PreTrip TR: Golden Triangle

Next week is our first extended vacation: a five day weekend. SWMBO and
I decided to splurge a bit and fly to Northern Thailand for the
weekend. Were in the process of booking a rather extravagant spa in the
Golden Triangle region, for the ungodly price of $500....including
airfare from Hong Kong and 3 nights in a 5-star resort right on the
Mekhong!We sure aint in Congo anymore g) I'll bring my travel rod and
a range of wets and dries, and see if I can get into any fish while
there. Stay tuned.

If anyone has been in that region (Duc du Choc, RW, others?) and has
any insights, pass it along.

--riverman

Myron,

I've gotten loads of info on New Zeeland from, among others, Vaughan.
Tried to see if you were on Skype anything, but you were probably busy.
Anyway, I'll send you an email later.

/Roger

Oh thanks, /Roger...hijack my thread before its even been BORN! g

--riverman
(looking forward to your email. I have a great travel agent who is
already looking at airfares, and SWMBO is packing already)

"riverman" wrote in message
oups.com...
Next week is our first extended vacation: a five day weekend. SWMBO and
I decided to splurge a bit and fly to Northern Thailand for the
weekend. Were in the process of booking a rather extravagant spa in the
Golden Triangle region, for the ungodly price of $500....
(snip)
If anyone has been in that region (Duc du Choc, RW, others?) and has
any insights, pass it along.
--riverman

Hello r,
I've been to Northern Thailand 6 times since 1994. Consulting to a fly
manufacturer. Last trip was Fall 1998. Chiang Mai was the location. Heh .
.. .heh . . .many thousands of flies available . . .I didn't fish once.
Of places in Thailand Chaing Mai would be my first choice, but you already
have plans.
In your area of the "Golden Triangle" I've been to Mae Sai (which is your
entry to Myanmar, formerly Burma) Rules changed a lot back then when I
traveled in the area. Sometimes tourists could cross the border and
sometimes not. Only time I crossed I had to give up my passport. They
keep it on the Thailand side, and give you a photo copy. You pay a small
fee to cross. . . walking. If you have a "red" colored passport it may be
different.
Don't know where you will be located, but I've been to the above city plus
Chiang Saen, Chian Khong, and maybe Wiang Kaen.
You have some rich and many poor in Thailand.
Fishing I saw was basically folks walking through streams with nets. ( but
the kids in Chiang Mai seemed to have fun with sticks and bobbers catching
something about 3 inches long that resembled something slightly like a
bluegill.)
Other stuff:
- I only drank bottled water in Thailand. . . and brushed my teeth with
bottled water.
- Be prepared for many temples.
- I only mostly ate cooked food. Fruit was washed.
- I had a Thai with me all the time I left Chiang Mai.
- The Golden Triangle is noted for certain substances . . .my old info is
that it is still around there, and some of the native tribes still use that
business for income. ( while the government is doing steps to get them into
the crafts kind of trade.) You can get in big trouble if you are in the
wrong place . . .but not from the government . . .you just disappear. Be
careful. And these folks don't want to take over a government . . .they are
in business.
- Never saw a flyfishing store in Northern Thailand. Saw casually some
fishing stuff in a couple stores, but not much. . . think nets for kinda
like seining fish . ..and some hooks and bobbers and mono and braided line.
Don't think I ever saw a fly rod . . .uhhm maybe . . . not so much for me
to notice.
- Your trip is going to be so short, just enjoy the tours and the scenery.
- The river is kinda chocolate colored. Any rain comes from a couple
feeders and that is all I have to say about that.
- Unless they have something stocked somewhere you may not be very lucky. .
.. but I have never fished in Thailand. The river is wide enough that if I
would have fished it, I would have focused on the edges. But I have seen
some strange looking fish in that part of the world.
- There are hot spring spas kinda in the Northern area. Popular with
folks.
- Enjoy the trip. Northern Thailand is the place to go, in my humble
opinion, if you are so inclined to head that way. And Chiang Mai would be
the place. Europeans seem to be there a lot . .. at least every time I was
there.
- Bangkok was just a crazy place to me. Gridlock at midnight . . .but I
only arrived about midnight , went through customs, hotel, small amount of
sleep and a flight headed north about 7:00AM. Gridlock at 5:00 AM as well
to get to the airport.
- oh . . .may have changed now . . .but when I flew into Bangkok . . .from
whichever airlines I arrived I had to always fly Thai Air from there, in
Thailand. ( I've heard it might have changed . . .and it didn't matter much
.. . . nice folks . . . but apparently they don't fly at night after a
certain time . . . I always had to get a hotel)


DaveMohnsen
Denver

Thanks for the insights, Dave. So you suggest I leave the travel rod at
home, eh? Shame: there's no freshwater fishing here in HK, and I was
looking forward to casting some lines, even for smaller coarse fish.

We're staying up north of Chiang Rai. We have one night in
Bangkok...makes a hard man humble, I hear.

--riverman

Better take a 10 wt. I am sure you will have to throw some big flys
when the Giant Mekong catfish starting rising. Probably need lots of
backing to land a 600 pounder.

BJ Conner wrote:
Better take a 10 wt. I am sure you will have to throw some big flys
when the Giant Mekong catfish starting rising. Probably need lots of
backing to land a 600 pounder.


Wow, can you imagine the swirlie a 600 pounder makes?!

--riverman

I would take at least a nine weight. You may come upon a good hatech of
something or other and rising Mekong giant catfish.
"riverman" wrote in message
oups.com...
Next week is our first extended vacation: a five day weekend. SWMBO and
I decided to splurge a bit and fly to Northern Thailand for the
weekend. Were in the process of booking a rather extravagant spa in the
Golden Triangle region, for the ungodly price of $500....including
airfare from Hong Kong and 3 nights in a 5-star resort right on the
Mekhong!We sure aint in Congo anymore g) I'll bring my travel rod and
a range of wets and dries, and see if I can get into any fish while
there. Stay tuned.

If anyone has been in that region (Duc du Choc, RW, others?) and has
any insights, pass it along.

--riverman

"riverman" wrote in message
oups.com...

If anyone has been in that region (Duc du Choc, RW, others?) and has
any insights, pass it along.


If the plane is an ancient Connie, don't get on. Same drill if its an
Electra.

Dave
Was that "AA" = American Airlines or "AA" = Air America" ?

Heh heh, thanks Dave. Its actually Thai Airways.

--riverman