Hall Of Opium

[gerry1011]

It took me a few years to go, but finally I decided to visit the Hall of Opium, near Chiangsaen yesterday.

My opinion: Great Great Great !!!

To be honest, I didn't expect it to be that good

There is a lot to learn, it has been extremelly well done, the ambiance inside it perfect... I am really impressed.

In the past I heard few negative comments about the Hall of Opium, reason why it took me so long to go to see by myself.

But maybe my good impression comes from the fact that... I was completely alone in the Hall for more than three hours, enjoying it by myslef and being able to look at and read everything.

I do suggest to everyone to go there in the low season and during weekdays to avoid the tourist busses.

Oh yes, I don't have a thai driving licence, so I paid the full fare: 300baht.

But to me, it is worth more than that.

In other words: I loved it. Did you?

[ray23]

It took me a few years to go, but finally I decided to visit the Hall of Opium, near Chiangsaen yesterday.

My opinion: Great Great Great !!!

To be honest, I didn't expect it to be that good 

There is a lot to learn, it has been extremelly well done, the ambiance inside it perfect... I am really impressed.

In the past I heard few negative comments about the Hall of Opium, reason why it took me so long to go to see by myself.

But maybe my good impression comes from the fact that... I was completely alone in the Hall for more than three hours, enjoying it by myslef and being able to look at and read everything.

I do suggest to everyone to go there in the low season and during weekdays to avoid the tourist busses.

Oh yes, I don't have a thai driving licence, so I paid the full fare: 300baht.

But to me, it is worth more than that.

In other words: I loved it. Did you?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So how do I find this palce the wife tells me we are visiting relatives next month in the Chaing Ria area. I have a Thai drivers license and it has never saved me one baht in admission to anything LOL

[gerry1011]

It took me a few years to go, but finally I decided to visit the Hall of Opium, near Chiangsaen yesterday.

My opinion: Great Great Great !!!

To be honest, I didn't expect it to be that good 

There is a lot to learn, it has been extremelly well done, the ambiance inside it perfect... I am really impressed.

In the past I heard few negative comments about the Hall of Opium, reason why it took me so long to go to see by myself.

But maybe my good impression comes from the fact that... I was completely alone in the Hall for more than three hours, enjoying it by myslef and being able to look at and read everything.

I do suggest to everyone to go there in the low season and during weekdays to avoid the tourist busses.

Oh yes, I don't have a thai driving licence, so I paid the full fare: 300baht.

But to me, it is worth more than that.

In other words: I loved it. Did you?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So how do I find this palce the wife tells me we are visiting relatives next month in the Chaing Ria area. I have a Thai drivers license and it has never saved me one baht in admission to anything LOL

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, maybe the girl at the reception wanted to be nice with me because I spoke thai with her, that's why she asked me about a thai driving licence.

But that was not the point of my post. It's about the Hall of Opium, not the entrance fee...

[chuchok]

Do you get to sample?

[ray23]

It took me a few years to go, but finally I decided to visit the Hall of Opium, near Chiangsaen yesterday.

My opinion: Great Great Great !!!

To be honest, I didn't expect it to be that good 

There is a lot to learn, it has been extremelly well done, the ambiance inside it perfect... I am really impressed.

In the past I heard few negative comments about the Hall of Opium, reason why it took me so long to go to see by myself.

But maybe my good impression comes from the fact that... I was completely alone in the Hall for more than three hours, enjoying it by myslef and being able to look at and read everything.

I do suggest to everyone to go there in the low season and during weekdays to avoid the tourist busses.

Oh yes, I don't have a thai driving licence, so I paid the full fare: 300baht.

But to me, it is worth more than that.

In other words: I loved it. Did you?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So how do I find this palce the wife tells me we are visiting relatives next month in the Chaing Ria area. I have a Thai drivers license and it has never saved me one baht in admission to anything LOL

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, maybe the girl at the reception wanted to be nice with me because I spoke thai with her, that's why she asked me about a thai driving licence.

But that was not the point of my post. It's about the Hall of Opium, not the entrance fee...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well to be honest I'm not to worried about the entrance fee, but it look like we have a trip there next month in the works and I would like to see the museuam never heard of it before. Where is it?

[n7zrd]

I'll second that! Hall of Opium is magnificant!!!!

It is located 2K North from the city of Chiang Saen. Across the road from Anantara Resort & Spa (Baan Boran). Route #? on the way to Mae Sai, via the Mekong route.

A well put together place. Just wonder if it should be in a more frequented location, get better use out of it?

ohh and for those visiting please close your eyes as you pass through the golden triangle, unfortunantly the 'tourist trap' has gone a bit overboard on decorating. but lovely folks there

[gerry1011]

Yes, it is true that soon the beautiful nature around the Golden Triangle will be gone, replaced by ugly tourist shops. Very pity. But logical evolution, unfortunately.

