Emerald Square, R3B Economic Route between Thailand-Myanmar-China
R3 Economic route or 3 countries joint cooperation road is separated into 2 paths of R3A and R3B which are connected in Kun Ming.
1. Tha Chilek Border Pass in Myanmar, 2.The route from Tha Chilek to Chiang Tung, 3.Curvy road through mountains and river, 4.River showing some traces of powerful streams that ruined the roads, 5. A break point at Muang Pak with shops, restaurants, and free washing service for both big and small cars, 6. On the way, you can see the lifestyle of tribal people living along the river, 7. A break point at Loy Pang Kwai (Doi Pang Kwai) with food and souvenir shops, free toilet, and free car wash service like in Muang Pak, 8. A map showing R3A Thai-Laos-China and R3B Thai-Myanmar-China that connect in Kun Ming, this economic route is called “Emerald Square”.
Chiang Tung at present is an image of Thailand in 30 years ago. This is an image of the past which is not in a textbook or slideshow but in reality. Here, people are nice and kind as well as religious and virtuous. There are so many temples in this city that it is sometimes called a city of 100 temples.
Nowadays, it is convenient to travel to Chiang Tung by starting from Mae Sai District, Chiang Rai Province. First of all, you have to arrange for the border pass at Mae Sai District Office by presenting your ID card and pay the fee. Then, you will get a border pass from Thai border. Next, prepare a copy of your ID card and a 1”×1” photo to submit at the Myanmar border. All documents will be kept with the tour guide to take care until returning to Thailand.
The journey starts from Mae Sao – Tha Chilek border heading along NH4 road for 165 km which takes about 4 hours by car. The road has 2 lanes where cars run on the right side. In Myanmar, taking pictures of soldiers and checkpoints are forbidden. Violation may cause difficulty in returning to Thailand. There are 4 checkpoints on the ways as follows.
Checkpoint 1: Ban Mae Yang (Thai Khun accent: Mak Yang)
Checkpoint 2: Muang Tha Dua (Thai Khun accent: Ta Le)
Checkpoint 3: Muang Payak (Thai Khun accent: Muang Piak or Muang Prak)
Checkpoint 4: Muang Chiang Tung
Chiang Tung as AEC connectivity with R3 economics road or joint cooperative road between 3 countries is separated into 2 paths including R3A of Thai-Laos-China and R3B of Thai-Myanmar-China. Now, let’s explore R3B. Start from Bangkok using highway no.1 and head to Mae Sai District, Chiang Rai Province, for 830 km. Then, cross Myanmar border at Tha Chilek and head Chiang Tung for 162 km to arrive Muang La, a permanent crossing point to Meng Yang or Chiang Rung in China. This road connects with R3A at Kun Ming, which is the capital city of Yunnan Province, China. The connectivity of these 2 roads is called “Emerald Square”.
The R3B road has been 80% finished and will be complete in 2015, which will make it more convenient to travel through this route. In traveling from Mae Sai to Bangkok, Sombat Tour provides new air-conditioned buses with good service from this travel buddy.
