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The English language can be confusing. Take the word ‘retreat’, for example. While the basic meaning is to go backwards—a negative concept—it is also used to escape the hectic pace of life, as in a wellness or meditation retreat—a positive concept. So, in a sense it is true that we have to retreat to advance or enhance our spiritual condition. I recently spent a few days at such a wellness retreat—the Aleenta Resort, following a course called “monk-level” Vipassana (insight) meditation. After a wellness consultation to identify my physical and spiritual abilities and aspirations, I was given a schedule of activities I had never tried before. During my stay, I participated in sound healing, qigong, yoga, spa treatments and bamboo exercise, which involved using a bamboo pole to improve posture and flexibility. I found all of them useful to focus my mind on the present moment, which made it easier when it came to sitting and walking meditation under the guidance of a monk.
The monk, Phra Tawatchai, lived at Wat Umong, a forest monastery near the resort, and he guided my breathing as I sat or walked beside him. After a few days, I could detach myself for brief periods from the thoughts and emotions that constantly rushed through me, which was a liberating sensation. However, when Phra Tawatchai told me about Phra Thera Chan, a monk who lived here in the 14th century, I realised that my meditative achievements were insignificant. Phra Thera Chan was an advisor to King Kuena, but he would often disappear into the forest for days or weeks on end, meditating so deeply that he lost all sense of time and could not be found when his king needed his advice. As a result, the king had meditation tunnels built and decorated with jungle motifs, and forbade his advisor from wandering off again. These tunnels (‘umong’ in Thai) gave the temple its name, and since this is the only Thai temple with such a feature, hundreds of tourists now arrive daily to explore the tunnels with their serene Buddha images. Though most visitors explore no further, the ‘talking trees’ (trees tagged with wise sayings) and Spiritual Theatre at Wat Umong also provide plenty of food for thought for hungry minds looking for inspiration.
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 September has been a busy month for publications. First came A tour of Vietnam's World Heritage Sites, with a bumper 20 images, including a welcome contribution from photographer friend David Henley in the form of images of the Yen Tu Monuments, inscribed on UNESCO's list in July 2025. Then came On the Road to Hell, a description of a wacky garden of hell in a temple near Chiang Mai, and finally The Great Grain, which delves into Thai rice culture and is now probably my best-selling story ever, having been published in various forms over the years.
I'm really pleased to see my work featured in Mongabay, a highly respected website that focuses exclusively on the environment. If you're in Chiang Mai, check out Changthong Heritage Park; you won't be disappointed. The story is here. I've just completed an interesting assignment for an inflight magazine – writing a story about Thai tea culture. As a photographer, my favourite subject is nature, so I was only too happy to take on the task. I was even happier when perplexity.ai provided all the background I needed about the tea-making process as well as a short list of tea plantations in North Thailand that are accessible and welcoming. I set off on my travels and was delighted to find that all the plantations I visited have won prestigious international awards in recent years for new varieties of tea. The story will appear in September, but in the meantime, here's a sneak preview of images from my research trip. I've been on a roll lately with stories on Thailand's Wild West, Vietnam's War Sites and a Mekong Road Trip published in the New Zealand Herald and Nikkei Asia. You can see the complete stories here.
