Her Royal Highness, the Princess Mother of Thailand, realised that education was critical in the reduction of opium cultivation and illegal drug use. By promoting greater awareness and a better understanding of the effects, dangers and consequences of opium and opiates, she believed that fewer people would be tempted into drug use, and that decreasing demand would gradually reduce supply. She hoped that the effects of this public awareness would extend worldwide. The initiative led to the Hall of Opium and its exhibitions, which utilise "edu-tainment" (education that is entertaining) to raise people's awareness about illegal drugs. Today, the Hall of Opium exhibition and information centre is part of the 40-hectare (100-acre) Golden Triangle Park, 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) north of Chiang Saen in Chiang Rai province, where the borders of Thailand, Burma and Laos meet at the confluence of the Sop Ruak Tributary and the Mekong River.

The Hall of Opium is one of the world’s foremost research and information centres on opium, opiates and other narcotics. The centre generates materials used for research, education, special school programmes and travelling exhibitions, all intended to help educate the public about narcotics.

A visit to the Hall of Opium takes visitors on a journey into the mysterious world of opium. With the use of state-of-the-art multimedia innovations, each section in the 5,600-square-metre (60,000-square-foot) exhibition sheds light on the more than 5,000 years of use and abuse of opiates. The exhibition depicts the origins of the opium poppy, medical and ritual use of opium in ancient civilisations, its spread throughout the world, continuous medical use and international efforts to control illegal drug abuse. Case studies help visitors to understand the problems of addiction and choices available to fight the temptation of drugs.

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Sop Ruak is the world-famous place where the borders of Thailand, Burma (Myanmar) and Laos meet. Visitors can stand at the very point where the Sop Ruak River flows into the Mekong River. It is 9 kilometres (5.6 miles) north of Chiang Saen district.

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Chiang Saen, a small town on the banks of the Mekong River, has an interesting museum and ancient temples. The museum displays antiques from the Lanna and Sukothai periods, as well as hilltribe artefacts. The well-preserved Wat Pa Sak complex dates back to 1295 and houses a large stupa with six smaller shrines and temples. Wat Chedi Luang has a large brick stupa in Chiang Saen style and dates back to the 14th century.

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These two temples, built around the 10th century, are a pleasant 20-minute drive from the Tented Camp. The upper-level temple, Wat Phra Dhat Chom Kitti, sits on a hilltop 339 steps up the naga stairway from the road at the base of the mountain. It is also accessible by car. The temple contains a fragment of a Buddha relic enshrined in a golden pagoda. The platform of the pagoda sits on a square base with standing Buddha images on each of its four sides. Although some decorative elements have broken off, the Buddha relic retains interesting features. At the lower level of the mountain is Wat Chom Chaeng, which has a small, ancient brick pagoda and a Chiang Sean-style ubosot (chapel) on a marble platform. The platform offers a great view of Chiang Sean and the Mekong River.

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Wat Phra That Pha-Ngao (Shadow Cliff) was named after the beautiful shadows that fall on the ancient pagoda on the cliff at sunrise and at twilight. The temple was originally located along the banks of the Mekong River, but it was being slowly eroded by the tides. Therefore, the local people rebuilt the temple farther inland. During the construction, a magnificent Chiang Sean-style Buddha image called Luang Pho Pha Ngao was unearthed. The temple is now well known among those who seek to pay respect to the ancient Buddha image and to experience the “triple gems,” or Tri Ratana, the basis of Buddhism: Buddha (the Enlightened), Dharma (the teachings), and the Sangha (the community of monks). It is believed that you can cleanse yourself of sin by offering food, fruits, flowers, drinks and other goods to the senior monks, by meditating at the temple for a while, by receiving blessings from the monks and by tying cotton yarn around your wrists. Wat Phra That Pha-Ngao is located in the south of Chiang Sean, a 20-minute drive from the Tented Camp.

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Mae Sai is a small town at the Thai-Burmese border approximately 35 kilometres (22 miles) north of Chiang Rai. Across the border is the Burmese town of Tachilek. Here, visitors will find local gems, jade, textiles, Burmese tapestries, lacquerware, handicrafts and some Chinese products for sale. For a fee, they can also cross the border to Tachilek to catch a glimpse of Burmese life.

