The Golden Triangle is one of the most northerly points in Thailand but it is unique because it is where three countries meet. Divided by The Mekong River and the Ruak River, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet.
It's popular with tourists - especially when borders are open because of what Laos has to offer. This section of Myanmar is fairly remote and consists of mainly riverside farmland and mountainous forests that stretch for miles but Laos is the opposite.
Situated on the banks of the Mekong River are dozens of huge Las Vegas style casinos. Bright neon lights illuminate the night sky and lasers catch everyones attention. This is where the Thai tourists go to gamble since gambling is officially illegal in Thailand.
In such a far off place, literally in the middle of nowhere, the huge casino towers and lights seemed very out of place.
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We planned to camp on a nearby hillside that overlooked the Golden Triangle and framed the three countries in one. We could see the casinos clearly and could watch a few local boats travel up and down the rivers going about their business. Due to COVID19, the regular ferries were not running and wondered who was travelling and visiting the casinos with strict border controls. The lights and lasers were still working but the town was only famous for being a Thai-visitor destination rather than catering for Laos or Burmese visitors - so who was going?
The Laos city of Van Pak Len looked as if it was a pop-up city. Its only infrastructure was what you see in the photo and was a long way from even the next Laos village or town. Large stone quarries were cut on the hills directly behind the city - I quess to keep travel, costs and time of delivery or material to a minimum and supplied all of the local concrete factories that built the casinos and hotel complexes. Blasts could be heard from our camp spot and plumes of dust filled the sky shortly after. This happened roughly every hour.
We were lucky enough to find another spot that had panoramic views in every direction. Hanging out in the roof top tent was a joy and made just looking out at the view that little bit more comfortable.
Nothing better than chilling out on a comfy memory foam mattress, sleeping bag, cold evening or morning breeze, binoculars and a good view.
The portable solar panels always come in handy when travelling in Thailand. The skies are usually clear and the suns always bright.
The following morning felt quite mystic with the lower valley floor holding pockets of rolling fog over the numerous rivers and farmland.
A quick morning cook to eat and we packed up after the dew evaporated from the tent. The road up to where we camped was concrete most of the way and pretty uneventful but did lead us passed several old temples. This part of Thailand used to be called Lanna, hundreds of years ago and acted as its own independent country. Lanna translates to a million rice fields, obviously what they were and kind of still are famous for.
One of the oldest temples we went to still had the original Buddha statue inside. After ancient wars with Laos and Myanmar, the torso was the only part left. The temple itself had been renovated at some point but was still pretty old.
We later visited the rivers and official point of the Golden Triangle. Everywhere was quiet and most of the shops and vender stalls were shut up. We had every view point to ourselves and all the prime parking spots of each stop. Although convenient, it makes you notice just how much of an impact C19 is having of communities around the world.
With such rich history and culture in the area, we wanted to stay longer. We did manage to visit a few more places and found out about local traditions but knew our time was limited.
We left the mountain Doi Sa Ngo that we camped and travelled east following every and any road that hugged the border. We had lots of surprises along the way but they are all stories for next time!
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All content is original: the photos, the video, the writing and the adventure!
Absolutely stunning, wow, I feel I've seen so much in my travels and then our community just keeps giving me more and more, love it and love the camping truck. Looks like so much fun, thank you for sharing this post and amazing pictures.
Glad you liked it and thank you. Can't wait to get out there again and camp... Well it is nearly the weekend lol
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Hi, thank you for the upvote :)
Now this is how to travel & see all the sites along the way!💯
Brings back fond memories of how my family vacationed when I was young.🏕
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Thank you :) and yes it's the perfect way to travel - go at your own pace, stop where you want and explore nature as well.
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Wow that's great, thanks for the repost/share on your twitter account. Appreciate it.
Beautiful scenery! What an awesome adventure!
Thank you. Glad you liked it
What a rewarding experience, really Thailand is a beautiful place with a lot of culture and wonderful places to visit
Thank you. It really is, I've been here for quite a long time now and still never get bored. There's always a new place to visit and a new corner to explore. :)
Awesome discoveries! And I love your car! I always wondered how much it is a car like that or how much you need to invest to make one on your own :)
Always places to discover, Just have to look where others don't lol. I built up the truck over a few years so kinda forget. Only bought what I needed to go the places I want to. lol
I totally feel you! That's what I intend in the future too :D
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Thanks for dropping by
What a great adventure with fun.
There is something about that temple that looks like some cartoon I watched when I was younger.
I can't wait to see more of such amazing places :)
Glad you liked it and thanks. Yes there are so many amazing places to see here and North Thailand is totally different to the rest of the country.
Oh really? Then I love to see more of what you would bring
wow amazing photography you have shared, I hope you enjoyed a lot your trip.
Thank you and yes the trip was great - still more posts to come with many more amazing places.
you are welcome, of that's great . I will wait for the rest of your trip places. 👍🙏
Hiya, @LivingUKTaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Daily Travel Digest #1086.
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Thanks again :)
Great idea
thanks