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From Rags to Riches: The B2 Hotels Success Story

Pichai Chawla, 46, is the owner of the B2 hotel group, a successful chain of budget hotels, soon to number 23 branches throughout Thailand and beyond.

Chiang Mai Sign City ภาษาไทย

คูเมืองของเราตอนนี้ดูสวยงาม ล้อมรอบไปด้วยต้นไม้ที่แผ่กิ่งก้านสาขาในทุกช่วงฤดูร้อน เจ้าหน้าที่ตกแต่งสวนต่างปฏิบัติหน้าที่จัดแต่งและแต่งเติมแปลงดอกไม้รอบๆ คูเมือง เขตเมืองเก่ากำลังจะถูกบูรณะให้กลับมาดูดีขึ้นในไม่ช้า สิ่งเหล่านี้เป็นผลมากจากการบังคับใช้กฎระเบียบต่างๆ นั่นเอง ไม่ว่าจะการจัดระเบียบการควบคุมความสูง การออกแบบและแนวทางการใช้สีของอาคาร สิ่งเหล่านี้กำลังจะถูกปรับปรุงให้ดีขึ้น และเงินภาษีของประชาชนกำลังถูกใช้ไปกับการพัฒนาเชียงใหม่ในหลายๆ ด้าน

Waewdao Sirisook: Lanna and the Mirror

“No matter where I go, or what I do, I always want to come back here,” explains Waewdao Sirisook fondly, gesturing to the sunny, bustling streets of Chiang Mai that surround the coffee shop where we meet. Waewdao has been dancing for over 20 years, a passion that has jettisoned her around the globe, a skill that can be seen in the slightest of her movements, a connection to her body evident in the nonchalant but elegant wave of her hand. “The people here, no matter how I perform, no matter what kind of dance it is, come out and support me. I will always come back to show them what I’ve learned, no matter what.”

The Adventures of Tom: July 2015

I begin this month with an apology. Once again, an eagle-eyed reader has spotted a glaring error in my scribblings. I thank that reader for taking time out of what I can only assume is a very busy life for pointing out that witches do not have claws, as I suggested in last month’s article, but hands – because they need opposable thumbs for gripping their broomsticks, apparently. I would like therefore to publicly apologise to that reader – and of course all witches. Am I an idiot or what?

Chiang Mai Sign City

Our moat is looking pretty, lined with beautiful trees which explode into vibrant hues every summer. The city’s gardener is doing a fine job setting up and maintaining flower beds in little pockets every where. The old city is being polished and shined, thanks to the many new rules and regulations being enforced such as height restrictions, design controls as well as colour palette guidelines. Good things are being done and in many cases the public money is being used wisely. But what is the point of planting beautiful trees, setting up flower beds, renovating architecture and cleaning up the city if all of it is overshadowed, literally, by billboards?

Zudrangma Records & Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band: 21st Century Molam

In my relatively short time here in the Kingdom, Thai music is one thing that interests me greatly, yet it seems to be, for me at least, a very difficult genre to really sink my teeth into. The few stores at Kad Suan Gao that I’ve found that have LP’s have a limited selection and the records aren’t exactly cheap. But every now and then I’ll hear a dusty radio in a som tam restaurant with some catchy music and I can appreciate the musical heritage of this place. But these are deep waters.

24 Hours in Mae Sot

Chocks away! We shook tentatively on the breeze in a small 12 seater Cessna 208B Grand Caravan as its tyres kissed the tarmac goodbye and we slowly climbed into the candy floss cloud filled sky. The flight was to be one of two in just 24-hours, after Citylife was invited to experience Mae Sot; a hidden gem on the border of Burma, with beautiful secrets, often missed by your local and international traveller alike.

Design Ideas: Nipan Chawcharernpon

Nipan Chawcharernpon, 26, Video Producer and Video Post-Production shows us some of his move favourite items.

Golden Years in a Flawed Paradise

On the surface Chiang Mai appears to be a wonderful place to retire. But as Sawang Kaewkantha, Executive Director of the Foundation for Older Person Development pointed out, there is another side to the coin. Beneath the sabai life, the tropical weather, and all the pleasantries that make Chiang Mai attractive to retirees are a number of issues that make the city a challenging place to live out the autumn of life.

Editorial July 2015

We are inundated by advertising; and no, the irony is not lost on me. Whether by emails, in text messages, on Facebook, online, on television and radio, or in print, everywhere we look, we are told that we need to whiten our skin, blacken our hair, de-yellow our teeth. We’re urged to detox, retox and get botox. We’re seduced by images of luxury cars, penthouses, trips to Europe, if only we’re willing to put ourselves just that little further into debt. Temptations, temptations…

Dazzling Jewellery Displays

Dazzle and sparkle with some new jewellery or add some ornate decorations to your home from one of these three exquisite jewellers in the city.

Stores That Have Everything

Check out these three stores that are bound to serve you whatever you are looking for, no matter how wacky and weird it may be. Party accessories, fancy dress hire and a sea of second hand ‘stuff’ means nothing, however amazing, is beyond reality here in Chiang Mai.

New City Menus

Sink your teeth into some exciting new menus our city’s chefs are producing inspired by world cuisines ranging from Spanish tapas, Japanese curries to all American burgers.

City7: Workspaces

Brainstorming? Conceptualising? Banging heads together? You need a place to work! This month we’ve found the seven best work spaces to buckle down and get serious with your team, or pull up your boot straps and hit the books. With plenty of brain food to go around and the focused, productive atmosphere you need, it’s time to get stuff done!

Feeling Board?

