Golden Triangle
Thailand/Burma/Laos
February/March, 2003
This narrative is based on the Wulff videotape. Sometimes the script does not flow because the material is in the order it was video-taped. For the same reason paragraphs are not always thematic. I hope you can still find the “journal” useful.
Day One, Monday, February 24th
I departed Minneapolis on a Northwest Airlines transPacific flight.
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Day Two, Tuesday, February 25th
At Tokyo, we stopped for a change of planes
As the name suggests, the hotel is owned by a French firm. Ordinarily one would pay 4200B(over $100US) and up for a room per night. It was conveniently situated in the heart of the Thanon Ploenchit shopping center. At the street entrance of the hotel was a Thai policeman (with his mouth covered to filter polluted air) directing traffic. The circular roadway of the hotel was regulated by hotel staff wearing uniforms. We did not know it at the time, but security was heightened because President Mugabe of Zimbabwe was staying at our hotel. Hopefully he was not there to offer Thailand economic advice.
Day Three, Wednesday, February 26th
Full breakfast buffet at the hotel included. After breakfast we met with Pan in the Grand Circle Briefing Room. The session began with Pan distributing beautiful strings of fresh flowers. We were informed that our scheduled tour for the Royal Palace had to be rescheduled because the King and Queen of Sweden were visiting the palace that day. We substituted the optional $13 tour planned for Friday (Gold Buddha, Flower Market and Reclining Buddha). The tour bus assigned to us was quite pleasant, but obviously was not constructed for passengers over six feet tall. After a few bumped heads on the ceiling we managed to adjust. As we began our day’s expedition, it became quite evident that Bangkok had many modern buildings and interchanges.
Among the temple buildings was a little worship altar where the faithful could purchase strips of gilded paper to stick onto a Buddha image. The smell of burning incense filled the air where homage was being made. The gilded stickers and incense were used to bring good fortune.
Pan had us sample baked bananas and fried crab. At one stop he explained how Thai food dishes were prepared and seasoned. Across the street where our bus was parked, school girls in matching uniforms were chatting on their cell phones.
The temple here is one of the oldest in Thailand, and it was here that traditional Thai massage was started. At this historic spot there were people who offered to give personal demonstrations of massages. New Hampshire Bill seemed to enjoy his massage. The manipulations were very relaxing and merited a tip. Numerous buildings in the Wat Po complex were worthy of taping. As we were being driven back to the hotel, we passed large portraits of the King and Queen of Sweden and a number of Swedish flags that had been set out to honor the visiting royalty.
Back at the hotel we had free time until 6 p.m. when we were to gather at the Grand Circle briefing room for a presentation on Thai language, culture and festivals. Following the lesson we were treated to a welcome drink of sweet tea and dinner at the hotel Taksina Room. The menu included bean curd soup, crab cakes,vegetables in oyster sauce and chilled water crest.
Day Four, Thursday, February 27th
Full breakfast buffet at the hotel included. We originally had been scheduled to visit the Ayuthaya ancient capital today, but the visiting royal guests had similar plans -- so we changed our itinerary again to defer to royalty. We moved up our $25 optional tour for the Bridge over the River Kwai. (Back home everyone pronounces Kwai with a long “I” sound, but here it was called Kwai with a long “A” sound. Whatever.) The morning was warm and humid as we left Le Meridien President. Along the highway en route we encountering large buildings that had been under construction only to be left as deserted shells. Pan explained that they had been started in the booming prosperity of the early 1990s and fell victim to the declining economy of the mid 1990s.
At the end of the street I captured a loaded sugar cane truck rumbling along the roadway. When our time expired, we headed back to the train depot where we were met by vendors selling Bridge on the River Kwai T-shirts, Needless to say, we contributed to the local economy.
The experiences of the POWs was chronicled by Pierre Boulle in his book The Bridge on the River Kwai and popularized by the movie of the same name.
The historic transportation system over the River Kwai took the lives of over 100,00 people due to malnutrition and illness. The rickety train ride took us along rice paddies, sugar cane, and, of course, Buddha shrines. Our Grand Circle bus was waiting to take us to the nearby Kanchanaburi War Cemetery. The grounds here were well watered and in wonderful shape.
