Vintage Toys for Old Boys
Troops of perfect condition Tetsujin 28 robots line the walls as original Japanese versions of Power Rangers sit in corners — some caught in a permanent state of mid-transformation, just like the cartoons. This bizarre shop is the only place in Chiang Mai that both collectors and toy enthusiasts can now come and experience some of the region’s rarest toys.
From Chiang Mai to the World: Elephants Parade for Conservation
The sight of a four foot elephant standing proud in locations around Chiang Mai is not an uncommon sight. Partnered with a sign that identifies their name, artist and even price – these are almost icons of the northern city and are often exported to parade in some of the biggest cities in the world all in aid of elephant conservation.
Battling Beetles: A Northern Thai Tradition
This is the time of the year when the sounds of small ridged sticks rubbing against logs of wood used to be heard emanating from back yards throughout the north of Thailand. The familiar sounds would be interspersed with the roar of a crowd and was ubiquitous and easily identified in days past. But times have changed and its gentle echoes and resounding cheers have faded…along with any recognition with, and familiarity of the sounds. But if you know where to look, you may still come across this scene, found only in our small corner of the world: men of all ages squatting on the floor in dirty flip flops, dark heads huddled together, focused on a Lilliputian fight as they jeer and cheer. This is the world of Thai rhinoceros beetle fighting, an ancient Northern Thai tradition.
The Rise of Gaming in Chiang Mai
From family-friendly bestsellers like Agricola and Catan to Dungeons & Dragons and a broader role-playing resurgence, the global popularity of tabletop and board gaming continues to rise — and Chiang Mai has not been spared. Around our beloved city people are putting aside their phones and tablets, and looking away from their screens (for a while at least!), in order to flip cards, connect til … Continued
The Cleanest Tattoo Studio in Chiang Mai
When deciding to get a tattoo, the first thing you put your mind to is the design. Do you go for a Japanese style snake tattoo on your leg or settle with a simple, but classic tattoo of an elephant to remind you if your time in Thailand? Whatever your style, the most important thing is going into any tattoo shop with a clear idea of what you want – even if it is to get some advice! There are several other important things you should be aware of before jumping straight in; things that often get forgotten in all the excitement.
Jumbo Sized Fun for the Family
Earlier this year funkily coloured elephants were seen all over our city. From Tha Pae Gate to Nimmanhaemin, Wat Gate to Chang Klan, it seemed that for nearly two months, wherever we looked, there was a pretty statue of an elephant. It was the Elephant Parade’s ten year anniversary and nearly 100 elephants, many painted by local artists and celebrities, were back on their home turf, raising awareness about elephant conservation, promoting the arts and generally prettying up our fair city.
Dungeons & Dragons Review
Long before the blood and mud and full-frontal shenanigans of Game of Thrones titillated television viewers around the globe, assassins and sell-swords were guiding the rise and fall of warring kingdoms, bold rangers were roaming icy northlands keeping monstrous undead hordes at bay, and dragon-mounted valkyrie queens were ecstatically vaporising foolhardy enemy hosts.
My Journey: 17 Year Old Essay Winner’s Journey to Dublin
At the start of this year, I submitted an essay titled with the theme ‘A Journey’ to Citylife that eventually won me a round trip to Dublin this past summer. Within it I had written: “For every journey one undertakes there must be a will. A will to fight and a want that drives us to be.”
Citylife Garden Fair 2018
By all accounts, the Citylife Garden Fair 2018 was a great success and we look forward to many more years of this event to come. Thank you very much to all of you who helped, who worked, who donated, who bid, who came, and who were a part of it all. ***Booth Booking Now Closed*** ***Please contact wichuda@chiangmaicitylife.com for more information*** Book your stall now! Suggest a charity for our donations (last year we raised over 400,000 for three charities). And donate deep! We are asking you to donate anything we can use in our auction or tombola, all proceeds will go to charity. This will be a fun and fantastic day out and we can’t wait to see you all again.
Chiang Mai ‘Gaming 101’
Chiang Mai’s gaming community is vibrant, diverse and inclusive — and continually growing! Built around the city’s numerous dedicated game cafes, university-affiliated board game clubs, active Facebook groups, and one of the finest bricks-and-mortar gaming stores in South-East Asia (in the form of Golden Goblin Games at San Sai), the gaming scene here in Thailand’s north is the epitome of unity in diversity, punctuated as it is by a host of easy-going scheduled meet-ups and informal gaming gatherings frequented by a healthy mix of local Thais, foreign expatriates and visiting tourists.
