Comminity Services
01 Informal Northern Thai Group Tuesday, 22nd May: ‘Merchants and Missionaries – Western incursions into Lan Na between 1829 and 1921’ by Ian Bushell. For further information, please call 053 117 319 or gabaudel@loxinfo.co.th. 02 Nicotine Anonuymous Want to stop smoking? It works! Meetings on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. at the 7 Fountains, Huay Kaew Road. For more information please call Ea … Continued
Take Me to the Other Side
A couple of years ago I worked with a Danish intern who told me about a substance used in Amazonian healing rituals – a brew of hallucinogenic plants and leaves, among other natural plants – called Ayahuasca. He told me a captivating story about a man whose life had changed after he had gone into the Amazon and taken the brew with indigenous Peruvian shaman. I have since read some literature about … Continued
Out in The City
Older gay friends eulogise about the ‘good old days’. When, in London, the constabulary spent themselves, zealously pursuing homosexuals to notch up Victorian convictions that were easily prosecuted in courts that were presided over by public schoolboys who really did know better but who could do no better than hand out jail terms. There was a secret underground of gay networking and basement club … Continued
Community Services
01 Informal Northern Thai Group Tuesday, April 3: ‘From print publishing to the global digital marketplace: A travel writer’s perspective’ by Mohezin Tejani. For further information, please call 053 117 319 or email: gabaudel@loxinfo.co.th. 02 Nicotine Anonymous Want to stop smoking? It works! Meetings on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. at The 7 Fountains, Huay Kaew Road. For more information p … Continued
This is Thailand
1. I do a lot of travelling to and from Thailand for business and pleasure, have you got any tips for jet jag? Grace: I would advise people not to worry too much, the main thing is that your body will eventually re-adjust itself to the time zone of your new location, even if it takes a week or more. Don’t get too worked up about losing sleep it won’t kill you, being anxious about the problem will … Continued
Your Say
++ Grumpy with Songkran ++ Every year I read articles written by foreigners, advising that at Songkran you should let people throw water at you and accept it with good grace. If the water throwers were doing anything remotely resembling the original traditions of the festival, i.e. sprinkling water over the shoulders of family elders, then I could accept this argument. However these louts can righ … Continued
The Baker’s Dozen
I asked some Thai friends the other day, who they thought was responsible for the appalling air quality. Mushroom growers, apparently…and nobody else. Floored by the assignment of all blame upon one, seemingly small group, I disputed the poor shroomers’ sole culpability, but my friends remained unmoved, and unconvinced. We agreed on the need for wider education and the enforcement of existing la … Continued
The Feminisation of the Social Network
Whether it’s a business-focused power lunch, a mummy-and-baby play group, or girl talk over a couple of chai lattes, women who get together love to talk. Yet a growing number of studies show that, in the digital age, women also love to post, ‘like’, comment and tweet. Yes, it’s true – women are the new face of the social network mainstream. According to a 2011 Pew Research Center report, significa … Continued
Leaving Cityllife
“Nostalgia (Sehnsucht) refers to the moral pain of the expatriate when he is overcome with the obsession of return,” said Johannes Hofer, a Swiss doctor back in the 17th century. He wrote that some of his subjects, having been removed from their families and friends more or less wasted away and died suffering from memories of the past. “The mysterious presence of absence,” that defined nostalgia, … Continued
Sabina Fay Braxton: Coming Home
Having been a nomad of sorts all her life, Sabina Fay Braxton has, after nearly forty years, come home to Chiang Mai…well, one of her many homes. As we settled in for a chat over a coffee in the lounge of the spanking new 137 Pillars House Hotel in Wat Gate, Sabina assesses her old home. “That was my bedroom,” she points to the hotel’s meeting room, “and my parents’ bedroom was where the bar is … Continued
A River Less Travelled
In his book ‘Slithering South’, awarded by The Nation as the ‘best travel book ever about Thailand’, Steve Van Beek recounts his modest one-man-journey in a canoe navigating 720 miles of river from the Golden Triangle to the Gulf of Thailand, in 1988. Reading this unique tale and meeting in person with the author was the inspiration for one Chiang Mai expat’s own intrepid journey in a self-made 20 … Continued
Opium: Curse or Cure?