We strolled down to the waterfront where we would board a large raft on the River Kwai or Mae Nam Khwae Noi. The mountain in the background drew our attention to hardships of railroad construction that had to be faced in the Burma terrain.
Our rectangular raft was covered and quite large. A small boat was used to pull us along the river as we ate a scrumptious Thai buffet lunch. Then we sat back and soaked in the scenery, watched cattle drinking on the shoreline and young boys swimming. A woman paddling a small boat on the river made it seem like we had stepped back into time. Then off in the distance was the famous bridge.
atap huts used to house Allied POWs during the occupation. The long huts contain various photo--
graphs taken during the war, drawings and paintings by POWs, maps, weapons and other memorabilia. The acronym JEATH represents the meeting of Japan, England, Australia/America, Thailand and Holland at Kanchanaburi during WW II.
Day Five, Friday, February 28th
Full breakfast buffet at the hotel included. I taped the dinning area where we enjoyed our daily morning fare. Today we were going to partake an included tour to Ayuthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand. As we left the hotel I taped the scenic grounds around the entrance. As soon as the bus turned out of the hotel we could view an elaborate Hindu shine (that I will later explore at great length). We made our way down to the the river front of Chao Phraya River. We waited for the arrival of the River King for our morning long cruise.
After our cruise ended, we climbed (or maneuvered) up steps to the upper level of our waiting tour bus. Immediately the scenery captured our attention.
I thought the real highlight of the day was the ruins of Ayuthaya, the old Siamese capital from 1350 to 1767. Fortunately we had good bus drivers, who on many occasions went out of their way to maximize the opportunities.
We drove all around the ancient ruins before stopping to explore. This helped us to visualize what been a splendid city in Thailand’s golden age. This was the apex of a kingdom which extended well into present day Laos, Cambodia and Burma, with a dynastic endurance over 400 years before it was captured by the Burmese. The population of the city had reached a million. Today, ruins of magnificent structures cover the park-like landscape.
The bus finally parked and we walked towards a temple and the major ruins. Along the path we were sidetracked by a craftsman who was creating artwork from animal skins. Bill, Paul and Randy moved in as Pan explained the procedure behind the art work. A little further on, a vendor was selling less sophisticated artwork -- “grasshoppers with a message,” for a very low price. There were takers.
We left the historic district island by crossing the Mae Nam Pa Sak and headed southward toward Bangkok.
As the bus approached the city of Bangkok, we saw many modern buildings and infrastructure that was evidence of affluence. We also saw the humble makeshift homes and crowded high-rise of the less fortunate.
Day Six, Saturday, March 1st
The 945,000 sq. meter grounds were consecrated in 1782, the first year of Bangkok rule. The complex encompasses more than 100 buildings that represent 200 years of royal history.
This shrine in front of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha was a busy place, crowded with people making offerings to Buddha. Flowers and vegetables accumulated into piles and the scent of burning incense filled the air. Pan explained that offerings were not made inside the temple because the smoke would be harmful to the Emerald Buddha and other furnishings. He also added that the statue is not really emerald but green jade. The royal monastery is enclosed by galleries which are decorated with scenes depicting the Ramakian, the Thai version of the Indian epic Ramayana. Originally painted during Rama I’s reign (1782-1809), the murals have undergone several restorations including a major one in 1982. The Chakri Maha Prasat Hall completed in 1882 is now a reception hall for foreign dignitaries and state banquets. It was built by British architects who used a blend of Italian Renaissance and traditional Thai architecture. The palace guards stationed here are dressed in white and are often the subject of photographers. As we returned to the bus we were besieged by young energetic vendors pushing their wares. On the bus Pan continued his narration as I zoomed in on the Buddha image by the dashboard that our driver had placed to bring good luck.
Day Seven, Sunday, March 2nd
At Chiang Rai we met our new bus driver who would serve us at both Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai the
following week.
Scenery was nice along the highway.
After we settled in, Pan gave us a briefing in the Doi Kam or Doi Tong Room. We ended up in the lounge area where a lovely lady played a traditional Thai musical instrument. Pan interacted with the music by dancing and singing a Thai song. Our delicious dinner at the hotel was a combination of Thai and Chinese food that consisted of fish, chicken curry and fresh fruit.
