The Golden Triangle

Every tourist in northern Thailand comes to this spot: the Golden Triangle, where the borders of Burma, Laos and Thailand meet at the confluence of the Mae Kok and Mae Kong (Mekong) Rivers. Forty years ago it was a major opium market centre and famous among westerners for that reason, but in the last three decades the ilegal trade has been stopped and the people whose livelihood depended on it have been helped to develop agriculture and tourism. The result is that the forests have regrown, the local hilltribe people lead healthier lives and have a stable economy while still able to preserve their customs. The Thai royal family have developed many projects throughout the area to promote tourism and provide employment, including an excellent opium museum.
This big buddha is on the Laos side of the Mae Kok river.