Rice

Living in Chiang Mai gives me a front-row seat to one of the region’s most fascinating rhythms – the rice fields right outside my window. From my bedroom I can watch every stage of the crop’s life, year after year, and for over ten years I’ve been videoing it all.

Rice growing here has its own story to tell. In the past, almost everything was done by hand or with simple animal power. Farmers planted and harvested with sweat and skill. Nowadays, tractors and combine harvesters have joined the scene, making the work faster and more mechanical, though no less impressive to watch.

Some of this rice follows the expected path to the table, but I’ve also learned that a little of it takes a more spirited route, ending up as local rice wine. Watching the fields shift through the seasons, from flooded paddies to golden harvest, you get a sense of the human ingenuity and patience behind every grain. It’s food, it’s culture, and it’s a story that unfolds right outside my window.

For those curious to see it in motion, I have a YouTube playlist where every stage of the cycle has been captured over the years. It’s a living story, full of tradition, technology, and the occasional surprise.