Please critique Chiang Rai itinerary
 

We're touring for 2 days with Waow, thanks to recommendations on this board! Anyway, we will be in CR week after next, so I'm trying to finalize our days to maximize out time. Here is what Waow suggested based on what we'd like to see--any suggestions/opinions of whether it looks good, if we should add/cut/change anything would be greatly appreciated!

Day 1,
After breakfast, we can take the long tail boat from hotel to karen village for elephant ride.( In Chiangrai they have no raft or bamboo raft it is only in chiangmai ) van go and pick-up us from karen village. Drive up to maesalong mountain to visit tea
plantation and have the tea tester. Lunch in the local chines restaurant (Yunnan food )
After lunch drive further to Ahka village, Padoung (long neck village) Then drive back to chiangrai on the make other two stop at yao village and Maechan hot
spring,

Day 2.
Visit Doi tung,hall of opium,golden triangle,take the longtail boat along Maekhong river to Don sao island in Laos, but if you like to step you feet on three country in one day, after doi tung, we can go to mae sai (Thai and myanmar border) Cross the border to
tachilek. You can do the visa at Maesai border, only take your passport and pay 10 dollar in Myanmar. Then go to chiangsean
the old capital of northern Thailand. And back to the hotel.

Most of your itinerary sounds good. However, the quick visits to Laos and Myanmar are pretty much a waste of time. The border is very touristy and not very inetesting when done quickly.

i think it looks good also...what gpanda says is correct...

its the opium museum directly across from the anantara hotel that you must visit, not the other smaller one...

Thank y'all very much! Rhhkkmk--I will definitely make sure we go to the right Opium Hall! One other question--if we cut out Don Sao in order to spend more time in Tachilek, would that stop then be more worthwhile?

Personally I find the trips to Laos and Burma to be complete waste of time. Much more interesting would be to drive to Doi Mae Salong and spend the day there. The Laos/Burma trips are like going to Disneyland -- completely created for tourists--you see nothing of the country or its people.

personally i would not go to either as gloria says...
the other places that day will take up a full day imo....doi tung takes quite a while to do if you see the whole place including the house...

I spent virtually a full day at Doi Tung between the gardens, the projects etc. It was great.