by Scott Coates

Back in late 2003 while redesigning the fabulously fun Chiang Rai Northern Exposure adventure, I passed through the Golden Triangle, located at the town of Sop Ruak, which forms the physical point where Laos, Myanmar and Thailand all converge on the Mekong River. A big white building caught my

The sign out front

attention – The Hall of Opium at Golden Triangle Park. An impressively large building set amongst a large expanse of manicured land, I had heard about an upcoming museum that would explore the history of opium but knew little about it. Time to dive in!

Part of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation, started in 1988 by Her Royal Highness Princess Srinagarindra, the late Princess Mother of His Majesty the King of Thailand, as a means to better the lives of hilltribe communities in Thailand’s northernmost province Chiang Rai, the Foundation has its roots at nearby Doi Tung. Originally a home for the Princess Mother and botanical gardens was built, coffee and macadamia nuts introduced as alternative crops to opium and there’s been no stopping the Foundation since.

Fast forward to 2003 and the they opened Golden Triangle Park, combining the Hall of Opium with lodging on its expansive grounds. The Hall itself is truly a state-of-the-art facility and huge at 5,600 sqm. The intent is to explore the entire history of opium, which played a large role in the region up until the mid-90s, at which time it was mostly irradiated in Thailand.

Smiling Albino isn’t the kind of company that general takes guests to museums, too often underdeveloped, unimaginative and boring in this part

One of the Hall's very inventive rooms

of the world, so it was with some doubt I entered its doors. A bit over two hours later I walked out the Exit totally wowed. I immediately called my business partner Daniel and shared my findings with him. “This must be part of our northern Thailand programs”, I exclaimed. Never did I think we would make a museum a part of our adventures but I was a changed man. The Hall is so much more than just a museum.

It begins with the long entrance tunnel, a spooky cave passage of sorts with sculptures of tortured souls built into the walls, representing those who get lost in drug use. You then enter into a theater where a well prepared video gives a quick overview of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation and opium’s role in the immediate area. From here you move through a series of information boards, sets and semi-interactive displays that explain the first 5,000 years of the drug’s use. Next there’s an extensive and very informative section on the Opium Wars between the Chinese and British, something you’ve likely heard of but don’t know much about – very interesting stuff. Next it’s on to opium’s role in Thailand (then Siam), its use in modern medicine, efforts to control international drug trafficking and finally a sober exit through the Hall of Reflection which showcases famous persons’ battles with drugs.

A typical visit takes about two hours, but can easily be stretched to three. What makes the Hall so interesting/entertaining is its makeup. Great thought and effort has been put into making sure the visitor is constantly engaged in a different manner. There’re traditional information boards, built sets, but it’s entire rooms that take the visitor into a different world and make you forget you’re in a museum. One room sees you walk over a full-size prison cell built into the floor, there’s an expansive section with interactive exhibits that see you try to figure out who in an airport is smuggling drugs and how. Wonderful videos examine international governments’ roles in fighting drugs in foreign countries (no names here) and you wrap things up in the very bright, but enlightening Hall of Reflection which wakes you up and brings you back into reality.

Most of our northern Thailand trips pass through the Golden Triangle and we

Entrance hall

make every effort to work in a visit to the Hall of Opium. Days prior to arriving here immerse guests in the larger Golden Triangle, through areas that no so long ago would have once been rife with opium. You get to hike trails through coffee/rice/corn/nut farms which once were opium fields, meet hilltribe groups previously entrenched in the opium trade who are now earning livelihoods through other farming methods and careers. The quaint town of Doi Mae Salong is now the country’s prime site of Oolong tea production, a crop that replaced opium in the mid-eighties and factors highly into most trips.

Drug cultivation, use and abuse are very complicated issues and something that few societies recover from, let alone in roughly 15 years. The Hall of Opium does a fantastic job of tying together the region’s many towns, people, and livelihoods that have gone under dramatic transformation for the better. While passing through the Golden Triangle, which at first glance seems nothing more than a tourist bus trap, be sure to turn off the road and spend a couple hours at this captivating Hall that Thailand should truly be proud of.

