Mae Sai Border Town

Mae Sai Border Town

and the Golden Triangle

We stayed in Chiang Rai for two nights and again this hotel was lovely. We stayed in the Riverie by Katathani.  The rooms were pretty normal, very nice but normal.  The outstanding part of this hotel was the social areas and the view.  Have a look.

 

On our way to the border town of Mae Sai located at the tip of Thailand, we pass by the location of the cave where the boys’ soccer team and their coach were trapped for several days.  I’m sure you remember the amazing rescue of all the young boys and their coach and the unfortunate loss of one of the rescuers.  The cave itself is deep into the mountains and our bus, of course, could not go there; however it’s interesting to note that the entire area has been dedicated as the Thamluang Khunnam Nangnow National Park since December 18, 1974 and is now allowing tourist to actually trolley into the cave area for tours inside the cave.  I don’t know about you guys but I want nothing to do with touring the inside of that cave!! 

Moving along our tour guide made arrangements for us to tour into Myanmar.  Myanmar (formerly Burma) is a strict Military Dictatorship; it is not a communist country.  Myanmar is the world's second largest producer of illicit opium, after Afghanistan and has been a significant cog in the transnational drug trade since World War II. According to the UNODC it is estimated that in 2005 there was 167 square miles of opium cultivation in Myanmar.  The surrender of drug warlord Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army in January 1996 was hailed by Yangon as a major counter-narcotics success. Lack of government will or ability to take on the major narcotic trafficking groups as well as a lack of serious commitment against money laundering continues to hinder the overall anti-drug effort. Most of the tribespeople growing the opium poppy in Myanmar and in the Thai highlands are living below the poverty line.  Although demand for heroin continues to drop, organized crime groups still generate substantial revenues from the drug in Myanmar. Opium cultivation and heroin production in Myanmar also continue to pose significant public health and security challenges for Southeast Asia and neighboring countries, including East Asia and Australia.  So, no, we did not visit an opium farm or manufacturing site; however we did visit an Opium Museum which had displays of many artifacts from past to present along with photos and history of the opium trade.  

 While in the City of the Golden Triangle we traveled in the very popular Tuk Tuk.

We visited an open air market which had few if any of the health safety guides that are followed here in the states.  We were told not to eat any of the food from the market or from the street vendors because our systems are not used to food that has not been refrigerated and/or stored under the US safety guide lines but the people of Myanmar and Thailand in general are used to it and can tolerate it.  Here are some photos of the market.

We also enjoyed a visit to a small orphanage or girl’s home.  Girls who have no family or are from very poor families are cared for in the safety of this home.  They are also completing educational programs and will also have the opportunity to choose to become a nun or follow a different path.

Of course there are always Temples to visit and we visited a couple of them while we were in Myanmar. 

We embarked on a cruise along the banks of the Mekong River between Myanmar, Laos and Thailand.  Starting with the Golden Buddha we saw farmers and fishermen at their craft.   Many people live along the banks of the river and we learned how this river played a major role in the opium trade.  On the Laos side of the river you can see some large high rise buildings going up.  These are new casinos being built as the Laos government has approved opening casinos, while neither Thailand or Myanmar are open to this idea … at least for now.

Next we travel to Chiang Mai.  More coming soon 😊

Jan🌷🌷🐾🐾