A scene of peace on what was once the site of unimaginable pain, Hellfire Pass on the River Kwai in Thailand. In this area live the people of the Mons, a distinct Thai tribe. One of these thatched houses is a schoolroom, one a restaurant and one a ‘hotel/restauarant’ (cold water shower with water from the river).

Water buffalo make the houses rock as they pass, the nearby paths are used by elephants and the high-pitched yells of monkeys serve as an morning alarm. I stayed here for a couple of nights and the animals kept me awake all night but I didn’t mind, it was magic.