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.htmlTHAILAND COUNTRY INFO in set # 143:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-755664-1.htmlEARLIER 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=45105Thanks for visiting, for improved clarity please view the downloads. I look forward to your comments and questions.
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The GOLDEN TRIANGLE is the area where the borders ... (