|
The Racha, Racha Yai, Thailand The Oriental Bangkok, Thailand Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, CA The Peninsula Bangkok, Thailand Hotel
Madera Washington, DC The
Melrose Hotel Two
Bunch Palms Chitwa
Chitwa Game Lodge, Sabi Sand, South Africa Ananda-in
the
La
Maison Arabe
|
Anantara
Golden Triangle Dusk. Elephants return to the jungle from their day’s trekking. The Golden Triangle slips from dreamy day into eerie Mekong night. I select my dusk-viewing spot with due diligence. From the hot tub, I can only see Thailand, Burma and Laos. But, from the far edge of the swimming pool, just before the water spills over into infinity, the Mekong itself comes into the view. There, submerged in the pool’s cool, I take in the longtail boats as they catch the day’s last light. Clicks and cricks of the night insects replace the daytime drones. White egrets, singly or in pairs, retreat inland, stark against the jungle’s deepening greens. A lamplighter’s wooden pole taps each torch’s brass bowl, ringing them like temple bells as they flame to life. A silk-saronged woman begins to play a Thai dulcimer (Khim) and Anantara’s night begins.
On the balcony, a gossamer mosquito net falls over a pillowed couch. A dreamy place to linger—and imagine riding Yom, my elephant, through the three countries I scan from my lair. Town. Just down the Mekong is Chiang Saen. This ancient, walled Lanna capital is now a peaceful river town where ruins of temples and wats casually sit by the drugstore. Longtail boats ply the river and venders offer dried peaches or apples floated right down the Mekong from China. There are pick-and-point food stalls—fresh shrimp, Mekong catfish, mango and lots of peppers—where cooked-to-order meals are dished up at the river’s edge. Across the road from Anantara’s entrance, The Hall of Opium is both a poignant museum and a work of art. It tells the story of Triangle’s (and the world’s) death dance with the poppy. Fortunately, aggressive eradication policies have run the opium warlords, if not entirely out of business, out of the area. An hour’s ride over to the Princess Mother’s Gardens and Doi Tung Development Project explains another part of the story. Thousands of acres have been reforested, replanted and restored to productive human use. It’s as inspiring as the Princess Mother’s gardens are charming. Return. Wherever I roam—and that's usually just down to the elephant camp—I’m sure to be back in the pool by dusk-viewing hour to cap another rich Anantara day.
Kate Crawford June 2006 LINKS WITH ATTITUDE Anantara
Golden Triangle on the web. |
|
Previous
Article |Home
| Next Article |
|
| Home to Ciao! | The Suite Life | Extraordinary | Memorable Menus | Index | |
Copyright © 2006 Ciao! Travel With Attitude. All rights reserved. |
Making
my way from the pool, I skirt the Opium Terrace—the opiate of choice
here is whiskey—of the lively Elephant Bar to enter the reception
temple. At least that’s the way it feels, complete with soaring roofs,
ancient Lanna carvings and floating lotus flowers. Turning into the
elongated entrance hall—two reflecting pools, tropical gardens, and
ethereal lighting—I run into a dance troop. Bevies of beautiful,
giggling "Lady Boys" are a Thai favorite, and traditional,
entertainment.
Birds
of Paradise, orchids and palms line the path to my suite—another species
of serenity. It is dark, cool and wide-open all at once. A striking teak
couch—pillowed with fine, locally-woven black, gold and red Thai
textiles—reigns in the living area. A carved-wooden chest hides a media
center that separates the living from the sleeping area. Cloud-puffy
pillows and lovely cool sheets make up the bed beneath a princely
painting. Weathered, wooden slabs painted with a noble Thai warrior hang
on a background of pale, golden silk.
A
two-person terrazzo tub separates the bath from the sleeping area.
Bedecked with orchids, it’s guarded by an elephant shaped from a towel.
The day I arrived, my bath was already drawn—and covered with rose
petals.