It pays to get up early in Thailand. The markets are usually buzzing well before daybreak.

During a recent visit to Chiang Rai in northern Thailand I went to the market at 6 a.m. and it was in full swing.

Vendors had staked out their regular pitch offering fresh vegetables, fish, meat, and breakfast dishes.

Wild duck was also on offer.

Chiang Rai morning market is located between the two clock towers. There’s also a great evening market in the same area where you can buy some fantastic cooked local dishes.

It’s lychee season up north right now and when a truck from a local farm pulled in with a freshly picked crop it caused a buying frenzy. A four kilos for 100 baht, who could resist?

The monks also do their rounds in the market.

Last week I was in Chiang Rai updating a few images, enjoying eating and photographing the local food, and seeing how badly the city was affected by the recent earthquake.

Known as the Gateway to the Golden Triangle, the city of Chiang Rai lies in a fertile valley 180 km north of Chiang Mai. The town has a less commercial feel than Chiang Mai and consequently a more relaxed atmosphere. The town is also an excellent base for treks into the surrounding hills, trips to the border town of Mae Sai, and up to the tea plantations at Doi Mae Salong.

One of the most popular attractions near Chiang Rai is the spectacular Wat Rong Khun, more commonly referred to as The White Temple. I visited on a typically overcast rainy season day which seem well suited to black and white and a grainy finish.

This beautiful temple is the on-going work of the renowned Thai artist, Chalermchai Kositpipat, and skilfully blends traditional Buddhist art with modern concepts. Unfortunately it was damaged in the recent earthquake but repair work is already underway.

The unique building is entirely white and decorated with thousands of pieces of mirrored glass. Inside it contains murals, paintings and Buddha images. Wat Rong Khun is particularly impressive when visited on the night of a full moon.

Despite the damage, the temple is still open to the public, although you cannot actually go inside at the moment.

Wat Rong Khun is located about 15 km outside the city of Chiang Rai.

There couldn’t be a better time to visit the temple. It is free to enter but donations for the repairs will be welcome.

While in Chiang Rai I also visited another famous temple, Wat Phra Singh. More on that later in the week.

I have just returned from a great weekend in Chiang Rai, discovering that despite the recent earthquake all is well in the lovely northern city. In a momentary departure from my usual topics of food and travel images, I went to see the Singha 12 Hour Endurance 2014, a challenging cycling event that attracted competitors from all over Thailand. It was held at Singha Park, just seven kilometres outside of the city and a popular spot for locals to enjoy the countryside, explore the cycle routes at a leisurely pace, and dine at the restaurant.

In recent years, interest in cycling has increased dramatically and the Thai beer brand, Singha, now organises a series of major country-wide cycling events. On Saturday, dozens of sports fans donned Lycra shorts and sculptured headgear, mounted some seriously expensive bikes, and battled it out over rough terrain.

For someone like myself who prefers his bike with an engine, it was exhausting just watching. However, I can see the benefit of slipping a pair of Lycra cycling shorts under jeans on my next off-road motorcycling trip. They are certainly well padded and could save a lot of grief after 12 hours in the saddle!

Singha Park in Chiang Rai is open daily from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. The expansive park includes tea plantations, a farm, the Barn House Cycle Shop where you can hire bikes, and a series of zip lines. You can find out more information here www.boonrawdfarm.com

I’ll post Chiang Rai highlights later in the week and images of the fantastic northern food and markets the city has to offer.

I’ve been traveling almost constantly for weeks. I’m back home for a few days after a great launch parties for Enchanting Myanmar at Monument Books and The Strand in Yangon, followed by two weeks motorcycling around northern Thailand.

While in Chiang Rai I was lucky enough to witness a fascinating spirit ceremony for the wife of a Yao man killed in a tragic road accident. The ceremony to lay his spirit to rest was held at the side of the road where the accident happened.

The complex event which went on for several hours involved a pig sacrifice, offerings of rice and rice whisky, and the reading of Chinese script.

All involved where extremely welcoming and kindly tolerated my intrusive lens.

I head to off on more travels soon but will try and make a couple of posts before I do.

It’s harvest time in Thailand. I’ve recently returned from a few days in Chiang Rai and Phayao photographing the rice harvest for a client. Alas, for two out of three days the weather was dreadful with white skies and rain. Most unseasonal.

I met up with a few of the farmers I had photographed a few months ago during the planting and also some new groups. This included a lovely bunch of extremely cheerful Lisu hill tribe ladies who were cuting the rice dressed up in their colourful outfits.

Although much of the mian harvest of kao homali or jasmine rice is harvested by machines these days, the villagers cut their own crop of sticky rice by hand. It usually a community effort.

I’m off to Yangon tomorrow for the launch party of my recent book, Enchanting Myanmar and am looking forward to seeing how much has changed since my last visit a year ago.