City Buzz
White House Bed & Breakfast is a hip and intimate guesthouse. This is a stylish place for those looking for something a bit different. The guest house is in the heart of the trendy part of town; on the doorstep are many cafes, bars, restaurants, galleries and shops. Staying here you are sure to spot some of the cool kids and artsy crown that hang out in this area. Forget tacky ‘American breakf … Continued
CityNews Chiang Mai
> News Highlights in September Drugs September saw an unprecedented amount of drug related arrests as the government stepped-up its war against drugs. Just use our search engine and type in drugs to see that drugs are verily enemy number one in Thailand right now. http://www.chiangmaicitynews.com Although CityNews editor, James Austin Farrell, is very skeptical about the war and he isn’t afraid … Continued
Clients’ Spot
Crossroads Asia Wow or whoa may be two expressions falling from your lips when entering this exotic Aladdin’s cave of a shop. Existing adverts displaying just one piece of furniture from the retailers don’t do justice to the array of fabulous ethnic art, antiques and furniture on offer, you must really see it for yourself. The main shop building has tons of exquisite pieces, decorative or practica … Continued
The Community
01 Informal Northern Thai Group Tuesday, October 9: Restitution of Stolen Works of Art by Manus Brinkman. For further information, please call 053 117 319 or gabaudel@loxinfo.co.th. 02 Nicotine Anonymous Want to stop smoking? It works! Meetings on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. at the 7 Fountains, Huay Kaew Road. For more information please call Earl 086 194 6300, Peter 087 145 9655. 03 AA g … Continued
A Grand Entrance?
The e-mail was short, to the point and blunt. Daring’s pontifications and ramblings not required for a month. The editor had found someone else in my place. A blow to my insecure ego, a few days of sulking followed. I awaited last month’s issue of Citylife with interest. Who was the person responsible for pushing me aside? Imagine my shock and surprise to find my daughter, D2, in my place. And wha … Continued
This is Thailand
1. Can I leave my car overnight at the airport? Grace: Yes, but it will cost you, they have just brought in a new fee of 250 baht for every 24 hours, so it may be worth getting a taxi. If you are just parking whilst picking someone up from the airport, it’s a lot cheaper, around 10 to 100 baht depending on how long you park. 2. Can you tell me the going rates at pawn shops in Chiang Mai? Bet: Pawn … Continued
City Vibes
Artist: Four Tet Album: Pink Rating: **** Four Tet is an explosively creative producer of variant strains of dance music and a masterful DJ to boot. His music tends to tread the precipice of modernity in any given sub-genre and is more of the though-provoking, pipe and slippers animal than the four-to-the-floor, sorted for E’s and whizz cacophonies of catastrophe that shamelessly pollute our socia … Continued
What’s Happening?
• ARTS & EXHIBITIONS Now – 15th October CHIANG MAI DIGITAL CRAFTS: HANDMADE-CHIANG MAI @ Central Plaza Chiang Mai Airport An exhibition showcasing the small and medium sized handicrafts business in Chiang Mai through creative digital media. Now – 7th October MADIFESTO 2012 SUPER CULTURE @ CMU Art Centre A contemporary art festival, having been arranged since 2009, showing media designs, comm … Continued
The Life of Wine
Mon Dieu and lashings of putain de merde! Just when I thought the world couldn’t go any more to pot, I have to wake up and find that a vineyard in France has been bought by a bloody Asian. Ma sang boubles. It seems like everywhere I look these days there are bloody Asians buying things. So what’s caused one of the biggest furores in France since our Gallic friend’s had a small fit about the Englis … Continued
Chiang Mai on WWW
www.HotSpringsHouseChiangMai.com www.HotSpringsHouseChiangMai.com Hot Springs House Chiang Mai Hot Springs House; a magical open air wooden lodge and resort, is peacefully nestled in the lush northern Thai countryside. Next to the Doi Saket natural hot springs, less than one hour’s drive from Chiang Mai, this brand new small resort, has only eight rooms each individual in style and … Continued
Your Say
• Home Sweet Home How sad to read that the old house and garden have to go. My first memory of visiting your home was in 1987 when your mum and dad were looking after the young Isaan girl who had broken her back when escaping from a brothel in Bangkok. I was working at McKean and made her a special made-to-measure wheelchair then delivered it to the house where I remember being invited to have af … Continued
Editorial
I am a sucker for US presidential elections. The drama, the high jinks, the slick spins, the porky pies, the hanky-panky, the erudite analyses, the gut-clenching transformative moments and the marvelous regularity of appalling snafus makes for sensational entertainment. I am a liberal, and were I to hold American citizenship, there is no doubt that I would be a democrat. It is not because of some … Continued
Citylife Thai Talk
