In a Scene Straight Out of Star Wars

Todd and I are going to Myanmar in a week, and we had to leave our passports with the agent in Bangkok so our visas could be processed. That means for the next few days we are traveling in Thailand without passports. Not the best thing to be doing but we have no choice.

spot the animal

Today we are moving around northwest Thailand, including the border area with Burma. Naturally, the Thais have rather vigilant border police (the smuggling of goods and people from Myanmar to Thailand is comparable to the Mexico/US border, including the same drugs at an earlier stage of processing.) So, as darkness fell, and we were leaving Mae Sot to go to Chiang Mai, we got stopped by the Border Police at a checkpoint. The officer looked in the bed of the pickup and asked Suri (our driver) a few questions. Then he looked over at Todd in the passenger seat, and asked where he was from. Pongswee, our guide/interpreter (and Suri's sister), answered that we were American. He then asked if he could see our passports. Of course, the only words I could make out were "American" and "passport", but that was enough to send a quick chill down my spine. Pongswee answered "of course", and then, as if Obi-Wan-Kenobe himself was manipulating The Force, the officer just motioned us through.