But, on the other side, it will certainly bring more people to the Hall of Opium.

An interesting thing I learned there was that the TEA trade was at the origin of the addiction of millions of people to opium in China and later the rest of Asia.

The British needed money for the tea exports to Europe, and therefore obliged Asian port to accept opium imports into their country, through unbalanced free trade agreements.

[Limbo]

The Hall of Opium was set up with more than 450 million Baht foreign aid from Japan.

The idea behind it was that it could be a money-maker for the Doi Tung Foundation.

The Doi Tung Foundation, under the inspiring leadership of MR Panadda Diskul (Khun Chai) has the task to eradicate opium cultivation in the North by offering alternatives to the local population.

This remarcable and unsurpassable Khun Chai is also active in Burma and Afganistan.

An American expat made 'the book' for the exhibition and a Bangkok design studio did the rest.

As Gerry wrote: It is very impressing if you visit the exhibition for the first time.

The second time you will notice that everything still is exactly the same and the surprise is gone. And with the surprise a lot of its attraction.

With other words it is perfect for tourists visiting the area. One time is enough for them.

And they will have a great time. The Hall of Opium offers a great show!

So why are so few tourists visiting the Hall of Opium?

Mainly because the Hall of Opium is not of interest to the Thai touristguides (the one's licensed by the Tourist Authority of Thailand, also called TAT) who man the tourist busses. And they decide where these busses stop!

The TAT guides decide what tourists see of northern Thailand, decide where they eat, decide where they buy souvenirs, decide where they will have a massage aso aso aso.

Of the total expenditure of tourists travelling in groups (package tours), as an insider tells me, between 25 and 40 procent lands in the pockets of the TAT tourist guides. So it might be possible that the guides look less to quality than to their own financial gain when they pick a tourist attraction.

Sometimes they even collect more than the percentage mentioned. Wellknown is the example of a tourist operator, also visiting Chiang Rai with his clients. The last evening a goodbye dinner is organized. It coasts 'only' 380 Baht for the participants of the group.

For you and me, entering the same place it would cost 180 Baht.

Let's say 30 tourists, that means 6000 Baht profit on only one dinner for the guide.

It is clear that this practice is very bad for the Thai tourism industry in general, of course for the tourists themselves and for the local TAT guides who all have my sympathy.

I am very happy to hear that the TAT and the Tourist Police in some other area's of the country start to have a look at this problem (last week some of these TAT guides were questioned by police).

Maybe also in Chiang Rai one day some action might be taken.

Fifteen years ago, when you asked young kids what they wanted to become when they grew up, the answer was doctor or teacher.

Nowadays the answer is tourist guide (source Bangkok Post).

Guess why?

It looks quite strange to me that a local TAT guide works hard for 1000 to 1500 Baht and the Bangkok boys of the same guild make 30.000 a day in our province.

The Hall of Opium pays a high price for its integrity. Chapeau!

Limbo.

[zzap]

Any mention of recent Thai history there, i.e. Air America, Khun San and the Thai generals role in this export trade up to 2006?

[Limbo]

Any mention of recent Thai history there, i.e. Air America, Khun San and the Thai generals role in this export trade up to 2006?

Dear Mr. Zapp,

Please excuse me for principally not visiting places where foreigners have to pay a bigger entrance fee than Thai people. Otherwise I would say that I would pay extra attention to it at my next visit.

Last time I was there four Thai people were visiting, who arrived in a BMW (700 series).

They paid each hundred Baht less than a small group of average foreign visitors.

The only thing I remember was a movie of CIA people catching a suspect somewhere in America.

Very spectacular, like an average Starsky and Hutch episode.

The fact that the CIA sided with the Chinese Kuomintang in Doi Mae Sa Long and supported them to monopolize the trade in this area by helping them to fight Khun Sa in Hin Taek I don't remember to have seen in the presentation. Also not that they repaid for this assistance by executing raids in Communist China.

Anyhow, as far as I heard Khun Sa was tipped by military sources before the Thai army (with American support) attacked him at Hin Taek (1978?).

The shooting went on for three days, mainly to get rid of the ammo and make it look like a real attack. The troops of Khun Sa left already. Two people were however wounded.

One of them stepped on a cat and made a bad fall.

Limbo

[richard10365]

I thought the whole thing was a tourist trap. High prices. The entry for a Thai citizen is higher than their wages for a single day.

I walked up and saw the 300 baht price and turned around. For that price I can get a 2 hour Thai massage and leave a 100 baht tip.