? Citylife ? 20 ? ? ? Citylife ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Citylife ? ? ? ? ? 500 ? ? Citylife ? 2011 ? ? Citylife ? 39% (61% ?) ? 35-65 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Citylife ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 2011 ? Citylife (www.chiangmaicitylife.com) ? 470,000 ? ? Chiang Mai ? Search Engine ? Google.com ? ? Citylife ? 1 ? 3 ? ? ? Citylife ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?(brainstorm)? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Citylife “? Citylife ? ? ? ? ? ?” ? ” … Continued
Special scoop: Chiangkham Luang Resort and Restaurant
It’s a fact; wide open spaces, fresh air and nature are good for us. To really get a good measure of these glorious elements, pack your bags and head out of the city to Chiang Kham Luang Resort in Chiang Dao, roughly an hour’s drive from Chiang Mai city centre. As you draw closer to Chiang Dao, you can’t help but feel in awe of the lofty Doi Luang Mountain towering steeply above ‘the city of stars … Continued
Great Little Britain
Many Thais have it bad for all things Britain. The charm and tweeness of ye olde England – sipping Earl Gray while elegantly nibbling on cucumber sandwiches by the Ping or the erection of mock-Tudor edifices in the tropics – seem to be just as coveted as the harsher and punkier side of the UK, its iconic music, cutting edge fashion and sports…OK, football. Citylife takes a look at some of the thin … Continued
Easy Tiger
Dr. Sarawut Srisakuna CEO of Chiang Mai Night Safari is commonly, spotted (no pun intended) in the local society pages sporting his signature outfits of animal print attire. With years of experience working for the government in natural resources and a PhD in social science, he was appointed as CEO of the Night Safari when it opened six years ago. The Night Safari is run as a non-profit government … Continued
In The Zone
Chiang Mai is a city in constant flux and residents love nothing more than to gripe about unplanned over-development. I am forever squeezing my little car through tight soi, flanked by new buildings and labourers’ fleeting shanty towns. Most of us wish there were better sidewalks, more green spaces, fresher air and reliable public transport around here. And many of us are a little saddened, and al … Continued
The Honorary British Social Worker: meet Ben Svasti Thomson the Honorary British Consul
Just over three years ago, the British Embassy announced that it was accepting applicants for a new Honorary British Consul for Chiang Mai. This move followed the end of an awkward decade-long policy which saw the automatic appointment as consul of the head of the British Council – generally educators who are rotated into our fair city for a couple of years at a time, with no personal ties, nor ve … Continued
Herd the News?
The Big Picture Got an elephant painting? Seems like it’s time to get yourself painting an elephant. Like many interesting ventures, The Elephant Parade’s core concept is simple: invite artists and celebrities to paint resin elephants, exhibit and auction them all over the world, hire Thai artisans to replicate and sell them in miniatures, and a percentage of proceeds goes towards Asian elephant c … Continued
Born to Grill
It’s that time of year again; the weather is beginning to cool and while water-levels are still rising, the rains are letting up…we hope! It is the perfect time to spend more time outdoors. This month Citylife explores one of life’s best outdoor activities; barbecuing. We have asked four chefs from some of Chiang Mai’s most respected restaurants to get creative and come up with their ultimate BBQ … Continued
Great Brit Pub Grub
It was Napoleon who famously labelled the United Kingdom as a nation of shop keepers. Had he had added ‘and publicans’, he would be spot on. Every village, street or community in the UK would be lost without its local corner shop and pub. Traditionally pubs served up classic British fare to be washed down by the pints on tap _ fish and chips, bangers and mash, pies. However, in recent years this B … Continued
An Environmental Warrior
Environmental lawyer Matthew Baird, and his partner, textile designer Chris Chun, arrived in Chiang Mai for a six month sabbatical from Sydney, Australia, eighteen months ago and it doesn’t look like they are going to be leaving any time soon. Having spent over 25 years in local and national politics in Australia and the last decade on big-issues such as climate change on a national level, Baird n … Continued
How Slow can you Go?
Slow Movements are picking up speed worldwide as alternative ways of living which are more environmentally and socially responsible and have positive effects on our health, wellbeing and the world around us. The ‘Slow Movement’ advocates a cultural shift towards slowing down life’s pace and recovering slowness, reflection and togetherness. It all began in the mid 80s when protests were held agains … Continued
Calling Team Obama!
“It is imperative to vote,” said Gary Suwannarat, Vice Chair for Democrats Abroad, Thailand as well as a member of the Democrat National Committee through to 2016, as she nursed a cup of tea at Citylife’s office. Suwannarat had just returned to Chiang Mai, where she has lived for forty years, from attending the Democratic National Convention at Charlotte, North Carolina. “It was electrifying,” she … Continued