
Kawthaung Boats 3
Kawthaung Boats 1
Kawthaung Boats
Kawthaung Colorful Boats
Kawthaung Immigration on Sea
Kawthaung Jetty
Kawthaung Jetty waiting for clearance
Kawthaung Jetty with Passenger Ships
Kawthaung Tidal Fisherman
Kawthaung waiting for custom clearance
Thai side
Kawthaung waiting for immigration
clearance Thai side
Kawthaung Water Front
Kawthaung Pax Ship
Beaches are plenty, warm
turquoise waters, lush tropical
jungles, maybe dream vacation await you,
the casino is integrated in a beach
resort and offers diving trips to some
islands nearby.
All live aboard trips into
Myanmar waters, mainly out of Phuket
go through Ranong and Kawthaung harbor.
MAP OF THE ISLANDS
AROUND Kawthaung and MERGUI or MYEIK
