We were picked up at our hotel at a respectable 09:00 for a tour of the northernmost regions of Thailand, bordering Laos and Myanmar. First stop was yet another ancient kingdom capital of Chiang Sen. The Lanna kingdom once extended from Chang Mai in Thailand into Burma, as far as Luang Prabang in Laos and all the way into what is now China. This part of Thailand has was only incorporated into Thailand 260 years ago when the Thais won it off Burma. We then visited the "golden triangle" which is the geographical point where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar touch at the confluence of a tributary and the Mekong river. There is an island in the river in Lao territory which the Chinese have leased for 99 years, kicked off all the Lao farmers and built a casino which probably explains the hordes of Chinese at the border crossing yesterday. The Burmese had also built a casino on their land and provide "free" transportation to it from Chang Rai. Casinos are not permitted in Thailand. We also saw similar casino ghettos on the Cambodian Thai border on our last trip. We had an interesting visit to The Opium Museum. We had not realised that opium originated around the Mediterranean a few thousand years ago and was probably introduced to Asia by Alexander the Great. Also, it was the British that traded Chinese tea for Indian opium that caused the opium wars over the addiction of some 15 million Chinese. Later, it was Chinese expulsion of hill tribes in southern China which had resulted in all the hill tribes, who were the main opium growers, moving south to adjoining countries. Next we visited the border town of Maesai which is at a crossing point into Myanmar. It seemed that there was a very healthy commerce going on judging by the vehicles at the border point. We visited a jade "factory" but there was not a lot going on apparently because of the economic turn down in Europe? Anyway, C bought a nice jade bead necklace. Next we visited a hill tribe village - definitely our last! This was an Akha village, but apart from one old granny in full costume who came out smiling with a mouthfull of black teeth from chewing betel nut everyone else was getting around in "normal" clothes. We asked our guide if it was OK to take a picture which we did then the granny immediately asked for money - so much for friendship and hospitality. We are not naive and it was not unexpected but distasteful nevertheless. We then strolled around a few mangy bamboo huts and were shadowed by a little girl with a very snotty nose insistently trying to sell some bead bracelets. Hill tribe tourism is doomed. In a few years none of them will be wearing traditional costume and they do not seem to have the wherewithal to set up a decent sustainable business model for the future. By all means, charge an admission fee and "Disneyfy" the village (or part of it). The present system of "Come and look at us living in squalor and we will drive you mad whinging and pleading with you to buy ****** souvenirs" is sickening. I even deleted the photo of the old granny! We called off the visit to a second hill tribe village and headed for Chang Rai. The hotel was quite nice but as evening approached it became apparent that it is the mosquito capital of Thailand. We had to leave our room and ask for it to be sprayed whilst we had a drink in the open air lobby where we were set upon by clouds of mozzies. Having consumed an overpriced beer and lime juice we retreated to our now fragrantly insecticided room to await the dinner hour. On our drive through Chang Rai we asked our driver what there was to see in town and even he said there was nothing in the city except a statue of an old king and a musical clock tower with lots of gold bling adornment, as well as numerous "wats" of course. Glad we only have the one night here!