It is comparable to the Long Neck villages in the north of Thailand.

There is a certian atmosphere when visiting villages in the north of Thailand. The Golden Triangle was more of an amusement park without the rides than a northern destination.

I was totally disappointed.

[Johpa]

Yes, it is true that soon the beautiful nature around the Golden Triangle will be gone, replaced by ugly tourist shops. Very pity. But logical evolution, unfortunately.

Uh, I think you are a few years behind the times as your evolution took place quite awhile ago.

I thought the whole thing was a tourist trap. High prices. The entry for a Thai citizen is higher than their wages for a single day.

I walked up and saw the 300 baht price and turned around. For that price I can get a 2 hour Thai massage and leave a 100 baht tip.

For 300 baat I can still spend a night in a number of rather isolated villages along the Chiang Mai/Chiang Hai border directly experiencing what this museum purports to show: bamboo floor, bamboo pipe, candle, small wooden pillow and away we go to "bite the clouds" and deal with the constipation in the morrow.

[Limbo]

For 300 baat I can still spend a night in a number of rather isolated villages along the Chiang Mai/Chiang Hai border directly experiencing what this museum purports to show: bamboo floor, bamboo pipe, candle, small wooden pillow and away we go to "bite the clouds" and deal with the constipation in the morrow.

Sigmund Freud would have loved your description and so do I

Limbo

By the way: Don't mix up the big Hall of Opium thing with the Opium Museum of Ban Sobrak.

The last one is based on a collection of artifacts and is not an exhibition of a certain vision on moral, which the Hall of Opium pretends to be.

However, if you like an interpretation of reality in the style of Walt Disney, the Hall of Opium is the place to go!

[zzap]

Opium Museum of Ban Sobrak - now this sounds interesting. Whereabouts is it located?

[kayo]

It took me a few years to go, but finally I decided to visit the Hall of Opium, near Chiangsaen yesterday.

My opinion: Great Great Great !!!

To be honest, I didn't expect it to be that good

There is a lot to learn, it has .......*SNIP for brevity* , so I paid the full fare: 300baht.

But to me, it is worth more than that.

In other words: I loved it. Did you?

Hi gerry.

I went back in 2000. I can't remember what I paid, but i was poor, so I think it wasn't more than 30 or 50 baht at the time. Immensly enjoyable and educational visit. I enjoyed hugely too!

edit... I[m not sure of the difference mentioned above.. The place I went to was the one a couple of k's out of CHiang Saen, and has the big hill behind where you can stand and look into two other countries across the Maekong.

Edited March 3, 2006 by kayo

[Limbo]

It took me a few years to go, but finally I decided to visit the Hall of Opium, near Chiangsaen yesterday.

My opinion: Great Great Great !!!

To be honest, I didn't expect it to be that good

There is a lot to learn, it has .......*SNIP for brevity* , so I paid the full fare: 300baht.

But to me, it is worth more than that.

In other words: I loved it. Did you?

Hi gerry.

I went back in 2000. I can't remember what I paid, but i was poor, so I think it wasn't more than 30 or 50 baht at the time. Immensly enjoyable and educational visit. I enjoyed hugely too!

edit... I[m not sure of the difference mentioned above.. The place I went to was the one a couple of k's out of CHiang Saen, and has the big hill behind where you can stand and look into two other countries across the Maekong.

Thanks Kayo for mentioning my favourite little museum in Ban Sobrak (Zapp, this is the one I meant!). And yes, Ban Sobrak is the original name of the small village at the Golden Triangle, which now changed into a kitchy tourist attraction. At the road, after 12 kms, from Chiang Saen to Mae Sai.

The sympatic lady who collected all the items is a teacher. She set it up all by herself. She started more than twenty years ago, when this place hardly existed.

Recently she enlarged it with an exhibition about tea and tobacco.

Also a fantastic photo exhibition about the Longneck people is part of the presentation.

And about fishing plabuk.

When I pass through Ban Sobrak (the Golden Triangle has become 'a must') with guests, I always visit this one. A nice place to have a coffee as well, a good bookshop and high quality souvenirs.

The entrance fee is still 30 Baht!

I don't visit the Walt Disney version because I don't want to disturb Gerry1011 who enjoys being the only visitor of this 'Hall of Opium'.

Limbo

[kayo]

cool.. that sounds likethe place I went to, and yeah it was cheap entry (and by your account, 6 years later still is the same -How cool and rare is that?)

ban Sobrak. I´ll remember that name now.

[Thaising]

I will never visit this place, the entrance fee is a rip off.

[Ulysses G.]

Way back when, the Opium museum in Chiang Mai used to sell samples at the end of the tour!

Edited March 4, 2006 by Ulysses G.