CityNews…Your Daily News Fix
+ Top Features The Thought-Provoking Kaewmala Interviews ‘Interview with a Social Critic – Kaewmala’ A fascinating Thai social critic both surprised and inspired those who read her interview. ‘Knowledge – even culturally specific knowledge – is not determined by race or DNA. It is ridiculous to say that expats cannot understand Thai issues because they are not Thai. They may not have the same sens … Continued
Editorial
Change is terrifying. We all say how good change is; it mixes things up, it offers a clean slate, it challenges…it’s like pressing the refresh button. But the reality of change is that it does mix things up, it wipes clean the familiar, it puts up challenges, the refresh button deletes the known, and that, surely, can be very unsettling. I admire my entrepreneurial-spirited Thai friends, many of … Continued
What’s Happening?
• ARTS & EXHIBITIONS • 7th – 23rd September CLOSENESS > MAGNET < DISTANCE @ CMU Art Centre A contemporary art exhibition about the cultural exchange between Thailand, the United States and Europe emphasising urbanism, technology and popular imagery. 28th September – 7th October madiFESTO2012 @ CMU Art Centre A contemporary art festival, showing media designs, communication arts and art … Continued
Watching Over Burma
Not all of us get to enjoy passion in our careers. David Mathieson, 42, is one of the lucky ones; a researcher on Burma issues for Human Rights Watch (HMW), Mathieson works for one of the world’s leading independent organisations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights. Unlike many of us, Mathieson knows that this will be his life’s work; he is committed to the cause for the long haul b … Continued
Mod OZ
Last month Melbourne was named the most liveable city in the world (Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global Liveabilty Survey). Adelaide and Sydney were also in the top ten. In spite of all this, around 5% of those from down under live up over elsewhere. In fact, Mike Walther, Australian Honorary Consul in Chiang Mai, reckons there are at least double the 1,000 registered Australians in Chiang … Continued
City Buzz
This restaurant, believe it or not, is by the moat. It offers a large menu of Thai and international food that will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. Vegetarians will be gratified to find a vast selection of options including banana flower salad, mushroom satay with peanut sauce and pumpkin curry, veggie dishes are priced on average between 50 and 60 baht each. The English and Thai couple who o … Continued
What’s Happening?
• ARTS & EXHIBITIONS Now – 16th August DIVERSITY OF IMAGINATION @ CMU Art Centre An exhibition of paintings inspired by the artist’s imaginations and thoughts, by Suwatchai Tubtim, Pongsiri Kiddee, Nirot Jarungjitwitwat, Kreingkrai Kulphan and Suwat Boontham. 10th – 24th August THAI – OKINAWA EXCHANGE ART EXHIBITION @ CMU Art Centre To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Faculty of Fine … Continued
Editorial
Like most Thai people, I am not a walker. We hop onto our Honda Dreams, or in my case, Honda Jazz, to go to the Seven Eleven three hundred metres away. Laziness? Sure. Convenience? Well, the store is supposed to be one of convenience, so I suppose a mode of transport could enhance said convenience. Whatever the reason, urban Thais, unlike their many foreign counterparts, are not great walkers. I h … Continued
Les Restaurants Francais
The French know how to cook. Luckily for us they also seem to like living in Chiang Mai and a number of French restaurants have opened up in recent years to offer us a variety of French flavours. From dizzyingly high end dining to the more rustic, check them out. Lapin does simple French and Italian homemade style fare. The prices are very reasonable as are the wine rates. On the menu is a list of … Continued
Welcome to the Jungle
Recently, I was taken about 60km north of Chiang Mai to explore the jungle, to see the wilderness, and to pray that I wouldn’t be eaten alive by giant bugs. The guides promised to show me the pristine wilderness of the north and said I would be the first farang to see many of these sights and abseil down the ‘Great Limestone Waterfall’. While in the jungle I saw the sights, heard the sounds, and s … Continued
City Buzz
This new, memorably named bar is discretely positioned down a small path off Nimmanhaemin Soi 1, next to Studio Naenna. Cellar d’Or can’t get much more intimate, with each of its upstairs and downstairs rooms filled with no more than a dozen loungy sofas, giving a salon vibe where people come to meet, discuss, muse and listen to good music over a few drinks. This bar feels as though one is sitting … Continued
What’s Happening?