CityGames: Connecting with Chiang Mai’s Gaming Scene
Once confined to the family rumpus room or occasionally dusted off to help while away the time during long school holidays, board games and card games are enjoying a global renaissance. Even geek staples like Dungeons & Dragons and myriad other role-playing games have burst forth from angst-ridden tween and teen bedrooms to hold sway over cafes and other newly declared ‘gaming locations’, with Chiang Mai being no exception.
Celebrity Ink Tattoo Chiang Mai
To those who flirt between the beach and the mountains, Celebrity Ink™ maybe a name you have already heard of. With an outstanding fan base locally and overseas, this unique tattoo studio has, over the last decade, developed its name and its reputation as being one of Thailand’s most professional and artistic tattoo studio you can visit.
Citylife’s Bloody Experience at Pu Sae Ya Sae
I stepped into the festival expecting a witchcraft of atmospheres. Rituals, sorcerers, spells being chanted, rain dancers, and vials of buffalo blood being passed around to be drunk by all. I expected a supernatural presence to reveal itself, to cause a ruckus. I prepared myself for the possibly that magic may exist. It was all very thrilling. Of course, I had misjudged the situation. In reality, the event was much more down to earth than my senses had prepared me for.
A Chiang Mai Balloon Adventure
It was an early rise for Citylife on an otherwise slightly misty morning last week. The sun was just starting to bring back colour to the skies as large clouds blanketed the mountains and surrounding farmland. On a grassy plain at the Horizon Village & Resort, a small team of men in jumpsuits began rolling out a large canvas balloon as people began to arrive, still half asleep but excited to soon by flying high in the air, with only the wind to guide us.
The Thai Lottery: It’s More Than a Game
“Lotto culture is Thai culture,” Priyawit “Bom” Nikornpant insists. “If you study Thai beliefs and lottery beliefs, you will understand that the thinking systems are analogous.” The belief systems that cloak lottery-playing methodologies in Thailand are complex, starting with the seemingly simple process of buying a ticket. The first step is to choose which numbers to buy.
Tube Trek Water Park
All of Chiang Mai’s other pools and water parks have been blown out of the water since Tube Trek Water Park opened its doors earlier this year. Lofty slides, crazy flumes and lazy rivers meandering around the edges give this park its ability to please all types of people; from thrill seekers to chill seekers.
Chiang Mai Does Cosplay
Cosplay comes from the combination of the words costume and play…if you hadn’t guessed it already. First made popular in mid-twentieth century Sci-Fi conventions of America, it really took off as a subculture in Japan during the anime and video game boom of the ‘80s. Today, it’s gained a worldwide following, mainly by the most dedicated fans of anime, videogames and cartoons who dress up as their favourite characters and adopt their personality for a day. Citylife decided to talk to a few avid cosplayers in Chiang Mai and find out more about these uber fans of anime.
Into the Jungle: An experience with Karen hunter-gatherers
The rain started to ease as we reached a village perched upon a mountain’s peak near Mae Wang. As the tarmac disintegrated into a dirt road that seemed to be part-timing as a small river, we slipped and slided our way, seemingly perilously, to the Karen village that was home to our local guide, DuanJan or John. The trek was organised by Chai Lai Sisters, Thailand’s first sustainable trekking company run by indigenous Karen women who wish to raise awareness of their ways of life and the struggles they are facing as a wider community. For us it would be a challenging yet fun adventure into the jungle, but for John and many other Karen men, it would be just another day as a hunter gatherer, this time with a writer and photographer from Citylife in tow. After slinging a .22 rifle over his shoulder, grabbing a few homemade squirrel traps and slipping on a pair of flip-flops, jungle-John was jungle-ready. Pi the photographer and I required a few more amenities, donning our steel-toed Gore-Tex hiking boots before managing to stuff our waterproof backpacks with bottles of water and a change of clothing. I even slipped a Swiss army knife into my pack…just in case.
Suan Sati: Where Yoga Meets Nature
Suan means garden in Thai, and Sati is the Pali word for mindfulness. Suan Sati set in the hills of Mae Jo, is a yoga retreat that focuses on permaculture, healthy eating, yoga and meditation. Their mission is to create transformation, awareness and empowerment through yoga and permaculture. The creator of Suan Sati Will Hardy, a Washington D.C born native returned to Thailand after receiving a teacher training in India.
Zipping the Jungle Lines
Flying through tree canopies at hundreds of metres above the ground on a hot Thai summer’s day is not everybody’s cup of tea. In fact, it was downright terrifying for me. I have always been scared of heights and combine that with the number of articles I have published as deputy editor of Citylife about zipline accidents, I was hoping to ask for hazard pay before tempting this feat. But after Jungle Flight and Tripzii, who have now teamed up to provide jungle adventures bookable by a the click of a button, invited me to sample their services, I couldn’t miss the chance to finally give zipline a go.