Golden Triangle

Entry 29:
Chiang Rai is a cute little town with an exceptional night market, food stalls, and simply an authentic feel to the place. We imagine it is similar to how Chiang Mai was once upon a time before it became so commercialized. Although we had just arrived, the next morning we got on a bus going back towards the border as we wanted to visit the Golden Triangle. It is the point where the three countries -- Thailand, Laos, and Burma -- meet and where not so long ago there was a strong opium trade.

The bus dropped us off in Chang Saen and from there we had to take a minibus to the Golden Triangle. Before leaving Chang Saen, we confirmed the times of the minibus' return as we had to catch the bus back to Chiang Rai. We were assured the minibus comes around every hour until 4pm. This was important to us as some Australian tourists we came across in Laos told us about tourists being scammed by local taxi drivers who claimed there were no more minibuses.

The area of the Golden Triangle boasts two opium museums. The first is a small homey museum that speaks partially about opium and partially about the hilltribes. The second is the one usually avoided by backpackers for its heavy duty admission price (around $10 per person). We started off with the first.

The history of opium is quite interesting. We found out that although the original discovery sight of opium remains unknown, it was used as early as 1000 BC by the Greeks, Romans, Persians, and Egyptians. Its name means "fruit juice" and this plant was used for its medicinal qualities in the Mediterranean region to treat a variety of diseases.

*

Around approximately 356-323 BC, Alexander the Great brought opium to both China and India. Years later, England monopolized the opium trade in China (but we'll get to that later). At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, some hill tribes who moved from China to the three countries of the Golden Triangle brought opium with them. The rest is history.

The second museum is a multimedia extravaganza complete with flat panel televisions, surround sound, a brief film shown in a fancy auditorium, and other audiovisual displays. It was financed by the Queen of Thailand in a public effort to demonstrate the country's dedication to ridding itself of its troubled past with international drug trade.

*

Here's a bit of history that starts with opium and goes on a bit of a tangent:

China's silk and spices were in high demand in the West, so Britain began exchanging opium for these goods. However, as more and more Chinese became addicted to the drug, the Emperor of China tried to ban it from the country. This brought on the Opium Wars.

*

England was not about to give in, especially as Anna, the Duchess of Bedford, made afternoon tea fashionable. As tea drinking became a more popular custom, England was more invested in increasing its import of tea. However, in the early 1800s it took over a year to ship tea to Britain from China. Thus, the British established the East India Company, monopolized the trade on tea, and began using faster vessels to speed the delivery along. Not only was the beverage popular, but so were the utensils it was served in. That started the import of fine china to England. Additionally, as the Duchess enjoyed drinking her tea with both milk and sugar, spoons were necessary. Consequently, fine silverware became part of tea culture. This also increased the demand for sugar from the New World and put increased importance on the Triangle trade (so called for its three components: slaves, sugar, and rum) in North America. The museum has a fancy website. Check it out for more information.

*

Even though we had been told the minibus would be running until 4pm, when we returned to the pickup spot, all the taxi and motorcycle drivers told us the minibus was done for the day. We figured they were just trying to earn out business. There were supposed to be at least two more minibuses that day, so we waited around. When neither one showed up, we decided to negotiate with two motorcycle drivers to take us back to Chang Saen or risk missing the last bus to Chiang Rai. Within 20 seconds of getting on the motorbikes, Sharon spotted the minibus. We quickly jumped off and ran to it. We were relieved when we made our bus to Chiang Rai on time.
*

One of the highlights of Chiang Rai is its lively and exciting night market. Dozens of vendors set up their stalls as well as a variety of food sellers with everything from pad thai to sushi to "mixed insects." We guess you really have to be in Thailand to appreciate the latter. We strolled through the aisles of handicrafts and picked up all sorts of goodies. Marc is especially eager to attend a formal event so he can wear his Thai silk tie covered with a zillion miniature elephants.

For more photos, go to our shutterfly account: grossmintblog.shutterfly.com