Thailand's Tarnished Golden Triangle

There exists, in the minds of many, the Golden Triangle of popular mythology: a wild and untamed land where Thailand, Laos and Burma collide, full of wizened tribesmen reclining with opium pipes in the shadow of hills painted purple with poppies. It's a place you might still find should you have the time, funds and gumption to cross the muddy sweep of the Mekong into Burma or Laos. But if, like most tourists, you opt to view this famous confluence of three nations from Thailand's northernmost province of Chiang Rai, you might wish to check some of your preconceptions at the...