THE SALT BOOK: Thailand - Bo Klua

In the mountainous and remote province of Nan, close to the Laos border sits Bo Klua. For over 800 years this tiny village nestling in a valley has produced salt from a natural underground spring.

Wars have been waged for control of this vital source of salt, a long way from other sources, which is still produced the way it has for centuries. The name Bo Klua can be literally translated as 'salt pit'.

A wood and bamboo pulley system is used by the workers to lower and raise a bucket in to the brine located deep down in the pit. The salt water is then taken to a salt family's hut via pipes where it is stored in storage pools.

The brine is then evapurated in large pans over a clay oven than burns 24 hours a day. The resulting residue is then scraped from the surface of the water and deposited in to over-hanging baskets to allow the water to drain.