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Mlabri: The Resilient Ones

The land on the road to Ban Boonyuen is scarred. The rolling hillsides previously lush with teak and fruit trees now a barren horizon of dusty, brown mounds and scattered rice cultivations. I tightly hug each turn of the narrow road in anticipation of passing cars, but there aren’t any. The land is a shadow of what it once was, a dense jungle thriving with wildlife and an intricate ecosystem that supported the ways of hunter-gatherers for at least a thousand years. It is obvious, looking at the bare terrain that there’s nothing left to hunt; there’s nothing left to gather.

Roar with the Tigers My first Chiang Mai Football Club Match

No one is breathing. The thousands gathered at the 700th Anniversary Stadium today fall silent as we’re abruptly submerged into one of those magical football moments where time freezes, but a lone ball keeps moving. It glides through the air above the neatly cropped grass of the field when suddenly, shattering the silence and stillness, it collides with the nylon weaves of the goal net and sends the crowd into a fury.

On a Cliff With Josh Morris

Let’s get something straight; Josh Morris is much more than a climber. But for him, climbing is where it all began, the catalyst that would lead to much, much more. When we first meet, I have to force him to don his sunglasses, I just couldn’t recognise him from his pictures online. He laughs, retrieves them from his bag, and the image fits. This is the founder of Chiang Mai Rock Climbing Adventures (CMRCA), an organisation that has transformed Chiang Mai into a climbing destination sought out by adventurers from all over the world.

Far From Safe: Thailand’s Traffic as Fatal as Ever

This April here in Chiang Mai, we welcomed the year 2558 BE with the usual water-soaked Songkran festivities. For most the Thai New Year is a time for celebration, but for an ever increasing number it now marks a period of mourning. Each year hundreds die on the roads during the “seven dangerous days” of Songkran. This year was no different. At least 364 people lost their lives, making Songkran 2015 the most deadly since 2009. These figures come as a blow to the military government, who recently stepped up their efforts to reduce traffic accidents for the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. Under the UN mandate Thailand must halve its road death rate by the year 2020. Considering the current average stands at 26,000 deaths per year, this is no short order.

Summer Rain Reading

Now that the end of summer is nearing us and the rain clouds are slowly blowing in, its about time we all stock up on a few hearty reads to see us through those wet evenings when leaving the house is off the table. Here are seven of Chiang Mai’s best bookshops, offering romantic fiction to political history and everything else in between.

New to the City

Looking for somewhere new to grab a bite to eat or sit and enjoy a previously unseen angle of your favourite city? Then check out these three new business offering delicious food, exciting new drinks and a new place to see Chiang Mai buzz and thrive.

The Adventures of Tom: June 2015

A chicken’s foot in my soup. A CHICKEN’S FOOT IN MY SOUP! Floating around like a wizened old witch’s claw in amongst the vegetables and lump of congealed blood. I don’t mind the blood, or most of the vegetables, but how can there be any possible benefit, conceivable excuse or imaginable additional taste sensation attached to the culinary abomination that is a severed chicken’s foot? Feet should never be floating in anything, unless they are attached to something that is splashing around in a swimming pool or bobbing about in a Jacuzzi. This is not to in any way deny that Thai food is some of the most delicious on the planet. But, a chicken’s foot…in my soup?

Design Ideas: Suthipa Kiattisarn

The owner of Swoozepop’ Store, Suthipa Kiattisarn, nicknamed Fahsaii, gives us five of her favourite independently designed products you can get right here in Chiang Mai and across Thailand.

Recovering the Lost Vinyl of Thailand

To some the sound track of Thailand is nothing more than a proliferation of earnest but relentless acoustic covers of Wonderwall in coffee shops all over town, but plucked from the dusty corners of libraries, radio station back stock, and forgotten crates in antique shops around the country, record collectors and DJs are rediscovering a funky and freaky era of Thai music that is earning international attention.

Editorial: June 2015

No one likes to be called a hypocrite, let alone admit to being one. And as horrid as it is to admit to, I am one. I wax lyrical on these pages about social responsibility and rules of law…ad nauseam. But I must admit that I’ve not always practiced what I preach.

Trendsetters and Theme Makers

Whacky gambit? Innovative trendsetter? Gimmicky theme? Creative ideas? Brand new styles? Whatever they are, these places are like no other in Chiang Mai, and all deserve your special attention.

Secret Getaways

Whether it’s a mini hotel tucked away in the inner city or a short trip into more natural settings, these three hotels are all found down un-suspecting sois, but are guaranteed to give you a great night’s sleep and delicious breakfasts included.

