With a regular and lengthy inundation each year, Siam is a rich nation for fishing, umbrella manufacture and for planting rice. Using the water buffalo as their preferred beast of burden, they plough their paddy fields before polishing and milling the rice - all under the gentle gaze of a friendly gibbon or two. Apparently they eat twice their bodyweight of the stuff each year - which doesn't seem that much to me. When their hands are nor planting or picking, the ladies don intricate golden fingernails and perform a dance as a tribute to Buddha. Also by way of thanksgiving, there is the…