Editorial & Feature Photography 

Golden Triangle 

Rich Kids / Poor Kids

"When ancient and modern cultures meet - who wins and who loses?"

Above - Golden Triangle Gate

at Sop Ruak in Thailand's northernmost province, on the banks of the Mekhong.

It is a mecca for tourists and impoverished ethnic children who beg from the "rich" western visitors.

Above - Their ages are similar, but can this western daughter appreciate how pampered her lifestyle is compared to the colourful hill tribe girls in front of her?  

The clothes the western child is wearing may have cost more than the annual income on any one of the Lisu girls' families farms on the hillsides above the Mekhong River.

Above - A young Lisu girl in stunning handmade traditional dress looks towards a luxury coach unloading western tourists.

Above - The importance of the fee is forgotten by these westerners while viewing instant photos on a digital camera, which alone is worth 10 years of hill tribe farm profits.  

The children wait patiently for payment.

Above - Even in mid-December, the overhead sun is fierce enough to cause sun burn after30 minutes exposure.  

Here, at midday, the Lisu children shelter in the Golden Triangle Gate's shade, while waiting for more tourists to arrive.

Above - After the photos, the fee must be paid.  These children are important income earners for their impoverished families.

Above - The Opium Museum Entrance

North Thailand's famous "Tin sheet pagoda"

The rainy season has cleared the masses of souvenir vendors and tourists from the streets

Sop Ruak

Opium Museum

of

Golden Triangle Cultures

What hope for the future of these young ethnic Akha girls, dressed here in western clothes as they conduct a school project?

Their project involved  interviewing tourists, in English, about the things they'd seen during their holiday in Thailand's northern provinces.

A rainy season tour group rushes for their bus, ignoring the opportunity to buy souvenirs and support the local economy that provides the facilities they visit.

Below - The stalls are set - but the tourists don't browse.

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