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S & E Asia 173 - N Thailand 31: Golden Triangle: Unusual local transportation mode
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Nov 23, 2022 14:19:38   #
weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA
 
UTMike wrote:
An interesting set, Joe. Of course, #1 is my fav.


Thanks Mike, glad you found this one interesting - and I understand well why #1 is your favorite, it is one of the relatively few landscape shots in this entire series, which is quite heavy, maybe over-heavy on the cultural aspects with all its temples and statues, etc. I will have a few more landscape images coming up here in the Golden Triangle, but also a lot more cultural shots, particularly when we reach the end-station in Chiang Mai.

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Nov 23, 2022 16:35:07   #
lnl Loc: SWFL
 
weberwest wrote:
Thank you very much Ellen. We have seen a good and interesting part of this world, but there would be so much more to explore, unfortunately time is running out! We had different groups in each of the 3 segments thus far presented, the first one in China was almost exclusively Chinese from the US and Canada, with me being the only Westerner, the tour was conducted in Chinese. In Myanmar, we had a private tour, just the two of us with driver and guides in different locations. Here in Thailand we had a larger group, mainly North-Americans with a couple of Australians, if I remember correctly. Quite wide range of ages, from a young, newly married couple out of New York to people in their seventies, I would say. A good group overall.
Thank you very much Ellen. We have seen a good and... (show quote)


Thanks, Joe. Now that I read this, I remember you telling us about the group composition earlier. I’m sorry I forgot.

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Nov 23, 2022 16:45:59   #
weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA
 
lnl wrote:
Thanks, Joe. Now that I read this, I remember you telling us about the group composition earlier. I’m sorry I forgot.


No problem Ellen, it is nice to correspond with each other in any case!

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Nov 24, 2022 06:43:46   #
yssirk123 Loc: New Jersey
 
Nice set Joe!

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Nov 24, 2022 08:25:28   #
ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA
 
Very interesting set, Joe. Great shots!

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Nov 24, 2022 08:57:52   #
jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana
 
Nice again, Joe, and enjoyed again.

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Nov 24, 2022 10:40:13   #
weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA
 
yssirk123 wrote:
Nice set Joe!


Thank you Bill - and happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

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Nov 24, 2022 10:40:58   #
weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA
 
ecobin wrote:
Very interesting set, Joe. Great shots!


Thank you very much Elliott - and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

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Nov 24, 2022 10:42:13   #
weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA
 
jaymatt wrote:
Nice again, Joe, and enjoyed again.


Thank you very much John, glad you enjoyed these again - Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

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Nov 24, 2022 13:35:47   #
J-SPEIGHT Loc: Akron, Ohio
 
weberwest wrote:
The GOLDEN TRIANGLE is the area where the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet at the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers. The name "Golden Triangle" - coined by the CIA - is commonly used more broadly to refer to a larger area that overlaps the mountains of the three adjacent countries. The only information to the size of this "larger area" that I can locate comes from Wikipedia, which mentions the size of 950,000 km² (367,000 sq miles) which is patently impossible as the entire land area of these 3 countries amounts to about 1,400,000 km² (550,000 sq miles). Thus I cannot provide a reliable indication of the size of the area labeled as "Golden Triangle"" - it could conceivably be 1/10th of that figure and the article added one zero too much.

Along with Afghanistan in the Golden Crescent, the Golden Triangle has been one of the largest opium-producing areas of the world since the 1950's. Most of the world's heroin came from the Golden Triangle until the early 21st century when Afghanistan became the world's largest producer. With strong enforcement of the law, opium production directly in the Golden Triangle has dwindled. The majority of the region's opium is now produced in Myanmar and, to a lesser extent in Laos.

The next eight posts will cover our foray into the area, taken as a one-day side trip from our stay in Chiang Rai. Even though the area covers these 3 countries, we basically stayed within Thailand most of the time, with the possibility of a brief visit into Myanmar, which I did not participate in as we earlier visited that country in much greater depth, and a brief stop at a market in Laos. I provide a separate map to easier depict the route we took. While most of the trip was taken on our regular bus, in the higher and less developed area, particularly in and around the Ban Doi Sa-Ngo countryside, we used a number of the locally common "Iron-buffalo" trucks, very crudely fitted for human transportation. We also experienced a short cruise on the Mekong River, along the border area of the three countries, where we briefly set foot in the market area of Donsao, a riverside community in Laos.

IRON BUFFALO ENGINE - Unfortunately I was not able to find any description online for this contraption, so I have to rely on what I can remember being told by the tour guide over nine years ago. The contraption is a very basic, low cost gasoline engine, called the "Iron Buffalo" as it replaces the power previously provided by a live buffalo. The design of this engine is very rudimentary, and so is the way it is incorporated into all kinds of vehicles very widely used in South East Asia, both as two wheeled contraptions for pulling a plow or other agricultural implements or, as in the case demonstrated here, very crudely fitted onto a transportation vehicle.

In today's post, I will show one of these engines and how it is fitted into our rural transportation "bus" and show a few of them on the road as we move through the countryside.


Notes
TRIP INFO: Set # 1 provides a brief introduction to THIS SERIES on SOUTH & EAST ASIA. See it at
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-724330-1.html

THAILAND COUNTRY INFO in set # 143: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-755664-1.html

EARLIER POSTS of this series: Access my topic list at UHH, the new posts are listed in reverse chronological order:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/user-topic-list?usernum=45105

Thanks for visiting, for improved clarity please view the downloads. I look forward to your comments and questions.

.
The GOLDEN TRIANGLE is the area where the borders ... (show quote)



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Nov 24, 2022 13:51:19   #
weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA
 
J-SPEIGHT wrote:


Thank you Jack for the thumbs up - Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours - Joe

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Nov 25, 2022 11:36:50   #
Bubalola Loc: Big Apple, NY
 
weberwest wrote:
For your reference:


I like your habit to look “in depth” of things, Joe! This set is another proof of it. Thank you for doing a good job!

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Nov 25, 2022 11:51:41   #
weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA
 
Bubalola wrote:
I like your habit to look “in depth” of things, Joe! This set is another proof of it. Thank you for doing a good job!


Thanks Eugene, both the wide vistas and the small details can be interesting ...

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Nov 27, 2022 11:57:10   #
Umnak Loc: Mount Vernon, Wa.
 
Very interesting modes of transportation, well captured here Joe!! I really like the shot of your friends in the other "bus"!
Good times this day is would appear!
Rob

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Nov 27, 2022 12:24:49   #
weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA
 
Umnak wrote:
Very interesting modes of transportation, well captured here Joe!! I really like the shot of your friends in the other "bus"!
Good times this day is would appear!
Rob


Thanks Rob, we didn't really know any of these people before, interestingly the first guy in #7 at left is also a Weber, though totally unrelated, our tour guide thought it must by my brother .... and the girl at left with the mouth wide open as if she was in shock is from Vancouver and has since become a good friend !

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