I’ve just returned from four days in Phayao near Chiang Rai in northern Thailand where I was on a photo-assignment for an international grower and exporter of organic rice.

With the rainy season in full swing, it’s time for farmers to uproot the seedlings from the nursery beds and replant in the flooded paddy fields. It’s backbreaking work but a task seemingly enjoyed by the workers and the air is filled with constant chatter, particularly when a farang wades through the mud with a camera slung over his shoulder.

Work usually starts about 8 a.m. and the morning is spent bunching seedlings which are then carried in baskets to a neighbouring paddy where they’ll be replanted in the afternoon.

The team are paid one baht a bunch and a good worker can earn 400 – 500 baht a day. Interestingly with one or two exceptions most of them are in their 40s or 50s, even older, as youngsters shy away from the physical labour, preferring easier and cleaner work in the cities. It’s all a little ominous for the future of rice farming in Thailand and although steps have been taken to automate the planting process, it has not yet been perfected and hand planting is still preferred by many.

In some areas direct broadcasting is done and no replanting carried out but yields can be up to 15 percent lower. The working day ends around 5 or 6 p.m. with an alfresco bottle of rice whisky to ease aching muscles.

As with any outdoor manual labour in Thailand, the men and woman keep their faces well protected from the sun with scarves and t-shirts. This is particularly important in the rice fields as the sun reflects off the water. When the veils are withdrawn though, there’re plenty of beauties to be seen.

It’s impossible to underestimate the importance of rice in Thailand; a grain that has shaped the landscape and defined the culture. Served at every meal, the preferred choice is jasmine rice, also known as fragrant rice due to it pleasant aroma. In the north and northeast sticky rice or khao neow is more popular. Sticky rice also features in a number of desserts and many sweets are made using rice flour.

Once you’ve seen the work that goes into rice production, you’ll never feel comfortable leaving any on your plate again. I’m looking forward to returning to Phayao for the harvest in November.

You can view several more images in the Thailand Gallery.

Despite being based in Bangkok, I rarely find time to photograph the city. That has got to change as I recently signed a contract to do a book on the magical metropolis, know to locals as  Krung Thep. With the deadline clearly visible on the not too distant horizon, I forced myself away from the desk and spent an enjoyable morning in Chinatown and relaxed evening in a bar opposite Wat Arun. I can’t tell you how good it is to have a job that allows me to enjoy a beer and eat while working.

Wat Arun is one of the most photographed landmarks in Bangkok. The name means Temple of the Dawn, and the structure is comprised of one elongated prang or Khmer-style chedi surrounded by four smaller ones. The main tower is 82 metres high and features ornate decoration with mosaics made of porcelain and broken bone china. Unlike many of Bangkok’s other temples, this one looks better from a distance, especially when viewed from across the river. Despite its name, the best photographs of it are taken at sunset. Wat Arun is open every day from 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Get off at Tha Tien Pier and take a ferry across the river.

Here’s a bit of good news if you are Dutch or can read the language, ‘Enchanting Thailand’ or rather ‘Betoverend Thailand’ has just been launched in Holland. The hardback book has been released by my publisher, John Beaufoy in association with Atrium and in keeping with other books in the series features an informative text providing insight into the country and culture, accompanied by 180 colour photos.

From the jacket: “A country of intrigue and adventure, Thailand’s exotic mix of glistening temples, extraordinary annual festivals, idyllic tropical islands, and genuinely hospitable people has made it one of the world’s most popular and rewarding travel destinations. The country is home to a distinctive culture that enables old traditions to sit comfortably within a prosperous and progressive society and enrich the lives of all who visit. One of the original “Asian tiger” economies, over the past two decades Thailand has survived boom and bust, undergone recovery, experienced political upheaval, and still welcomes all travellers with a warm and gracious smile.Enchanting Thailand is a vivid and colourful introduction to all the major tourist sights and places of interest throughout the country, from the cosmopolitan metropolis of Bangkok to fascinating but little visited regions in the northeast.”

If you’ve enjoyed the series, namely “Enchanting Laos” and “Enchanting Cambodia”, watch out for the timely release of “Enchanting Myanmar” in November. There’s also a couple of others on the horizon but more on those at a later date.

The good folks at Asian Journeys recently used an image of mine to grace the cover of their magazine. Hats off to the publisher, editor, adventurer and explorer of the Singapore-based mag, Mr. Floyd Cowan for choosing the picture of a young Thai Yai boy at the Poi Sang Long ordindantion ceremony. Apologies from me for the rather dodgy scan of the cover. However, you can see more images from the annual event on an earlier post here.

