The Golden Triangle encompasses the northern portion of Thailand and the land surrounding its borders with Laos and Myanmar. The name was a reference to the opium cultivation and trade that took place there. Tourism is the main focus of the area nowadays. The streets are dotted with souvenir shops and advertisements for scenic boat rides up the Mekong.
In particular, the town of Mae Sai is a popular checkpoint for crossing into Myanmar, especially for tour groups. For convenience, you can pay the fee for a Myanmar visa at the border. From there, you are free to do a day trip on the other side, or remain in Myanmar and continue your travels there. I opted to stay on the Thai side and explore the border town. After wandering through the street stalls, I made my way up the hill to Wat Pha That Doi Wao, also known as the scorpion temple.
From the street, the temple can be reached by ascending 200+ steps. At 10AM, the ambient temperature was 90 degrees fahrenheit with the humidity level of a sauna. So the prospective climb was especially daunting. Lucky for me — and anyone else unwilling to commit to the cardio-level climb — there is a lovely and quite scenic road that winds its way up the hill and around to the rear entrance of the temple. Unlike most of the temples I visited while in Thailand, this one was pleasantly devoid of crowds. I think I passed three other couples the entire time I was visiting. There is also a lovely panoramic view of the town and river bordering Mynamar.
The House of Opium Museum is a nice stop for those interested in learning more about the history of opium and poppy growing in the area. The museum is located inside an old wooden building in a town along the Mekong River, north of Chiang Rai. Inside, there are an array of opium related items on display — from a visual representation of the poppy seedling-to-opium lifecycle to decorative pipes used for smoking. One of the plaques details a legend of how the poppy came to be. Actually, two versions of the legend exist, one with a young maiden and one with an elderly woman. But in both versions, the poppy plant springs up from their grave.
On the upper level of the museum there is a section dedicated to the local hill tribes. In the tribe villages, women wear gold rings around their necks. Local legends say a princess was attacked by a tiger while outside the village. But since she had metal rings on her neck the tiger’s bite did not break through and she survived the attack. So the rings were adopted as a form of protection against wildlife attacks. Pre-teen girls and women of these hill tribes would have metal rings added in a stack along their necks.