As part of our Northern Thailand tour, we stopped at the infamous Golden Triangle;where the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Burma meet at the Mekong River. The area claims it fame from the poppy fields that once covered its plains and the major opium production,which became illegal in 1959, when crops substitution program was launched successfully by the King.
The area has natural beauty, couple temples, some beautiful statues and a whole lot of vendors and restaurants. When I think of our stop, however, the first thing that comes to mind is the unbearable heat! Our guide said that it is a top major attraction, and many tourists like to take the boat to Laos or Burma for some shopping;we passed on that. I found the Golden Triangle area very commercialized, and although it was an interesting stop, where you can see three countries right before your eyes and some beautiful Buddha and elephant statues, it would not be on my list next time I visit Thailand, it was good to see it once,but not much goes on there, and the heat takes away from the charm.
With that said, I did enjoy couple ice cream cones(for like 10 cents each), and walked under an elephant statue,three times, for good luck. Here are some of our photos:
Comments (5)
Hi Candi, interesting to have a point where three countries meet and you can actually see them. The heat you describe sounds pretty uncomfortable, so I don't blame you for not enjoying that part.
And .10 cents for some ice cream is a bargain. I enjoyed all the great photos. I can see your husband working on his luck, walking under the elephant too.
Thanks for sharing more of your great photos and experiences from Thailand Candi. Have a great day today!
Posted by Kathy (Trekcapri) | July 7, 2009 6:04 AM
Posted on July 7, 2009 06:04
Wow, I love all those colorful statues! The third photo almost looks like some kind of cool parade.
How was the ice cream in Thailand?
Posted by Annie | July 7, 2009 8:23 AM
Posted on July 7, 2009 08:23
Kathy,
Yeah, we were feeling pretty lucky after doing the three rounds under the elephant. But it was even more fun(and exciting) to walk underneath a real huge elephant:)
Annie, it is no gelato, but not bad ice cream, kind of what you would get here.
Posted by candi | July 7, 2009 12:28 PM
Posted on July 7, 2009 12:28
It's kind of hard to imagine that walking under an elephant would bring good luck.....although I suppose if you survived, that would be lucky! And I guess the legend pertains to elephant statues, not the beasts themselves.
The heat must have been incredible, but it looks really beautiful!
Posted by sandrac | July 8, 2009 12:36 PM
Posted on July 8, 2009 12:36
Great photos! Had to laugh about walking under the elephant for luck. I probably would have done it a few extra times (figuring it couldn't hurt :)
Posted by girasoli | August 24, 2009 2:26 AM
Posted on August 24, 2009 02:26