Day Eight, Monday, March 3rd
We departed from our island to tour the city of Chiang Rai and to visit a hill tribe museum with the private collection of Baan Oub Kam used by former royalty. At the museum entrance we met the owner and sat down to watch a quaint dance performance. Tea refreshments were offered to us before we walked around the three small buildings that housed the collections.
Dinner tonight would be different. We were going out for cooking lessons with the preparation of dinner up to us. We boarded the bus for a fun evening. Our host had the ingredients ready for us and explained what each of them were. Volunteers, one from each table, took their positions at a long table to prepare the dishes for their respective tables. Our chef was Norma Johannsen who graciously consented to represent us who were more timid. One course of the meal was prepared at a time, followed by a dance, and then served to the tables. The finished products, all Northern Thai recipes, were Somtam/Papaya Salad, Hot and Sour Chicken Soup, and Stir Fried Noodles. Good natured Norma did an admirable job and we ate well that night.
Day Nine, Tuesday, March 4th
Full breakfast buffet at the hotel included. Today we had many events planned for a day at the Golden Triangle. Our bus took us to Mae Sai (map) at the border of Myanmar (Burma). As we headed to this northernmost city of Thailand we passed along rice fields and strawberry patches. A multitude of stands had boxes of strawberries and strawberry wine for sale. In Mae Sai our bus was parked at walking distance to the border.
Quarters were tight, but adequate. The overhead cover protected us well from the hot sun. Our long caravan peddled through the city, taking us to a Burmese village. Local vendors plied their wares as Pan explained village life here.
The villagers had looms in their homes and Pan proceeded to demonstrate to us how they operated. I took a video of the village street that we were to traverse. Pan showed us some interiors of the homes.
When we returned to our respective tricycles, I took a shot of my taxi driver, number 61 by a temple we visited. We were given time to shop in the city and visit the market place. I stopped at a woodcraft shop where I purchased an inexpensive woodcarving of elephants.
We crossed over back into Thailand to drive past rice fields to the actual point of the Golden Triangle. The bus was pulled over where an elephant stood along the bank of the Nam Ruak River. Burma was on the other side of the river, a river that emptied into the Mekong River bordering Laos. The name Golden Triangle is often associated with the opium trade which had flourished here. We toured the local Opium Museum with its display of various opium paraphernalia.
Our next adventure would be to board E-Tains (local farm trucks) that seated ten passengers in the truck bed. As we headed up into hill country on gravel roads we had a nice view out the back of the truck. Our destination was LaValee where we would have lunch outdoors along bamboo tables. The lunch consisted of roasted chicken held together with bamboo strips, rice, noodles wrapped in banana leaves and cooked bamboo shoot strips. For dessert we had mango and crepes. After we reloaded back into our trucks, the hostess of LaValee bid us farewell.
Our day wasn’t over,yet. Our return trip on the highway along the Mekong River to Chiang Ria took us to the city Chiang Saen.
All of us were ready for a rest at the hotel after a long and successful day.
Day Ten, Wednesday, March 5th
The second village we visited was populated with ethic Chinese descendants of the KMT, the Nationalist Army regiment that had taken refuge in Thailand almost fifty years ago when Communist forces won the civil war in mainland China. The Thai government had assisted these people to cultivate tea as a livelihood.
We were invited to a tea tasting session of their special OoLong tea. On the counter was a bowl of white worms that were used to flavor the tea. Also available were bottled drinks flavored with snakes and large insects. At a nearby booth children were playing and giggling like typical children. Below the shops was a massive tea plantation and workers in the field. These hardworking Chinese had succeeded in establishing a viable economy here.
We had lunch at a well kept Chinese resort that served Yunan cuisine prepared from fresh vegetables and livestock. Paul and Norma appeared to enjoy the tasty dishes. After lunch we walked through a small photo gallery that had pictures that were taken of the Nationalist Army from which these people had their roots.
The third village we visited were hill tribe people of Chinese/Tibet origin. One of the old women here was smoking an old traditional pipe. Farm animals like chickens and pigs helped create a rustic setting. After helping the local economy, we boarded our green trucks. Once back to our waiting bus we tipped our truck drivers and were on the way home.
Grand Circle had made special arrangements for us with a Northern Thai family to host a home dinner at their private home (called Baan Dokman). The neighborhood was quite nice. The owner, his wife, daughter and two servants greeted us with a welcome drink served in silver bowls. We toured the upper level of the home where the family lived. Beautiful wood furniture. Nice flowers in the yard. We ate on the lower level where tables had been set.
