This listing will be periodically updated with more events as they are made aware to us. If you have any event, please send details, a small blurb and some pictures to us at [email protected] and we will add to this list.

7 beautiful biking trails around Chiang Mai. Don’t forget to wear a proper mask over the smokey season!

At Absolute Health, the health and wellbeing of each and every patient is of upmost importance. One of the more challenging aims for our health is to manage our body’s pH levels. The human body maintains an average pH of 7.4, which is the ideal pH for blood to function to its best ability. Dropping to a pH of just 6.8 can begin to cause disease and health problems, showing us all that if we cannot regulate our body pH, we can become very ill.

Fabulous arty maps, a mae baan to join your family, or a night in a five star hotel in Chiang Rai. Here are three interesting places, people and things we have discovered this month.

Congratulations to Kathrin Khanchanok Kemmler, 17, the first northern winner of the Dublin Junior Literary Awards competition in a decade! Kathrin won 10,000 baht plus tickets and accommodation for two to attend the national competition in Bangkok where she went on to win the national prize for essay writing.

As Chiang Mai’s annual Motor Show comes to a close, a dozen or so ‘pretties’ put their slinky dresses back into wardrobes wedged between faux leather biker jackets and skimpy Japanese schoolgirl dresses, cover up their cleavages and return home. Muscles sore from standing in teetering heels all day, cheeks aching from smiling, they head out for a night with friends, or another job serving beer to grinning late-night patrons. Thailand’s ‘pretty’ culture is alive and kicking.

“We would often be startled awake by sounds of distant gunshots,” said Paw Toh Ki, 65, a Karen refugee born in Por Toh village, southern Myanmar; who came to Thailand with her husband and nine children in 1994. “We heard of one neighbouring village after another being burnt to the ground, and lived in constant fear. I never knew what we did wrong to deserve this and didn’t understand why this was happening to people around us. But one day I heard loud shouting in our village. I thought it was going to be OK at first, until the first gunshots were fired. I was frozen in place, my legs wouldn’t move. My husband and children dragged me out the back of the village into the jungle; thankfully my husband had grabbed a knife, a pot and some rice. Other than that, the only things we carried were our children.”

Citylife has moved offices! We are no longer Wat Gaters, but Meechokers and the first order of business, as it would be for any self-respecting Thai, was to check out the neighbourhood for places to eat. We now have a townhouse in Fifth Avenue just across the road from Meechok Plaza, and have decided to share our findings of exciting businesses that have caught our eyes with you all — cafes, restaurants, schools and more. If you ever pay any of these places a visit, feel free to pop in and see us, pick up a mag or just say hi!

Chiang Mai-born, half Thai and half American Sherry Ann Duncan was fifteen when her body was discovered in a scrubland near Bangkok in 1985. Her murder, and ensuing trial, captured the bloodthirsty attention of the nation. The miscarriage of justice that followed, which saw four innocent men sentenced to death, greatly impacted not only the national psyche, but also the Thai judicial system.

This Sunday, 2nd April will be the first day of the annual cricket sixes tournament held at the Chiengmai Gymkhana Club. This will be the 30th year of the tournament which sees around 30 teams come from all over the world to play in a week-long tournament. Held between the northern and southern hemisphere cricket seasons, the Chiang Mai Sixes sees around 300 players annually.

Let’s face it. The opera scene in Chiang Mai is relatively hard to come by. Aside from the 2nd Chiang Mai Ginastera International Music Festival coming this autumn, opportunities to hear and see live performance of classical music and operatic excellence are hard to come by. Lucky for us, there is something in the interim, with Fun, a vocal performance student at Payap University, who is giving new life to the local musical scene.

Enjoy the best rock bands which are Dezember, Songkarn The Voice, Pond The Voice, Knight The Voice & The Black Hawk Band, Lords Of Rock, Ghost Band and Kord Yim in a totally different style.

We last sat down with screenwriter and Chiang Mai resident Don Linder, 67, in July 2014. A New York City native who came to Chiang Mai about seven years ago, Linder first got to Thailand in 2001 to work as the Academic Director of the AUA Language Institute. Prior to his arrival in Thailand, Linder travelled extensively, taught creative writing to students around the world, wrote programmes for Japanese cable TV, and had done some documentary work, as well. Although he had taught screenwriting courses before, it wasn’t until later that he wrote his own original screenplay, which became an international hit: The Last Executioner.

The sanitation needs of society’s marginalised often go overlooked, but the Foundation to Encourage the Potential of Disabled Persons (FEPDP) is stepping in to change that. The Chiang Mai-based group has recently launched initiatives to overhaul the toilet facilities of people living with disabilities.

