PAUL EHRLICH

Wrote “The Secret Soul of Isan”

“Fully exploring Thailand’s northeastern Isan region for the first time, I was impressed by the varied and unexpected beauty of the land, their own Thai twist to cuisine, and a blending of languages from neighboring Laos,” says Ehrlich, an ex–New Yorker who has lived for many years in Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok writing for various publications and a former editor of Prestige Hong Kong. “What most surprised me, though, was the esoteric side of Isan—shamans, the belief of protective spirits in the mountains, and giantheaded, surreal figures of the dead. Photographer Christopher Wise and I traveled by car, giving opportunities to stop whenever something caught our eye, like the French guy off a dirt road in the middle of what seemed like nowhere making excellent Caribbean-styled rum from sugar cane.”