In late March or early April, Poi Sang Long takes place in towns and villages all over Mae Hong Son province. The Buddhist ordination ceremony is part of the Shan or Tai Yai tradition and was brought to Thailand by settlers from neighbouring Myanmar.  During the event known as the Festival of Precious Gems, young boys are ordained as novices and spend time studying Buddhist doctrine. A colourful spectacle to witness, it is one of the most delightful festivals in the country. On the first day of the four day ceremony, the boys have their hair shaved off at the temple and are then bathed and anointed with consecrated waters. The following day they are dressed in brightly coloured clothes and paraded through the town as sang long— precious gems.

You can also visit the Asia Journeys’ website.

I’ve always found large gatherings of people or any so-called mass consciousness rather disturbing to be around. The herd instinct if you like. It is even more unsettling when it is a religious event.

On Sunday I went to photograph the final day of a series of large scale alms giving ceremonies that have been carried out around Thailand to celebrate the 2,600th anniversary of the Lord Buddha’s enlightenment. Each event has seen 30,000 monks (one million in all) and thousands of followers gather for prayers. Much of the food collected has also been donated to Buddhists in the south, an area experiencing increasingly violent separatist unrest by Muslims. The final gathering was held near Wongwian Yai in Bangkok.

Although you cannot deny the visual impact of the gathering (as a photographer that is of course why I was there, I found the whole thing distinctly creepy. The fact Wat Phra Dhammakaya, a Bangkok temple known for aggressive fundraising, was the main organiser didn’t help. Like all religions, the Buddhist institution is riddled with corruption and cultism.

The ceremony started at 6 a.m. and lasted just over two hours. Of course the prayers were interspersed with plenty of requests to part with your money. The underlying theme seemed to be ‘Practice non-attachment, particularly to your money, land and property – it’s ok, we’ll take care of it for you’. Alas, the call for money is all too frequently heard at Buddhist temples these days .

What Buddha would have thought of it, we can only guess.

The photo above shows some followers at the event being greeted by monks. The ladies were seemingly oblivious to the backdrop. The writing says ‘Nude Resort’.

I am sure it could be said that my postings are infrequent and when they do appear are distinctly lacking in words. The truth is I’ve never really got with the blogging thing. And the reason is simple; I work for a living. I have always considered irrepressible blogging to be a sure sign that someone has too much time on their hands.

The reason for the scarcity of postings is that for the last few months I have been travelling the length and breadth of Laos, Thailand and Cambodia taking pics for books. Well, the fruits of my labours, words and images, are soon to surface in a bookshop near you…and on the web.

The books were commissioned by John Beaufoy Publishing in the UK as part of the ‘Enchanting Asia’ series. The hardback Thai edition will be co-published with Asia Books.

This brand new ‘Enchanting Asia’ series are pictorial visitor guides showing many of the main cultural attractions that a tourist visiting for a week or so might expect to see. The 190 images in each book are accompanied by an introductory text  with an overview of the history, geography, culture, festivals, food and so on. The second section is of images with extended captions.

Here’s an overview from my forthcoming book, ‘Enchanting Laos’.

‘Few countries conjure up such a sense of mystery and intrigue in the traveller’s mind as mountainous, landlocked Laos. Regarded as Southeast Asia’s sleepy backwater for many years, Laos’ communist government ensured that the country remained closed to the outside world. Unconcerned by neighbouring Thailand’s dash for modernity, Laos resolutely moved at its own pace. When the door was finally eased open for travellers in the early 90s, it revealed a beautiful country with a fascinating culture and an ethnically diverse population. Today, Laos is well and truly awakening from its slumber. The capital, Vientiane, bustles with renewed energy, but many of Laos’ attractions lie beyond the capital, where the rural population still ekes out an existence as subsistence farmers, fishermen, market traders and merchants. For many in the countryside, little has changed, and that is part of Laos’ enduring appeal for visitors.’

Here in Asia the books will be available in Asia Books throughout Thailand and Monument Books in Laos, Cambodia and Mynamar from November 4^th 2011. Of course they will also be available in Europe and the USA at all good bookshops. You can also order online at Amazon. They are the perfect Christmas gift!

I am currently working on Enchanting Myanmar, a project that I am particularly excited about as it is the most fascinating country in Southeast Asia.