High Hopes for Chiang Mai’s Art Scene

“In Chiang Mai, things aren’t fixed. Art is fluid here,” said Lyla Phimanrat, founder and curator of Lyla Gallery, Chiang Mai’s newest art space. Lyla debuted her gallery with AN-TI-TLE, a selection from Chiang Mai artist Mit Jai Inn. Lyla guides me through the pieces; vast, paint-splotched canvases on the floor and wall, welded steel tumbleweed like sculptures and metre-high free-standing canvas scrolls.

Thailand’s Biggest Music Export: Nakadia

This month I’m going to look slightly outside the borders of the North and look at one of the biggest success stories to come out of this country. As the electronic scene here grows, so too have local talents that are starting to see recognition on a worldwide scale.

More From Citylife

Akha Heritage museum by Akhas and for everyone in Chiang Rai

Sun 6th Jul

https://youtu.be/bP6ugEZxesE   Vorreiter founded the Akha Oral Tradition School, two years ago, as Cultural Crossroads Asia’s first outreach project in an ethnic village.  Every week six master Akha musicians share their knowledge of songs, stories, musical instruments, and instrumental craftsmanship with a class of twenty-two Akha students.   Akha Oral Tradition School https://culturalcrossr … Continued

Serow sighting signals healthy ecosystem on Doi Luang Chiang Dao

Fri 4th Jul

The Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary in Chiang Dao District, has released a video showing a young serow foraging near the cliff edge on the summit of Doi Luang Chiang Dao. The footage was captured by a patrol team during a routine quality patrol this morning. Such sightings are rare, as serows are extremely cautious and elusive animals. Pornnarin Khumthong, head of the Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary, … Continued

Four Rottweilers found shot and abandoned 

Thu 3rd Jul

On 28th June, a Buddhist monk, Phrakru Aod of Wat Chedi Luang, along with an animal welfare volunteer from the ARK Foundation rescued four abandoned Rottweilers found in the forest in the Mae Kam Pong village. The dogs were found in rain-soaked, starving condition and some of which suffered from deep wounds and severely maggot infections that required urgent medical treatment. The rescue team fed … Continued

Hylife Group launches two international innovation platforms

Thu 3rd Jul

Hylife Group launches two international innovation platforms “Hylife Hackathon 2025” and “Hylife Innovation Excellence Awards 2025” to drive Chiang Mai towards becoming a city of innovation, offering over seven million baht in prizes and investment opportunities. Hylife Group officially launches two major international innovation competitions of the year: “Hylife Hackathon 2025” and “Hylife Innova … Continued

70 baht guesthouse hasn’t put up price in 14 years

Wed 2nd Jul

Jay Guesthouse and Restaurant has been around, housing and feeding backpackers on the cheap since it opened 14 years ago.  Its owner says that she charges 70 baht for a shared room with bunk beds, 130 baht for a small single room and 190 baht for a large single room. During the high season she ups the prices by 10-20 baht. “My clients come back again and again over the years, and I want them to ha … Continued

Dangerous steroid-laden ‘herbal’ meds being sold across North

Wed 2nd Jul

The Public Health Office has issued a warning against a spread of so called herbal medicine which has been recently sold by vendors at funerals, temple fairs and across rural villagers across Chiang Mai and beyond.  Upon receiving a report of this, the Public Health Office tested the medicine and found them to be heavy with steroids and other harmful properties.  They warn that elderly people may … Continued

Beloved abbot plunges to death

Fri 27th Jun

A beloved abbot of Wat Huay Tong in Mae Wang District, 57, who was known to love planting trees, had failed to return to the temple following an off-site duty on the 23rd June. His disciples eventually found his body at the bottom of a ravine where it is speculated he fell. 

อาหารจีนต้นตำรับจากเฉิงตู ที่ไม่ต้องไปเยือนถึงถิ่น ก็อิ่มฟินได้กับรสชาติต้นกำเนิด

อาหารจีนไม่ใช่แค่เรื่องของรสชาติ แต่เป็นส่วนหนึ่งของวิถีชีวิตและวัฒนธรรม และร้านอาหารหลงเฉิน จะพาเราไปทำความรู้จักและใกล้ชิดกับอาหารจีนมากยิ่งขึ้น

Parts of Chiang Rai heavily flooded

Fri 27th Jun

The flooding situation in Chiang Rai is still serious in many areas, following heavy rains this week. Non-stop rainfall in parts of Chiang Rai has caused heavy flooding in Phaya Mangrai, Chiang Saen, Wieng Chai, Wieng Chiang Rung, Chiang Khong and Toeng districts with over 4,000 households being flooded and affected. 

Ancient ritual resurrected to bless locals and appease spirits of sacred spring

Fri 27th Jun

Local residents, together with lecturers and students from the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality at Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna (RMUTL), joined in a merit-making ceremony to pay respects to the sacred forces believed to inhabit the Tarn Nam Wiang Jed Lin (the sacred spring of Wiang Jed Lin). This spring is located in the heart of Wiang Jed Lin, a prehistoric Lanna city situated at … Continued

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