I began to wonder about the Chinese who live here permanently, wanting to learn more about who they are, what they do and where they came from. After all, there are over two million Thai-Chinese people in Northern Thailand, a region with 11.6 million people, so where did it all begin and what is their story.

The man himself, Armin Schoch, is a familiar face in the Chiang Mai expat scene, having lived here since 2003, and is also recognised as a giant in the Thai and regional tourism industry, which he has been a pioneer of since the early eighties.

Here are the people (and dogs) we are helping this year at the Citylife Garden Fair.

Show your pride and get involved in the gay scene in Chiang Mai, that although small, is alive and kicking.

One of my favourite times of the year is around 4pm on the day of our Citylife Garden Fair. After four or five months of planning and hard work and the inevitable stress and frenzy of the day, this is when I can finally relax and give myself a mental pat on the back.

Here are three of Chiang Mai’s newest restaurants perfect for those with a taste for good food and adventurous chefs.

“It’s about time that skateboard players are perceived as serious sport players,” said 38 year old Pichai ‘Kob’ Booncoomyou, one of Chiang Mai’s skateboarding pioneers who has spent the past few decades fighting for space and legitimacy for his sport. He began skateboarding at a time when western teens skateboarded from playground to sports arenas, while Thailand, with its potholed pavements and limited access to good skateboards, was still many years, if not decades, from catching up.

Sip on a few special brews this month at these three bars all serving rare to find bottled drinks that go down great with some sweet vibes on the side.

This month, the Yamaha Rider’s Club on Huay Kaew Road would like to introduce two of their newest additions to the showroom floor — the new Aerox 155 and new edition of the NMAX 155cc.

Check out some of Chiang Mai’s cutest cafés, decorated to the rafters with soft pastel colours, cute and cuddly mascots and rainbow coloured treats topped with pink sprinkles and whipped cream, naturally.

The Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game takes those on-screen thrills and transfers them to the tabletop in a fast-paced, tactical but readily accessible battle game for two players.

A long driveway circled by a tunnel of bamboo leads the way towards Panyaden International School. As the tunnel ends, it opens up to reveal a school which looks as though it has grown out of the ground on which it stands. As children of all ages pour out of their school rooms into the arms of adoring parents, their giggles and grins turn the day sunny. Children, from toddler to twelve, were running around barefoot, uniforms askew, some heading to the award-winning bamboo sports hall for after school activities, others to their parents’ vehicles, chattering about their day.

Degenerative Joint Disease is inevitable. As we grow older, our bodies slowly stop working, and some of the first things that start to struggle are our joints and our bones. In most people, our degeneration happens faster than it should, leaving us feeling older sooner, but this should not be the case.