What’s Happening?
[left][/left] Now – 30th November YOUR TOWN AND OUR TOWN @ Kum Joa Burirat, Sunday Walking Street www.muang-muang.org or 083 154 3113 There will be a photo exhibition by Supachai Ketkarunkul supported by the Alliance Francaise. Now – 9 November IMPRESSION OF MY TRAVELS @ Sangdee Gallery 053 894 955 An ink drawing art exhibition by Tanachai Ekuruchaitep, with miniature artworks by Gilbert Medam. 6t … Continued
City Buzz
i Like Ice Cream is always crowded with teenagers and students sitting in the air-conditioned room gobbling down tasty calories and sending each other messages using the free wireless internet. The shop is now offering homemade premium low-fat ice-cream flavours for those worried about the ‘bulge’. Many of the flavours are unique, you can choose from cheese, bubblegum, white chocolate, and other r … Continued
City Sport
[right][/right] Get yourself to the Chiang Mai Rugby Tens in November and support the Suas, your local team. Teams will be coming from all over South East Asia and the weekend is expected to be non-stop excitement. Food and refreshments will be available throughout the whole of the weekend. Saturday 27th – 28th November Location: The Rugby Field at The Prince Royal’s College www.chiangmairugbytens … Continued
A Retiring Attitude
A lot of people choose Thailand as a place of retirement because of the very good and inexpensive medical treatment one can get here. And lately spa and herbal treatment centres have become a booming business. But what about treatment for those little nagging aches and pains and other bothersome physical problems that fall just below the level of needing to see a doctor? Thailand has some answers … Continued
City Vibes
Artist: Davey Moss Album: Morning Light Rating: Davey Moss’ MA paper, ‘The Exploration of the Acoustic Guitar as a Medium for Creating Electronic Dance Music’ is a strong hint at of the artist’s belief that innovation should be at the core of musical experience. Moss rebuffs boundaries and frameworks to create improvised soundscapes in Blues, Dub and Folk with the guitar always at the forefront of … Continued
Chiang Mai on the WWW
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. www.kohjumbeachvillas.com www.kohjumbeachvillas.com One of the most scenic spots in all of Thailand, Koh Jum, Krabi, is home to the fantastic Koh Jum Beach Villas. A beachfront resort community of luxurious, privately owned homes, that are ava … Continued
The Life of Wine
You can’t judge a wine by its label… or can you? Ever stood in front of the shelf at your wine retailer dazed and confused at the wallpaper of labels only to give up and ask for help? Ever bought a bottle of wine purely because you liked the label? Ever refused to try a wine on the grounds that the label sucked? Most of us would answer yes to all. Like food labelling, beer, spirits, perfume and … Continued
Your Say
• MSG Uncertainty In Citylife September 2010, I was very interested to read the article by Julia Shiplett ‘The taste of uncertainty: What’s hiding behind MSG.’ In this article Julia states, ‘Despite years of research and studies on the effects of processed glutamate on our bodies, data is by and large inconclusive and anecdotal.’ Sadly this is not true. I cite just one reference: www.life-enthusia … 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. A friend of mine will be coming to Chiang Mai in about two months, and he wants to have some really good c … Continued
Just One More for the Road
Hello. My name’s Phil and I am a bagoholic. The first stage of recovery is admitting there is a problem. So for the record, I am addicted to bags. Not handbags or suitcases, but for years, I was on an obsessive quest for the ultimate travelling bag that served both business and pleasure. Being a bagoholic is the same principle as an alcoholic except your liver tends to be safer even if your back i … Continued
The Horror
The morning stroll to work, under the canopy of fruit trees fragmenting a perfect azure sky, squirrels above me doing the high wire dash, sunshine smacking down on the street, the merry cobbler busy at work looks up and says sawasdee as he always does. The office garden is sparkling, still not dried off from the heavy rains during the night, while the staff are sitting picnic style around dishes o … Continued
Scents of a Woman
pinch of Thai, a spoonful of British, a smidgen of German, a large dollop of American and just the merest influence of Italian: mix, stir and serve up Virginia Bird, creator and owner of Sabu-Sabu natural care products. An elegant Bird, salt-and-peppered hair wound high on her head, clad in a breezy homespun type outfit, leads a trail of elusive scents as complex as her heritage in her wake. As sh … Continued
Confessions of the Goldfish Bowl
Sex addiction, nymphomania, satyriasis (imagine naughty bearded men with tails and horns prancing about in the scandalous soi of South Pattaya) have now become household manias thanks to the media satyrising Michael Douglas for his supposed clinical humping, and lately showcasing Russell Brand’s coming out of the closet, reporting Brand admitting, “I went to rehab to treat my sex addiction.” But t … Continued
Editorial
Britain may rule the waves, but in Thailand we waive the rules. For so many of us, this is exactly why we love this country. We are not living in a nanny state where our lives are rigidly regulated and cottonwool is wrapped around us from cradle to grave, protecting us from others and more often than not from our very selves. Instead, we allow pragmatism, not law, to rule. No traffic on the street … Continued
Community Services
• 01 Charity Christmas Cards 200 club, Citylife Chiang Mai Magazine, AA insurance and Rachamankha Hotel have teamed up to create a set of five Charity Christmas Cards. Every package contains five different designs. 250 baht per package. 100% of the money goes to the Elephant Clinic. ON SALE NOW [while stocks last!] at the Citylife office, Rachamankha Hotel, The Rim Hotel, AA Insurance offices [Mee … Continued
The Collectors
The Doll Collector Nataphol ‘Tor’ Sinsaduak has been collecting (mostly) Barbie dolls for a decade. He has over 1,000 in his collection (though, only brought 300 to this photoshoot), some of which cost him a Barbie-gasping 10,000 baht. “I love dolls,” he says, “I love dressing them, I love playing with them. I didn’t have many friends when I was young.” Tor works for Thai Airways when he’s not han … Continued
Thailand’s Forgotten People
Seventy-seven year old Don Willcox begins his work at a dawn-breaking six in the morning…seven days a week. For over a decade and a half, Willcox has focused his life on finding ways to help people in the north of Thailand who are neglected by family or society as a whole. He says, “I brought a child who had spastic cerebral palsy to a legitimate private hospital in Chiang Mai because he had an … Continued
Chiang Mai Tattoos
I don’t have a tattoo because I am British. For us, tattoos are the mark of thieves, perverts, ne’er-do-wells; men who spend a lot of their time at sea with other men, circus freaks and long-term guests of Her Majesty. A tattoo is a mark of disgrace even the bible warns us against: Ye shall not make any cuttings on your flesh… nor print any marks upon you. God damn it! – Leviticus 19:28. Tattoos … Continued
Nan
The Nam Wa River is supposed to be one of the best white water rafting venues in the world according to the head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Phrae Province office. The Nam Wa River runs through the northeastern part of Nan, from the top of the Phee Pan Nam mountain, close to the border of Laos. The river’s rafting is divided into five levels of difficulty on three different sections of t … Continued
Fear and Loathing in Farmville
If you aren’t genetically predisposed to obsessive compulsive disorders (OCDs), such as the seasonally filmed and unintentionally comedic Tourette syndrome, or the recently televised – UK, Channel 4, ‘Girls on the Pull’ – Trichotillomania (excessive hair pulling), then you might count yourself fortunate. Though it seems an ‘irrational’ ‘obsessive’ ‘repetitive’ ‘excessive’ model of behaviour throug … Continued