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A 30-minute drive from the Tented Camp and a few minutes’ walk from the Thai Burma Friendship Bridge, your Burmese excursion begins. Explore Tachilek, a Burmese border town, by “Skylab” minicab (a transportation device similar to the Thai “tuk-tuk”). Stop to see a beautiful white jade Buddha image carved in the Burmese style at Wat Phra Yok. Continue your journey uphill to visit Shwedagon Pagoda, a golden pagoda that was built to replicate a pagoda in Rangoon, the former capital of Burma (Myanmar). Next stop is Tai Yai village, home of the Shan tribe, famous for their skills in cotton weaving. And then continue on to bargain for some Burmese crafts and products from Thailand and China at the Tachilek Market. Leaving Burma, stop at Wat Doi Wao (Scorpion) temple on the hilltop of Mae Sai, a Thai border town, for a splendid view of both sides of the border. Observing the local people as they go about their daily business makes for the perfect ending to this unforgettable trip.

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Chiang Saen, one of the most important cities of Lanna Kingdom, is famous for its numerous prehistoric archaeological sites. The Chiang Saen National Museum was founded in 1957 to display art and archaeological objects found at Chiang Saen and its surrounding areas. The collection relates to human settlement, including prehistoric tools and equipment. In the beginning, the museum site was the old sala (open veranda) of Wat Chedi Luang. The present building was erected in Chiang Saen in 1981.

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Enjoy the fantastic view of Doi Sa-Ngo, formerly an opium market but now the home of the Akha hill tribe, who migrated from Tibet more than 100 years ago. The village, built in traditional Akha style, is an hour’s hike up through the foothills and along a dirt track. Enter the village through the spirit gate, and stop to admire the giant swing used for New Year’s and other celebrations. From a height over 760 metres (2,493 feet), the stunning view of the Mekong River, paddy fields and surrounding valleys will take your breath away. Doi Sa-Ngo – only a 30-minute drive from the Tented Camp – is a must-see destination where you can gain insight on the simple yet beautiful lifestyle of the local people.

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Santikhiri (The Hill of Peace) sits on the highest peak of the Doi Mae Salong mountain range, 2,000 metres (6,562 feet) above sea level, offering far-reaching, 360° views. The village originated in 1949, after the Chinese Revolution, when Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) troops fled to Thailand, opting for a more peaceful way of life instead of engaging in the illegal opium trade. Today, the mountains are surrounded by plantations that grow tea, coffee beans and fruit trees. Visitors can find Chinese temples, open-air bazaars, Yunnanese restaurants and shops that offer traditional Chinese “Oolong” tea, preserved fruits and some traditional hill tribe handicrafts. The scenery is especially picturesque in the winter months, when the cherry trees bloom with delicate pink blossoms. The drive from the Tented Camp to Doi Mae Salong – one of the most beautiful attractions in Thailand – takes only one hour.

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Doi Tung Royal Villa was built in 1990 to mark the 90th birthday of Her Royal Highness, The Princess Mother of Thailand. The two-storey villa combines Lanna (Northern Thai) and Swiss architectural styles. Since the Princess Mother passed away, Doi Tung has continued to draw many visitors to admire its beautiful flower-filled gardens, which include a rock garden, a fountain, a palm garden, an ornamental plant section and a handicraft centre. More than 70 species of winter flowers and decorative plants grow among native plants and perennials, allowing the garden to bloom year-round. The centrepiece of the garden is Continuity, a bronze statue depicting a group of children who are supporting each other in pyramid formation. The statue is evocative of Her Royal Highness’s efforts to improve the lives and well-being of her people.

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Perched high in the Doi Tung area, Mae Fah Luang Arboretum offers spectacular views of the Nang Non mountain range. A cross-border opium trail once led through the area, which had been stripped bare of its primeval forest cover. Ancient trees in what had been one of the largest opium fields in Thailand were transplanted (root bulbs and all) to the Arboretum, at the intervention of the Princess Mother. Now rehabilitated, the Arboretum is home to a wealth of plant species, including wild orchids and other epiphytic plants, and many native birds and mammals have returned to their former habitats.

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