The Hall of Opium is located at the Golden Triangle opposite the Anantara Resort.
View Larger Map
Opening Hours: 08:30-17:00 (last admission at 16:00), Tue-Sun
Admission: 200THB (Thais), 300THB (foreigners)
Phone: +66-53-652-151
Email: hallofopium@doitung.org

by Scott Coates

A few shots from Christmas/New Years trips in northern Thailand. See the entire gallery here: http://photos.smilingalbino.com/Thailand-Photos/Northern-Thailand/Northern-Thailand-Dec-09/10978772_BRm5n#767408965_VtLHQ

Smiling Albino was here

Making friends along the Thai-Myanmar border

Blasting down Doi Tung, Chiang Mai province

Awesome morning at Rai Saeng Arun, Chiang Rai province

See the entire gallery here: http://photos.smilingalbino.com/Thailand-Photos/Northern-Thailand/Northern-Thailand-Dec-09/10978772_BRm5n#767408965_VtLHQ

by Bank Takaeng

Scott and friends have done a fantastic dirt biking at Doi Chang, Chiang Rai.

by Bank Takaeng

Scott and friends have done a biking adventure at Doi Tung, Chiang Rai.

by Scott Coates

A few pictures from a recent dirt biking trip with friends in Chiang Rai province. You can see the full gallery here: http://photos.smilingalbino.com/Thailand-Photos/Motorbiking/Chiang-Rai-Dirt-Biking-Nov-09/10498248_GZJik#728643509_36h7H

Derek blasting through

Greg in the hills of Doi Mae Salong

Sa-ngiam cruises

Sa-ngiam & Greg getting close to Doi Chang

Along the less-traveled path

Three amigos: Derek, Greg & Scott

See the full gallery here: http://photos.smilingalbino.com/Thailand-Photos/Motorbiking/Chiang-Rai-Dirt-Biking-Nov-09/10498248_GZJik#728643509_36h7H

Recently passing the 10 year anniversary of moving to Thailand you get to thinking. Thinking about all kinds of things. Big, small, things done, lessons learned, places visited.

Chiang Rai province, the northernmost of Thailand’s 76 is my favorite. There’s just no beating it if you like the mountains. It was our first choice for a northern adventure playground when we moved here and all those years ago. I’m still dazzled.

Trails: paved, dirt, double track, single track, shale, mud, sand, I love finding

Riding towards Doi Chang

them. I love riding and exploring them. Nothing gets me jazzed quite like that. Heading just a few km into the country and a few off the regular way and you find it, quickly. Small villages – people doing their thing as they have for ages, gorgeous backdrops and rich smiles. They’re everywhere. Go by, take it in, trade a smile, gesture, word and everyone’s the richer for it. That’s the base of travel. The core, main ingredient – mutual exchange.

Stay where you want, spend a ton doing it, eat at the fanciest restaurants, sleep in a hovel, eat fried race day after day, count every dollar, but the real memories, the real value are the exchanges. They can’t be bought. They can happen, take place, occur, be arranged, but they can’t be bought. Twenty villagers in costume waiting to perform traditional dances upon your arrival is hardly the same as the glow of someone asking your name out of sheer curiosity when meeting, the eyes exchanged while paying for a $0.25 item, the kindness of being handed fresh fruit in the country from farmers while cycling by. These are the real moments of value and something we’ve been fortunate to have experienced and live most days. What a great thing.

Really out there

Dirt biking on small, rugged paths SE of Chiang Rai city, passing fields/huts/houses I’ve seen a good number of times, I’m grinning. I’m still grinning after 10 years of traveling here. I’m still loving these scenes, the experiences, the exchanges. It’s been six months since my last visit, the longest drought during my time in the country. Hosting a couple friends on some favorite mountain trails for a couple days of dirt biking and mountain biking, it’s still a thrill, a treat, I’m still dazzled by this truly remarkable province.