 Portrait of Ho Chi Minh 30 April 2025 is a huge day in the history of Vietnam, as it marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the American War (or American War to the Vietnamese), when tanks of the People's Army of Vietnam from the north smashed through the gates of the Presidential Palace in Saigon. The man who was largely responsible for the reunification of his country was Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam's national hero, who died in 1969 and thus never lived to see his dream realised in 1975. To mark this occasion, I've changed the story posted on my Searching for Shangri-La page, which now recounts a visit to see Uncle Ho in his mausoleum in Hanoi. Quite a moving experience.  Like many writers and photographers, I have often hoped to see my work published in top publications like Nat Geo and the BBC. Got into Nat 'Geo some years ago and now have my first story in BBC Travel. Come and savour the delights of slow-life tourism on a tiny island in the Gulf of Thailand. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250220-koh-mak-the-tiny-island-thats-redefining-travel-to-thailand   How about throwing a log on the fire and snuggling up with a gripping tale of a teak boom this Christmas, all for FREE? For 5 DAYS ONLY, from 12 to 16 DECEMBER (Pacific Standard Time), the ebook of TEAK LORD is completely free on Amazon. So don't delay – download today! If you prefer to listen to audiobooks, please email me to request a redemption code for a FREE COPY of the TEAK LORD audiobook on Spotify. If you’d rather read the hugely popular paperback version (over 500 copies sold in Thailand alone), go here for buying and reviewing options. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! A tribute to Colin Moore  Colin on the Jurassic Coast Path One of the most rewarding experiences that life has in store for us is when we meet someone with whom we feel an instant connection, then get to know each other better and develop a relationship that enriches our time on this planet. The flipside occurs when that person is gone, leaving a big hole in your life. So it was for me with Colin Moore. I met Colin in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1978 when I arrived to work as an English teacher at the British Institute. Colin worked there in an administrative position, and I was instantly impressed by this affable Scotsman who spoke fluent Spanish (or should I say Venezuelan, which is a bit different) without a trace of a Scottish accent.  A classic Colin Moore creation I soon found out that he was also a very accomplished guitarist, innovative artist and gifted photographer. I still remember a set of black-and-white portraits he took (and developed himself) of the weather-beaten faces of people in an Andean village where he went to live for a while. Colin was one of those rare people – a polymath. Venezuela was a very different place in those days compared to the sorry state it is in today, and although life in Caracas was speedy and sometimes stressful, the city had an ace up its sleeve in its proximity to some fabulous Caribbean beaches. Colin and I and other friends would spend each week deciding which beach to go to at the weekend, then as early as possible on Friday afternoon we would pack our cars (or jeep in Colin’s case) with ice boxes, tents, hammocks, beach games and samples of substances from neighbouring Colombia, then head out for destinations like Choroni, Morrocoy, or La Sabana for a weekend of pure fun, finally heading back to the city on Sunday evening, pouting all the way, usually in a traffic jam.  Colin's studio in Highgate Eventually we both moved on but met up again in London in the mid-1980s when I lived in Kentish Town and Colin bought an artist’s studio in nearby Highgate. He was earning pots of money as a “rebrander” with a top design company, flitting off to God-knows-where to convince the locals that his sketch for their new logo was the way to go. I taught English in a school near Piccadilly Circus, but as with many English teachers, the travel bug was too strong for me to resist so I got a teaching job in Thailand, where I’ve been ever since. Colin came to visit once when his company was vying for a design contract for the new Skytrain in Bangkok, and I crashed out on his sofabed in Highgate several times while teaching summer school at University College London.  Besides being an all-round great guy, Colin produced a memorable book, Propaganda Prints – the History of Art in the Service of Social and Political Change. He also provided mural artwork for Guys Hospital in London and for the Hilton Hotel in Bournemouth, as well as paintings and prints for cabins and public spaces on the SAGA cruise ship Spirit of Adventure. His website, colinmoore.uk.com, stands as testimony to his prodigious talent.  Col's colours The last few times I saw Col was at his cosy hideaway in Chaldon Herring, a picture-postcard village in Dorset just a stone’s throw from the Jurassic Coast Path, a World Heritage Site. We would go for bracing walks along the windy clifftops, then return to his snug abode for scrumptious meals and scintillating conversation. I will go there once more next week, along with a small army of others who came under Colin’s spell, to pay my respects and give thanks to whoever runs this show for allowing our paths to cross.  Jurassic Coast abstract Don't know what to do this weekend? Why not join in these fabulous floating festivals? |
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Ron Emmonsis a British writer and photographer based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Categories
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