Caught in a Blizzard in the Golden Triangle

January 23. After breakfast we transfer to the old Bangkok airport for our short flight to Chiang Rai. Traffic is very light, so we arrive three hours early. While it’s a little frustrating to kill three hours, the vagaries of traffic make this inevitable–better three hours early than ten minutes late and miss your flight. As we hit a Krispy Kreme donut place and a Dairy Queen (for a blizzard), the airport time is put to good use.

In Chiang Rai, after collecting our luggage and watching Carol do her famed pole dance in the bus to the terminal,

we are met and transported to Chiang Saen (Golden Triangle, so called because of its opium trade, which is taken rather seriously). The terrain changes in Northern Thailand, as we drive through small towns, bordered by rice fields with mountainous backdrops. We check in to the hotel where we relax for a little while and then take a short orientation walking tour of the local area. (The few photos taken on my walk are not worth posting.) By the time the walk starts, I am not feeling well. Carol thinks, probably correctly, that I was done in by the dairy content of my (delicious) blizzard at Dairy Queen. So, I head back to the hotel, where I spend the next 18 hours. I miss the sunset photo shoot along the scenic Mekong River, the walk up to the monastery to see monks chanting and views of a golden Buddha, followed by dinner at a local riverside restaurant. But I can hear about it all from Carol, and see her photos. Travel is taking a toll on the group, as only five of ten made it to dinner.

Hoping for a much better day tomorrow.