Word: thailander
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
There exists, in the minds of many, the Golden Triangle of popular mythology: a wild and untamed land where Thailand, Laos and Burma collide, full of wizened tribesmen reclining with opium pipes in the shadow of hills painted purple with poppies. It's a place you might still find should you have the time, funds and gumption to cross the muddy sweep of the Mekong into Burma or Laos. But if, like most tourists, you opt to view this famous confluence of three nations from Thailand's northernmost province of Chiang Rai, you might wish to check some of your...
SUNRISE SURPRISE As an antidote to the burgeoning commercial crassness of the Chiang Rai part of the Golden Triangle, take a drive to Phu Chi Fah, one of the most picturesque and unspoiled spots in Thailand. Its name means "mountain points to the sky," and when you arrive you'll realize why. A great finger of earth thrusts up from the Thai border, gesturing heavenward, while hundreds of meters below a seemingly endless valley fans out into Laos, where scattered black peaks sail on a billowing sea of low-lying cloud...
EXTREME GOLF For geometrically inspired adventures of a different hue, trek to the latest area to capture the imagination of Thailand's tourism wizards: not the Golden but the freshly hatched Emerald Triangle. A quick flight to Ubon Ratchathani province in the country's far east will bring you within a few hours' drive of the hills where Laos and Cambodia abut the Land of Smiles. At the moment there isn't much to see except trees. But the Tourism Authority of Thailand envisions a 600-hectare-plus zone spanning the three countries, featuring resort towns, handicrafts, botanical gardens...
...tread carefully: military experts say the proposed golf course site at the center of the triangle is saturated with land mines. According to Thailand's Deputy Defense Minister, Yuthasak Sasiprapa, explosive antipersonnel devices are strewn along the Thai border as well as liberally sprinkled throughout the Laotian and Cambodian sectors. De-mining the area will cost upwards of $11.5 million, he says, adding to the more than $46 million the Tourism Authority believes it will take to get the project off the ground...
...other hitch is that none of the three countries agree on where the borders actually are. Thailand and Laos are still in dispute over a kilometer stretch at Chong-Bok, right in the heart of the Emerald Triangle, and Thailand and Cambodia have been feuding for years about where one country starts and the other ends...