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Overland Border Crossing

Overland Border Crossing

How do you feel being at the border of two countries?

Not just flying into a country but being able to see the other side, the other country and its land from this side?
Most times travel to foreign involves flying into that country. But after so many years of travelling I find it quite boring. Of course, it is still the most preferred way as it saves time and may be other hassles that I’ve talked about earlier.
For me it is always intriguing when I cross borders overland where I can stand on a no-man’s land and where the territories are marked by welcoming gates if not any other.

Following are a few of the borders crossed (or almost crossed) overland, by road or by train. Some of the European borders mentioned are before the formation of Schengen.

Shankaracharya gate.jpg @lemonicks.com

Shankaracharya gate, Indo-Nepal border.

India – Nepal: We had consciously decided

Thailand Visa experience and information

Warning – A long post. 😛

Thailand, the favourite destination for most of us, exempts requirement of short term tourist visa for most western countries citizens and for several Asian countries as long as they stay only for 30 days.
On the other end of the scale there are a whole lot of people from countries who have to compulsorily get a visa prior to entering Thailand.

In the middle are some countries like India where generally you are expected to get a visa up front but on certain conditions you may get VOA (visa on arrival) at the port of entry.

The ports of entry are several airports, sea ports and also overland borders. I will list them separately.

hat yai airport @lemonicks.com

Waiting to board.

During my first

Baarle : A unique town in two countries

Hi, why don’t you come over to Belgian side of the bar”. I overheard this sentence a few years back in a small town. Was the speaker joking? His tone was serious enough.

For quite sometime I have been trying to come up with a way to explain this weird town on this earth which I visited a few years back. It is something like ‘a child belonging to two mothers’. And none of them is a step mother.

Okay, let’s try.

Baarle.

It is a Dutch town in the Netherlands. But it is also a Dutch town in Belgium.
It is a Belgian town in Belgium and is also a Belgian town in the Netherlands.

I hope you are not confused as yet. 😀
Some more ?

baarle @lemonicks.com/
Baarle-Hertog Vs Baarle-Nassau

Okay.
It is a piece of Belgian land completely encircled by Netherlands and vice versa.

Don’t cross border by bus to Alor Setar

Never take a bus to Alor Setar to cross border from Thailand… unless you are pretty confident of things.

You do not get a satisfactory or complete answer however hard you try to find on net, in forums, twitter and everywhere else about taking a bus from Hat Yai to Alor Setar, a comparatively less popular place in northern Malaysia. Try in Hat Yai. Go to bus station (also known as Bor Kor So)….

Result?
No direct bus for Alor Setar. Even though the place is big enough to have an airport, a railway station and is quite a developed town of Malaysia. Bigger than Ipoh for all practical purposes.

Do not get carried away if in Thailand they promise to drop you at Alor Setar. Because in reality no one knows anything about it. It’s in a different country, you see.

From southern Thailand,

The Retreat Ceremony at Wagah Border

The Retreat Ceremony at Wagah Border

Contd from To Wagah Border

[Once done, we could hear the announcements and the cheering inside the stadium.]

It had started !

We ran.
Without bothering about anything in the world. The whole of half a kilometer. Without stopping.

The stadium was jam packed; there was no space even to go up the stairs. I pushed, squeezed and slowly made my way up there.
There I was. Every single obstacle that we crossed was worth the moment. The ceremony had just begun.

The Retreat Ceremony at Wagah Border

This was after the ceremony

Have you ever watched a live cricket or hockey match between India and Pakistan in a stadium ?

I have.
The whole aura