ARTS & EXHIBITIONS 5th – 31st July LANNA THE CHARM OF THE NORTH @ CMU Art Centre A solo painting exhibition by Jay Surasen on the beauty of nature. The opening will be on 5th July at 6.30 p.m. Throughout July WOODEN TOY DEMONSTRATION @ Chiang Mai City Arts and Cultural Centre 053 217 793 Learn how to create wooden Lanna toys at Lanna Wisdom Room. FAIRS & FESTIVITIES 7th July NIMMAN SHOPPIN … Continued
Editorial
Along with Queen Elizabeth, my father will also be attending his second London Olympics this month. Young John, at aged 14, cheered the ‘Czech Locomotive’ Emil Zápotek to a 10,000 metre victory from high in the stands at Wembley during the 1948 Olympics. “The crowd was chanting, ‘Zápotek Zápotek Zápotek’, it was electrifying, but I hadn’t got my first pair of glasses yet, so I saw nothing!” he wis … Continued
City Buzz
This restaurant sits in a 150 year old Burmese-Lanna colonial style teak house, and before you doze off at the thought of yet another traditional restaurant, don’t, this is a lovely venue with very decent food. The owner’s ancestors were Burmese so they have combined Burmese, Thai and northern Thai cooking styles and ingredients to create their menu. Rattan fans are placed on tables giving an old … Continued
What’s Happening?
ARTS & EXHIBITIONS 8th – 28th June EXHIBITION OF ART AND RESEARCH @ CMU Art Centre On the occasion of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University, there will be an exhibition of art and research by staff members and students. Throughout June LANNA TOYS @ Chiang Mai City Arts & Culture Centre www.cmocity.com Toy demonstrations and how to mak … Continued
Editorial
My mum doesn’t drive anymore; this should send a shudder of relief through you all. Mum is one of those endearing, yet confounding, elderly Thai ladies who meander when behind the wheel. I have been known to attempt to squeeze my not inconsiderable frame into the foot space as she stops in the middle of Nimmanhaemin to admire a particularly full-blossomed road-side shrubbery. I have also blushed w … Continued
CityNews in Citylife
Rumours have been circulating for some time about what is going to happen to the old Amari Rincome at the corner of Nimmanhaemin and Huay Kaew roads. For forty years the Rincome was one of the most beloved Chiang Mai hotels and a city landmark – never pretty, but a landmark nonetheless. Times have changed and even old Rincome has to change with them. Marc Dumur, Honorary Swiss Consul and former GM … Continued
No, it’s Not a Piano School
This mighty edifice, on the right side of the road past the 700 Year stadium, has been much cause for speculation. So, we are here to tell you that it is the new Institute of Child Development and is designed in the shape of a grand piano. “It symbolises what we stand for,” says Dr. Samai Sirithongthaworn, the Director of Rajanagarindra Institute of Child Development (RCID), who came up with idea … Continued
City Buzz
[left][/left] [left]Abe’s Memory [/left] [left][/left] Abe’s children now run this wonderfully humble, but deliciously organic restaurant…in his memory. Abe used to sing for HM the King and was very close to the royal household. In his later years he grew 100% organic vegetables on royal land in Chiang Dao, supplying the royal palace. What doesn’t go to Bangkok, is now on sale at Abe’s Memory. Mos … Continued
Where there’s a Will there’s a Way
Born into a country that does not know what human rights are, I grew up believing life is a struggle. My first memories are those of battle and worried faces. Army troops abused my parents and forced them into slave labour, which made it impossible for them to provide for our family. Freedom became the theme of their dreams. Of everybody’s dreams, really. Luckily eventually they found the courage … Continued
What’s Happening
– ARTS & EXHIBITIONS – 8th, 22nd and 29th May THE ART OF MANAGING ARTS AND CULTURAL PRATICE @ The 31st Century Museum of Contemporary Spirit 053 811 555 This is for artists, students or even organisations who are interested in how to deal with the practice of arts and culture. On 8th May, see the art of project management to seek the way to make your life easier. On 22nd May, see the ar … Continued
The Wage Hike Debate: fair or foul?
When the Yingluck Sinawatra government surged into power, surfing the crest of its populist wave, the majority of Thais were elated: promises of computer tablets per child, low interest loans from government banks, giveaway credit cards to farmers, a 7.7 billion baht women’s funds and the crowning peak, the minimum wage hike from, in some provinces, as low as 150 baht per day, to a standard minimu … Continued
Editorial
Chiang Mai is facing an identity crisis. Most people agree that over and unchecked development and the continuous focus on tired old attractions are damaging to our city’s future, but no one seems to be able to agree upon a solution or a direction in which to move forward. Recently I talked to the Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Suraphon Svetsreni, who said, “Chiang Mai seems to be … Continued
City Talk
What’s your dream job and why? My dream job is to be a pizza delivery boy that sells his own brand of sauce secretly on the side…because it’s easy and I love pizza. 01 Joshua Lucas Oates British, 22, Runs a record label My dream job is working among foreign people in order to practice my English! 02 Namfon Saowarod Thai, 23 Administrative staff My dream job is a flight attendant. If I were a fli … Continued