Westerners coming to Thailand are often shocked by the animals they find here. We have stray dogs and cats roaming the streets, exotic animals sold openly in markets, and the dog meat trade continues to raise Western eyebrows (despite Western tourists driving the industry in many parts of the world) From the outside, and with a culturally relativist hat on, this all makes Thailand look less than caring about it’s animals. In fact, nothing could be further than the truth – as the rise in pet popularity in Chiang Mai testifies.

The small district of Pasang in Lamphun is known for two things; beautiful women and beautiful textiles. Its women have won numerous pageants on regional as well as national levels over the years and its cotton weaving industry is one of the most robust in Thailand, in fact the province claims Pasang’s population of 55,000 produces the largest amount of hand woven cotton products in the nation. This cluster of villages takes great pride in these two accolades and have turned a small cottage industry into not only a formidable source of income, but also a unique tourist attraction.

Vogmask, a California-based company, was first created by Burning Man attendees who sought to create a high-quality breathing mask as a solution to the dust storms in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. Because these storms are so common, those attending Burning Man often have to arrive armed with goggles and masks to face the harsh conditions, which can cause respiratory troubles. Now, Vogmask has arrived in Chiang Mai, and just in time too: providing the option of a new, high-quality mask designed to help residents of the city breathe easier throughout the year’s worst months of air quality.

Citylife’s reader Jane France asked us to send one of our photographer interns to go out with her to record her frustrations with the ongoing problems of impediments along Nimmanhaemin Road.

When the lights go down in the orchestra of the Gate Theatre, a single spotlight illuminates the stage. A lone man looks up at the audience and begins to tell his story. His character is the first of six to come forward and recount the events that led each of them to be wrongfully convicted in American courts, condemned to death row, and then released years later when their convictions were finally overturned.

Le Méridien Chiang Rai, is a resort built on the land of Lanna, encompassing the world of art and design unique to the area, combined with the class and style of the Le Méridien brand.

NARIT are actually leading Southeast Asia, with hopes to venture towards joining the global elites who have already sent astronauts into space such as NASA and countries such as the UK, India, China, Japan, Germany and more.

Citylife was invited to participate in the Ricola event “Taste, explore, play” in Bangkok to explore the exciting flavours and learn about the incredible history and health benefits of their lozenges. Who better to send than our very own Spoon&Fork editor, Auntie Spoon.

If you love these steaming, aromatic, bite sized baskets of deliciousness – and who doesn’t – then here is a list of some of the best, most interesting or best valued dim sums to be had in town.

Last September Citylife ran a cover story about how a group of activists, school alumna and community leaders came together to save a beautiful and abandoned piece of land in the Chang Klan area, slated to be turned into a 900 unit condominium project by the Treasury Department. After a concerted and focused effort, and national protest and condemnation, the Treasury Department agreed to gift it to the city of Chiang Mai.

Need to get away? Fancy a homey country nest, a resplendent luxurious villa or rustic and serene hideaway…decisions, decisions.

Our nights may be young, as we go to bed, a la Cinderella, at midnight. But we can still fill our happy hours with some good times at great bars and pubs that could casily turn into your regular haunt.

Walking into Absolute Health, is like walking into the future of healthcare. The reception is elegant and calming, with views of a well-groomed garden to the back. Greeted more like a guest than a patient, you immediately feel an easing in your muscles and release a long breath as you wait for the doctor.

“Nomad workshops, nomad conferences, nomad gear, nomad retreat, people giving talks to gullible people to build a following they can sell shit to.” This is how the online communities are reacting to the digital nomads in Chiang Mai. Anyone who is active in any of the many locally based Facebook groups will notice that there are an increasing number of biting and bitching posts about digital nomads. And a read of the digital nomad groups will see a community fraught with tension and accusation. You hear odd comments at a bar, read a scathing blog or two, and hear about various ‘scandals’ and accusations of con-artistry. But it is hard to put a finger on what exactly is going wrong or who is it that people dislike so much. Is it a case of one bad sheep or a herd of blind followers? We all know something is going on, but what?

“Ever since my first soda pop, I’ve been obsessed,” exclaimed 39-year-old Phattaranoppol ‘Shon’ Suwannatat, owner of the Praew Factory Bakery, as I asked him about his impressive cabinet filled with a range of almost-impossible to find soft drinks.

Governor Pawin Chamniprasert squeezed Citylife in for a 40 minute interview, hence the rather rapid Q&A format. I have also taken the liberty of combining some of our questions and answers for brevity.

L’éléphant is a name that some may remember. A petite French restaurant much like a friend’s home, with some glorious food and quirky décor that offered experiences that fascinated all the sences. Well regardless if you remember it or not, it has finally made a comeback and L’éléphant is open once again!