Our World

The rains here in the north of Thailand have finally abated so it seemed like a good time for a road trip to the far north of the country. It has only been about six months since we last went north but we were to find a great deal of change in that short period of time.

Chiang Rai located about 180 kms (110 miles) from Chiang Mai has always been the far less developed of the two cities. On our last trip we noticed that a new shopping mall was being constructed which would certainly be a big move for that area. What we found now is the Central Plaza Mall which completely amazed us. Here in what was a quaint somewhat backward region of the country there is now a shopping mall that in almost every way is the equal of any we’ve seen in Thailand.The mall is far better than those in Chiang Mai and signals the rapid change that is taking place here in Thailand. There is substantial wealth here and it is being used to rapidly alter the lifestyle of the Thai. Everyone is entitled to a better life but it must be recognized that life here will never be the same.

Continuing on from Chiang Rai there were additional signs of change which could be distilled to one word -CHINA. Development in Asia’s giant keeps exploding at a rate of 10% growth each year. While Europe and the USA struggle to keep their economies growing China has realized they can only sustain their expansion by finding additional markets for their goods, raw materials to feed their factories and food for the world’s largest population. Southeast Asia has been their target to sustain this growth and China has been driving development in this area. Dams, bridges, high speed railways are part of this effort, but most evident in the north of Thailand is the highway development.

Driving from Chiang Rai to the border region where Burma, Laos and Thailand meet along the Mekong River [the Golden Triangle], used to be an adventure into part of the world where most of the world’s opium was grown. The governments of the three countries had very little control over this region instead deferring to the USA’s CIA and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to constrain the flow of drugs. Those efforts and that of the King of Thailand to encourage cultivation of coffee and other crops had a positive effect. Small farmers began to prosper and the region was safe and fascinating to visit.

However the Mekong River runs from southwest China and until the high speed railways are completed through Southeast Asia to Singapore the river is the highway for materials and goods. The small river port of Chiang Saen, site of a fascinating number of ancient temples and buildings, now finds itself the gateway for China’s trade. The twisting narrow roads that went to the north and south weaving around the small farms and villages now have been transformed into four lane highways that will carry the huge tandem trucks moving the Mekong River commerce back and forth to China. The rural Thai lifestyle may persist for a short time but most will miss that as they whiz along the new superhighway. There is another dramatic change in this region that will be covered in the next report.