Fancy Condos? Says Chiang Mai author Jeff J. Brown, “If you have the income, New Concept Condos are fabulous. Two bedroom condos are 40,000 Baht per month. We come to swim in the movie set pool. There’s a five-star health club and sauna too. 170 baht per person. We’re loving it.” Located in Hang Dong area, approximately 7 Kms from Chiangmai International Airport, you can buy your own condo for US$109,000 and rent it out if you wish. Claimed annual return on investment is 8%.

Serviced Apartments? It’s hard to beat Smith Residence. Nice big rooms, perfectly serviced, smart, helpful, English-speaking staff who will arrange anything, answer calls for you..and very reasonable rates: 3rd Floor suites are 8,000  and Mountain View Suites 20,000 Baht/month. 37-39 Nantharam Rd., Tumbon Haiya, Amphoe Mueang, CM 50200

Kiree Thara Resort is 10 minutes from my home (which is 10 minutes from the city), at the foot of Mt. Suthep on a narrow country road. It’s rural and scenic but in the middle of town! Prices start at $60. GPS: 18.835153, 98.953823.

Kate’s Place. Kate is a yoga buddy, a young Brit who lets people use her nice condo on the canal when she’s out of town–so you have the place to yourself without those awkward moments of bumping into someone when you’re trying to find the bathroom at night! You can make reservations on AirBnB here. If you want to check the condo neighborhood, here’s her GPS: 18.802792,98.960273.

Here’s her home made tour:

Grand Napat.

The Grand Napat is completely commercial. Handy to town. Recently built, with big grounds. Nice staff. No frills. A safe, affordable location with handy shops and stalls. GPS. 18.805376, 98.996128.

And three conventional, but good, places to stay in Chiang Mai:

Take a look at our favorite, the Bodhi Serene. When prosperous-looking people ask me where to stay in Chiang Mai I tell them it’s the best balance of luxury, cost, facilities, staff, location and price in Chiang Mai – which is why we always recommend it. Rooms start around $70 and they’re all good.  The Bodhi Serene is luxury on a  budget at around $75–$150. GPS: 18.786538, 98.990233

Here’s a recent Tripadvisor review:

Great hotel, definite value for money, friendly staff and a great location. Reviewed May 5, 2013.

I must admit I always feel apprehensive when booking hotels without personal recommendations but I found trip advisor to be spot on with this one. As I read in a review recently, the hotel isn’t anything to write home about from the outside street, but once you walk inside you forget you’re even in a town as the hotel is beautiful, tranquil and quiet. It’s situated ideally close to major temples, markets and with plenty of food and drink nearby. Staff are wonderful and can help book tours, transport etc and are helpful rather than pushy like other tour providers. We booked a standard room and found it spacious with a king sized bed, balcony overlooking the garden and there was a shower and large bathtub in the room. Our stay included breakfast and there were a large variety of options available. There are several common areas (pool, garden, breakfast area and library) and these are all kept clean, tidy and quiet also. Can’t recommend The Bodhi Serene enough.

Next in the value list is The Empress Hotel, starting around $45. The second, The Empress, is remarkable value for money, at around $45–$90. GPS: 18.775707, 98.999284

Here’s a recent Tripadvisor review:

Very nice hotel with good service. Reviewed May 30, 2013

We were a group of 3 families with young children who travelled to Chiang Mai in April 2013 during Songkarn festival holidays. We booked this hotel on internet and actually were a little circumspect of what we are going to get when we arrive. All our worries were put to rest when we arrived at this hotel. The location is good being centrally located in Chiang Mai with quick and easy access to night bazar. Breakfast is nice and has a lot of choices. Rooms are big, spacious and clean. Staff is courteous and service provided is also good. Overall, The Empress is an excellent value for money.

And finally, the value leader, WangBurupa Grand Hotel, inside the Old City Walls is where to stay in Chiang Mai if you’re watching your budget. Rooms start around $30–$50 and they’re all good, too. All of these prices, of course, depend on the season and how far in advance you book. GPS: 18.783980, 98.992719.

Here’s a recent Tripadvisor review:

Nice hotel in the old city.  Reviewed May 23, 2013

Here’s a (silent) tour of the Wang Burupa:

Note: I book all our hotels stays through Agoda because they buy half the hotel rooms in Asia for cash in advance, then re-sell them online at a deep discount. Their website also allows you to filter the hotels displayed according to all kinds of personal preferences. Here’s the map:

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A 25 year old Canadian was riding a zipline at Flight of the Gibbon in Chiang Mai on Saturday when his safety harness broke and he plummeted 50 meters to the ground. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The weight limit for anyone using the zipline is 125 kilograms. Manager and Thai PBS reported the man weighed between 180 and 200 kilograms, while other outlets said the deceased man weighed 125 kilograms. It was reported the zipline operators have been charged with gross negligence resulting in death. Flight of the Gibbon was investigated in 2017 over claims it had encroached protected forests. In 2015, two Chinese tourists were killed in separate incidents at two other ziplines in the area. In 2016, a Chinese tourists suffered serious injuries while riding the Flying Squirrel zipline and three Israelis were injured in a fall at the Flight of the Gibbon. In 2015, remarkable footage in the Daily Mail went viral after showing an American tourist who was left hanging onto a friend after an employee forget to connect a carabiner on a 400m zipline in Chiang Mai.

