Visions of Gold: Exploring Southeast Asia’s Golden Triangle

Vientiane is a sleepy capital that fills with the aroma of frangipani and tamarind in the afternoon as the waters of the Mekong River rush against the long reeds along the riverbanks.  The lingering scent of incense drifts out of the nearby temples as the French colonial architecture adds a layer of European charm to the traditional Laotian architecture that is scattered across Southeast Asia’s smallest capital city. Your flight will land at Wattay International Airport, where your private transfer will greet you upon your arrival as trees shade the boulevards that wind around the city. Cafes in Old Town set out their tables and chairs along the walkways with European style, and your accommodation is set in a renovated French villa, immersing you in luxury and inserting you into the city’s past.

Your room will overlook the garden, which is filled with colorful blossoming lotus and frangipani. For a perfect introduction into Vientiane’s heritage, your guide will lead you to the Patuxai Victory Monument, and the architecture creates a distinctive impression amidst the modest skyline of the city. Intricate images of Hindu gods wrap around the monument styled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The towers adorning the top of the arch contain traditional Laotian style, turning the Western-inspired arch into a monument that is entirely Laotian. Fountains trickle along the four edges of the monument, bringing a serene soundtrack to the quiet, inviting capital city.

In the morning, the cafes around Old Town return bring a sense of French ambiance to the tropical city with the aroma of fresh coffee and baked pain au chocolat. The gentle glow of the streetlamps fades with the returning sunlight. At breakfast, you will find colorful papaya and bright dragon fruit accompanying a traditional Laotian coffee, which blends equal parts coffee with sweetened condensed milk. Your guide will greet you after breakfast eager to lead you on an in-depth tour of the city, beginning at Pha That Luang. The thin, golden stupa soars above the city streets at more than 140 feet tall as the gilded spire shimmers in the spreading sunlight over the emerald canopy that surrounds the city.

The temple symbolizes the Buddhist religion in Laos, along with Laotian sovereignty. A high wall encircles the cloister and hides the array of Buddha images that adorn the hall. A statue of King Jayavarman VII, who converted the Khmer Empire from Hinduism to Buddhism, adorns the hall with a graceful air. Continue Wat Ong Teu, where the Siamese raised the temple in the 19th century during the Siamese-Lao war, but the original structure was erected in the 16th century. The temple complex houses the National Center of Buddhist Studies and monks of all ages are dressed in saffron-colored robes and stroll along grounds with bright yellow and red accents adorn the main hall above gilded filigree. Two snakes flank the stairwell that leads to a large bronze image of Buddha. The statue depicts the Buddha seated moments before enlightenment.

Luang Prabang is the former Imperial capital of Laos and maintains a sense of grandeur amidst the peaceful ambiance. The waters of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers converge around the edges of the classical city adorned by the verdant summit of Mount Phousi rising nearly 500 feet above the center of the city. In the morning, you will find the aroma of freshly baked baguettes and star fruit jam emanating from the cafes in Old Town. Your private transfer will greet you at your hotel after an early breakfast and escort you to the airport for your short flight to Luang Prabang.

From the sky, you will have a perfect view of the mountaintops that roll along the horizon and surround the city. The gilded stupas of the 33 temples in Luang Prabang tower above the trees and you will catch them in your eyes as your private transfer will greet you at Luang Prabang Airport upon your arrival and bring you to your luxurious hotel positioned on a terrace that overlooks the lush vegetation of the jungle terrain. The infinity pool will shimmer in the sunlight as a tranquil fountain trickles in the courtyard for a relaxing soundtrack to the comforts of your accommodation. Your guide will meet you in the lobby keen to introduce you to the splendors of the country’s spiritual heart.

Terracotta rooftops and swooping tiles offer a glimpse of traditional architecture beneath the shading trees, masking the unique history of conquest and recapture. To blend the cultural atmosphere with the beauty of the landscape, your guide will lead you to the top of Mount Phousi where a gilded, scaled image of a snake borders the zigzagging steps that lead to the summit. A shrine mid-way up the mountain contains a Buddha nestled into a grotto, which leads to another image of Buddha reclining in the stoic pond amongst the dense vegetation.

Before the sun rises over the mountains, you will find yourself on the central streets of Luang Prabang as locals light incense and kneel along the walkway waiting for the morning procession of monks to begin. The monks of all ages wear saffron robes, which shine radiantly against the dim light of dawn. A bell will ring in slow, melodic rhythms as the monks pass as locals offer rice, cookies, or small alms to the monks, which account for the clerics’ single meal of the day.

The sun returns over the surrounding mountaintops bringing light over the ethereal ambiance of the city. After breakfast, your guide will lead you into the countryside to discover the stunning cascade of Kuang Si Waterfall. The dense vegetation hides the falls from view, and you can hear the soft sound of rushing water echoing through the trees. The forest opens to a view of the lower falls where bright turquoise water trundles over the wide limestone ledge.

The path will lead you farther up the hill to a swimming lagoon and a thick, sturdy vine dangles from the trees from which you can swing before splashing down in the welcoming waters. The sound of rushing water turns thunderous as you reach the upper falls and the iridescent turquoise sheen of the water will grow stronger as the whitewater of the waterfall tumbles over a series of protruding boulders along the cliff. A gentle mist will spread from the base of the falls, and the water is cold on your skin as you dip your fingers into the lagoon.

