Saturday 18 July 2009

The Golden Triangle, The Emerald Triangle and ?


The region where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet is well know as the Golden Triangle; made famous for its history of Opium Production. The region where Laos, Thailand and Cambodia meet is called the Emerald Triangle. Several Thai towns in the area make a great visit including the town of Khong Chiam the most eastern point in Thailand with excellent sunsets.

The area close by has been in the news recently because of skirmishes between the Thai and Cambodian border police and a row over ownership of the land around Preah Vihear. The actual temple is located in Northern Cambodia but only easily accessible from Thailand. It is remarkable set on a cliff overlooking Cambodia several hundred meters below. It has been open since 1998 and we hope to develop our tours here in the future.
But what should the region be called around where Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam meet be called. On the Laos side have various ethnic villages including that of Phu Vong with the ethnic groups famous for their tattooed faces and earrings. The Cambodian side is dominated by the town of Ban Lung. This area is stunning with the Yeak Laom. A volcanic circular crater lake and the Siem Pang area and the border with Vietnam makes up part of the Virheay National Park.
Over the coming year Xplore-Asia will be developing adventure and wildlife tours to this region in association with the Mekong Discovery Trail. We will also be posting a featured article on each area on our blog.