Mae Sai, located in Chiang Rai Province is Thailand’s northern most town.  It is a bustling area with a lively market and is a stepping stone for many into Myanmar.  Just five kilometers separate the town with Tachileik in Burma, which can be reached by crossing the bridge over the Mae Sai River.  If you want to savor the sights, sounds and atmosphere of the Golden Triangle, these two towns are certainly good places to be.

One of the main features of Mae Sai is its straight and wide road that cuts through the town and leads to the bridge that connects Thailand with Myanmar.  This road (known as Paholyothin Road, or Highway 1) actually originated in downtown Bangkok at the Victory Monument intersection and runs all the way to the border, covering a length of approximately 1,000 kilometers.

One of the main sites at Mae Sai is Wat Phra That Wai Dao, which is on a hill overlooking the two towns.  A small Burmese-style temple gives visitors a preview of the architectural style of Thailand’s neighbor.   The surrounding monuments portray the long history these two countries shared with each other.  Not too far is a monument of King Naresuan, one of Thailand’s most revered monarchs most remembered for his campaigns against the Burmese during the two countries numerous skirmishes with each other.

Just walking around town and savoring the market atmosphere in Mae Sai is an experience in itself.  Not only will you come across crafts and garments from both countries, but also food, snacks and a whole lot of other items.  It is also interesting to see Thai and Burmese merchants selling their goods side by side.

After crossing the bridge and entering Myanmar, expect to find the same atmosphere in Tachileik as you would in Mae Sai.  It is also a bustling border town, with a lively market to match the atmosphere.  There is also a large golden stupa in town, similar in layout to Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon and with planetary posts representing each day of the week.  A devotee would go to the post that corresponds to the day of the week of his/her birthday and pray there, just like at Shwedagon.

The Golden Triangle area is a fascinating region of Southeast Asia.  Once home to insurgent armies and renowned as a haven for opium smugglers, these lands are now safe and very accommodating to visitors.  It is also an exciting and incredibly atmospheric and interesting, not to mention beautiful, place to visit.  Exotissimo’s The Golden Triangle & the Mekong River Adventure is an enlightening journey into this region.  Traveling at the unhurried pace of the Mekong itself, your voyage will have you admiring traditional crafts, tasting authentic regional cuisine, and relaxing among unspoiled wild scenery.  You can also look into our Thailand tours page and Myanmar tours page for other memorable trips into these two unique and certainly fascinating countries.