We left Chiang Rai bright and early, after yet another delicious buffet breakfast at the Wiang Inn Hotel. We headed off on the bus on an adventure towards Chiang Khong, via the Golden Triangle.
We had to climb up a flight of dragon stairs and head up a steep hill to reach the Golden Triangle lookout at the top. At the top of the stairs, there was a very ancient Buddhist temple. Each Buddha statue has a different posture that represents a different part of Buddhist life and teachings. Most statues have gold or expensive stones to represent Buddhas heart. The oldest statue in the temple was turning to rubble with both arms in piles of rocks and the head of the Buddha lying on the ground. This statue had a gaping hole in the statue’s chest where people had stolen the riches from the Buddha.
After looking at the mystical statues our breaths were taken away once again by the Golden Triangle, the point where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet. The view was amazing, with each country visible and only a few kilometres away.
Next, after an 15 minute bus ride, we arrived at the Opium Museum. Sadly, we weren’t able to take pictures in the museum, but it was still very interesting to learn about something so serious and so unknown. The Opium Museum was founded by the late King’s mother to educate about the drug opium and the effects that it can have. The opium drug comes from a poppy plant and its history dates all the way back to 5000BC in Egypt, so there was a lot to learn about. It was very shocking to understand about the effect on not just Thailand, but China, Britain, India, Egypt, Europe and even as far away as Africa. The drug caused havoc in everywhere it went: the drug started civil wars in China, a war between China and Britain, made India and China poor, made crime skyrocket in Thailand and even many European and English travellers became victims to the drug. It was disturbing to find out how much damage one single drug can do.
After we left the Opium Museum, we found ourselves yet again at a buffet for lunch. From there, it was a 4 hour bus ride to our next hotel. Halfway there, we stopped at another temple. This temple is extremely old, with only one statue. However, the Buddha statue and the house it lies in are 1400 years old, and the only intact remains are half of the torso and the head which was lying on the ground. Some of the Buddha’s 84,000 ashes are kept in a shrine at this temple.
After a long day we arrived at the Namkhong Riverside Hotel. The hotel is next to the Mekong river, so we can see Laos close by from our balcony. It looks very inviting, but we’re all going to miss Thailand and our wonderful funny guides Chai and Nam. After having a short walk around town we came back to the hotel to have a delicious spicy dinner. We all can’t wait to go to Laos, and start the next chapter of our wonderful adventure.
By Lucy and Cooper
