Who would of thought...Myanmar?

After we left Chiang Mai, we decided to see about going into Myanmar (Burma). I didn't think it was possible, but while traveling here we learned that it was possible to cross at Mai Sai, a northern border town.
The rules there are very strict. We had to give up our passports at the Thai border and we got a Burmese pass. It was a lot of paper work. We took a bus into 1 of the 3 cities we are allowed to see from that border crossing. We went to a town called Kentang. The bus was slow but the landscape was beautiful. Being in Myanmar reminded me of being in Burkina a bit. There was power sometimes, road weren't all paved, and people still wore the long sarang type of pants, including the men. Also, Buddism is the main religion and most families send their boys to be novce monks around the age of 10. We were there on the day that they were send the boys to live at the monastary. There was a parade and a big party. The coutryside is wonderful and spattered with temples, stupas, and many other Buddist artifacts. The city we stayed in even had a huge statue of Buddha on a hill pointing out over the entire city.
The Burmese people were very nice. We met alot of French travelers as well. We stayed at 1 of the 2 guesthouses in the city called Harry's Trekking House. We book a trek to visit some local tribes. They were called the Eng and the Akha. We hiked for about an hour up the mountain to the first village and we surrounded by women selling things. That part was a bit annoying, but we were invading their village. The people dressed in traditional clothing that they made themselves and the women chewed Bettel nuts. The turn your teeth black and it look like their mouths are full of blood. We learned that the reason they do this is an Animist tradition. They don't want to have white teeth like the dogs in the village. So, a longtime ago they started to chew these nuts and their teeth turned black. This is considered beautiful too. I am sure that it helps that that particular nut is a stimulant and addictive...We hiked across to another village that was Catholic. The women still dressed in tradition clothing with elaborate headdresses. They were very kind and we ate some local food there for lunch.
It was a totally different experience from the trek in Thailand. There were not as many tourists and it was more isolated. Although, the government does not allow you to stay overnight. It was something I will remember as special from Myanmar.
Now, we are at the Thai border town of Chiang Kong. Tomorrow, we are crossing into Laos and taking a slow boat to Luang Prabang. Wish me luck!