City Vibes
Artist: Taken by Trees Album: East of Eden Rating: * * * When an accomplished Swedish composer Victoria Bergsman visits Pakistan for musical inspiration the result is this superbly blended work of folk songs with a Balukistani edge. East of Eden avoids the pitfalls of orientalism by allowing the calm, minimalist rhythms room to breathe and by keeping vocalisation low-key. Whether Bergsman has a tr … Continued
Surfin’ Lessons
I hate banging on about the same old shortcomings but by the time 3G technology arrives in Thailand, climate change might well have rendered mobile phones useless. It’s a pity because mobile internet access is the next great leap forward in communication. With high speed access in the palm of your hand the usefulness of the web broadens considerably; instant weather reports, free skype calls to an … Continued
City Sport
• GOLF Travelling south to Rayong’s Green Valley Golf Club, three players from The Prem Golf Academy’s Team Elite made their debut appearance at the highly-acclaimed national junior golf competition known as ‘The Mercedes Trophy’. Thirteen year old Chayutpol (Smart) Kittirattanapaiboon, was the surprise winner of the Class B2 division to beat over forty other players from around Thailand in his ag … Continued
Community Services
01 Informal Northern Thai Group Tuesday, November 10th at 7.30 p.m. – ‘Setting up a Technology and Science Park in Chiang Mai’. A talk and presentation by Martin Venzky-Stalling, Technology Park Advisor. For more information please call 053 117 319. 02 Care for Dogs – Dog of the Month for November – Barry Oh yeah. This is Barry, named after the Walrus-of-Love himself, Mr. Barry White. Ok, so maybe … 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 happened to the internet, can you call TOT, find out what is going on? I speak for myself and many fr … 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. • Civility Where art Thou? Oh dear Mr. Leong, but did you really need to remind us expats ab … Continued
A Retiring Attitude
One major difference in the Thai and western culture is how each group entertains. I have been to many parties at Thai houses, but very few dinners. Entertaining a dinner guest at a restaurant is the norm. So when a western expat plans a mixed Thai and expat dinner party at home, remember that most Thais won’t have had much experience with this western concept. Here are a few suggestions. Make it … Continued
Keeping Pipe Dreams Alive
It was a brilliant plan. About ten years ago there was a lot of commotion in the village of Ban Sop Sa Nhong Fhan in the Don Kaew district. The village residents were disgruntled because of a massive stench oozing out of a large pig farm with about 500 pigs. Flies, attracted by large heaps of stored, decomposing pig droppings, were pestering the villagers. When it rained, the faeces were flushed d … Continued
Editorial
When I first came up with the idea for the Guardian Issue, I envisaged a slew of articles about those who safeguard those who are vulnerable in our society. I imagined features on a strong caring police force (well, I tried to defy all preconceptions and imagine it that way anyway) who risk life and limb to protect and serve; I visualised stories about compassionate laws upheld by honourable men a … Continued
A Visa-Run in Style
Doing the Mae Sai border run can be a bit of an ordeal – that is if your budget doesn’t allow for planes, your own set of wheels and French crepes for breakfast. Who in all honesty enjoys the packed four hour minibus ride with its labouring air conditioning system, wending round and round those inimical hills to Chiang Rai? Who would in all seriousness bed down with the roaches, risk contracting c … Continued
No Land to Call Home: Burma’s displaced millions
Myawaddy, Burma’s gateway to Thailand, and for many the first milestone on the pathway to a new life. Fleeing from poverty, war and brutal oppression thousands of men, women and children pass through every year, with no idea what lies ahead. At first, the dirt roads bustling with merchants with pedal carts, women of all ages with great loads on their heads and children running around without shoes … Continued
Animal Traffic
The following interview is with an Australian wildlife conservationist based in Thailand who has worked for over ten years in an effort to monitor, minimise and eradicate the illegal trade in endangered species. The illegal trade of wildlife is said to be one of the largest illegal markets in the world, after drugs and arms, worth over ten billion dollars annually. Because of the covert nature of … Continued
Super Art at Look at This
Chiang Mai’s vibrant art scene is to get even more exciting this November with the month-long Superheroes/Supervillains exhibition to be held at Look at This Gallery on Nimmanhaemin Road. “Bringing works from artists from around the world, this exhibition explores the theme of Superheroes and Supervillains as a reflection of the full range of human experience and how culture, in turn, is affected … Continued
Small But Perfectly Formed
Back in the UK, my daily newspaper was called ‘The Guardian’; with a left-of-centre political bias and the size of a sheet of wallpaper, it was also legendary for spelling mistakes and was commonly known as the ‘The Grauniad’. I have been checking Citylife for similar typos but haven’t found that many [Ed. Any, you mean?], though I found that you can make a few interesting anagrams from the word ‘ … Continued
Special Scoop: Jin Design
As a designer and architect, at the mention of a house, my mind flies straight to the bedroom…don’t ask my why. But I associate bedrooms with houses and I spend a lot of my time thinking, feeling, dreaming and fantasising bedrooms! Think about it, after a hard day’s work, your muscles _ brain muscles too – are tense and tight. Wouldn’t you want to have a bedroom that is your ideal sanctuary? You m … Continued
Supply and Demand: A Thai Drug Story
‘Reassuringly potent, longer-lasting, available without prescription,’ might be an advertising slogan for Thailand’s up and coming public enemy number two (after ya ba), crystal methamphetamine, aka ice, or ‘ya aii’ as it’s called here. In small print on the back of each baggie there should be a warning, ‘can cause insomnia, loss of appetite, memory loss, seizure, psychosis and death.’ Having alre … Continued
The Watchman
The armed guards in front of Babylonia’s city walls; the special assigned defence force, the vigils, who protected the inhabitants of ancient Rome; the night watchmen patrolling the dimly lit streets of Europe’s cities in the Middle Ages…guards have been around for a long time. They are the privately employed individuals who are paid to protect people, their property and possessions. This being th … Continued
Pam Brown: DEA Agent
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration has had an office in Chiang Mai since 1973 (it also has offices in Udon Thani and Bangkok), when it was set up to monitor the emerging drug situation in northern Thailand and Burma, both of which were heavy producers of opium, which flowed freely through Thailand’s porous 2,200 kilometre northern border with Burma and Laos. Today, the DEA office co … Continued
Special Scoop: The Masterpiece Scenery Hill
This recently built gated community was designed with one thing in mind: to create a harmonious balance between nature and modern convenience, where a family may live safely, healthfully, ensconced not far from the panoramic beauty of the mountains and the hustle and bustle of the city. The Masterpiece intends to be best of its kind in Chiang Mai, with not just unique, quality housing but such an … Continued
Stopping Traffic
In a small Burmese village 35 kilometres outside of Bago, a 14 year old girl called Aye is preparing tea for her family. They have a visitor, a renowned local merchant, who has heard about the family’s bad crops and has a proposal for them. Why not send Aye to Thailand, where she can work as a waitress in a nice restaurant for a couple of years and earn a lot of money for the family while learning … Continued