Destinations Menu
RSS
THAILAND | Chiang Rai, Thailand Travel Guide
Thursday, November 28, 2024
1 Of 2
The Golden Triangle
The Golden Triangle
There's a certain disappointment that most tourists feel when they arrive at Sop Ruak, the small town that is at the center of the golden triangle. There are several placards and an impressive arch saying you’re at the golden triangle but little else. There is the odd hill-tribe dweller available for a cash-earning photo opportunity. The views across the river are spectacular and there are some good restaurants; at most you can combine the vistas with good Thai food. The nearby opium museum is worth a short visit and there is an abundance of souvenir stalls catering to the tour buses, which stop here throughout the day.
There is no definitive explanation of how the golden triangle got its name. The triangle is obviously the three countries that abut here – Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. It was within this area that most of the world’s opium was grown. Supposedly the opium dealers earned large amounts from the sale of the drug and that was where the gold came in. Sop Ruak sits at the junction of the Mekong and Sop Ruak rivers some 25 kilometers north of Chiang Rai. Opium production has been illegal in Thailand since 1959 and its production today has been virtually eliminated.We’re told that across the border in Myanmar the poppies continue to flourish.
Last updated December 6, 2007
Posted in Thailand | Chiang Rai
Explore the Destination
Amenities and Resources
Overview
Hotels(10)
Attractions(10)
Weather Forecast
- Reported on:
Thu, 11/28/2024 - 03:30
- Reported on:
Trending Themes:
Guides to Popular Ski Resorts
-
Ischgl is a small mountain village turned hip ski resort, with massive appeal among the party-hearty young crowds. It is... Read More
-
Andorra la Vella is its own little world, and not just because it’s a 290-square-mile independent principality (a fifth the... Read More
-
Bariloche (officially San Carlos de Bariloche) is the place to be seen. It is to Argentina what Aspen is to the... Read More
-
Aspen is America's most famous ski resort. And that's an understatement. For, as a ski complex, Aspen is unsurpassed. Its... Read More
-
Zermatt is a small but glamorous mountain resort town, with a population of approximately 5,700. It is one of Switzerland's... Read More
-
St. Moritz is a glitzy, alpine resort town in the celebrated Engadin Valley of Switzerland, with huge notoriety as the... Read More
-
Lake Tahoe is the premier lake resort of America, and the largest alpine lake in all of North America. It is an absolutely... Read More
-
St. Anton, Sankt Anton am Arlberg in German, is Austria's premier ski-bum resort! It's actually a small village cum... Read More
-
Kitzbühel, a small, Tyrolian resort town in the Kitzbüheler Alps, comes with international renown and huge snob appeal, and... Read More