Interview with Dr. Deuntemduang Na-Chiangmai
Citylife last interviewed ex Lady Mayor Dr. Deuntemduang Na-Chiang Mai in August 2007 as she was poised to become the next Chiang Mai city mayor. After a tumultuous two years, we ask her what hurdles she faced and what her achievements were during her two year stint. Cityife: There was a DVD released recently of you and your partner in a compromising situation. Would you care to comment on it? Dr. … Continued
Jin Design
Alright, alright . . . Listen up . . . We’ve got something to say . . . Firstly, who are we? Well, we specialise in residential and commercial architectural design. But let us get one thing straight, if you are thinking about 50 storey glass clad office buildings where people have to struggle to get in the lift, or duke it out in the car park to get a space . . . well, that is not us, Jin Design. … Continued
What’s Happening?
7th – 31st August BEAUTY OF LIFE @ Northern Village Floor 2nd, Central Plaza Chiang Mai Airport 053 999 199 ext 1020-1023 Central Plaza Chiang Mai Airport presents an art exhibition by Jakkapan Chaijit featuring his painting themed ‘Beauty of Life’. The exhibition will take place Monday – Fridays, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. and 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. on weekends. 8th – 31st August SPIRITS IN NATURE @ 9 Art Galler … Continued
City Buzz
At Le Petit Paris, a cool, French style bistro, Philip the congenial English owner has been both a chef and restaurateur for two decades in both England and France. He is now firmly planted in Chiang Mai with his wife where they cook up a storm of English and French dishes. Dishes are mostly staples, including English roast pork dinner, chicken Provencal, beef brown ale, goulash, pork fillet with … Continued
Your Say
As always Citylife is well received in the Bangkok Hilton. June’s edition being particularly so. An excellent editorial, which has always been the case and a very brave article on the state of the education system _ or rather, lack of it in the kingdom, by Associate Professor Prathoomporn Vajarasthira. I was more than pleasantly shocked when I read Assoc. Prof. Prathoomporn’s article to find that … Continued
Community Services
Informal Northern Thai Group The Informal Northern Thai Group has been hosting a series of monthly talks since 1984, usually about aspects of Thailand, SE Asia and Asia. They are held at the Alliance Francaise on Charoen Prathet Road starting at 7:30 p.m., usually on the second Tuesday of each month. Everyone is welcome! Tuesday 11th August at 7.30 p.m. Adam Oswell, Director of the Willife1 Founda … Continued
Ten Years ago
We reported on the grand opening of the new Provincial Hall and surrounding complex, slated to be called the Mae Rim Centre, originally set on 176 rai of land, but which later incorporated the adjoining land which had been under the care of the Department of Animal Husbandry, adding another 600 rai for future expansion. Governor Pravit Srisophon was the first governor to move in and was most proud … Continued
Editorial
It is not an incongruous sight to see ladies, hair sprayed and teased to double the size of their heads, Ferragamo shoes swinging, Hermes handbag as arm candy, and Chanel glossed lips slurping a steamy bowl of noodles while perched on a wobbly fold up chair, in a run down, neon-lit shop house. In Thailand, we all know that great food is best served cheap. Oddly enough, when some of these shabby ve … 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. What do they call Thailand: Developing World, Second World? And, if you don’t mind, what are the average w … Continued
City Sport
This is the Chiang Mai community sports page, please feel free to send your sports news, results and any announcements you wish to make to james@chiangmaicitylife.com. GOLF John Almquist won his second ‘Little Man’ for the year at Highlands by applying that old golf truism. Hit fairways and greens and the score will look after itself. Fourteen fairways hit and ten greens reached in regulation were … Continued
Surfin’ Lessons
Antisocial networking Forget the hi-so events pages of this magazine, being a network socialite is far more 21st century darling. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Hi-5, YouTube, MySpace, I’m all over them like a social networking butterfly. If there’s one phenomenon that’s taken the internet by storm Facebook is it, though I know a few out there resolutely refusing to sign up and, gasp, others who are … Continued
City Vibes
This album cover vomits on the pivotal human principles of logic and reason. It twists every recognisable thread of remaining sanity in my brain and rapes the notion of artist integrity with a blunted lance. So what’s the music like? If one had dried chilli sprinkled slowly on forced open eyes for a month, it could not compare to the pain one suffers when exposed to this egotistical detritus. It i … Continued
A Retiring Attitude: Let’s Do Lunch (a starter luncheon menu)
New expats to Thailand who know only survival Thai may only know how to order a few Thai dishes at a typical restaurant here. Since lunch is the meal that is most often eaten out we are offering, as a public service to the palates of all new expats, a starter luncheon menu of some favourites. These are standard dishes served at inexpensive roadside and shop house restaurants almost everywhere. Eac … Continued
CULTURAL INSIGHT Identity Crisis
When, in 1775, the Burmese were finally defeated and driven out of Chiang Mai and the north, the Chiang Mai Chronicle says: all were starving and emaciated and weak, [since Citylife has food as its theme this month the following remarks from the Chronicle are included _ The inhabitants were starving having eaten all their elephants, horses, buffalo, ducks, chicken, pigs, dogs, tubers and bananas…s … Continued
108 Great Places to Eat
[right]Photographer by Alberto Cosi[/right] A list of 108 great places to eat. This list is to point you, foodies, to some of the more interesting and perhaps lesser known and advertised, eating venues in and around the city, beloved by locals. Some of these stalls and restaurants don’t even have names, but they are tasty and delicious. If there is no menu – and chances are there isn’t – just look … Continued
Dinner Parties for Dummies
If, like me, you love entertaining at home, but have been banned (for life) by your husband from cooking, I thought it would be a good idea to share some of my not-so-secrets with you. After a failed paella attempt, which turned out to resemble a mutated seafood porridge, and forced twelve dinner guests to send an emergency SOS to Pizza Company many years ago, I have humbly had to re-evaluate my c … Continued
AKACASA Luxury Private Villa & Spa
In the heart of bustling Chiang Mai, is a sanctuary of serenity that has set a new standard in private villa exclusivity – AKACASA Luxury Private Villa & Spa. Created by renowned architect and designer, Eakrit Pradistsuwana, AKA spa was, for many years, one of the city’s most exclusive spas. Set in a remodelled wooden and floor-to-ceiling glass house surrounded by giant rain trees and landsca … Continued
Fat to the Future
Fatso, porky, piggy . . . obese, corpulent, overweight . . . larger framed, robust, strong. Adjectively rotund, euphemistically well rounded, fatness has a language all of its own. Our weight is now a way of life, it’s a pastime, a recurring issue, especially in the weighty west where people often spend more time fixated on their weight than they do say, the reason why their 80 kilos of flesh even … Continued
Good Food without the Frilly Bits
As I sat in a bar contemplating a bowl of fermented fish puree and the sliver of strange green fruit I was supposed to dip into it, I was pleased to be diverted by a Thai friend. ‘You’re going to eat that?’ he asked, nodding at my dripping fishy fruit slice, ‘or you want to come get an orgasm in your mouth?’ The choice was surprisingly easy and a short bike ride later we arrived – not at an establ … Continued
A Rare Raw Treat
Since The Spa Resort Samui opened its doors in 1992 on a small stretch of lily white beach, it has become a destination _ a mini Mecca _ for thousands of health aficionados, or those seeking an alternative solution to their often unhealthy lives. Celebrities, overweight people, the sick, and more often than not, those whose careers pressure them into a frenetic lifestyle, come to The Spa Resort to … Continued