The US led ‘war on drugs’ in Southeast Asia has been trying to stamp out opium cultivation since the 1970s. But the UN drug agency records that Laos and Myanmar opium cultivation is rapidly increasing. One alternative to killing the poppies in Laos and Burma that screams out for urgent consideration is the pharmaceutical solution: to harvest the opium as much-needed morphine-based pain-killers. Th … Continued
Editorial
Our editors, over the past twenty odd years, have generated a vast amount of content. Each month we have published at least seven or eight feature articles as well as various columns and reviews. Some we have been proud to have seen published in respectable international media, some we are ashamed to say have been spotted in quite disreputable tabloids. We have created online and offline content. … Continued
The Life of Wine
Last month we took a little look at a famous Portuguese footballer, erratic driving and tarts. This month, not because I’ve run out of ideas or anything, we are taking a left over the border into the north of Spain and having a quick peek at Rioja. Rioja is fascinating on at least two levels. Firstly it produces some of the finest red wines on the planet, and secondly the name has a ‘j’ where ther … Continued
Chiang Mai on WWW
Unicon Universal Concrete Products Co.,Ltd. www.uniconcrete.co.th When it comes to all things concrete Unicon Universal Concrete Products Co., Ltd. are the experts. They specialise in concrete materials for the building trade. Whether you are a property developer, in the construction industry or building your own place Unicon can meet your concrete and building supply needs. Unicon is an in … Continued
Your Say
Your say is an open forum for you the reader to express your opinions. Write to editor@chiangmaicitylife.com, subject: Your say. Letters can be on any subject and priority will be given to letters under 200 words. Letters may be edited for clarity or conciseness. Name and contact details must be supplied. + Bloody Rude + I am amazed at the behaviour of expats in this city. The Thai people are frie … Continued
This is Thailand
1. I’m so sick of Thai soaps. Is it possible to watch British TV in Thailand? Grace: I have to agree, from time to time, I also miss a bit of home comfort telly. If you must watch your old favourites whilst living in the tropics, there are ways of getting around it. The only problem is it usually relies on having a good internet connection, which can mean the difference between hours of uninterrup … Continued
Community Services
01 Informal Northern Thai Group Tuesday, March 20: ‘WWII in Northern Thailand: The Flying Tigers and 64th Hayabusa Sentai Clash in Chiang Mai’ by Jack Eisner. For further information, please call 053 117 319 or gabaudel@loxinfo.co.th. 02 Alcoholics Anonymous AA meetings are held at 9.30 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. at McCormick Hospital, 133 Kaew Nawarat Road, House 11. For further information, please call … Continued
The Life of Wine
Portugal is famous for three things: The most dangerous drivers on the planet, a footballer named Eusebio, and pastries. But there is a fourth thing for which this sliver of a country on the west coast of Europe is also known. It’s one of the fruitiest, fullest, sweetest, velvetiest, floweriest, perfumediest drinks it is possible to make with today’s technology, and it is called, quite simply, por … Continued
Editorial
The lese majeste law will be abolished one day. That is inevitable. Nothing is permanent and nothing can stem the erosion of change. The questions are when it will happen and how it is to be implemented. This emotionally charged debate which is talked about at top levels of government, analysed and pontificated upon by pundits and the media, and whispered over in quiet corners of every district an … Continued
Do You Want a Panda with your Latte?
