His nickname isn’t really Farang (at least no more than any of the rest of us), despite the title of the Vice documentary currently being made about him. But he is one, at least in the most basic sense: tall and stocky, blonde haired, blue eyed, American. Now in his late 40s, Andy Ricker is a jack of many trades (a house painter, a musician, a tattoo aficionado), but with the kind of singular passion that all the most successful people have, garnered in large part by its specificity. The passion is Northern Thai food, and farang or not, Northern Thai food is something Andy Ricker knows by heart.

I am a skeptic. I just can’t bring myself to take giant leaps. That is why I felt a tad uncomfortable when new client, myDNA, invited me for a free dermatoglyphics (yes it’s a word) analysis. It all sounded a tad voodoo hoodoo to my scoffing mind. As I arrived in a professional looking office at Arcade’s Star Avenue, with its floor-to-ceiling glass panes and shiny new furniture, I was surprised to see a few families with young children, some babies even, sitting in the waiting area. Hmmm… curiouser and curiouser.

This month, let’s check out elephants that plough, prehistoric paintings and fabulous viewpoints, then spend some time unwinding on a peaceful lake in Hot District (so hot right now). Citylife has worked with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to publish a book on road trips in the north, so here we go!

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The Roots, Pasatono Orquesta and Little Dragon.

A beautiful young girl sits before me – her fingers twirling through her hair, her hazel eyes glittering as she reveals the secrets of her past. “I had a monster in my head,” she says. “Eating disorders are mental illnesses, and I was sick.” The American teenager, who used to drastically restrict her food intake and over-exercise to the point of total exhaustion, is now finishing her schooling at Chiang Mai International School, before relocating to the United States to begin a college career in psychology and music therapy. “Since I ‘came out’ as having an eating disorder, so many girls have opened up to me about their issues. It’s become so normal, talking about it, and helping others.” Her name is Sydney, and her life and future are much brighter now.

Janya Sugunnasil is a petite lady in her 60s, with a white bob, delicate features and merrily smiling eyes. The sliding screen door of her Wat Umong home bears a sign in Thai, politely warning us not to let out the cats. We enter and the room is clean and bright (no cats in sight) with muted colours and small pieces of antique-looking art scattered about – a bronze ballerina sculpture, a small wooden stool carved with dragons. A porcelain teacup full of live flowers sits on the glass-topped coffee table and Janya sits down on the couch by the window with her hands folded primly in her lap, wearing a long floral skirt, house slippers and a white lace top.