Rich People Problems-Kwan 2017 (WWT)

CHAPTER FIVE
CHIANG MAI, THAILAND
After landing in Chiang Mai, the ancient Thai city known as the “rose of the north,” Nick
was driven by Jeep to an estate nestled in the foothills of Doi Inthanon. Like so many of
the great houses hidden in these parts, the walled compound was tucked away up a long,
steep road and virtually invisible from the outside. But past the tall, fortresslike gate, Nick
found himself in a sybaritic paradise that defied description.
The residence was comprised of eight wood-and-stone pavilions built in the traditional
Royal Lanna Thai style around an artificial lake, all interconnected by a series of bridges
and walkways. As Nick was led through the lush gardens and onto a wooden walkway that
floated on the lake, a thin layer of mist hovered over the still waters, adding to the feeling
that he had stepped back in time.
At an open pavilion overlooking the center of a lake, an elderly man nattily dressed in
tweed trousers, a maroon cardigan, and a peak cap was sitting at a beautiful wooden table,
cleaning the inside of an old Leica camera with a tiny brush. On the table rested three or
four other old cameras in various states of repair.
The man looked up as Nick approached and grinned widely. Nick could see that the hair
under his cap was snow-white, and though he must have been in his early nineties, his
face still retained its handsome features. He put down the camera and got up with an
agility that surprised Nick.
“Nicholas Young, what a pleasure! Did you have a good journey?” the man said in
English tinged with the slightest British accent.
“Yes, Your Highness, thank you.”
“Please call me Jirasit. I hope I didn’t rouse you too early?”
“Not at all—it was great to get an early start, and your plane landed just as the sun was
rising.”
“I had your aunt Catherine arrange it for you this way. I think the mountains are at
their most beautiful right at dawn, and I must confess, I am a very early bird. At my age,
I’m up by five and quite useless by midafternoon.”
Nick simply smiled, and Jirasit clasped Nick’s hands in his own. “I am glad we are