Ranong visa-runs ok at moment??

[usual suspect]

I've got to do a visa-run on Monday,with all the pickle going on in
Burma I was wondering if everything immigration-wise down there
was running as normal???
Anybody just been? Can anybody put my mind at ease over this?

[lomuamart]

I was there yesterday morning and everything is OK.
Note: the Imm office has moved to the pier area. The old building is still there, but you're processed at the entrance to the long tail boats.
BTW, the crossing at about 8am was "high". Not exactly rough, but swells of some 4 feet or so. By the time I came back, it was much calmer, so that is probably a tide thing. It also has been raining quite a bit down there.

[sandman67]

Lomu

are the Burmese still insisting on photocopies of the passport pages and if so which ones?

Thanks for the tip re processing - is that Thai side or Burmese side that the processing has moved?

[lomuamart]

Yes indeedy, the Burmese were asking for photocopies of passport pages. Don't know which ones, but the little mafia got them done for 10 Baht, so don't worry about that. Took a couple of minutes.
It's Imm on the Thai side that has moved. If you were walking, imagine coming out of the old building to the main road. Turn right and keep going until you get to the payment booth at the pier. Walk through the petrol station, go across the small road and on to the pier. Imm is on your right at the end. There are signs up there. Pretty easy and everyone will help you find it anyway.
The new place is in the open air now. You're under cover, but don't actually go inside the small office, unless you're on overstay.
I've never seen Ranong Imm so quiet in 10 years. Maybe a lot of them got laid off after the 30 day rules came in? There just isn't the traffic any more.
Or maybe they need extra room at the old office to lock up illegal Burmese, or their corpses?

[usual suspect]

Thanks for the reassurance and good info.
Many times I take the VIP bus down there, in for 5.30ish, done and
dusted for 8.30-9.00am,then its always hassle getting back up here.
The early 1st class buses leave (2 of them) at 8.30,so thats them out
of the game, the next 2nd class bus trundles towards HH at 10.30 (taking
7-8hrs). But I've been told another option is to get an hourly mini-bus
from the bus station area to Chumpon, then get a train up here.
(May take 6-7 hours,but can have a beer and walk about a bit)
p.s. dont like being crammed in a mini-bus from HH + back...prefer
public transport options.

[lomuamart]

I got the 10am minibus to Chumpon, but got off at the major north/south junction before you head into Chumpon. Walked up the road about 100 yards (north) to a bus stop/sala and got a bus within 30 mins. That one was weird because although the young chap at the bus stop said it was going to HH, the bus conductor said we had to change at Pranburi. The change was made in the middle of nowhere on to a bus that was waiting on the road. Don't know if that's a regular thing.
Anyway, was back in HH about 5pm.

[usual suspect]

cheers for that Immo.
I did just that 'cept got motorbike taxi to the No.1 bus-station.
The bus stopped just after the lights in Pranburi outside the BKK bus office and from there was in HH half hour later.
On a cautionary note to anyone reading this and thinking of buying
viagra on the Burmese side,- I was well searched at the Thai checkpoint
on way back over. They checked every little pocket of my bum-bag,
and were much more thorough with their search than I've seen before.
Thanks for info you've given.

[usual suspect]

Sandman.... the Burmese wanted a copy of the photo-page only..
from your passport,no need to copy visa-page.

[Randy Cornhole]

with all the pickle going on in Burma

Understatement of the year I think........

[frankbangkok]

Has anyone spent a night on the Burma side of Ranong? If so, what hotels, restaurants etc are recommended?

[Randy Cornhole]

To be honest I stayed there for half a day once and had had enough. You get hassled and followed to death.

[lomuamart]

Agree with Randy.
I've stayed there for a few hours before and there's really not much at all. Motorcycle taxis will take you on the "grand tour" that includes the pagoda you can from Imm and that's about it.
My wife has been around the market looking at good buys. She came away disappointed, saying that there wasn't really much difference in prices to Thailand.
I found a good restaurant a few times. Served Burmese curries and cold Myanmar beer. The locals were friendly, the food surprisingly good and cheap as anything. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name or directions, except it was north of the Imm post and up some flights of stairs.
You're not allowed to travel any more than a couple of kms out of the town - your passport is taken by Burmese Imm and a receipt issued. I tried it once and the taxi stopped at the brow of a hill and said "no further". Army checkpoint. We would both have been in trouble.
Never spent the night there, but I've heard the Honey Bear Hotel is decrepid and everything shuts down about 8pm. Dosn't sound like fun to me, so that's why I've never stayed.
And you'll be plagued by beggars and "secret police" everywhere you go.

[Takiap]

If you need to do a visa run in Ranong go the Anderman Club route. No dollars to hand over, no photo copy scam, etc, etc and all in all, no more expensive either.

[sandman67]

The Andaman Club can be crappy about how many days you have left on a visa I have heard.....something like they wont stamp a visa on its last few days of validity and insist on 4 or 5 days before it expires.....

dunno.....read it somewhere on another thread I think.

Its also sodding expensive.

[lindosfan1]

Went there 3 months ago 1 day left no problem. Cost not too bad more comfort went aceoss and back in 1 hr 20 mins no complaints