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Golden Age, Golden Triangle renamed the country Thailand. They govern
via a constitutional monarchy established in
a bloodless coup in 1932.
As we traveled, Thailand’s long history
came into focus. Originally settled by Tai In the 1940s and ‘50s, Thailand became
people who migrated over several centuries notorious for opium and heroin production
from China, the area was divided into king- and trafficking, largely centered in the
doms, influenced by the powerful Khmer northern region known as the Golden Trian-
Empire centered in what is now Cambodia. gle. This impoverished mountainous area,
Eventually, the strong Ayutthaya Kingdom where the borders of Thailand, Cambodia,
rose to dominance in the 13th century, ex- and Laos meet, prospered as demand for
panding the country, known as Siam, into the drugs exploded around the world. In
Cambodia, Laos, and Burma and fostering a 1958, Thailand’s government banned the cul-
Golden Age in trade, wealth, influence, and tivation of opium poppies, but reducing the
culture. growing fields proved slow and difficult. To-
Efforts at colonization over the ensuing day, many former poppy fields flourish with
years by European powers failed, but skir- new cash crops like coffee, tea, and fruit.
mishes persisted with the Burmese. Their We learned more about this scourge in a
armies finally overran the country in 1767, visit to the House of Opium Museum when
only to be routed a few years later by the our tour brought us to the Golden Triangle,
rise of the Chakri dynasty that still rules to- north of Chiang Rai. Dioramas, photos, and
day. These kings, starting with Rama I, other exhibits in this small building traced
moved the capital to Bangkok and officially drug production from poppy fields to refin-
48 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SUMMER 2025
