Thailand 09 Golden Triangle Tour

One day Marc and I embarked on a 12 hour tour of northern Thailand with the specific goal of seeing the Golden Triangle. This is where Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos are connected by the Mekong river. It was a major conduit for the once flourishing opium trade.

Before reaching this area our tour van made two stops: The Maekhajan natural hot spring geyser and the Silver Wat (Buddhist Temple). They were good stops if only for the availability of restrooms at each location.

The geyser is situated in front of a outdoor shopping area and shoots hot water continuously. It was a nice photo op. The Silver Wat was impressive in that it was painted all white and is very large. To get to the Wat, everyone has to cross a low bridge underneath and alongside which is an expansive sculpture comprised completely of hands and arms reaching out. It represents people trapped in hell trying to get out. After crossing the bridge you are confronted with two fearsome warrior statues and then you can enter the Wat. Of course, you must take off your shoes first. The Buddha inside was large and imposing. Next to the Silver temple was a Golden building which turned out to be restrooms.

Then it was off to Chieng Saen and the Golden Triangle area. Before arriving we had opted for an optional tour which enabled us to visit Laos by boat. From the Thailand shore at Chieng Saen we could see three casinos; one built in each country. We were told they were there for the Chinese trade. Chinese would come from Mainland China to attend these casinos. The boat took us out on the Mekong river passing Myanmar and over to Laos. Here we debarked the ship and were led to an outdoor market where we could purchase contraband items. The easy highlight of this foray was the whiskey bottles that contained cobras and scorpions. We all were given shots of the whiskey which was very strong. And, I bought a bottle with a cobra to take back to the states.

After a nondescript lunch we took a short ride to the town of Mae Sai. This a border town with Myanmar that has tons of shopping in addition to an entrance to Myanmar. Unfortunately visas were required for entry so the best we could do was peer across the connecting bridge.

Another short ride took us to an area that contained two native tribes (Akha and Yao). Here we observed their living conditions and had another opportunity to purchase some of handicrafts. They lived quite primitively by our standards but they seemed content with their lot. Quite often young adults leave for jobs in the larger towns and never return.

Two more hours of driving brought us back to Chiang Mai.

To see photos taken during the tour click here.