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6th-31st March COUNT 1 FROM 61 @ 9 Art Gallery / Architect Studio, Chiang Rai, artgallery9@yahoo.com , www.9artgallery.com Come see an art exhibition by Amnouy Baongam entitled ‘Count 1 from 61’. Open from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. (closed on Mondays). Now – 24th April A DISTANT MIRROR: A RECORD OF OLD CHIANG MAI @ Lanna Architecture Centre (Intersection of Ratchadamnoen and Prapoklao road), 053 107772 The … Continued

Culturl Insight

Portuguese catholic missionaries first came to Siam in the 16th century. They were followed by a flood of French Jesuits and members of the Paris Foreign Missions Society who were welcomed by King Narai at the end of the 17th century. During the next hundred or so years they were harried and persecuted – none are known to have ventured to Chiang Mai. It was not until the time of King Mongut (1851 … Continued

City Sport

The Chiang Mai expat football team joined the ranks of the city’s best football teams in February, playing in a 16 team knockout competition. The Farangutans were drawn with Suthep FC, PRC FC and Praew FC. In a hard fought first match the farang’s lost 1-0 to Suthep, the goal coming in the second half after injuries were sustained and players were tired, all in all though, the older men made a goo … Continued

A Retiring Attitude

Lately, discussions with my expat friends here as well as my correspondences with the folks back home have been centered around the economy and, more often, what fraction of their retirement savings is left after the latest economic downturn. Here is an exact quote from an email I got today, “Even if I wait until normal retirement age, Social Security and whatever remains of my 401(k) will not be … Continued

Community Services

The Mission House is a Christian organisation offering a genuine service in both English and Thai to Chiang Mai. Their focus is on helping foreigners settle into Chiang Mai and offer many wonderful homes to rent. The Mission House supports and works in partnership with a number of Christian organisations and churches within Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai. Contact; Janta, The Mission House: jantawint … Continued

University Students: sex, drugs & uniforms

Every afternoon Chiang Mai’s centres of education open their doors and out spill hordes of students onto the city’s streets. At times, it seems, there are more uniforms in the city than casual dress. With 63,391 university students enrolled and living in Chiang Mai, they certainly make up a large, and significant, proportion of the population. No doubt if university students in western cities wore … Continued

Winner of 5th Junior IMPAC Dublin Literary Awards: letters never sent

March, 2009 Our favorite questions begin with ‘why’. ‘How’ mystifies us sometimes – it does for me a little, in this case – but the why is always the sought after prize. Why is so subjective, varied; the answer lies only in another mind. Knowing why is like finally catching triumph and seeing her true form. There are so many things I wish I could know about you, but I don’t have the courage to ask … Continued

The Price of Being Farang

Perhaps alienation is what we seek, hanging out here in bizarreland where your girlfriend of five years still refers to you as ‘farang’ when talking to her friends and family. Word on Wise Street is, you’re never gonna fit in, ask any old codger who’s been here long enough to wax wistful about the good old days on the Kampaengdin Road. But who cares really, we didn’t come here for church and chips … Continued

Tii Naa

Surfin’ Lessons

The new, thoroughly clueless, ICT Minister seems to believe we’re all using the internet for cyber sex and she’s determined to censor the entire worldwide web for our virtuous benefit. Actually, there’s so much more to the net than games, Facebook, YouTube and ‘showing your lower half on Skype’. Originally the internet was developed as a shared reference of information, and there is hardly a publi … Continued

City Vibes

Artist: Animal Collective Album: Merriweather Post Pavillion Rating: The ninth release from this Brooklyn/Baltimore behemoth plunges deeper into the feverish eclecticism that has been the nucleaus of Animal Collective since their inception. On Merriweather… vocalists Dave Portner and Noah Lennox let their lyrics drift softly, guided by orchestral and ghostly harmonies, both dream-like and rigidly … Continued

City Events

   

Chiang Mai on the www

[right]This column is to keep you abreast of the latest websites which Citylife has produced, introducing you to the ever-increasing presence of Chiang Mai online.[/right] In the past people went to Pai to rough it out, either camping or sleeping in little bamboo guesthouses as Pai was always a more laid back, mellow and simple place than our hectic Chiang Mai. However, times have certainly change … Continued