Chiang Rai, often referred to as the Gateway to Indochina, China’s to the

Picking a narrow path at Doi Mae Salong

north, Laos’ to the east and Myanmar to the west. Only modern-day borders define formal lines  but this area has always been one of migrants, traders, socializing and transporting. Thai, Ahka, Lisu, Lahu, Tai Yai, Muser, Karen and on it goes – mixed people living together, happily. Mixing, trading, marrying and now you have it, a terrific and diverse bunch of people. The social landscape of one of the friendliest places and still my favorite in Thailand.

What a treat to enjoy something time and time and time again, to the core, for the people who live, work and call it home.

by Daniel Fraser

I have had my trip designer’s hat on several times again the past few months. It has been fantastic and has mostly involved testing bike rides or motorcycle routes or finding scenic detours, squeezing hotel pillows, sampling spring rolls, tasting hotel coffee or grilling the local bartender on how to get the keys to the city.

A nice footpath in northern Thailand

Many of our trips involve hikes and bicycle rides, some as short as an hour and others multiple days. Specifically I have been surveying various hike possibilities lately in far flung places like Isaan (NE Thailand), central Laos, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and more recently in northern, central, and southern Vietnam. I have driven several trekking guides to the point of insanity and we’ve gone back to the drawing board multiple times. I admit that at times I have struggled to explain exactly what I am or am not looking for when it comes to a good hike or bike ride or any day excursion for that matter. So, I’ve come up with a simple quick-list of qualifications that, say a hike must have to get the Smiling Albino stamp of approval.

I’ve omitted the obvious things like ‘carry proper supplies’, or ‘be a friend to nature’, etc., as that surely has been covered already.

Following, in no particular order, are a few steering points that I’ve used when building hikes or bike rides (from 1-8hrs) for Smiling Albino:

1 – Graceful Transitions
This means ideally no driving 45-minutes just to get to the starting point of a hike, or an hour in a van back to the resort when it is finished. Obviously in some regions this isn’t possible, but in the case where any transfer is necessary the hike must be extra special to justify it. Good flow is vital to a perfect holiday, and graceless transitions can upset the otherwise good rhythm of your trip. Now, if the hike absolutely necessitates a commute at the start or finish, or both, then an effort should be made to involve alternative means to get there rather or back than a van ride, such as a bicycle, boat, or even motorcycle taxi. Maintaining good flow is as important to an adventure as the hotels and meals. We are currently planning a couple of hikes in central Vietnam in which we transfer to the start point by a local motorcycle touring club and finish the hike a stone’s throw from a hillside pub – that’s good flow.

2 – Modifiable
As we would like several different types of our guests to enjoy a great hike, it should be modifiable so that Olympian guests can get their burn if so desired, or the leisure stroller can feel like they got what they were after. Shortcuts, scenic routes, fun detours and strategic stops make this possible.

3 – Higher Purpose
Besides a walk in the woods, what is the purpose of the hike?
Smiling Albino does a couple of fantastic hikes in northern Thailand where there is a relevant sub-theme to the hike. We follow village trails once used by smugglers in the former opium trade and use the time discuss the eradication struggles, and witness the new agricultural alternatives the villagers are cultivating. Throughout the hike we’ll discuss the role opium played in the region and how everyone from the Chinese government to the CIA had their direct influence on the villages that feature in the hike.

Not that wandering in the woods and quoting Walt Whitman alone wouldn’t be fulfilling enough, but surely a hike’s purpose, other than getting back to nature and a bit of a workout, must be to connect the hiker with the location. Additionally, bonus points if the hike follows the path of a historic battle, or even traces the migration of a people to a new settlement and the reasons behind it.
A great trip needs multiple layers of connectivity to truly be impactful.

