A Divided Perspective
Mahawon Kawang is an outspoken, passionate man; thick gold chain around his neck, large ring on his finger depicting a dragon’s head. He has a tough demeanour, and comes across as someone who doesn’t suffer fools gladly. He sits down with us at the Yupparat Alumni Association, a surprisingly large and busy office, of which he is the president. Mahawon pulls out his phone and flicks through his pho … Continued
What’s Happening?
ARTS & EXHIBITIONS Chiang Mai Fest 1st – 2nd March @ Promenada Resort Mall Chiang Mai www.chiangmaifest.com Don’t miss this huge arts and music festival performed by international and Thai bands and artists. Free admission. Thailand International Dog Show Now – 2nd March @ Chiang Mai Hall, Central Plaza Chiang Mai Airport 02 833 5349 See many lovely dogs in competitions, shows and exhibition … Continued
Dirty Litter Secrets Chiang Mai’s Garbage Problem
Standing amidst mountains of garbage on a hot day, I wonder to myself, “How green is Chiang Mai?” I am at a cleaning and sorting centre in Sansai, just a short ten minute drive out of Chiang Mai’s old city, where I stand beneath chaotic stacks of beer boxes piled up to the warehouse ceiling. Strewn around me in every direction are tonnes of garbage: bottles, containers, tyres, pipes, wires and eve … Continued
Pictures Worth a Thousand Words
Ryan Libre is a gentle, calming presence with blue eyes and a soft voice. A bee lands on his lap and stays there for the duration of our interview and he just lets it hang out. That’s how calm and gentle we’re talking here. He’s also the founder and director of the wildly popular Documentary Arts Asia (DAA), and one of the hardest-working expats in Chiang Mai. Twelve years ago, after dropping out … Continued
Music Box
Yellow Fang – The Greatest Guitarist and vocalist Pimporn Metchanun, bassist Piyamas Muenprasartdee, and drummer Praewa Chirapravati Na Ayudhya make up one of Bangkok’s most loved indie rock bands of the last several years, but if you’ve never heard of them, it may be because this is their first full-length album. All of the tracks within have actually been previously released one-by-one online si … Continued
It’s Easy Being Green
The word “green” can mean something different to everyone. For some, it’s a badge of environmental friendliness, eating a vegetarian diet or just being generally healthy. For others, it conjures up images of trees, jungles or anything else with an abundance of chlorophyll. Or perhaps the sight of a lush field for sport or leisure? Those descended from the Emerald Isle or those who enjoy a good pin … 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 think I got attacked by bed bugs at my guesthouse! What should I do? Garance (intern): If you wake up itchy a … Continued
Editorial
Where’s the love? There is so much hate-talk espoused in and by the media these days, both traditional and social. Only this week, I had someone send a message to me and all of her Facebook ‘friends’ saying, “If you don’t declare yourself a red or a PDRC (anti-government movement) then you are nothing and have no opinion, so I will delete you as a friend.” I preempted her and we are now officially … Continued
City7: Coffee Shops
Many people in Chiang Mai stick to cafes they know for fear of the unknown (or bad coffee), but while no one can deny the awesomeness of Ristr8to or Akha Ama, local javaficionado Laura Gibbs is here to present you with seven great new cafes worth checking out this year. Visit Laura at Chiang Mai Coffee Culture Review (www.chiangmaicoffeeculture.blogspot.com) and check out her new coffee blog on Ci … Continued
Clients’ Spot
Tichaa Tearoom by Harnn This new addition to the Nimman neighbourhood has already garnered quite a bit of attention for its gorgeous, Silk Road-inspired architecture and décor, organic teas, yummy food and fabulous health and beauty products. Enter the shop and you’ll immediately be enveloped in rich and delicious scents as you browse the offerings on hand, from body lotions to soaps to prettily p … Continued
City Buzz
Lan Laow Pub & Restaurant What is better than delicious spicy Thai food, booze and live music? Not much, and you can find it all and more at this laid-back new Santitham gem, perfect for large groups. Settle down inside the spacious teak house, the open-air patio or the side garden with pretty greenery and fairy lights and enjoy the live guitar duo that plays Thai classic rock and western oldi … Continued
