Chiang Mai on the WWW
www.city-now.com Citylife is very excited, and hopes that you are too, at the launch of our new CityNow! website. Basically, this site will be the ULTIMATE events site in the north of Thailand. If your bar or restaurant is about to have a party or promotion, if you are about to offer a sale, if your company is organising a concert or exhibition, or your NGO or foundation is launching a charity par … Continued
Editorial
In so many ways, Thais are all fighting for, or being frustrated about, the same things – equality between the rich and poor, corruption, rule of law and transparency: the yellows at the overwhelming corruption and lack of transparency during the Thaksin era and the reds at the lack of equality in government policies towards the poor in comparison to the rich and even-handedness of the rule of law … 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: A Thai reader expressed their view on expats “I appreciate that farang like to live here and it makes me proud that they want to live here. But, I think sometime they complain too much. Of coarse our driving is bad, the road … Continued
What’s Happening
13th – 31st May PEE MAI MUANG (SONGKRAN FESTIVAL) 2009 PHOTO EXHIBITION @ Chiang Mai City Art Center (Three Kings Monument), 053 217793 A photo exhibition entitled ‘Pee Mai Muang’ (Songkran Festival). Now – 2nd June ‘DREAM – FAITH’ @ Nan Riverside Art Gallery, 054 798 046, 081 322 2912 An art exhibition by Pheerasilp Duang themed ‘Dream-Faith’ showing daily, except Wednesdays, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. … Continued
Community Services
Holistic Asia is an online magazine dedicated to spiritual, ecological and health issues and serving much of Asia, including Thailand. It publishes articles pertaining to these subjects and contains online resources and event listings. As part of their resources, they maintain a catalogue of vegetarian restaurants, acupuncturists and related businesses. They also have an online store selling healt … Continued
City Buzz
A new band of bright lights illuminates the Nimmanheamin Road at the Look At This art gallery (which oddly enough does make one crane one’s head to look every time), just opposite the Amari Rincome car park. Owner, Marshall Kelly, hailing from the streets of New York, brings his personal taste and touch to the local art scene. Representing mainly resident Thai and foreign artists, this maze of a g … 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. Banking on Thailand for Retirement Chiang Mai is certainly beautiful and the people are love … Continued
City Sport
The Farangutans travelled to Bangkok in April for a two day tournament along with teams from SE Asia and other parts of the world. Even though the boys from Chiang Mai are a somewhat ‘local’ bunch, they put on a great performance, almost winning the tournament under the gaze of the Thai national football team coach and former England player, Peter Reid. The boys were drawn into a fairly easy first … Continued
Surfin’ Lesson
Let’s face it, the internet has proven a nightmare for the music industry. Digitising music and the invention of bittorrent means we never need pay for another CD again. But that’s the wrong way of looking at it. I listen to a much wider variety online, discover more bands and ultimately spend more on itunes. Here’s why. The internet is a wonderful tool for promoting and enjoying music, I stream i … Continued
City Vibes
For those not yet familiar with Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy (Will Oldham) be prepared for a treat. Coming hot on the heels of 2008’s ‘Lie Down in the Light’, ‘Beware’ captures the same mood with beautifully written and arranged tracks that are folk hearted and uplifting. Since his first album in 1993, Oldham has released fourteen studio albums, each surpassing the other in style and content. ‘Beware’ is … Continued
A Retiring Attitude
A common complaint heard lately here is the one about the double pricing system, one for Thais, another for foreigners, in use at public facilities and parks in Thailand. My way of dealing with this problem is to go to places that are free. Below are my favourite free places to go to for a great outdoor experience right in Chiang Mai. Ang Kaew at Chiang Mai University (for the romantic) In the uni … Continued
Cultural Insight
[i]An English army officer based in Burma had gained a financial interest in a teak forest owned by the Prince of Chiang Mai. His foresters were molested and he complained to the British Consul in Bangkok who promptly issued an ultimatum to the government saying that unless the Prince could be controlled, they would regard him as an independent ruler and act accordingly. The Siamese were already w … Continued
This is Thailand
1. Someone told me Thailand had one of the world’s highest buildings, is that true? James: The Baiyoke Tower II in Bangkok was the world’s 28th highest in 2007, I’m not sure if that still stands, skyscrapers sprout like weeds. It is 304 metres high and 200 baht will get you a good panoramic view of BKK (if not too polluted). 2. Will I receive my state pension living over here? Hugh: For the U.S pe … Continued
Death of the Railway
Once upon a time the Chiang Mai-Bangkok fifty-five minute flight was a luxury of the bourgeoisie. The skinflints, along with the predictably ovine backpackers, took the bus, and the train was mostly reserved for the refined traveller who knew about the cheap, tepid pad tai on the Lampang platform, and the alcoholic nicotiniac who, like a teething child, can’t stop putting things in his mouth. We w … Continued
Journey to the End of the Night The Citylife Pub Crawl Challenge
Citylife has created a fun board game for Chiang Mai’s party people. We hope that you and your friends try it out and have a great time. Citylife took Chiang Mai by storm last night: rolling dice, chucking down drinks, traversing the luminous streets and piss stained back alleys until the wee hours, sacrificing our sobriety and livers in the name of the job. The editorial team takes itself serious … Continued
Public Transit
We are all complaining about the pollution and how the city of Chiang Mai needs to take action to reduce this perennial problem. Instead of complaining, why don’t you take action and reduce your pollution output by taking the bus. Living in Chiang Mai one sees the occasional bus or bus stop but few people know the routes or times for these elusive vehicles. So, here are the regular bus routes arou … Continued
THE COPS ARE COMING
[right]Police Commander of Chiang Mai Major General Sommai Kongvisaisuk[/right] Shock waves have lately sent expat dipsomaniacs flying from their bar stools, having been told their favourite drinking hole will close at midnight, and no, there will not be any ‘concessions’. Then compounding one drinker’s grief on the way home from his upended night, he’s stopped by cops for not wearing a helmet, wh … Continued
Wat Don Jan
We met Pawinoot Wisalootwasapoo in an open schoolroom filled with bustling children; the perfect balance to Wat Don Jan’s silent and serene courtyard. When asked why she came to the orphanage at Wat Don Jan, ten-year old Pawinoot, simply replied; “I wanted to be able to learn”. Pawinoot comes from a very poor family, with her older sister playing the role of both mom and dad. Her family had a hard … Continued
History and Boundary Bound: Burma and Thailand’s relationship through the centuries
The two devastating assaults on Ayutthaya in 1569 and 1767 left a deep and lasting impression on the Thai psyche – the Burmese were the enemy; cruel and evil. Today they are thought of as illegal immigrants and drug smugglers. “I would rather my daughter married a farang than a Burmese,” I was told by one mother, sounding as though she was speaking of the lesser of two evils. But, in truth, the tw … Continued
Goodview. Warm Up. Monkey Club: SUCCESS STORIES
The pub business in Chiang Mai is a finicky trade to ply, we have all witnessed the grand opening, subsequent demoralisation, followed by the inevitable ‘Closed Down’ sequence many times over in this fickle city. Sometimes a street’s vista can have a makeover every couple of years, with restaurants, bars, clubs and pubs, seemingly having the life span of a mosquito. Though there are a few night sp … Continued