Traveling at a slower pace often provides the opportunity for some adventures not typical of an average vacationer. Our day trip to the Golden Triangle in Thailand is a good example of such an experience.
The Golden Triangle (pictured in the feature image) is a location where the borders of 3 countries – Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar – meet as 2 rivers converge into a third, larger body.
The area is beautiful and full of historical significance; however at a 2+ hour drive north from Chiang Rai (which is already a 3+ hour drive north of Chiang Mai, the closest major city) most tourists don’t make it. People usually make a quick trip to Chiang Rai to visit the three Colored Temples – which are amazing in their own right – but don’t stick around in the city. We’re here to say this excursion is more than worth an extra day or two in the far north of Thailand!
We’d already rented a motorbike to visit the Colored Temples; we just needed to add another day to the rental (~$5 USD) to make this trip. We started the day fairly early, taking the only highway in a straight shot towards Mae Sai – the northernmost city in Thailand, bordering Myanmar.
Along the way we got distracted by several roadside stalls which appeared to be selling wine. We pulled over and, lo and behold, they were!
We tried some samples – the verdict, extremely sweet and would not recommend based on the taste (unless you’re a fan of very sweet wines, then these would be right up your alley). However, despite the taste, still worth buying just for the experience and to support the local farmers. Also, at about $4 USD per bottle it’s not too much of an investment. We bought 2 bottles, put them in the motorbike’s cargo area, and got back on the road.
After about an hour and a half, we made it to Mae Sai. You can tell the town is currently in process of “building up” to become more of a tourism destination; however there is very much still a local feel to the place. We parked our motorbike downtown and walked through the local market before we reached Wat Phra That Doi Wao – the Scorpion Temple.
Or, should we say, reached the bottom of the staircase to the temple:
Passing by the watchful Buddha, we climbed up the staircase. At the top is a large and beautiful traditional temple with panoramic views of the surrounding valleys:
Moving along from the older temple you’ll start to see some newer construction with more modern sculptures, including this one with a turtle man at the base:
Then, you’ll reach the main attraction – a huge scorpion statue, facing out from the mountaintop across the border to Myanmar:
The place also boasts a new building complete with a cafe and additional temples/shrines. You can tell the area is under significant construction – “be careful” signs are everywhere (but you can still enter/walk around freely, love Thailand) and there are posters up showing the complete project vision. This place will likely look much different in a few years. We stopped for a while to enjoy a coffee while taking in the impressive view.
Leaving Mae Sai, we took a hard left turn towards our final destination – The Golden Triangle. After another 30-45 minutes of driving through small villages, rice paddies, and forest, we arrived:
Actually, we thought we’d arrived. Some enterprising locals have setup cafes along the river where you can first see all three countries at once – we were hungry so stopped here for some food (and a beer or two) to enjoy the view.
We used the restaurant’s W-Fi to confirm that yes, we were actually still about a half-kilometer from the formal Golden Triangle Park. So, we finished eating and made the short drive down.
The actual park is much more built up than where we first stopped; however you can tell major tourism to the area is still fairly new. There are a few large Buddha statues along the river with several cafes and numerous vendors selling souvenirs as well, but compared to some other major tourist attractions the place is not as fully-developed. Nonetheless, the area is truly unique and beautiful:
We mentioned historical significance at the beginning of this post – very interestingly, the area was actually first named “The Golden Triangle” because of its significance to the global opium industry in the 1960’s. Opium was historically important to the local tribal cultures; however when the illicit drug trade globalized after World War 2 the area became the world’s leading producer.
There is even an Opium Museum in the local village, complete with descriptions of cultivation and historical artifacts. During our visit, we also learned the museum does not pull punches when discussing actions of the American CIA. Definitely an interesting perspective, and one you definitely won’t get in the States.
After our stop at Golden Triangle Park, we made our way back to Chiang Rai. We originally wanted to stop at 1 final temple to watch the sunset; however due to a less-than-rigid schedule (and an unfortunate wrong-turn) we didn’t make it in time. The day was packed enough for us though. At home we “enjoyed” the wine we purchased earlier over some 1v1 Settlers of Cataan (our hostel had a copy!) before bed:
This day driving around the far north of Thailand was unforgettable, and you should definitely make time to take the journey yourself if you ever make it to Chiang Rai. We recommend renting your own motorbike if you’re up for it (self-guided schedule, more excitement) but full-day trips are offered daily from the city as well. On to the next adventure!