A Divided Perspective
Grit Sripaurya, a 33-year-old businessman, is tall, dark and powerfully built. When he smiles, which isn’t often, it’s a wide grin, revealing a fine set of pearly white teeth. He sits across from me in his family home, a house near Wat Jed Yod replete with chandeliers, spiral staircase, towering columns in the driveway, statues, mahogany furniture, and paintings of family and royalty showcased in … Continued
CityGuide: Jed Yod
Local expert : Supang “Ploy” Ponlabute, 26 Occupation: General Manager at Sangdee Gallery & Cafe What do you like most about this neighbourhood? It’s not far from the city centre, easy to get to Maya Mall, with cheap local food and great places to hang out if you get bored of the Nimmanhaemin area. What do you like least about it? I think this area is pretty packed in the evenings and of cour … Continued
Modern Zen in Osaka
Welcome to Osaka, the third largest city in Japan with the second largest population. Known as Japan’s trade and economic gateway to the outside world since ancient times, Osaka today is a bustling metropolis with an excellent infrastructure and lovely mild weather year-round. With a great public transportation system of subways and trams and very little traffic or pollution, it is a great destina … Continued
City Talk
Christian, 27 Teacher, Danish I think that the city should stop building all those big shopping malls and be more focused on spending the money on better preservation and maintenance of the monuments. If I was Chiang Mai’s mayor, I would invest in better infrastructure. Nicolas Gantois, 22 Citylife Intern, Belgian I would invest more money in child welfare and education. I see children begging and … Continued
Design Ideas
Grit Nijhof Owner of Gribani Luxury Leather Accessories www.gribani.com This quote by Antoine de Saint-Exupery is the motto I base my work on. I seek simple but stylish and elegant designs. Having extensive travel experience for both business and leisure, it is my passion to design practical accessories which can be easily combined and fit to every outfit. 1. Home Fusion (cushion and bread basket) … Continued
Caged In
If you live in Chiang Mai, you probably already know about the Loi Kroh Boxing Stadium and the countless Muay Thai fights held there. But now, it’s not just sweaty, tattooed guys kicking the crap out of each other; it’s sweaty, tattooed guys kicking the crap out of each other INSIDE A CAGE. Welcome to Chiang Mai’s first ever MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) cage fight. No escape, no surrender. “MMA is cur … Continued
The ‘No Vote’ Perspective
The Thai national election on 2 February 2014 was a reluctant event. None of the pundits in Thai media thought it was going to go well, and they were right. People who went to vote were not entirely convinced that the election, at the time, was a relevant process in forming the next government. The media was calling it the weirdest election in Thai history. But the unofficial results tell a very i … Continued
The Adventures of Tom
Crikey, the concept of time is a tricky one. Along with quantitative easing, I think it’s one of the hardest ideas most of us will ever have to get our minds around. Philosophers, scientists and religious types still can’t actually agree on what “time” really is. I think we can, however, all agree that seconds, minutes, hours and days are pretty useful – especially if you are boiling an egg or try … Continued
Bangkok Noir: An Interview with Author Christopher G. Moore
When you talk with Christopher G. Moore about his new book, The Marriage Tree, the 14th in the popular Vincent Calvino detective series, it’s not long before he is focusing on the broader themes that are present in all of his books, the role of the novelist as social commentator, and the challenges created by an ever-changing world. Sure, you learn about the book, but, in the end, you learn more a … Continued
Your Say
Oh, Bugger! I really enjoyed your February editorial (always the first thing I read in Citylife). Re: Chinese Nose Pickers. Since I first came to Chiang Mai in December ‘99, I have noticed the “Thai National Pastime” seems to also be nose picking. I see it by massage ladies, pretty ladies putting on makeup, people preparing food, etc. And also men of course. I’m curious why they do this…som … Continued