night bazaar, golden triangle, hilltribes, national parks, mae sai, mae salong, chiang saen
The province of Chiang Rai, north of Chiang Mai, is in part swathed with verdant mountains dotte
d with pockets of hilltribe
settlements and the fertile cultivated flood plains of the Mekong River, Once linked to
the Golden Triangle's previously shady reputation as it was its gateway, Chiang Rai has
since emerged as a tourist destination in its own right.And for good reason, as the province has much to offer: picturesque scenery, elephant treks to colorful hilltribe villages, riverine adventures, Buddhist temples and visits to border towns.
Apart from its temples and night bazaar, Chiang Rai, which has a good selection of hotels and tour operators, offers tourists a convenient base to explore the vicinity - by trekking or by car. Treks to hilltribe villages, inhabited mostly by the Akha, can be arranged as a day trip or longer. The Akka is one of Thailand's many colorful tribes, distinguished by their ornate headdresses of plumes and old silver coins, leggings and masses of silver jewellery on their necks and arms.
Mae Salong
Driving is also a great way to
discover the natural surroundings of Chiang Rai. West of the city is Mae Salong, a
picturesque drive on a snaking mountain road at an elevation of more than 1,000 metres
above sea level.Mae Salong is a bustling little town popular among Thai tourists of ethnic Chinese origin who travel from Bangkok and the south to seek out Chinese Goods. Now called Santikhiri (Hill of Peace) in an effort to smudge out the town's past when it was settled by KMT refugees, Mae Salong is a veritable slice of China in Northern Thailand. Its building are largly of Chinese-style architecture and it has a number of Chinese temples worth visiting. Its shops sell Chinese jade, preserved fruits, dried mushrooms, herbs and wines from China and its population is Mandarin-speaking.
Chiang Rai hotels reservation services
The Thais call it Sop Ruak - the
meeting point of three countries: Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. Others know
it by the more fascinating name of the Golden Triangle. Here, at one time, you are told,
poppy - from which opium is extracted - grew abundantly on the slopes of the hills of the
three countries. The climate and soil were perfect for poppy which was then the region's
main cash crop - hence its name, Golden Triangle.The poppy fields are gone
- at least on the Thai side - thanks to an effective campaign to eradicate the crop and to
substitute it with others. In their place, corn, rice and cabbage are grown. The
Golden Triangle in Thailand might have left its shady past behind but its allure remains.
Indeed, a tourist industry has developed around the allure. Today, bus loads of tourists
still descend to Sop Ruak to see themselves the convergence of two rivers - the Mekong and
Ruak - and the meeting of three country borders and to imagine what it must have been like
some 30 years ago when this area was a haven for drug traders and seekers
Chiang Saen was once the ancient capital of the
Lanna kingdom which stretched as far as Laos. Its city walls remail and two important
stupas - the 58-metre high Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Pa Sak which is near the old city wall.