Day Eleven, Thursday, March 6th
Along the highway farmers were growing rice, so important to the food supply in Thailand. The bus made a stop so we could “take care of the flowers and shoot rabbits”. This particular stop had natural hot springs behind the market place. It was quite interesting to see women selling eggs that could be dipped into the hot water to harden.
I explored the hotel before dinner. The lobby area was cheerful and spacious. Off to one side Stephanie and Ann were already busy making flower patterns. Grand Circle Travel had its own exclusive lounge where one could play cards, read the newspaper or watch television. Our included international buffet in the dinning area was satisfying with a wide variety of dishes.
The shopping street was literally teeming with people. Prices were not fixed. A good number of the vendors walking around touting their wares were from the Aka tribe. Bill bought one of their distinctive traditional hats and hammed it up for the camera.
Day Twelve, Friday, March 7th
Full breakfast buffet at the hotel included. The day featured an included tour of the Old City (map).As we left the hotel a street vendor walked by selling locally made brooms. Just as we approached the old city we stopped for a light. Policemen were waiting here to catch unsuspecting law violators as they rounded the blind corner. Sure enough, as we watched, they nabbed a cyclist who had a passenger not wearing a helmet. They also stopped another car because the passenger in the front seat was not wearing a seat belt. Both faced stiff fines.
This temple complex had two funeral parlors (like the one we saw in Bangkok). The deceased is placed in a temporary expensive ornate coffin which is surrounded with flowers and photos. The man in the photos here was 59 years old when he died. Later his body will be cremated. Pan burned incense for the man. The funeral of the woman in the next building was 69 years old. All the photos of her displayed were taken when she was young. Tables were set up outside to fed the guests for the duration of the funeral.
Just before noon we stopped at the local market to pick up something for a snack. We looked over a meat shop where monks came to buy meat. Pan said they may buy meat someone else has killed, but may not kill animals themselves. He noted that some monks do not even do gardening lest their hoe kill a worm in the soil. A myriad of vegetables were offered for sale and Pan seemed to know the names and uses of all of them. One lady was slicing up jackfruit (Pan bought some to distribute on the bus). Another shop offered fried chicken feet. On the way home Bill passed out pieces of sausage he had purchased. I thought it a little spicy. In my hotel room I made a lunch out of an orange (5B) and some bananas (15B) which cost about 50 cents altogether.
Day Thirteen, Saturday, March 8th
Full breakfast buffet at the hotel included. Early in the morning (8 a.m.) we tackled an ambitious schedule of industrial sites in an optional ($15) tour. We were going to see how the various handicrafts were made. We came to believe Pan when he said 90% of all handicrafts sold in Thailand are made in Chiang Mai. The industrial streets of Chiang Mai are actually on the west side of the city, but we started out eastward, then southward around the city and finally westward on Thanon Charoen Muang.
Stop one was at the Bronze House where we were given an orientation on the bronze industry, how bronze (tin and copper) is melted, poured into molds, refined with grinding wheels and then polished. After watching workmen in the factory area, we brandished our credit cards and headed into the massive showroom.
Stop two: Pianusol , a family business in the fabric industry. The demonstrations here were really interesting. We saw the silk worms and their cocoons. Then we watched as the cocoons were heated in water, where stands were singled out and unwound onto a wheel. This was followed by a weaving machine operation. Then we headed into the large show room to shop.
Stop three was the Louis Silver Factory (and also aluminum). We were fascinated by the time consuming work of craftsmen as they turned sheets of metal into intricate works of art.
Stop six was at the Laitong Lacquer ware and Bamboo Products. Pan again led the orientation session. He started out by explaining the source of lacquer from lacquer trees. Black gum extract is spread out over bamboo pieces to dry. The process is repeated until as many as ten layers have been applied. Pan also showed how the patterns are made during the process. Work room. We walked through rows of finished products in the showroom.
After resting up from our tour (some took a break in the hotel lounge), we headed out to the riverside for a puppet show sponsored by Grand Circle to employ young Thai students and to foster Thai culture. Pan gave us a helpful summary of the story that was to be featured in the puppet show. The students did a good job with their puppetry and after the show came off stage to introduce themselves and the puppet they had manipulated. I zeroed in on the children and the beautifully costumed puppets. Our candlelight dinner with Thai food was held outside along the river. Live music added to the romantic atmosphere.
