Golden Triangle Tranquility

Today we left the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, flew to Chaing Rai and drove north to the small, tranquil town of Bon Sop Ruak. This is the area known as the Golden Triangle, where Burma, Laos and Thailand all converge, with the Mekong and Ruak rivers separating the three countries. Once know for it's opium and illicit drug trade, the area is now becoming a bit of a tourist attraction, with its easy access to the Burmese border and several local hill tribe villages.

Upon arrival we took an orientation walk along the Mekong river and then hiked up to my favorite Buddhist Monastery, where at 6:00 pm a monk rings a large iron bell, signaling the time and alerting other monks to gather for chanting. We had the opportunity to photograph the ritual and then returned to our hotel for dinner.

Tomorrow we set off to see the long neck tribes, followed by a brief border crossing for some photography in Burma. Wish you were here!