4 – No logging roads or constructions sites!
Although one can’t deny you are still out in nature and far from the city

A guide gives blankets to a local in northern Thailand

streets, walking down logging roads or through forest construction sites or mega agro-projects just doesn’t fill the soul’s need for tree-hugging granola moments of bliss. I once did a hike that followed a series of logging roads until we reached a giant gravel quarry, where we had lunch and observed heavy machinery crunch rocks. Needless to say it didn’t make the cut for SA trips.

5 – No staged village visits
For too long in SE Asia hikers have been subjected to the trumped up ‘remote village visit’. Truth is most of the villages accessible on a day hike are not that remote, and as we know unfortunately some villages are incentivized to stage some of their tribal authenticity. I have no problem with being part of equitable fair exchanges between groups (fruit or blankets or basic medical materials in exchange for a visit to a house for a whiskey with the local shaman or a cigar with the village chief, etc.), but to make the villagers themselves the focus of the hike ultimately creates an awkward mercenary exchange in which the visitor is unknowingly paying for village behaviour to appear a certain way to fulfill his/her expectations. Professor Erik Cohen has a great series of white papers on this topic in his White Lotus books publication.
So, only subtle village visits please, and no cultural dance shows unless they were happening that day regardless of our passing through, and no human-zoo gawking and romanticising the moment. Pass through, learn a bit about them, provide a fair exchange if appropriate, and continue with getting back to nature.

6 – Bush, Plant, Bug, Bird
At least some basic learning about flora and fauna and the types of crops growing in the area is needed. Now, most guests that join our short hikes on our Thailand trips or our longer hikes on our Nepal/Tibet trips are not looking for a comprehensive breakdown of species and biodiversity in the region, but they would at least like to learn about a few crops, bushes, plants and other things along the way.
“Hey is that morning glory”? “Yes, and we’ll have some tonight.” “Cool”. Or, “Hey, can you smoke that?” “No, it is pumpkin.”

7 – Snack
Depending on the length of the hike, appropriate food at an appropriate place can’t be underestimated. I was once on a hike (before Smiling Albino existed) and we had a picnic lunch of rice in a box served under a bridge. Zero points for ambiance – but surely even some basic fruit and nuts under the canopy of the jungle would have tied us over until dinner?

8 – Transcendence (in a hiker’s context)
Ideally the hike actually brings you from one place to another, or, in a perfect world, the hike is part of a larger experience carefully woven into the day. For example, sometimes we do a short afternoon kayaking venture down a river in northern Thailand. If the guests are up for it, then we offer the alternative to hike back to the resort rather than a longtail boat (5km or less) just for a change of scenery. In this case the hike is woven into the ongoing events of the day and becomes part of the kayak trip, which becomes part of getting back to the resort. The activities combine to form an afternoon’s experience which goes beyond the simple joy of each element itself. This adds to the vital ingredient in any adventure: flow. Re-arranging the dots, as opposed to simply connecting them, enables our guests to hike right back up to their rooms after a trek in the woods and a paddle down the river. No vans or graceless transfers. That’s some good flow.

9 – Be a friend to local communities
This is vague of course, but it means that there should be some higher learning that the guests gain about the area and the people. A visit to a local school can be a great way for a few moments of innocent cultural exchange, or throwing Frisbee for a few minutes with children from a rural village. No handing out candies or clamouring for photos, just some dignified human-to-human interaction.

10 – Work-out
Lastly, if a hike isn’t strenuous enough to warrant a cold beer immediately upon completion, go back to the woods and start again. You’ve at least got to work up a sweat, or use some muscles that have been dormant for a while, or push yourself even slightly so that that beer at the end feels like you earned it.

Walking with locals in the mountains along the Nepal-Tibet border

11- Bonus
A great company will prepare cold beer or your favourite beverage of choice at the end of a hike (unless of course operating a vehicle is still required afterwards).