There I was, stuck in a gas station, zombies banging at the door and only a pile of garbage and a small knife to determine my fate. The atmosphere is tense and tentative. One false move and I’ll lose the last bag of medical supplies that I desperately need to get back to camp. I roll…I get bitten and I die. The medical supplies are lost; a harsh blow to our remaining zombie apocalypse survivors. I pass the dice to the right, bringing my disastrous turn to an end. I order a coffee, take a breather, and begin to hatch a new plan for my only surviving character, vowing to make up for my poor choices that left me dying in a pool of zombie blood.

A Fundamental Good: All Saints Inclusive Church

Matters concerning gender and sexual orientation have not been easy for the Christian Church. The church is still divided on what’s fundamentally the right way to be, just as sections of the hoi polloi – after all this so-called cultural modernisation we’ve ostensibly embraced – still denounce or renounce the way some people just are. It’s a sin, say some denominations such as the Evangelical Covenant Church, concerning homosexuality; while the Roman Catholic Church has merely called being gay a ‘moral disorder’ that is part of the devil’s wicked scheme. And while some progressive measures have been taken in the name of LGBT rights and the church, such as an actual ‘Inclusive Church’ being formed; the acceptance of gay marriage (notably, recently in Ireland), or denominations forming their own branches of the church that are more in tune with human rights, it looks like in many good church-goers’ eyes you are destined for an afterlife in the eternal fire simply for loving or lusting after someone whom they say you shouldn’t.

More From Citylife

Culture Shock

What is culture? It’s certainly something not easily definable, it’s negotiable – when it suits us – and it’s unashamedly versatile. Nevertheless, we live within it, and occasionally die for it; we argue for its global ascendancy in the pub and cry for its plight when it moves on without us. Culture is a well worn word these days in Thailand as the government’s grip on the nation loses its strengt … Continued

Boat Bakery & Restaurant เป็นมากกว่าร้านอาหาร หากยังเป็นสถานที่บันทึกความทรงจำครั้งวันวาน

เป็นร้านอาหารที่อยู่คู่บ้านคู่เมืองเชียงใหม่มากว่า 40 ปี นับจาก พ.ศ. 2524 จวบวันแรกจนถึงวันนี้ โบ๊ตเบเกอรี่ ยังคงไว้ซึ่งเอกลักษณ์บรรยากาศริมถนนห้วยแก้วที่เคยคุ้น พร้อมกับเมนูอันหลากหลาย

FREE rent for one year at One Nimman and four other spaces

Mon 9th May

Business tycoon Tan Passakornnatee, owner of One Nimman, Think Park and many other developments in Chiang Mai and across Thailand, has announced that he is renting space for FREE for one year for vendors needing help during the pandemic. There is a total area of 5,000 square meters available. Following the sudden closure of Promenada Mall last week, resulting a reported 200 vendors losing their sp … Continued

Meliá Chiang Mai โรงแรมสัญชาติสเปน เปิดบ้านใจกลางเมืองเชียงใหม่

มีเลีย แบรนด์โรงแรมระดับนานาชาติ ที่มีสาขากว่า 100 แห่ง กระจายทั่วยุโรป เอเชีย แอฟริกา และอเมริกา ล่าสุดกับสาขาเชียงใหม่ ที่มาเติมสีสันให้กับถนนเจริญประเทศ

School uniform shop reports 50% down in sales

Mon 9th May

https://youtu.be/vHxmJTa6xds One week until schools across Chiang Mai may open in full and many parents are struggling to afford to get their children ready for school. CityNews visited a school uniform shop whose owner said sales are down 50% in comparison to normal pre-school year sales. He said that he has heard similar numbers from other vendors and says many parents who used to purchase three … Continued

Promenada closes, businesses given no notice

Fri 6th May

On the 5th May Promenada Mall announced its closure, citing hardship caused by Covid over the past three years. Businesses were not given any notice of closure.

พร้อมเสิร์ฟความอร่อยครั้งใหม่ เอาใจสายหวาน กับชูครีมก้อนใหญ่ไส้ทะลัก ที่โรงแรม Centara Riverside Hotel Chiang Mai

พบกับความอร่อยครั้งใหม่ จากโรงแรม Centara Riverside Hotel Chiang Mai ที่จะเปลี่ยนช่วงเวลาธรรมดาให้เป็นโมเม้นอันแสนหวาน กับขนมชูครีมก้อนกลมใหญ่

ชมงานศิลป์ กิ๋นข้าวลำ ดื่มด่ำบรรยากาศสวนสวยกลางเวียง ที่คุ้มหอม คาเฟ่ “อร่อยทุกคำ ลำทุกมื้อ”

คุ้มหอมคาเฟ่ ตั้งอยู่ริมถนนศรีภูมิ เขตเมืองเก่า แวดล้อมด้วยพื้นที่สีเขียว ที่ถูกแต่งเติมชีวิตชีวาด้วยไอหมอก ดอกไม้ เสียงน้ำตก เพิ่มความสดชื่นให้กับการพักผ่อน

Controversial judge mansions ordered razed

Thu 28th Apr

Photo Credit: https://www.facebook.com/DoiSuthepMountain   The Court of Appeal Region 5 officially handed over 85 of land back to the Chiang Mai Treasury Department yesterday. This piece of land sits at the foothills of Doi Suthep, and has stirred controversy and protests in 2018 when it was discovered that the land had been handed to the court of appeals, by the army, to be developed into 45 … Continued

Red and Yellow shirt groups protest 8.8 billion new US Consulate

Mon 25th Apr

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvc4SH4dZ30   The ‘Thai Citizens’ Group’, representing both the red shirts and yellow shirts political groups, handed a letter addressed to US President Joe Biden to the US Consulate here in Chiang Mai earlier today amidst concerns over the up and coming new US Consulate General. As Citylife published in our recent article, ‘Everything you need to know a … Continued

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