9 Reasons Chiang Mai should be a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Chiang Mai, the unofficial capital of northern Thailand, has been on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2015, on the basis of its monument…
The “Golden Triangle”, a term coined to denote a huge opium-producing area spreading across Burma, Laos and Thailand (see The Princess Mother Pagoda), has, for the benefit of tourists, been artificially concentrated into the precise spot where the borders meet, 70km northeast of Chiang Rai. Don’t come to the village of SOP RUAK, at the confluence of the Ruak (Mae Sai) and Mekong rivers, expecting to come across sinister drug-runners or poppy fields – instead you’ll find souvenir stalls, pay-toilets, a huge, supremely tacky golden Buddha shrine, two opium museums and lots of signs saying “Golden Triangle” which pop up in a million photo albums around the world.
Book through Rough Guides’ trusted travel partners
The latest articles, galleries, quizzes and videos.
Chiang Mai, the unofficial capital of northern Thailand, has been on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2015, on the basis of its monument…
Kids leap off the river bank in front of the superbly carved prow of our longboat, Nagi of the Mekong, which will take two long and lazy days to travel the wate…
Three courses into my tasting menu at what's regarded as one of Bangkok's top restaurants and I've reached the moment I'm dreading: the ravioli. But the reason …