This isn’t a lecture and no travel company is perfect, but having had my trip design hat on several times the past few months I was not able to find what I was looking for just by using terms like ‘flow”, “transcendence”, “graceful transitions” or “connectivity”. So, I jotted down the basic thoughts which have governed my approach to hikes and I realized the way we approach things at SA involves a great deal more analysis than most people realize. Plus we’re very high maintenance. The small details are enormous.

by Scott Coates

The Mekong River is one of the world’s most famous and mysterious rivers.

Cat Ba Leopard Gecko of Vietnam

Often attached to the image of war in many westerners’ minds, it’s the world’s 10th longest river, making its way through six or seven countries (depending on whether you believe Tibet is part of China), for a total length of 4,350 km.

The river starts in Tibet with runoff from glaciers. The water is quiet clear in its upper reaches but changes color, becoming quite muddy by the time it makes its way through the Yunnan region of southern China. At the physical Golden Triangle where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet, the river is very brownish in color and remains so most of the way to its final destination in the South China Sea. Passing through Tibet, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, it’s used in some fashion by roughly 60 million people per day. This is a collection of people using it for transport, trade, washing, fishing, etc. Such a number reportedly makes it the world’s most used river.

Khorat Big Mouth Frog

The Mekong is extremely important in terms of biodiversity. It’s the third most active river in the world in terms of species living in it, with roughly 1,200 species having been identified. The most active are the Congo and the Amazon in South America taking top prize. The WWF International recently announced another 162 specifies have been identified in the greater Mekong Region, and that number is likely to continue to increase as areas once inaccessible and war-torn are now peaceful and open to travel.

The world’s largest freshwater fish, the Giant Mekong Catfish (Pla Beuk), is found in the river, most commonly around Chiang Khong in NE Thailand. These giants can grow to be 3m in length and well over 200kg. Populations have declined dramatically over the last 10 years, with them now being endangered and fishermen in Thailand vowing not to fish for them anymore. Another noteworthy species includes the Irrawaddy Dolphin which is also in danger due to humans, especially the impact of dams built along the river. TIME Magazine ran a very interesting article a couple years back documenting the effect of damming the river, an activity that’s become a serious environmental issue.

With tourism in SE Asia growing by the year and development along the

A Pla Beuk caught

river booming, the fine balance between humans and nature is being tested and along with it the lives of not only the more than 1,200 species in the Mekong, but the 60 million people who depend on it everyday. Now’s the time to see this majestic river and make it an integral part of a vacation. Lets hope it’s healthy for future generations to see, enjoy and live on/with.

by Scott Coates

‘Bamee Moo Daeng’, a staple dish in Thailand, China and other parts of Asia is simple, available around the clock and delicious.

A 'haeng' bowl of noodles

Tonight I was feeling hungry before heading out for a run and walked to the corner to buy an order the aforementioned dish to give me some energy. While enjoying my food at my desk it occurred to me that I’ve been eating this simple, yet very tasty meal for almost 10 years – the entire time I’ve worked with Smiling Albino. And yet I’ve never become bored of it. In fact it’s one of my favorite dishes. I like it in the morning, for lunch and dinner too.
Here’s what we’re talking about:

• The noodles are yellow in color and made of egg, rather than rice noodles which most soups in Asia are made from.
  Pieces of kale, both leaves and stalk, are added with some green onion.
• Thinly cut red pork, which has been slow cooked with a secret barbeque sauce of sorts, is laid on top of the dish. This is the really magic part and each shop/vendor will have their own recipe (guarded closely).
• The broth is made from pork stock, is mild and roughly the equivalent of chicken noodle soup broth in the west. The broth also has some pepper in it and small pieces of pork rind. Broth is optional and people enjoy it ‘nam’ (with broth) or ‘haeng’ (no broth).
• Some shops also sell dumplings (‘kiew’ or wantons) stuffed with shrimp or pork.
• Small pieces of crab meat (‘bpoo‘) are also a semi-common add-on option.
• The diner adds dry hot chilies, vinegar with peppers, fish sauce and sugar to bring out flavor and add bitterness/sweetness/spiciness. Asians and especially Thais love a collision of flavors – bitter/spicy, sour/salty, etc.
• You can enjoy you food at the shop/roadside stand or get it in a plastic bag to go (as I did tonight).