Day Fourteen, Sunday, March 9th
Full breakfast buffet at the hotel included. We headed north to the Taeng Dao Elephant Training Center between Mae Taeng and Chiang Dao. Today elephants are no longer a work force or a weapon in the army, but they are still revered in Thai society and are a strong drawing card for tourists. Elephants enjoy a brief childhood with their mothers before they begin a training process between ages three to five years. Pan said being separated from the mother for training is very painful because of the strong emotional ties. The training takes five years and is often done as a father and son team. Elephants have a working career of fifty years before they are required by law to retire. They often live for eighty years or more.
Our first challenge at the center was tenderly crossing the river over a narrow swinging bridge. We were introduced to the elephants at the feeding area. Banana bunches could be purchased here so we could feed the animals who eagerly extended their trunks over the fence for the fruit. Some of us, like Hugh and Ann, could feel the vacuum like air suction on the hands while feeding these creatures.
The show began with a parade of elephants single file ambling into the river for a bath. They apparently enjoyed being scrubbed by their trainers and then joined in the process by using their trunks to shower themselves. The elephants exhibited their learned skills in handling logs -- carrying, pushing and stacking them.
Some parts of the river had rapids to speed up our travel. At some points it seemed like we were drifting along through a theme park because of elephants standing along the shore. It also seemed strange to see enterprising vendors wade out to the rafts to sell us their wares. At the end of a rather long but enjoyable ride, we approached the docking area where the bus driver and Pan were waiting to assist us in getting off the raft. When we we were all back on the bus, Pan treated us to a Thai elephant song replete with animation.
Day Fifteen, Monday, March 10th
Full breakfast buffet at the hotel included. We departed at 8 a.m. for an included tour (map) for a lecture on the Buddhist religion at Mahachulalongkorn University named Wat Suandok A professional monk (Pan introduced him as Doctor) presented an overview of his religion stressing its middle path between fundamentalism and materialism. His presentation dealt with training in wisdom, morality and mental thought (through meditation). Some of the thoughts expressed echoed those of I Timothy 8:6 “Having food and raiment let us be therewith be content” and Philippians 4:8 “Think on these things” (that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good report, and virtue).
In the same complex we visited a large open temple built in 1383 and rebuilt in 1932. The wat contained a large 500 year old bronze buddha image. Just outside the temple I taped a monk walking in front of white-washed Lanna stupas. The large central stupa contained a Buddha relic (bone of Buddha) that supposedly self-multiplied. The story goes that one relic, a small piece of bone, was mounted on the back of an albino elephant to wander until it found a a site on the mountain for construction of another wat (our next destination).
We then drove up a winding mountain road to reach the Sudeva peak of Doi Suthep Mountain, the same journey taken by the white elephant. It was on this peak that the white elephant had died of exhaustion in 1383 and Wat Phra That Doi Suthep was constructed under King Keu Nadne. Pan said the site is considered very sacred and once a year in May, 20,000 to 30,000 pilgrims hike up the mountain to visit the shrine. Naturally the road is closed to vehicular traffic at that time.
At the Vihara I stepped inside to tape a monk scholar waiting to share his wisdom to others. To his right was a large smiling Buddha image. Continuing around the court yard I came to the Aon Muang Vihara. Here a family was offering lotus flowers and burning incense. This site also housed an emerald Buddha image that had been carved at the local Orchid Jade Factory. Originally this image had been given to the king as a gift, but he thought it so beautiful he donated it to the Wat Doi Suthep. I taped a map of the temple quad I had just visited, starting at the lower right and moving counter clockwise.
From here I strolled over to the white elephant monument that commemorated the elephant who had chosen this spot for the temple.
The steps down the Naga stairway looked walkable, so I ventured downward. Youngsters coming up toward me started with exuberance, but needed to rest midway. A short distance from the stairway bottom, Hmong tribe people plied their wares.
