Chiang Khong - Mae Sai - Doi Tung - Return
An overnight getaway to hook up with Franz from Chiang Dao, plus ride R1149 once more.
A leisurely return trip of 289 km from Chiang Khong.
Chiang Khong to Mae Sai- via the GT = 109 kms.
The return from Mae Sai via Mae Chan & R1149 Doi Tung.
Departure from CK was 2pm.
First stop was Paradise Road for a quick photo op of the Khong and clean air.
maps.app.goo.gl
The next stop along the way to Mae Sai was to be brunch at The Flow.
The Flow is a regular GTR favourite for an English breakfast and a sensational almond raspberry croissant.
But no luck today. No sausage & no almond raspberry croissant.
Disappointed I was, but well understood it is low low season right now, so I settled for a cappuccino and a chocolate croissant.
5 mins after my quick noche up at the Flow, I was admiring the two-coloured rivers of the Golden Triangle from Wat Phrathat Doi Wai, overlooking the GT.
The polluted, poisoned waters of the Sai - Roak River from Mae Sai have become a serious concern the last few months, with arsenic and cyanide being washed down the river from alluvial open-cut gold mining in Wa State, Myanmar, on the headwaters of the river.
It's a very sad, disturbing sight to see, and the solution is going to be a tough one to negotiate.
See: ชมคลิปเหมืองทองต้นน้ำกก-ผลตรวจตอกย้ำพบสารหนูเกินมาตรฐานในแม่น้ำกกตั้งแต่ อ.แม่อาย-เมืองเชียงราย เผยสารโลหะหนักยิ่งเข้มช่วงไหลข้ามแดนจากพม่าเข้าไทย กมธ.ความมั่นฯลงพื้นที่
An overnight getaway to hook up with Franz from Chiang Dao, plus ride R1149 once more.
A leisurely return trip of 289 km from Chiang Khong.
Chiang Khong to Mae Sai- via the GT = 109 kms.
The return from Mae Sai via Mae Chan & R1149 Doi Tung.
Departure from CK was 2pm.
First stop was Paradise Road for a quick photo op of the Khong and clean air.
Route 1290 Paradise Road · 89X8+H5G, Rim Khong, Chiang Khong District, Chiang Rai 57140, Thailand
★★★★★ · Tourist attraction
maps.app.goo.gl
The next stop along the way to Mae Sai was to be brunch at The Flow.
The Flow is a regular GTR favourite for an English breakfast and a sensational almond raspberry croissant.
But no luck today. No sausage & no almond raspberry croissant.
Disappointed I was, but well understood it is low low season right now, so I settled for a cappuccino and a chocolate croissant.
5 mins after my quick noche up at the Flow, I was admiring the two-coloured rivers of the Golden Triangle from Wat Phrathat Doi Wai, overlooking the GT.
The polluted, poisoned waters of the Sai - Roak River from Mae Sai have become a serious concern the last few months, with arsenic and cyanide being washed down the river from alluvial open-cut gold mining in Wa State, Myanmar, on the headwaters of the river.
The Chiang Rai provincial administration has launched a publicity campaign, urging people in the province to avoid using water from the Kok and Sai rivers due to arsenic contamination from unregulated gold mining in Shan state of Myanmar.
Meanwhile, a non-governmental environmental advocacy organisation, the Ecological Alert and Recovery Thailand, has called on the government to hold urgent talks with Myanmar about regulating the mining activities by Chinese investors, warning that Chiang Rai could become the biggest waste land in the country.
Chiang Rai governor Charin Thongsuk said that tests of water samples taken from Chiang Saen district, where the Sai River converges with the Mekong River, show a high arsenic content of 0.19mg/litre, which is above the standard level.
He said that the test results are a clear indication that the arsenic in the water does not dissolve, despite the long distance from the location of the mining activities.
He assured, however, that tap water in Mae Sai district is safe for consumption, even though the source of the raw water is the Sai River.
Fishermen in the province have expressed serious concerns over their future, as consumers have stopped buying fish caught in the Sai and Kok rivers.
Suraphol Worapatthratorn from the Natural Disaster Research and Forecast Institute at Mae Fah Luang University, suggested that tests for arsenic contamination should also be conducted on farm products, to determine whether they are contaminated or safe for consumption.
Penchome Sae Tang, director of Ecological Alert and Recovery Thailand, noted that the contamination of the Sai and Kok rivers by the gold mines could only be resolved at the source of the problem, which is in Myanmar, as she urged the Thai government to hold talks with its neighbour to address the problem.
She said that China, too, should be involved in the talks, as all the mining companies are Chinese owned and most of their operations have been banned by the Chinese government, forcing them to relocate to Shan state, which is controlled by the Myanmar government and ethnic armed groups.
She disclosed that there are about ten gold mines in Shan state and all of them are open-pit mines, which do not have ore dressing facilities.
She suggested that the Thai government must be fully prepared to hold talks with Myanmar, which means having adequate information from relevant agencies regarding damage to the economy and the health risks associated with arsenic contamination.
Rehabilitation is very costly, said Penchome, citing the case of KIitty mine in Kanchanaburi province, adding that the Pollution Control Department has spent more than 600 million baht to clean up the KIitty stream, which is small compared to the Sai and Kok rivers.
People in Chiang Rai urged not to use water Kok or Sai river
The Chiang Rai provincial administration has launched a publicity campaign, urging people in the province to avoid using water from the Kok and Sai rivers due tworld.thaipbs.or.th
It's a very sad, disturbing sight to see, and the solution is going to be a tough one to negotiate.
See: ชมคลิปเหมืองทองต้นน้ำกก-ผลตรวจตอกย้ำพบสารหนูเกินมาตรฐานในแม่น้ำกกตั้งแต่ อ.แม่อาย-เมืองเชียงราย เผยสารโลหะหนักยิ่งเข้มช่วงไหลข้ามแดนจากพม่าเข้าไทย กมธ.ความมั่นฯลงพื้นที่