Here’s how I like my Bamee Moo Daeng:

• Lots of nice, lean pork
• Shrimp dumplings if available (four)
• Add some dry chilies and a good helping of vinegar
• If eating before running eat with no broth, otherwise always broth

Just like any great food the taste varies greatly from restaurant to restaurant (or streetside stand) and I defiantly have my favorites. Begin the countdown!:

#3: No Name, Ramkamhang Road, Soi 18, Bangkok
Enter the street about 20m and the mobile stand is on your left. The broth is tasty, pork well-cured and portions great. No dumplings but 30THB ($0.90US) for a bowl is sure to fill your stomach.

#2: No Name, Ramkamhang Road, Soi 24, Mooban Preecha, Bangkok (opposite 7-11)
Without a doubt one of the finest versions out there. Very tasty sauce on the pork, great broth and delicious shrimp dumplings. A bowl with all the fixings is 40THB ($1.20US).

#1: Nakhom Phathom, Phahonyothin Road, Chiang Rai (near the Night Bazaar)
This is THE shop. In business for more than 15 years, everyone in town and Thai visitors know if you want the best this is where you come. Open from 06:00 – 14:00 (at the latest) the owners are a very nice Thai-Chinese family with the leanest, most tender, tasty red pork in the country – period. The broth is exemplary and I NEVER get bored eating here. I eat here every morning for breakfast when I’m in town and sometimes for lunch too. A regular bowl is 30THB ($0.90US) and a large bowl 50THB ($1.60US). Have an iced coffee with your noodles.

I’m getting hungry – time for some more noodles.

Khun Jib & Khun Dow Saweepatts moved to Chiang Khong from Bangkok in 1998 in search of a quieter life. They leased a prime piece of land along the banks of the Mekong River in Chiang Rai province and crafted the area’s best guesthouse with their hands and great ideas. Bamboo Riverside Guesthouse was not only a great guesthouse, but a top spot for food. They made wonderful Thai food and after a woman from Mexico stayed with them, they started making some Mexican food. Dish-by-dish the menu grew to the point they decided to forgo serving Thai food and focus primarily on Mexican. The restaurant-end of their business flourished with travelers dropping-in for a taste of something different while traveling Thailand.
Smiling Albino co-founders Dan and Scott first went to Chiang Khong in November 1999 after only two months in the kingdom. We stayed at Bamboo on the recommendation of a friend and were not disappointed.
We soon became fast friends with Khun Jib, one of Thailand’s most colorful ‘characters’. Over the years we’ve been on road trips with him, gotten to know his wife Dow well, become friends with their two daughters Mim and Mod and spent countless hours on their balcony, overlooking the Mekong River, sipping Thai beer while chatting about countless topics and solving the world’s problems.
After eight years of taking our guests to Bamboo, relaxing with the owners on our own time and considering it a second home, it was with great sadness I made a visit in June 2008 to see it being dismantled. The Saweepatts lease was coming to an end and they were well-tired of running a guesthouse. They have a house under renovation, a successful bakery and are going to concentrate solely on food in fall 2008.
Khun Jib, Khun Dow, their daughter Mim and myself sat on the balcony and shared a bottle of whiskey together as decorations were no longer on the walls, the buildings were half-dismantled and stories of years gone by were told. While sad, I’m happy for Khun Jib and Khun Dow’s success and their decision to move on. I’ll cherish my memories of countless hours on their balcony and hope their new business has a great place to chillout and enjoy.
Farewell Bamboo Riverside Guesthouse!