Introduction
935km (580 miles) NE of Bangkok; 239km (148 miles) NE of Chiang Mai
The small village of Chiang Saen, the gateway to the Golden Triangle area, has a sleepy, rural charm, as if the waters of the Mekong carry a palpable calm from nearby Myanmar and Laos. The road from Chiang Rai (59km/37 miles) follows the small Mae Nam Chan River past coconut groves and lush rice paddies. Poinsettias and gladiola decorate thatched Lanna Thai houses with peaked rooflines that extend into Xs like buffalo horns.
Little Chiang Saen, the birthplace of expansionary King Mengrai, was abandoned for the new Lanna capitals of Chiang Rai, then Chiang Mai, in the 13th century. With the Mekong River and the Laos border hemming in its growth, modern developers went elsewhere. Today, the slow rural pace, decaying regal wats, crumbling fort walls, and overgrown moat contribute to its appeal.
Once upon a time, the Golden Triangle was the center point of many illicit activities. The name was given to the...
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The Hall of Opium
Sponsored by the late Princess Mother as part of a larger effort to educate and find alternatives for hill-tribe peoples of the north, the museum...
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Opium Museum
The hand-painted description and battered old display cases here pale in comparison to the multi-media extravaganza that is the Hall of Opium ,...
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