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As one of the most rapidly developing tourist destinations in Southeast Asia, Thailand is quickly becoming the top choice for Indonesian travelers on a shoestring budget. Some are lured to Thailand by its cheap garment industry, while others seek out the crystal sea, white sand beaches and unique and beautiful culture. On a solo backpacking trip, my goal was to visit as much of Thailand as I could in as little time as possible. So I decided to see Chiang Rai for a day before heading to Bangkok and then on to other parts of Thailand.

Chiang Rai, in the northernmost part of the country, is bordered by Burma and Laos, which are often overlooked by travelers bent on exploring the more tourist-friendly parts Thailand.

Heaven on earth at the White Temple

My first day started around 8 a.m. With three hours to kill before my Golden Triangle day-tour ($35), I took the advice of Ching, the only person on staff at Sabun-Nga Hostelling International, and set off to see Wat Rong Khun, or the White Temple of Chiang Rai, a 45-minute tuk tuk ride from my hostel.

The city of Chiang Rai is small and quiet. People seemed to move at a slow pace, enjoying their lives as the sun warmed the streets. Students chatted happily as they walked to school.

The morning mist, aided by the chilly temperatures, engulfed the pure white temple of Wat Rong Khun. The sun eased its rays into the temple, producing curtains of radiance. With a little imagination, you could easily visualize this place floating among the clouds in heaven. Small mirrors positioned around the temple reflected the sunlight and gave the temple a diamond-like sheen.

The white color represents the Buddha’s purity, while the glittering mirrors symbolize his dhamma that teaches man to observe his own mind and project loving kindness towards humankind.

The interior of the modern temple, designed by artist Chalermchai Kositpipat, consists of three separate zones: a sacred area for worship, the monks’ living quarters and an area for lay people. But all parts of the temple are full of sculptures and paintings created by Chalermchai. As the temple brochure points out, “All the decorative sculptures or paintings are imbued with Dharma riddles, Buddist philosophy, and teachings of the Buddha that the artist has studied and practiced for more than 25 years.”

Visiting three countries at once

Back at the hostel I met up with my tour group and set off to see the famous Golden Triangle. The name refers to the meeting point of three countries — Laos, Burma and Thailand — The area is widely know as one of the largest opium-producing regions on the planet. Tik, our guide, explained that the name originated from the buyers and sellers trading gold directly for opium.

The main attraction for me, however, was a Golden Triangle sign —ideal for photo keepsakes — and a river boat cruise along Maekong River. The waterway serves as a natural boundary between the three countries. To join the river cruise, those on the day tour were asked for an additional $10. Once on the boat a guide explained some of the unique sights of the Golden Triangle, as seen from the water.

A big statue of golden Buddha sits on top of a ship on the bank, overlooking the river at the three-way border. The guide explained that this statue was built to protect the three countries. There is a casino on the Burma side and another casino, still under construction, on the Laos side. Since gambling is forbidden in Thailand, border crossings are frequent.

While anchored at Don Sao, Laos, tourists are given time to weave through souvenir shops and test their palate and stomach at the snake-whiskey stalls. If you balk at rice whiskey with a snake embalmed in the bottle like a worm in mescal, that’s alright. You can still try armadillo whiskey or giant lizard whiskey. Any of the three are said to improve your sexual stamina.

Karen Hill tribe’s preserved beauty

The day-tour ended with a visit to the Karen Hill tribe. They live in North Thailand, along with the Lahu, Hmong, Lisu, Akha and Mien tribes. Because of an internal conflict, the tribe began migrating to Thailand from Burma in the 17th century. While there are as many as 280,000 Karens living in Thailand, the majority of the population still resides in Burma.

For the Karen, beauty is measured by the length of a girl’s neck. The longer the neck, the more beautiful she is. As a form of pageantry, the woman of this tribe begin wearing metal rings around their necks at the age of 5.

We learned that the Karen men had originally been farmers, and the neck rings were meant to protect the women of the village from tiger attacks while the men were away. But as the tribe migrated and time progressed, their dependency on tourism rose and their professions changed. Now the women attract gawking (and paying) tourists while the men remain mostly idle.

Contrary to popular belief, these rings do not lengthen the neck, but burden the shoulders, weighing them down and making the neck appear longer. The cherished tradition has become a major tourist draw, with members of the Karen (especially the woman) and other tribes grouped onto one hill as a form of convenience to tourists. A visit to this “human zoo” was at once amusing and unsettling.

I came harboring expectations of a “real” hill tribe and enjoying the opportunity to observe the indigenous people, but was welcomed by dozens of souvenir shops made up like traditional bamboo houses. The highlight of the visit to the village was seeing the tribe’s traditional costumes and houses while the low point was getting a glimpse of how the tribe and its village had become commodified. It seemed like all the women were trained to smile and obey whatever posing instructions were asked by photo-snapping tourists. In return, they expected you to buy one or two souvenirs.

Nevertheless, this miniature village is an ideal spot to get at least an initial glimpse of hill tribe life. There are about 20 bamboo houses and plenty of women busy posing for tourists or weaving shawls.

The children wandered around barefoot, smiling eagerly and showing their interest in the foreigners. Some kids even asked a French tourist from my group for a piggyback ride.

As the day tour ended I was left tired and satisfied. It was definitely worth it to stuff three must-see spots into one day. As I departed from Chiang Rai bus station on a nine-hour night bus to Bangkok I was ready to don my backpack once again and open my eyes to another part of Thailand.