Giorno 3 — Phayao → Tempio Blu (Wat Rong Seua Ten) → Mae Salong Nai → Triangolo d'oro → Chiang Rai
Km 250
Early in the morning departure to the boarding pier where you can witness the traditional offering to novice monks (Taak Bat). Participants will be able to personally purchase the Sangkatan on site (optional activity and not included, the cost of Sangkatan in Phayao is about 200 baht). Afterwards, you will board small rowing boats of local fishermen to reach a small island in the center of the lake where the ancient statue of the Tilok Aram Buddha is located. (Note: in case of bad weather and high waves, the boat tour may be canceled). The date of the works has not yet been planned. However, the place will remain open to the public during the restoration and with a bit of luck, visitors who come here during this period will have the opportunity to see the country's most famous artist at work. Return to the hotel around 08:30 for breakfast on the panoramic terrace of your hotel overlooking the lake. Departure to Chiang Rai. Arrival at Wat Rong Seua Ten, or the "Blue Temple", a contemporary work by the artist Putha Kabkaew. Psychedelic effects, colossal statues depicting unsettling "Yaks", the Buddhist demons, and mythological creatures such as the "Makara" capture the visitor's attention. You climb towards the border with Laos and Myanmar, among mountains covered with dense tropical vegetation that hide tribal villages in narrow valleys. You enter the region of the great Mekong River, an impressive ethnic and commercial crossroads, one of the most active and bustling in Asia. Many mountain communities inhabit the slopes of Mount Mae Salong, on the border with Myanmar; in the traditional market of Mae Salong Nai, it is easy to meet various ethnic groups in traditional costumes. Here you can find the ingredients for the typical Khao Soi, a delicious curry soup with coconut milk and various spices, which you will enjoy during lunch on a local farm, in a cultivated clearing surrounded by the jungle; here you can observe a glimpse of life in the fields. After lunch, you reach the Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle, the vast region between Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos where opium used to be cultivated, but now for tourist convenience, it refers to the convergence point between the three states in the village of Sop Ruak, 70 km northeast of Chiang Rai; instead of poppy fields, you will find souvenir stalls and a shrine topped by a huge golden Buddha. In the late afternoon, continue to Chiang Rai. I will arrive around 18:30. Available evening.
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