In the morning, the aroma of tamarind returns to the streets of Luang Prabang, and at breakfast, you will find the citrus scent of lime accompanying the subtly sweet flavor of lychee. After your meal, the day is yours to enjoy the splendor in and around Luang Prabang. You could visit the Asiatic Black Bear at the rescue center or learn about the traditional farming techniques at an organic farm outside of the city. For an unforgettable excursion outside of the city, you can head to the Elephant Village, which was established in the early 1990s to help protect and rehabilitate the elephants of Laos. Rehabilitated elephants carry a grace and charm amidst their grand stature as fully-grown males reach a height of nearly nine feet tall.

The elephants uproot small trees and mark their path between the village and the river. You can climb aboard for a ride and find a place to sit along their sturdy neck. The elephant will feel bristly against your legs as you amble through the forest until reaching the water. Tip forward as the elephant slowly splashes into the river, sucking up water into its trunk. The elephant will begin to bath and clearly relish the refreshing cool temperature of the river. Sitting atop the huge animal as it splashes will be incredibly memorable, and the smile on your face will be impossible to stop.

In the morning, you will savor the retellings of the stories shared during the Garavek show, which explains the legends upon which Luang Prabang was built. A musician playing the traditional khene, which is made of bamboo with two rows of bamboo reeds, accompanies the storyteller as the tales of how the city shape the spiritual ambiance of the temples, landscape, and rivers. You will then make your way to the shores of the Mekong to board a luxury boat bound for the northern village of Pakbeng. The boat will offer spectacular views of the karsts, cliffs, and passing forests as you pass villages in which people make mulberry paper and weave baskets and carve elegant reliefs that depict daily life in Laos.

Your boat will dock first at the Pak Ou Caves where the limestone cliffs soar above the riverbanks. The caverns have offered a place of worship to local villages and passersby for more than a millennium, and the cliff reaches a height of 50 feet above the rushing water. A stairway leads to the lower cave, which is filled with thousands of Buddha statues of varying sizes. Some of the statues glow with gilded embellishments while more modest statues are carved out of wood. A prayer altar inside sits beneath the dangling stalactites that resemble a spectacular sparkling chandelier. Before returning to Luang Prabang, you will stop at Ban Xang Hai, a village known for their whiskey production.

Wake up to a stunning view of the Mekong River just outside of your luxury accommodation. The aroma of banana pancakes drifts beneath the scent of frangipani as it blossoms along the hills. The lush jungle canopy textures the mountain ridges before they dive into the rushing water. Long boats and ferries return to the current to travel downstream while restaurants in town serve fresh-baked baguettes and coffee from beans harvested in the highlands of Laos. Travel over the bridge with your guide to reach a traditional village in the morning, and the traditional wooden architecture frames the main unpaved road that leads to Wat Si Bun Yuen.

The wooden roof was built in the early 19th century to protect the icon of Buddha. Murals wrap around the ceremonial hall that depicts lessons and legends of the great teacher that have been passed down through the generations. Continue to the village of Ban Bi Mi for insight into the traditional cotton weaving in the countryside, and then wander through the lanes between the wooden homes to find women working at their looms. They will weave the cotton into beautiful and vibrant textiles known for their elaborate, colorful embellishments. The villagers practice a combination of Buddhism and Animism, embodied in the small shrines located around the huts that are dedicated to the spirits of the river and the mountain.

The gorgeous city of Chiang Rai, Thailand touches the border of Laos and Myanmar, nestled into the bends of the Mekong and ridges of the dramatic mountains on the horizon. Rice patties and vegetable fields sweep across the flatlands and floodplains as limestone karsts rise in the west and reach over into eastern Laos. You will find the familiar saffron hues of monks’ robes decorating the street as Chiang Rai is considered the capital of the north, yet it retains a relaxed ambiance amidst the gorgeous landscape. The city was founded during the La-Thai Lanna Kingdom of the 13th century and remained an independent kingdom until the late 18th century.

Your guide will meet you after a delightful breakfast of exotic fruits and fresh coffee, keen to introduce you to the treasures of the city as symbolized in the temple of Phra Kaew. Legend states that lightning hit the stupa in the 15th century to reveal the great emerald Buddha. A replica made of jade now decorates the interior of the temple and is surrounded by lush gardens and bamboo strands. After viewing the glistening treasure of northern Thailand, your guide will escort you to the fabulous panorama of the Golden Triangle, the meeting point between Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar along the confluence of the Mekong and Ruak Rivers.  A stunning gilded Buddha statue reflects the name of the Golden Triangle and glistens in the sunlight atop a treasure ship shaped like a serpent.

The aroma of clay emanates from the tranquil doorway of the pottery studio in Doy Din Daeng as the morning rises. Adobe huts house artists working in private galleries to craft decorative pieces and the scent of rich coffee drifts through the store of Doi Chang, named after the mountain on which Thailand’s top-quality Arabica coffee beans are cultivated. The ornate reliefs in Wat Klang Wiang shine at the heart of the city’s traditional religious houses with customary Lanna architectural style while gilded filigree contrasts with the crimson façade as the elephant regalia guards the octagonal base on all sides. Your private transfer will greet you at your hotel when you are ready, and escort you to Chiang Rai International Airport for your flight home.