Here’s a concept I once thought impossible: being in more than one country in a day.
It turns out all it takes is a three-hour drive from Chiangmai, Thailand, and voila! Three countries in less than 24 hours? Easy peasy.
When I went to Chiangmai this past week, I didn’t really have anything planned beyond joining in on the Loi Krathong festivities and spending a day with the elephants at Baan Chang Elephant Park. I knew I had to visit a temple or two, indulge in a Thai massage, and just consume all the Thai dishes on my must-eat list, but beyond that, I had nothing planned.
So when my sister told me to go on a tour of the Golden Triangle, I welcomed the idea.
For those unaware, the Golden Triangle is an area of around 367,000 square miles that overlaps the mountains of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. It is one of Asia’s two main opium-producing areas since the 1920s. According to our guide Patty, they no longer produce opium here (…or do they? hehe) but back when the opium trade was in full gear, traders from around the world would meet on the sandbar in the Mekong River where all the transactions took place.
So there I was last Tuesday, embarking on a small ferry from the Thailand side of the triangle, with Myanmar to my left and Laos facing me. The place looked nothing extraordinary. It is a scenery I’ve seen before in my own country—mountain ranges, a brown-colored river, some structures here and there—but I found the very idea of it, the concept of being at a crosspoint where three countries meet, thrilling.
In my future travels, I want to find myself again in similar places. I feel like I’m in the beginning of a treasure hunt now. Haha.
When we finally got off the boat in Laos after an hour of cruising the Mekong river, we were greeted by a man who offered us shots of these interesting-looking spirits:
Usually, I’d feel a little iffy about trying these drinks—I’d suck at Fear Factor because reptiles give me the heebie jeebies—but just as I was about to chicken out, an Aussie traveler looked at me and upon seeing me cringe, he said, “We’re not here everyday so we might as well try it, right?”
Which made a lot of sense! Haha. And so we did. He had a bit of everything, but I wasn’t as adventurous so I settled for a shot of snake whisky:
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/11/22/photo-challenge-unexpected/
The Jetset Journo 
ACKKKKK! Really? You did that??? I am impressed with the snake whiskey shot. Ew! And what a WONDERFUL way to visit 3 countries in one day! Gorgeous photographs.
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I had to pretend it was regular whisky for a good five seconds…as they say, it’s all in the mind. Haha! But I cringe now when I see the picture of the snake. I can’t believe I actually did that. Haha!
Thanks for dropping by my blog :)
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Wow! I don’t think I would have the stomach to digest snake whiskey 😉
But, when in Rome … Right? 😛
Also, great take in the Unexpected Challenge!
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Tastes just like regular whiskey with a hint of reptile. LOL.
Thank you for dropping by the blog ;)
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That is just like the tequila in Mexico. Did you cross the river?
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Yes, we crossed the river from Thailand to Laos. We didn’t go to Myanmar via the Mekong River though. We had to go to the northernmost part of Thailand to cross the border; it was around 30 minutes away from the golden triangle :)
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Awesome! I did not when I was in Golden Triangle many moons ago. Thank you for responding.
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Thank you for dropping by the blog ;)
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Eww! That is much bigger than a tequila worm.
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Haha! I’ve never had a tequila worm so I can’t compare :P
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I saw your toemail post, and I thought I would drop by and say hello, but I was thoroughly distracted by the snake whiskey. Shuttering again!
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I understand. I actually cringe now when I look at the photo. Haha! Thank you for dropping by the blog :)
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I may drop by again, but I’ll wear my boots!
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