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Adventures With Tom: Sunscreen

Anyone with an internet connection is unlikely to have been able to avoid becoming aquainted with Australian director Baz Luhrmann’s hit single from the 90s “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)”. The song and video, which begins with the line “Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ’97: Wear Sunscreen”, makes regular outings across social media. The words were originally and erroneously attributed to author Kurt Vonnegut and a commencement speech he never gave at MIT. In fact they first appeared in a column entitled “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young” penned by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich.

Dublin Literary Awards: Kan Jitpakdi-Ryu

Citylife has been hosting the northern chapter of the Junior Dublin Literary Awards for Thailand for 10 years. Each year we send letters out to as many schools as we can in the north asking Thai nationality students between the ages of 14-18 to send us an 800 word essay on a theme which changes annually. This year’s theme was World with No Boundaries. This month we are featuring the essay “World with No Boundary” by 17-year-old Kan Jitpakdi-Ryu, who came third place in the northern regional finals. The winners from central and southern regions competed in Bangkok last month, with the national winner being awarded two return plane tickets to attend the Senior Dublin Literary Awards Ceremony in Dublin, Ireland.

A Dream to Reforest our City

The Pgazkoenyau people (ปกาเกอญอ) high in the mountains of northern Thailand have a simple motto from which they live their lives. “Just plant a tree where you are.” This Karen hill tribe lives in the forest, and every aspect of their lives revolve around nature, even their sacred birthing ceremony involves a tree.

Old Roots New Ambitions: How two sisters introduced the world to traditional Northern Thai massage

It’s always fascinating to see how businesses evolve with the ebb and flow of trends and technology, only the most adaptable, those with the firmest foundations, leaders with the greatest visions, thrive. Leading up to our magazine’s 25th anniversary next month, and with a touch of nostalgia, we were skimming issues past, when we came across an advertisement for one of our earliest clients, International Training Massage School (ITM), and realised that this traditional business is alive, well, and as far as we know, booming.

Design Ideas: Ung Handcraft Darkroom Shop

Ungsumalin ‘Ung’ Yodkampa, 25, and Nathamon ‘Tah’ Kithanes, 26, owners Ung Handcraft Darkroom Shop

Bring Back Vinyl With NEO Entertainment Gallery

When you hear the words vinyl, record player, or the crackling sounds of yesteryear, you may consider them passé and soon to be obsolete in this digital audio world. Surely these are things you only hear down in your grandparents’ basement or in a museum. You may even reminisce fondly over DJs of the 90s, scratching away over tracks played on minidisks and what not. But did you know that right now, vinyl and record players are making a huge comeback, a format favoured by young and old. Pressing factories are re-opening and a new era of modern and high-tech vinyl is on the rise.

City Hobbies

Find yourself moping around at home? Well get off your couch and get active at these cool new venues.

Editorial: June 2016

Tha Pae Gate is a public area used for many events and occasions; political rallies (when we were allowed to have them), cultural shows, public gatherings and of course the ubiquitous markets. It is also the unwitting stage of a deep divide which reflects many other issues we as a city are facing today.

2016 Round Square Conference

Round Square is a worldwide network of innovative schools in 40 countries across five continents. One of its founding schools in the 1960s is Aiglon College in Switzerland, today an international boarding school for boys and girls ages 9-18 from over 60 nationalities and offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma.

A Permanent Chiang Mai Home for Contemporary Art

This July will see the north of Thailand’s first contemporary art museum opening in Sankampaeng. A fitting home for one of the country’s largest private collections of contemporary art. Chiang Mai has been producing arts and crafts for over 700 years, and for the past few decades, has been home to some of Thailand’s most exciting artists.

Chiang Mai’s Wacky and Wonderful Facebook Groups

We all know that Facebook is the home of everything imaginable, and Chiang Mai is no exception.

Mickey Mouse House

  “I never thought it would get this big, but here we are…” These were the words spoken to me when Naren ‘Oak’ Panyapu opened the door to the north of Thailand’s very first independent Micky Mouse memorabilia museum in Lamphun. Walls were covered in glassed off shelves that were stacked to the brim with rows and rows of Mickey Mouse figurines, toys, plushies and wall hangings. “I first starte … Continued

Explore Nature

Get out of the city and indulge in ancient rock formations, bathe in hot springs or sip on a coffee next to a hidden lagoon…

Science for Aesthetics: DIAA aesthetics and anti-ageing clinic opens

Art and science, like opposing magnets, can come together to create extreme beauty. From the days of Da Vinci when the two disciplines coexisted and built upon one another, to today’s modern inventions as seen all around us, art and science are not polar opposites, but complementary.

Just Good Grub

Here are three restaurants that serve up some really good grub that you can add to the (ever growing) list of your faves.

