City News
CityNews, Chiang Mai’s first daily-updated English language online news site brought you the city’s biggest news events last month, as well as some hard-hitting feature stories that we hope you enjoyed. Last month was Loy Krathong, and though plenty had fun during the festival many people weren’t so impressed with the festival’s attendant noise and traffic problems, as well as the accidents. … Continued
Lanna Calling Chiang Mai’s Hidden Punk Scene
Nuy leans over the rough, beer-splashed table, his eyes alight with conviction. “For me, punk is not about fashion, it’s my life,” he declares. “It’s my life!” Nuy Punk, the name he prefers to go by, is 21 years old and already has plenty of spikes on his collar. He is the lead singer of Chiang Mai street-punk band Pogo and Drunk, owner of the Mohawk Bar (the only dedicated punk bar in Chiang Mai) … Continued
An Air of History
Plans are afoot for the old moated city. More cobbled roads are being planned to lend the Old City an air of history, more unsightly wires are about to be buried to keep modernity at bay, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep has just renovated the navel of the city shrine (the gilded viharn jutting out into the road next to the Three Kings Monument), the Chiang Mai Municipality officially opened up the Lanna … Continued
Editorial
Fear is one of the few basic universal emotions, from the life-extinguishing fear of death to the nonsensical fear of bright colours (Billy Bob Thornton, of all people, has chromophobia). We live alongside fear. When rational, it is our warning sign, an innate instinct for self preservation, and fear is on our side. When irrational – like my chronic fear of flying – it can be debilitating. I have … Continued
What’s Happening?
ARTS & EXHIBITIONS Now – 8th JanuarySUPPOSE/CONCENTIONAL TRUTH @ Baan Tuek Art Centre www.facebook.com/baantuekartcenter A painting exhibition by Yuwalee Jehko. Now – 10th January SMALL PORTION @ Baan Tuek Art Centre www.facebook.com/baantuekartcenter An art exhibition featuring four young artists. Now – 26th February OBSCENE @ H Gallery Chiang Mai 085 021 5508 A photography exhibition showcas … Continued
The Life of Wine
It’s January. The carols have been sung, the eggnog has been drunk, and the little baby Jesus once again failed to turn up at the party I held in his honour. Oh well, at least the world did not end as the Mayan priests predicted and that was certainly worth celebrating with a glass or two of wine. So wine and religion – what’s the deal? Just to be clear, the Mayans didn’t drink wine – in fact, nob … Continued
This is Thailand
1. Bottled water at 7-Eleven is expensive! What other options do I have for obtaining clean drinking water in Chiang Mai? Hilary: Have you noticed the rather complicated-looking water dispensers all over town? These are actually the cheapest way to get your drinking water – just 1 baht per 2 litres of water! All you have to do is put your coin in the slot, stick a bottle under the spout, and hit t … Continued
The Community
01 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 or Peter 087 145 9655. 02 AA group If you want to drink, that’s your business. If you want help to stop drinking, that’s our business. 2 AA meetings a day, 7 days a week. Call us at 082 186 2518. We are here for … Continued
City Buzz
Formerly owned by the son of Anna from ‘The King and I’, the lush plot of land on which 137 Pillars House stands is rich with culture and history. Today, the resort redefines tasteful luxury, providing all the modern conveniences in a beautiful Lanna-style package. 30 beautiful rooms surround a saltwater pool and the striking ‘green wall’, beset with 14,000 live plants (someone counted!). Inside t … Continued
Adding a Bit of Pai to Your Diet
For those of us living only 140 kilometres north-west of Chiang Mai, Pai epitomises country life without forcing us into exile. It gives us a chance to breathe, to get back to basics, to focus on living instead of being totally immersed in some westernised, consumerised version of keeping up with the Joneses, a social leveller rather than a social divider. Rich and poor mix freely and easily in th … Continued
Your Say
This 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. Priority will be given to letters under 200 words. Letters may be edited for clarity or conciseness. Name and contact details must be supplied. • Tiger Tiger Burning Bright I am absolutely in love with Chiang Mai. It is easily my favourite … Continued
Music Box
Big Boi – Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors The former Outkast member continues his solo hot streak, despite nearly overloading his new album with guest artists. Appearances by Big K.R.I.T., Kid Cudi and Sleepy Brown enhance Big Boi’s Dirty South sound, while he takes a back seat on songs like ‘Lines’ and ‘CPU’ to electro-pop group Phantogram, as well as indie rock band Wavves on ‘Shoes for Runnin … Continued
Clients’s Spot
The luxurious Siripanna Villa Resort and Spa now offers a special weekend buffet. The sumptuous spread will make you feel like royalty, and features a vast array of culinary delights, from traditional Thai sausages, soups, salads and noodle dishes to pizza, pasta, and meats cooked to order. Whatever you crave – be it Thai, French, American or Italian – you will find it here. Try the salmon and sc … Continued
The Last Executioner
Chavoret Jaruboon executed 55 people, including one woman; I am very sorry we never got to be closer friends. Chavoret is better known as ‘The Last Executioner’, which is also the title of his 2006 autobiography in English. (The Thai version is ?.) He was the last person in Thailand whose job it was to carry out court-ordered executions by gun before the switchover to lethal injection, which is th … Continued
Escaping the Tiger, to the Mouth of the Crocodile
On the front line, charged with nervous energy and the power of the people, 18 year old Myo Zaw Oo from north-central Burma paraded the walkways of his hometown. Holding a taut screen of blue, yellow, red, white and pink cloth, Myo carried the emblematic colours of the Burmese Buddhist flag proudly across his chest. At the time, Myo knew nothing of the torture, abuse and struggle for survival he w … Continued
City Talk
I’d start an organic farm because I’m an environmentalist and Chiang Mai’s weather is suitable. An organic farm would not pollute the city, and would let it stay as it is. If Chiang Mai becomes as developed as Bangkok, I don’t think it would be such a nice place to stay anymore. I would love to start an event production organisation that would involve combining the new vibrancy of music festivals … Continued
Tina in Techland: A Trip Through Chiang Mai’s Booming IT Sector
American entrepreneur Tina Neville came to Chiang Mai one year ago. Her husband had been working at the American consulate for a year before that, but Tina had stayed behind to work on fostering her start-up, Transcend Academy, a comprehensive college preparation company based in Washington, D.C. that just won a prestigious Stevie Award. “When I arrived in Thailand, my identity was that of a trail … Continued
The Illegal Entrepreneur
He stands in line at Suvarnabhumi airport immigration alongside the other excited, soiled and impatient visitors to the Land of Smiles. On his back, he carries a 35L backpack, and on his arm, a laptop bag with a MacBook Pro, several hard drives and some documents he’d been reading on the plane. He’s anxious. Not in a sweating, fidgeting, drug mule kind of way. But antsy, in the sort of foot-tappin … Continued