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SIGHTSEEING
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A vehicle and guide can be provided for visitors who wish to visit places further afield. Popular day trips include the following visits.
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Doi Angkhang. A Royal Project which specializes in horticulture as well as flowers. Known as Little Switzerland, Doi Angkhang is set in a mountain bowl at an elevation of about 1500 metres. The cool climate makes for an excellent escape from the valley heat and the gardens and horticultural areas are a delight to see. A visit to the Thai military post some 250 metres from the Burmese border is worthwhile, as is taking in one of the walks through the temperate forests which surround the area and marks the fourth highest point in Thailand.
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Doi Tung. The wonderful drive to the Royal Project at Doi Tung is almost a trip in itself. Once at Doi Tung, set high in the mountains, the spectacular gardens are a must for anyone with even a remote interest in gardening.
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Doi Mae Salong. This hilltop town is home to people of Chinese origin. They are the descendants of the soldiers and their families of the Nationalist Chinese army (Kuomintang) which fled China in 1949 after the success of theCommunist revolution. They initially found refuge in Burma, but were expelled from there in 1960. They were welcomed to Northern Thailand due to their fiercely anti-communist stand and thus their opium growing activities were overlooked by the authorities. Today they rely on growing tea and coffee, temperate vegetables and flowers – as well as the tourist dollar. A visit to the town can be combined with a tour of one of several tea plantations which cling to the steep slopes leading up to Mae Salong.
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Mae Sai, Chiang Saen and The Golden Triangle Mae Sai is the only official border crossing to Burma in Northern Thailand and is a 90 minute drive away. Here you can ‘pop over’ to Burma to the town of Tachilek and get your Burmese ‘stamp’ on the way back! The bustling market here is awash with all sorts of goods – some real, many fake – but all cheap, provided you strike the right bargain.
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Further along the border, lies the point where Laos, Burma and Thailand meet, exciting to witness, although understandably over-commercialized. The journey along the banks of the mighty Mekong River is, however, very worthwhile. In the ancient town of Chiang Saen, many relics of its past can be seen. Here you can also take a boat on the river which might be prepared to take you for a fleeting visit to the Laos riverbank – allowing you to visit three countries in one day!
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Click here to see Festivals in Ban Thaton
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