I really like Tachileik. If you read the guidebooks and online reports, you would believe Tachileik is a town you pass through only through necessity as you enter Myanmar from northern Thailand. However, I could easily have stayed another day. I was going to go directly to Kengtung. However, I missed the last bus that leaves around midday, so i had the afternoon to look around. After checking in a cheap hotel, I visited a few temples and the market. But not before getting something to eat. I found that pointing to a couple of dishes does not mean you will actually get those dishes. As you can see from the photo, you seem to get a little of everything.
I liked this temple – no idea which one it was – because of the crazy lights inside. They were all flashing, so it was pretty disco in there.
The highlight of Tachileik is the Shwe Dagon Pagoda (or Shwedagon Paya Pagoda). I went up there at the end of the day, and ended staying until just after the sun went down. It’s a great little walk up the hill to get there, and the view across the town is well worth it. A lot of locals seem to go there to hang out, and you are greeted with smiles the whole way around. As i was sitting in one place for a while to take photos, a few folk came over to say hello and have a conversation. After leaving i went into one of the little food places at the foot of the hill, and was warmly welcomed. How people can say this town is not friendly is a mystery to me.
Below are a few photos of the pagoda. I’m hoping to please Uncle Paul by posting some photos in colour today.
As the day ended, i was using longer shutter speeds to correctly expose the pagoda. I’ve got quite a few capturing movement. It was hard to choose which one to post, but decided on this one as I like it how many feet are showing. The last photo on this page was a 20 second exposure as night fell. The man in the bottom left sat perfectly still, so it looks like the image was taken with a fast shutter speed.
