Design Ideas
Richard Garst Artist and Guest Instructor (Graphic Arts and Print Making), Faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University “I like designs that have used traditional elements, but are more contemporary. I like Khun Somluk Pantiboon in Chiang Rai. I’m really impressed with his work. He does traditional Thai ceramics but he was trained in Japan so his work has a really Japanese feel to it. He makes real … Continued
Clients’ Spot
Mix Restaurant & Bar Mix is an apt name for this restaurant and bar which refuses to be pigeonholed. Sitting in a hidden little garden off Nimmanhaemin, Mix offers plenty of outdoor seating in their eclectic and artsy patio. Or, for a cooler experience, step into their trendy air-conditioned interior. Be warned, the menu will boggle your mind…it is a vast tome with (thankfully) pictures and de … Continued
City Buzz
The White Plate Another new source of deliciousness at JJ Market, The White Plate serves a variety of delectable homemade western and Italian dishes created by a young Korean chef from New Zealand. Sophisticated and minimalist in décor, The White Plate features fresh western fusion food including spaghetti, chicken crepes with cream sauce, burgers and carbonara pasta. They also provide cups of tas … Continued
City Talk
Caroline Yu, 40 Teacher, Chinese I decided to come to Chiang Mai after seeing the film Lost in Thailand which was very popular in China. The thing I like best? The culture. Also, the scenery makes you very relaxed! Steven Hu, 35 Trader, Chinese I’ve spent the last three winters in Thailand, and last year I stayed in Chiang Mai for three months – Shanghai’s so cold! I like the food and the co … Continued
City7: Chinese Restaurants
1. Yin Yang Food Corner This small food stall offers a unique selection of cheap Chinese fusion food, and the lovely owner concocts everything from scratch, including perfectly crisped sweet and sour pork, vermicelli chicken curry and black pepper shrimp. Open daily, noon – 10 p.m. (closed on Mondays) 7/50 Soi Chang Khian, Huay Keaw Road www.facebook.com/yinyangfood 080 790 9966 2. Mit … Continued
From East to East: The Chinese Tourist Boom in Chiang Mai
China’s Global Times prophetically stated as long ago as December 2012 that Chiang Mai would soon see an influx of Chinese tourists, following the huge success of the surprise Chinese blockbuster Lost in Thailand (the second top-grossing film ever in China, after Avatar), shot on location here in Chiang Mai. “Thailand’s northern city of Chiang Mai is expected to attract an increasing number … Continued
Who Are We to Judge? An Interview with Chart Korbjitti
When studying at Chiang Mai University last year, I was required to choose an area of Thai culture on which to write a research paper. For me, a student of Thai language and English literature, the answer seemed obvious: what could teach me more about contemporary Thai society than contemporary Thai literature? Having had little prior knowledge of the whos and whats of the Thai literary world, I w … Continued
Not Just Beaches and Bikinis: Visiting Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhla
The people of Hat Yai must watch with great frustration, as the hordes of tourists pouring out of the arrivals terminal are whisked away by tour busses and vans shuttling them off to other southern destinations such as Samui, Koh Phangan or even Malaysia. International airport it may be, but major tourist destination Hat Yai is not. We, 11 representatives of the Chiang Mai media invited by … Continued
Insta-Paradise
ast month, Art in Paradise, the self-proclaimed “largest interactive art museum in the world,” opened in a lovely old building that once housed a department store on Chang Klan Road. Art in Paradise Chiang Mai is the second edition of a museum that has operated successfully in Pattaya for the past year, with plans for a third location in Bangkok on the horizon. Founded by South Korean visual artis … Continued
What’s Happening!
ARTS AND EXHIBITIONS SHARAKU INTERPRETED BY JAPAN’S CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS 6th – 25th August @ CMU Art Centre This travelling exhibition displays 28 bust portraits, 28 posters, 23 paintings, sculptures, ceramics and woodblock prints by contremporary artists reinterpreting Sharaku’s work. The opening will be on 6th August at 6 p.m. ON THE WAY OF DEVELOPMENT 9th – 25th August @ CMU Art Centre Photo ex … Continued
Music Box
Cliff Martinez – Only God Forgives OST Most of the soundtrack to the upcoming Bangkok crime thriller Only God Forgives (starring Ryan Gosling) consists of moody, minimalist instrumentals that paint a menacing but fantasy-like picture of the city’s underworld. The songs of true interest, however, are the three with vocals, each sung in Thai by Thais. Actor Vithaya Pansringarm, who plays a retired c … Continued
When It Rains, It Pours: Preparing for the 2015 ASEAN Economic Community
Text and graphics by Anna Brooks It balloons out at you from strategically placed billboards around town. You vehemently nod along, pretending to know the ins and outs of it at a supercilious dinner party where the pompous try to one-up each other. News outlets have been shouting out its every move like sportscasters on crack. ASEAN, more lengthily known as the Association of Southeast Asian Natio … Continued
Tubing Down the Ping
Tubing has been dubbed by ibackpackers.com as a near-sacred “rite of passage” for the thousands of travellers who, since the new millennium, have been reeled in by the prospect of a boozy odyssey down the Mekong in all manner of exciting (and, ahem, dangerous!) ways. Since the turn of the 21st century, the hallowed Vang Vieng of Laos has been a crucial stop along the well-worn backpacker’s party t … Continued
The Life of Wine
Booze, Bribes and Karaoke at the Citylife Wine Crawl Last month, the beautiful and vibrant people of Chiang Mai did the sensible thing and gathered early one Friday evening to kick off the inaugural Citylife Wine Crawl. The aim was to skilfully navigate 13 wine bars, stopping off for a snifter at each, indulging in games and uploading photos to social media in order to score points. And as we all … Continued
Your Say
This is an open forum for you, the reader, to express your opinions. Write to: editor@chisngmaicitylife.com. Subject : Your Say. Letter can be on any topic but priority will be given to letters under 200 words. Letters may be edited for clarity or conciseness. Name and contact details must be supplied. Chiang Mai Chagrin I believe your magazine should raise the issue of the continuin … Continued
This is Thailand
For those of you with questions regarding Thailand, Thai culture, history, tourism, laws, rules, food, nightlife, subculture, dating, or generally anything as long as it is relevant, we have a panel of experts ready to respond to your enquiries. Email: hilary@chiangmaicitylife.com I bought a used motorbike. How do I register it in my name? Hilary: First things first: if you have a work permi … Continued
Small Girl, Big Impact
She is a writer, a poet, a dancer, a musician and an activist. As part of the THINK Global School (the world’s first travelling boarding school) she’s visited over 30 countries. She’s also studied economics, launched an online think tank, started her own dance initiative to empower hospital children, and is working with the Thailand Research Development Institute developing policies that will shap … Continued
Editorial
Is farang an f word? I never thought so, considering I call my father a farang with no offence intended _ nor taken. In fact, in this magazine we have often published the word farang and I have never hesitated (before) over its use. But more and more I am reading and hearing about the outrage people are feeling at being called a farang. And I get it. After all, there is no English language e … Continued
Love or Something Like It
One of the perks of living abroad and travelling means you’re meeting a whole world of people who you might otherwise never have known existed. The opportunities for connecting with someone from another country and culture are limitless, and there is a certain dreaminess to carrying on a romance abroad. But these relationships often come with a built-in expiration date that can make things.. … Continued