Life in Thailand: Chiang Rai: The Golden Triangle

Huts and small bungalows lining a river passed on the way to the Golden Triangle

One beautiful day while staying in Chiang Rai, Tiger and Bird decided to take a trip up to the northernmost point of Thailand. The mysterious Golden Triangle is the meeting place of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand as marked by the lazy flow of the mighty Mekong River (see the photo below). Why golden? Well, the opium and drug trade once flourished here and up into the 1990s this area was the world's largest producer of opium. Right before the turn of the century, the three relevant governments worked together to eradicate opium production and transportation here, with at least some success on the Thailand side.

The Golden Triangle. Laos is observed from Thailand, across the Mekong River.

The Golden Triangle is a relatively flat region when compared with the rest of the mountainous province. We left early on a bright, sunny day from Chiang Rai town for the two hour drive. The trip took us along some picturesque but otherwise nondescript roads before we happened upon a small town that suddenly sprang up alongside the Mekong River (see "1" below). Here small shops and hotels, many with signs in Chinese characters as well as Thai script, were open for business. Traffic picked up and we drove past large, air-conditioned tour buses and some shops with many Chinese tourists milling about. We took note of this and parked next to a small Wat. The weather today was hot and the noonday sun relentless as we stepped out of the car. The Wat itself was quite small (see "2" and "3"). Walking through, we soon found ourselves on a large, open boardwalk along the river, mostly deserted although several Chinese tourists huddled in the shade of some adjacent trees. A landmark for the location (see "4") showed that we had indeed reached the Golden Triangle, and the fork in the river before us was the meeting place of the three countries' borders. The area felt local and somewhat touristy, with vendors selling trinkets, food - very average at best - and snacks. We found a young lady selling coconut smoothies at a nearby stand, which ended up being quite delightful to these parched and sweaty visitors!

To our surprise, we found that it is possible to take a day trip - or just a several hour trip - across the river into Laos. There, markets, shops, and a small casino could be enjoyed. One promoter told us that our passports wouldn't even need to be stamped by immigration if we returned before the end of the day. Although tempted to go for the experience, we ultimately declined. We like to get the local experience and avoid touristy activities, so we soon decided to retreat to the mountain village of Doi Sa Ngo, about a thirty minute drive away. From that vantage point, we were told, we could observe the entire Golden Triangle valley.

Doi Sa Ngo is very difficult to find as a foreigner or tourist in Chiang Rai. Until the month of this posting, the English name didn’t even exist in Google Maps and my wife searched through extensive Thai travelogues before finding it (pantip.com for those of you who are fortunate enough to read Thai, or who wish to peruse articles using Google Translate’s rudimentary but improving capabilities). Below are some photos taken along the roads around the Golden Triangle. In "1" and "2" are several roads located in more rural villages, with "3" and "4" showing the road we took to Doi Sa Ngo from the Golden Triangle.

Even with Google Maps the trip wasn't easy! Following our navigator's recommendation, we drove along some scenic and dusty roads through small villages and local pineapple farms. At several points we stopped so that Bird could get confirmation from some local vendors and a passersby that we were on the right path. Yes, they told us, keep going! Finally we climbed several steep hills on winding, narrow roads before reaching a tiny village - really, we thought it was just a collection of several small houses - near the top of a small mountain. A small entrance led to a large dirt parking lot in a village. Here, a large number of construction projects indicated the village is trying to modernize to better-accommodate more visitors.

Bird utilized her expert negotiating skills to obtain reasonable rate with some locals for a pickup truck to take us up the incredibly steep, hole-infested dirt road through the forest to the top. One man accepted our offer and we hopped in the back for the ride. We quickly learned to hold on for dear life to avoid bouncing out of the truck. To be honest, the distance is not far and can be easily walked, but it is quite dusty.

Tourist Tip: Doi Sa Ngo is an incredibly scenic overview of the Golden Triangle region. The mountain is very popular with Thai tourists who come for the early morning sunrise or evening sunset views of the valley below. Keep in mind the process of getting to the mountain can be difficult and expensive unless you are renting a car!

Small village atop Doi Sa Ngo

The entire place was mostly occupied by locals, with few people at the top of the mountain and only a handful of Thai tourists in the heat of a sunny weekday afternoon. The small village at the top of the mountain (see the photo above) was geared towards local tourists, with a camping ground and a collection of quaint bamboo bungalows and walkways overlooking the Golden Triangle valley below. After all, many of their visitors come on the weekend - and for the night. The views are spectacular, but even more so if one catches a sunset and sunrise! The weather is cooler too. A small convenience shop offers drinks and hot coffee at very affordable prices.

The photos above were taken on the mountaintop. The first photo shows the main scenic overlook, built from bamboo, of the Golden Triangle. Photos 2 and 3 show the small bungalows available for rent for tourists. In the fourth picture, a tourist chases a group of sheep grazing atop the mountain. Bear in mind the experience at the top of this small mountain was very local, but quite enjoyable and exactly the kind of experience that Tiger and Bird look for while exploring new areas. Check it out! It can be quite an adventure.

We stayed for about an hour and, as evening started to approach, we began the drive back to our hotel to prepare and rest up for the next day's adventure.