City Talk

City Buzz

On the 24th floor of Centara Duang Tawan Hotel, you can take in a spectacular birds eye panorama of Doi Suthep and Chiang Mai city while dining on fine Chinese cuisine in an elegant atmosphere. Sunflower Chinese Restaurant recommends their smorgasbord of dim sum buffet at 310++ baht per person. So grab friends, reserve a big table and experience Chinese Dim Sum the proper way. [i]Open daily 6 p.m. … Continued

Home Ideas

Ten Years Ago

  Citylife (which changed its name from the Chiang Mai Newsletter in 2002) has been in publication for over seventeen years. Let’s look back at what we wrote 10 years ago. 1999: After two years of renovations, and costs running into many millions of baht, the Chiang Mai Museum reopened this month expanding its exhibition space, making them more interactive and adding a stronger Lanna heritage … Continued

Your Say

[right]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.[/right] Tips in Suburbia I live in the San Sai District near Meechok Plaza in one of … Continued

This is Thailand

For those of you with any questions regarding Thailand, Thai culture, history, tourism, laws, rules, food, nightlife, sub-cultures, dating; generally anything as long as it is relevant, we have a panel of three experts who will respond to your enquiries. Email: james@chiangmaicitylife.com. 1. If a farang should purchase a winning Thai lottery ticket number, can he/she actually claim the prize? Jam … Continued

Citylife In House

Citylife was the northern partner to The Nation again this year in organising the 5th Junior IMPAC Dublin Literary Awards for students between the ages of 14 and 18. This year’s submissions came from throughout northern Thailand and were held under the title ‘Once Upon a Time’. Some incredibly mature and creative essays were submitted and finally the judges, Robert Tilley, owner of the Writers Clu … Continued

Editorial

Common sense is a marvellous thing, even though it is terribly tricky to define. What is common sense to one person is often bewilderingly nonsensical to the next. This underrated practicality could even be termed an oxymoron as so few of us share anything in common when it comes to our senses. Should we all stand on the same level playing field of sense, there would be far fewer misunderstandings … Continued

Citylife’s New Office

Citylife is looking forward towards the bright light at the end of the tumbling financial tunnel. While times are tough, we are gearing up and readying ourselves for the turnaround. Over the past year we have focused on building and strengthening our internal system, upskilling our staff, training management, systems placement and improvement, and generally using the tough and slow times to fortif … Continued

Elite Property Special Scoop

March, 2009 “It was when we moved to Chiang Mai, three years ago, and began house hunting, that the germination of the idea of Elite Property began,” explains Krongkwan ‘Kay’ Mulcahy, one half of Chiang Mai’s newest power couple and owner of Elite Property. “My husband Patrick and I were frustrated at the time we wasted while searching for our ideal house by being shown many properties which were … Continued

Mae Chaem

March, 2009 Mae Chaem, a two and a half hour drive from the city of Chiang Mai has recently become a well known destination for tourists for its preservation of old culture and maintenance of local lifestyles. It is home to artists, artisans and traditional Lanna ways. Nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains including the highest in the land, Doi Inthanon, the drive to Mae Chaem itself is wort … Continued

Soft Focused Lanna

March, 2009 Ever since early man first invited his neighbour round to check out his cave etchings he has argued about the definition of beauty in art. Wandering through Chiang Mai’s Night Bazaar, I found it. I was transfixed. I stood open-mouthed and wide-eyed gazing at a shop front covered with photographs of families, lovers and individuals all with flawless faces dressed in fabulous embroidered … Continued

Change at the American Consulate

The American consulate has made changes to its American Citizen Services section in an effort to make various consular services less time consuming. It’s now possible to make an appointment for all non-emergency services, including passport services, notarials, and reports of birth. Until March 31st 2009 the walk-in service will be available but after this date all non-emergency services will have … Continued

More From Citylife

Makwaen: from larb to luxury

Tue 18th Aug

Makwaen is traditionally added to larb dishes, but here it’s infused into a delightful massage oil. Chiang Mai’s wellness centres and spas are world class and we are all spoilt for choice — uber cool city spas, traditional Thai massage experiences, treatments amidst nature and gimmicks galore. The latest offering to have piqued our interest is quite unique. The city spa, just off the bustling moat … Continued

Man with blurred licence plate flees police at Huay Kaew intersection, arrested with firearm

Tue 18th Aug

Police from Chang Phuak Police Station intercepted a man attempting to flee in a white car at the Huay Kaew Road traffic light intersection at around 3pm on 17th August, allegedly after investigators spotted a firearm inside the vehicle. It is unclear under what circumstances the firearm was first spotted. Officers surrounded the car and forced the driver out, drawing a crowd of onlookers and tour … Continued

Where have the moat geese gone?

