What’s Happening?
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
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
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 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
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