Thailand/Laos/Myanmar: Golden Triangle
Golden Triangle is the are where the confluence of two rivers – Ruak and Mekong – create a tri-border area between Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. It’s named golden for being the world’s largest production place of opium until the Afghanistan’s Golden Crescent took over. Opium growers would meet on a no-mans land islands in the middle of the two rivers and weigh pure opium for gold. Today you can take a boat trip along he three countries and even disembark in Laos for some snake and turtle wine. The opium is still produced here although meth labs are growing much faster. Massive Chinese owned casinos line up the shores of both Myanmar and Laos – laundering the opium money.
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