Fri 14th Aug

Chiang Mai’s beloved flock of white geese, which briefly turned a stretch of the old city moat near Chiang Mai Gate into an unlikely tourist attraction, has been relocated to a farm in Mae On district while their old home is dismantled. The ten geese arrived at the moat some time ago, courtesy of Chiang Mai Municipality, and quickly built a following. Visitors stopped by to photograph and watch th … Continued

Stray dogs at Chiang Mai government centre chew through motorbike seats

Fri 14th Aug

A long-running problem with stray dogs at the Chiang Mai Provincial Government Centre car park has escalated, with the animals now chewing through motorbike seats and leaving people who work at or visit the centre unable to safely approach their own vehicles. Members of the public visiting the government centre filmed the strays, which have made the car park their home, tearing into the seats of t … Continued

Police drone helps track down escaped suspect who fled into pond, nearly drowns during half-hour swim

Thu 13th Aug

Investigators from Doi Saket Police Station, backed by volunteer rescue teams, launched a manhunt for a suspect in a major theft case after he escaped from the police station at around 9pm. Officers combed the surrounding routes and likely escape points, and by 2.30am a tip from a member of the public led them to a disused clay pit in the Dong Pa Kor community, Cherng Doi subdistrict. The operatio … Continued

Cyclists on edge as motorcycles overrun bike lane, highway office pledges tighter measures

Tue 11th Aug

A cycling path running alongside the irrigation canal in Chiang Mai, built to give cyclists a safe dedicated route, has become anything but, after motorcyclists have taken to riding it regularly, putting cyclists at risk of accidents. Following complaints, local media visited the bike lane near Chiang Mai 700th Anniversary Stadium and found large numbers of motorcycles using the path as though it … Continued

Elephants moved to higher ground as Mae Taeng river rises again, more rain expected tonight

Tue 11th Aug

Mae elephant camp staff in Mae Taeng district reported on the 10th August that water levels in the Mae Taeng river, which runs through the elephant camp, have begun rising again after previously receding enough to allow clean-up and restoration work in the area. Staff say they are now on 24-hour standby, monitoring water levels closely given the continued risk of further rises should rain fall in … Continued

Thailand sweep SEA V Cup 2026 Leg 2 undefeated as Chiang Mai closes out the tournament in style

Tue 11th Aug

Thailand’s women’s volleyball team capped off leg 2 of the BYD DMI 6th SEA V Cup 2026 at Chiang Mai 700th Anniversary Stadium on the 9th August with a commanding 3-0 win over Vietnam, sweeping all three matches in the leg for a perfect 9 points and taking home the gold. Chiang Mai governor Rathapol Naradisorn presented the trophy to the winning team. In the closing match, the Thai squad overpowere … Continued

Ping river spills over into riverside restaurants in Chiang Mai city as irrigation officials open floodgates to speed drainage into Bhumibol Dam

Tue 11th Aug

Heavy rain accumulating across the northern part of the province pushed the Ping river, which runs through Chiang Mai city, over its banks on the 9th August, flooding shops and restaurants along the riverfront in Wat Ket sub-district. Several businesses were forced to close temporarily until water levels recede. Water levels at station P.67 in Mae Taeng district have been rising slowly since last … Continued

Jasmine prices bloom as Mother’s Day flower market wilts

Tue 11th Aug

At the Riverside Ping flower market on the 11th, vendors set out garlands of jasmine and rak flowers in a range of designs and prices ahead of National Mother’s Day, but the mood on the ground was subdued, with only a trickle of customers throughout the day. Flower sellers in the area said the 11th of August is usually the day locals turn out in force to pick up jasmine garlands for their mothers, … Continued

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