GOLDEN AGE

A silent procession of orange-robed figures emerge from the morning mist that hangs over the tropical tree-lined pathway. With shaved heads bowed, they solemnly step into view through shafts of light. I rub my bleary eyes to check that I’m not imagining their appearance. It’s 6.45am; I’ve dragged myself away from the soft, silk pillows of my bed, where I slept peacefully to the steady thrum of cicadas, to participle in a daily Thai religious ritual. The Buddhist tradition of giving alms or almsgiving is a way of accruing good karma for this life and the next.

I’ve been kneeling for 10 minutes, earnestly anticipating the arrival of Buddhist monks, with fresh fruit and sticky rice at the ready. Each monk pauses in front of me and wordlessly reveals a brass bowl under a swathe of saffron-coloured material. I gently place the edible goods inside, then start a low, sonorous chant as their bare feet pad the leafy pathway to disappear from view as suddenly as they had appeared.

So tranquil are my surrounds, it’s hard to believe I’m at the entrance pavilion of the Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai. The 12-hectare property is set amid the forested mountains that