When an artist sits down to create a masterpiece, they have to first choose a medium. For Ansel Adams it was the camera, for Da Vinci it was often oil paint, and for Michelangelo, marble. But for Arnon Thitiprasert, 26, of Doppio Ristretto, his chosen medium is milk. His canvas? Lattes. And while his work may never appear in a museum, it has one thing the statue of David doesn’t. It’s drinkable. H … Continued
Young Women Film Makers
Last month, film enthusiasts in Chiang Mai were offered a rare treat when Payap University and the South East Asian Institute of Global Studies hosted the Lifescapes South East Asian Film Festival. Beyond the many programmatic highlights which included thought-provoking films, a discussion on film censorship, and a live appearance by film star Ananda Everingham, there was another very welcome aspe … Continued
Vive la Difference
“Throw me a pair of knickers from the knickers drawer please,” shouted Mrs. D. Having selected a delicate pastel colour of folded material, I opened the bathroom door a bit and threw it through the small gap. I knew what she was doing so there was no way I was going in there. “They’re leggings”, she said so I tried again. “Nope. Boob tube.” I managed to get it right on the third attempt but not wi … Continued
Thai (Vegetable) Boxing
These days, eating organic is considered to be an expensive trend that is limited to the likes of those who can afford to fill their shopping carts with artfully stacked produce from the shelves of Whole Foods. What happened to the days when eating locally produced food was more economical since it didn’t have to be shipped half way around the world before reaching your table? Well, it seems those … Continued
Home Sweet Home
Ever fantasised about your dream home? (This is not an ad). A luxurious villa embedded in the rolling hills of Tuscany, a tropical beach house on the shores of Tahiti or perhaps an exclusive apartment in central Berlin? Renting such a high-end abode could set you back thousands…and we aren’t talking baht…even for just a long weekend. As a house sitter, however, with a touch of effort, flexibil … Continued
Off the Beaten Track
If you like clean, cool fresh mountain air, trails to trek, mountain bikes to ride, flowers of all colours for the bees, and bees for the flowers and cacti of dizzying heights…if you find rock gardens enchanting and waterfalls relaxing and bonsai trees perplexing, this mountain paradise is for you. The loud chorus of birdsong is deafening and the laughter of children thrilling and the Thai cuisi … Continued
Community Service
01 Informal Northern Thai Group Tuesday, February 14: ‘The Plain of Jars in a New Light’ by Hans Lipp, Geographer, University of Tuebingen, Germany. For further information, please call 053 117 319 or email gabaudel@loxinfo.co.th. 02 Nicotine Anonymous Want to stop smoking? It works! Meetings on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. at The 7 Fountains, Huay Kaew Road. For more information please call … Continued
This is Thailand
1. What kind of iPhone apps are useful to have living in Thailand? Grace: There are many apps which can make life easier in the Land of Smiles. First and foremost, I would recommend you to download the Citylife free app, for all the latest news and information on events, attractions, activities and recommendations in Chiang Mai. Personally I like to have a Thai dictionary app so I can look up word … Continued
Your Say
No Simple Solutions In his January letter ‘Cars out of the Moat’, Mr. Bourne puts forward the idea of banning private cars from the inner moat area, although he does not give any benefits or reasons for this suggestion. I presume he thinks that the lesser traffic flow will make everything calm, less polluted and safer. Unfortunately his idea is based on false assumptions; namely that private cars … Continued
The Life of Wine
This month I have decided to risk being slapped for pretentiousness. The discussion is: does the glass one gulps wine from make any difference whatsoever to the taste? Of course it does. Not to say that something chilled and fruity out of a polystyrene cup on a beach, watching a sunset with that special someone in your life, isn’t likely to taste superb; but in general, spending a few baht on some … Continued
Notes from Joe’s Kitchen
The Great Khao Soi Search has been extended for another month. The final results will be posted in the March issue. Thanks to everyone who has suggested new restaurants to visit. For the New Year, I was cleaning out my writing desk and found several ideas that I had squirreled away as possible column fodder. Unfortunately, as I thought about them, I realised that, while interesting, they weren’t w … Continued
Out in The City
Funny old word, decadence. There is a media obsession with the morality or the lacking therein. Loaded with Victorian values of debasement, degeneracy and degradation to some, but burning brightly with bingeing blowouts and candles lit at both ends to others who are more than happy to be regarded as Sybarites, reclining on a chaise longue of epicurean indulgence and sensual delight. Their lustful … Continued
Editorial
Like everyone – I hope! – I have been giddy with passions as well as humbled by obsessions…mind out of the gutter please. Sitting in front of an easel mixing squidgy dollops of oil paints or thrumming fingers on a keyboard mulling over words, phrases and thoughts, have for decades been my passions. Pretentious as it sounds, that in-the-zone feeling, when you are so concentrated on the immediate ac … Continued
A Portrait of a Peacebuilder
When Mother Theresa received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, she was asked, “What can we do to promote world peace?” The elderly nun, by then a global icon of peace, replied, “Go home and love your family.” It was a simple decree and one that Winchana Jitnaruk, would certainly agree with. As Program Coordinator for Peacebuilding Projects at Payap University’s Institute for Religion, Culture and Pea … Continued
The Collectors
John Shaw MBE, co-founder of this very publication, has been well known for decades in Thailand and around the world for his knowledge and collection of northern Thai ceramics, having published his first book with Oxford University Press in 1981 on the subject as well as numerous others over the years. Shaw has always been a collector, passionately collecting from childhood various things such as … Continued