The Golden Triangle
One of the best known tourist attractions in the world, the Golden Triangle, is in Chiang Saen where the Mekong River enters Thailand.
This is the cross roads of the three-land borders. The Ruak River bordering Thailand and Myanmar runs into the Mekong River from Laos creating the well known Golden Triangle. In the old days drug traffickers secretly met to barter off opium with gold nuggets. Today it is a bustling tourist destination where visitors come to enjoy the rising sun emerging from the misty seas of fog. There are several piers to board a river cruise. A six-passenger trip can cost about 300-400 baht. A long-distance cruise, which certainly costs more, can take you as far as Chiang Khong, Chiang Saen, Luang Prabang, Sip Song Pan Na, and even to Khunming in the south of China.
For an aerial glimpse of the Golden Triangle, you need to climb uphill to Doi Chiang Miang by the Mekong River where Wat Phra That Doi Phu Khao once stood. Only a pile of bricks remains to mark the site, but it provides a look-out point to catch the big picture of the Golden Triangle.
Ban Fin Museum(House of Opium)
Once a cash crop in this region, opium is now merely a subject of close scrutiny on display in this museum. Visitors will learn all about its history in the Golden Triangle. The museum is open from 8.00 am. to 06.00 pm. Admission is 20 baht.