Just outside the temple complex was the Orchid Jade Factory where we were cordially greeted with cold coke or tea. We walked through the showroom to reach an information room to view a video on jade. The wife of a gemologist introduced the video with a short talk in which she referred to Burma as having good quality jade (but not good government). In the workroom craftsmen were busy carving jade items from stones. Of course we ended up in the showroom with beautiful jade articles for sale. As we departed I taped Hmong children who were watching us. The trip down the winding mountain side was broken up with a stop for us to view a beautiful waterfall. Pan noted that this water ended up in the moat surrounding the Old City of Chiang Mai. Further on we caught a bird’s eye view of Chiang Mai through the trees.
Our included dinner tonight was at a private home rented by Grand Circle called Kom Chiang Tung. This home used to be the residence of a prince from Burma. The home had extensive use of teak wood imported from Burma over 70 years ago. Our evening meal here was enhanced by traditional music performed by young girls from a local school. The host bid us farewell as we boarded the bus for Amity Green Hills.
Day Sixteen, Tuesday, March 11th
Full breakfast buffet at the hotel included. Today we took our last optional tour, a tour to the cities of Lampang and Lamphun (map). We visited Lampung first, since it was only half an hour down the road from Chiang Mia. Lampung is one of the oldest cities in the region, founded as Hairpunchaii in the 7th or 8th century by the legendary Queen Chamadevi. As we pulled into the city I took a picture of a Welcome to Lampung sign.
One of the big highlights of our trip was the Elephant Hospital where the ailing animals received unlimited care. It was really quite sad to see the state of some suffering elephants. I took a video of photos taken of a drug addicted elephant that had died from an overdose. She was working in the illegal logging industry along the Thai-Myanmar border when pumped full of amphetamines so she could work day and night. When concerned people found her she could not even stand (photo). To help support the costly work at the hospital T-shirts were being sold.
There was a little 6 day old baby elephant at the hospital being bottle fed because the mother could not fed her. She will have to be bottle fed and kept with mother at the hospital for more than a year. Very expensive. It was quite interesting to see how people working here, and Thai people in general, were emotionally attached to elephants and how emotionally attached elephants were to their mahouts. Mother elephants were extremely close to their offspring. I thought the following letter by an FAE employer in an obituary for a baby three year old elephant POOH-PAH conveyed these thoughts:
“I was informed of POOH-PAH’s sudden death on Saturday noon. I have not received the official report yet, but it seemed POOH-PAH had an acute pneumonia. I truly cannot utter a word and there would never be any adequate words to express how I feel for this great loss. Pung Auan, POOH-PAH’s mother, is very sad. I shall go there to comfort her myself after my visit to my cardiologist. My grievances unbound, Soraida Salwala”
Along the highway (Hwy. 11) we came to Thung Kwian Market which sells all manner of things like birds, puppies, pigs, bugs and even a few rare and endangered species. Pan said that once in a while the government has to crack down on them. After browsing around and shooting rabbits we set off down the highway. Nice forest scenery. We pulled off onto a side road and drove along fields with water buffalo.
Lunch was included today and our Grand Circle stop took us to a very nice location in Lampang called Wienglakor. Everything was quite open and the grounds delightful. Fortified with a fine meal, we were ready for a city tour in colorful horse carriages. Lampang is known throughout Thailand as Meuiang Rot Mah, the horse cart city. The city tour took us across the historic Wang River or Mae Wang. We were now ready for the long, but scenic filled, ride back to Chiang Mai.
Our last evening meal at the Amity Green Hills Hotel was one to remember, The hotel staff pinned flowers on us as we entered the dinning area around the large swimming pool. A tremendous variety of food was available. Chefs prepared meat to order. The lounge musicians played music for us. By the pool was a GCT ice sculpture that reflected on the water. The staff sang “God Bless America.” And since this was a “barbecue,” there was a good share of country westerns and audience participation. Good way to cap off a great stay in Chiang Mai. END OF TAPE HERE.
Day Seventeen, Wednesday, March 12th
Pan arranged early wake-up calls for the morning.
Day Eighteen, Thursday, March 13th
Continental breakfast was served at 2:15 a.m. so that we could leave the hotel at 3:00 a.m. for the Bangkok International Airport. Now was the time to say good bye to Pan, our most excellent English speaking tour guide. Six hour flight. We changed planes in Tokyo. After a lengthy wait in the 747 on the tarmac while repairs were made, we took off for Minneapolis, arriving at 12:30 p.m.
Thus ended a great tour,
Fred.