Born a Threat: Highlanders with no Citizenship

Imagine being born in Thailand but having no national identity. Imagine going to a Thai school, with Thai friends, eating Thai food but not being recognised as Thai. Imagine your application to be a person with rights and civil liberties just left on the desk of a provincial officer for twenty years, collecting dust. Imagine the lives of over 100,000 highlanders living in Thailand – a home that still sees them as a threat to national security.

More From Citylife

Police and social welfare officers sweep city parks after homeless murders

Thu 7th May

Following a double homicide that sent shockwaves through Chiang Mai, police and social development officials have launched a joint operation targeting homeless encampments across the city’s public spaces. The killings — two homeless men murdered in a single day — were linked to disputes over sleeping spots beneath a bridge over the Ping River and personal conflicts within the homeless community. A … Continued

Residents raise concerns over elevated bridge and underpass plan at San Khayom junction

Thu 7th May

More than 200 residents attended a public hearing on proposed traffic improvements along Highway 121 — Chiang Mai’s third ring road — as the Department of Highways outlined plans for an elevated bridge and underpass at the San Khayom junction in San Sai Luang subdistrict, and a roundabout flyover at the Likhit Chewan (Nong Chom) junction in Nong Chom subdistrict, San Sai district. The meeting, led … Continued

Roadworks on Highway 121 reduce traffic. To single lane, raising safety concerns 

Thu 7th May

Drivers on Highway 121 — the canal road running into the city — have been caught off guard by a sudden lane reduction near the NACC Chiang Mai office in Don Kaew, Mae Rim, where ongoing roadworks have narrowed two lanes down to one. A site inspection found that the central median has been extended into the right lane in a triangular formation, with construction still incomplete. The pinch point si … Continued

Clear skies draw visitors to Wat Chedi Luang as temple prepares for Inthakin Festival

Thu 7th May

With Chiang Mai’s polluted season behind us, the city’s tourism atmosphere has visibly lifted. At Wat Chedi Luang, visitors have been turning out throughout the day to take in the grandeur of the ancient chedi beneath noticeably cleaner skies. The temple is now busy with preparations for this year’s Inthakin Festival — formally known as the Sai Khan Dok Inthakin ceremony — scheduled to run from 13 … Continued

Chiang Mai Pride 2026 set to position Chiang Mai as inclusive international destination

Wed 6th May

Chiang Mai is moving ahead with plans for Chiang Mai Pride 2026, bringing together government agencies, private sector partners and civil society groups in a coordinated effort to position the northern city as a leading destination for equality, diversity and inclusive tourism. A preparatory meeting was held on 5th May at Chiang Mai Provincial Hall, chaired by the Vice Governor of Chiang Mai, with … Continued

100-baht durian drama sends Chiang Mai sales soaring

Wed 6th May

A viral livestream campaign selling durians at 100 baht apiece — one million fruits offered by popular influencer Pimry Pie — has stirred controversy among small retailers who argue the price, well below the market rate of 120–150 baht per kilogram or upwards of 300 baht per fruit, undermines the trade. Yet the resulting buzz has proved an unexpected boon for durian vendors in Chiang Mai, with sal … Continued

Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai: A Compelling Reason to Travel Close to Home

Tue 5th May

With the exclusive ‘Thai Resident Rate’, the award-winning resort brings the very best of Northern Thai experiences to its guests. What are the new travel trends shaping how Thai residents travel today? The answer is becoming increasingly clear: a growing desire for effortless, short-distance journeys that offer a restorative pause from the rhythm of everyday life. Today, a meaningful escape no lo … Continued

Duangtawan Hotel Chiang Mai Secures Triple MICE Standards for 2026–2028

Mon 4th May

Duangtawan Hotel Chiang Mai Secures Triple MICE Standards for 2026–2028 Elevating Thai MICE Excellence to the Global Stage Duangtawan Hotel Chiang Mai announced its continued success at “MICE Standard Day 2026.” General Manager, Miss Warunee Khummeru, officially accepted three prestigious certifications awarded by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), marking another three-year mil … Continued

Serial killer of homeless men arrested — suspect confesses to three murders across Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai

Fri 1st May

Police have arrested a 31-year-old man suspected of a string of murders targeting homeless people sleeping rough under bridges in Chiang Mai, after a press conference held this morning at 11.30am on 1st May by senior Region 5 police commanders. The suspect, Pana Puli, from Mae Yao subdistrict in Chiang Rai, was apprehended while fleeing on foot near Chang Phueak Market, apparently intending to boa … Continued

Inthakin (City Pillar) Festival set for 13th-19th May 

Thu 30th Apr

Officials from Wat Chedi Luang and the municipality gathered at Wat Chedi Luang on yesterday to announce this year’s Inthakin Festival — the annual ceremony of floral offerings to the city pillar — scheduled to run from 13th to 19th May at Wat Chedi Luang. The Inthakin ceremony is rooted in ancient Lanna belief, invoking the city pillar for protection, peace and rain to ensure fertile lands. Held … Continued

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