I was in Nong Khai last week. Luckily I returned just before it was hit by heavy flooding. It’s a pleasant little town, particularly at this time of year when it has a sleepy low season feel about it.  The town sits in the northern reaches of Issan and you can enjoy lazy evenings dining beside the Mekong River on floating restaurants and, if you wish, cross into neighbouring Laos via the Friendship Bridge. The area is known for great sunsets and the bridge is a good spot to capture them.

The website has been sadly neglected of late due to book commitments but all Thai images were sent to the publisher today. Now I just have to finish Laos and Cambodia editions…and am rushing off to Phonsavan in Laos tomorrow morning for a few days.

Something I should have posted a few weeks ago are snaps from the annual Poi Sang Long Festival, held in the northern Thai province of Mae Hong Son, one of my favourite parts of the country.

In late March or early April, Poi Sang Long takes place in towns and villages all over Mae Hong Son province. The Buddhist ordination ceremony is part of the Shan or Tai Yai tradition and was brought to Thailand by settlers from neighbouring Myanmar. 

During the event known as the Festival of Precious Gems, young boys are ordained as novices and spend time studying Buddhist doctrine. A colourful spectacle to witness, it is one of the most delightful festivals in the country.

On the first day of the four day ceremony, the boys have their hair shaved off at the temple and are then bathed and anointed with consecrated waters. The following day they are dressed in brightly coloured clothes and paraded through the town as sang long— precious gems.

I witnessed event in the town of Mae Hong Son but on a trusty dirt bike also managed to get to a Tai Yai village right up against the Myanmar border where 50 young boys were being prepared for the ordinations. It was a truly fabulous day.

While in the area I was able to visit the wonderful Phen, owner of the Little Eden Guesthouse, and the north’s best trekking guide. She has a beautiful place about 60 kilometres before Mae Hong Son and she is a great host. One of the joys of staying here, apart from Phen’s company and the lovely garden setting, is the menu of regional Shan food cooked up by two young Tai Yai girls. If you are traveling in the province, make a date to stay at Little Eden Guesthouse.

More Poi Sang Long images can be seen in the Thailand Gallery.

Stay tuned for infrequent posts and lame excuses.

Bangkok has more that its fair share of impressive bridges but the Bhumibol Bridge, named after the King of Thailand is one of the most spectacular.

It is part of a 13 kilometre long industrial ring road that connects southern Bangkok with Samut Prakan Province. It’s also just spitting distance from where I live so last night I went out to take a few shots of this monumental structure. 

The bridge spans and features two spans of 702 metres and 582 metres supported by two diamond-shaped pylons of 173 metres and 164 metres in height. At sunset, the multicoloured lights are turned on and the bridge is visible for miles around. 

I’ve been trying to take photographs at Wat Phra Kaew for a while but every time I go it is swarming with coach-loads of tourists.  On two occasions I have simply turned back and promised to return when it is less busy; something that it never seems to be.

I even tried to seek assistance from the TAT, the terribly unhelpful Tourist Authority of Thailand, to see if I could be allowed in before or after opening hours. Although the TAT is extremely good at wasting money on large glitzy PR events and mega FAM trips for foreign media, it seems that when it comes to something useful, the answer is usually a resounding ‘no’ – assuming you are lucky enough to even get a response to your email enquiry.  So, armed with a camera and a high degree of intolerance to mass tourism, I endeavoured to make Wat Phra Kaew appear a serene place that is seldom visited.

Of course, there is a good reason why it is on every itinerary. It is a simply stunning temple…just don’t expect to have a relaxed and contemplative experience. Being shoulder-barged out of the way by a Korean tourist desperate to be photographed imitating one of the sculptures is more likely…

Wat Phra Kaew or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the nearby Grand Palace are highlights of any visit to Bangkok. The compound has over 100 buildings, golden spires and glittering mosaics.

The temple dates back to the founding of Bangkok in 1782, and was built early in the reign of King Rama 1. It is Thailand’s most sacred temple and houses a 70 centimetre Emerald Buddha. The golden robe draped around the Buddha image is changed three times each year by King Bhumibol.

Today, Wat Phra Kaew still serves as a centre for all religious rites pertaining to the State and monarchy.

The easiest way to get to Wat Phra Kaew is to go by boat from the pier at Saphan Thaksin. Alight at Tha Chang pier and walk the short distance to the temple. Entry is 350 baht. Thais are free of charge.