So time to go from the highest point in Thailand, to the most northern point in the country. Using Chiang Rai as my base, I was able to get within meters of Myanmar (which is still very much off limits due to an ongoing civil war) and was able to overlook the Golden Triangle – the intersection of the countries of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand (the post’s feature photo – Laos upper right, Myanmar the peninsula and Thailand the foreground). This is the land of tea plantations, stunning mountain back drops and many of Thailand’s indigenous Hill Tribe villages. Chiang Rai was also full of amazing surprises, including the White Temple and Blue Temple.
The Golden Triangle
I was within steps of being in Myanmar (which I have become more obsessed to see each and every day). As soon as someone tells me I can’t visit somewhere – it makes me want to see it even more 😂 The river in the picture below is the actual border and our phones even switched over to Myanmar time. The Golden Triangle was once the centre of the opium trade and production in Asia, but it is now illegal. Tea and coffee now replace opium fields as some of the primary agriculture in the area, and the coffee is really good!!
Red, White and Blue Temples
Yes, you are getting more pictures of temples 😂. In Chiang Rai you even get temples of every colour (or at least those in the American flag)! Words cannot describe how beautiful the White temple is. But it really isn’t a conventional temple – it is the lifelong work of a Thai artist that has created his modern interpretation of a temple (and even includes some modern day super heroes). It’s not hard to see why it is one of the most photographed sites in the country!!!
The temples are stunning! Thanks for sharing!
I think the Blue temple is my fave…but that white one is otherworldly.