I’m often asked about safety and danger in Thailand, so let’s look at a case study with much to teach us:

By the end of the night (around 2 am) as the bar’s customers were leaving. The holidaymakers – believed to be a man in his 40s and his parents, both in their 60s – were attacked by several men earlier this month during Thai new year celebrations in Hua Hin, a coastal town about three hours south of Bangkok, popular with older Europeans. CCTV footage posted online shows a vicious and prolonged assault in a street, which starts when a British man briefly touches shoulders with a Thai man carrying a bottle who appears to push him to the ground. The British woman takes the Thai man to the side and an argument ensues. Several Thai men punch the family until all three are on the ground. When they try to rise, they are kicked in the face and left unconscious before onlookers come to their aid. During the Thai new year’s Songkran festival, also known as the water festival, major streets are taken over by a giant water fight for three days as people party continuously.

If you saw this video of the 2 a.m. bar brawl in Hua Hin you probably wondered about safety in Thailand, particularly after seeing the older farang woman get knocked out. How could that happen in a gentle country supposedly safe for women? Let’s take a look:

1. Per capita, drunk Brits cause 10x more problems here than drunk Thais.
2. Three Brits went to a tough bar area and drank until 2 a.m.
3. One Brit bumped a Thai in the street and the Thai knocked him down.
4. His woman companion long and loudly insulted the Thai.
5. The Thai knocked her and the other Brit down.
6. Friends of the Thai kicked them.
7. the knockdown of the woman caused international outrage.
8. In Thailand a public insult is treated as an attack with a deadly weapon – it is mortal and transcends gender.
9. The public insulter is usually killed on the spot or ambushed the following day by friends of the insultee.
10. The woman is alive because she’s a woman. Had she been a man she’d be dead.
11. By Thai cultural standards the Thai who knocked her down acted in self defense – in the only way possible.
12. His friends were justified in treating the farangs like would-be murderers and kicking them.

The morals of this story are many and one of them is that Thailand has its own culture and sets its own rules of behavior. That’s why, in my books and in the newsletter, I repeatedly warn about arguing with Thais. Don’t do it. Ever. You can almost eliminate danger from your life in Thailand with these simple strategies:

1. Avoid late-night bars in vacation spots that are magnets for young men from around the world looking for trouble.
2. Don’t confront or quarrel with Thais. Ever. Never, ever argue with a Thai. Never.
3. Don’t drive until you understand what you’re getting into. Thai traffic has unique vices and virtues.
4. Be careful in your bathroom. This is the #1 environment where most people are injured. Thai bathrooms can be slippery as hell if you’re showering.

Why ‘Safety First’ in Thailand is… not so much

The notion of safety first in Thailand is novel and exotic. Thais take risks every day that would turn Westerners’ hair white.

What do Thai kindergartners do in school? Coloring, learning words and numbers, of course. And field trips. Like this one where these 3-year-olds each sat on their very own, deadly crocodile while their teachers took this  photograph. Our very own Sathaporn Kindergarten – a private school for children of well-off parents – here in Chiang Mai apologized after the photos went viral. The school was criticized because, among other things, the children attended the show without their parents’  or guardians’ knowledge. The pics were only discovered because the photos were uploaded to the school’s Facebook page titled “Who says crocodiles Aren’t Friendly?” They order things differently in Thailand…

Songkran Festival Safety in Thailand

During the April 11–17 Songkran period last year, 3,690 road accidents killed 390 people and injured 3,808 others.  The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said the death toll was down 11.76 per cent from 2016 (!). This year’s five-day Songkran holiday runs from April 12–16. To accommodate people travelling up-country to visit their hometowns and to stimulate domestic tourism, the Cabinet designated Thursday, April 12 as an additional holiday on top of the usual April 13–16 holiday time. Gen. Prawit has told the agencies to learn from past statistics to identify accident causes and try to minimise them. He said the authorities would also launch awareness campaigns about drunk driving, use of safety belts and wearing helmets. Most Thais celebrate the traditional Thai New Year and enjoy the water-splashing festival. A few tips for first-timers: it will be hot, but wear or bring a light shell if you don’t want to end up shivering from being doused repeatedly with ice water. Don’t drink, keep your wits about you and.. don’t ride in the back of pickup trucks!

Here’s a longer discussion about safety in Thailand:

The post Safety and Danger in Thailand appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.

Vern Lovic, Thailand’s snake expert, wrote me this explanation of his new book, Keep Snakes Out!: Probably no other animal that is frequently found in a home scares people as much as snakes! Here in Thailand, we have a serious snake problem. Recently my friend confronted a king cobra climbing his front door. It’s really no joke here…

For ten years I have been answering questions by email, phone, and social media about how to keep snakes out of homes, businesses, schools and nurseries, and out of yards and away from other property.

For years I offered this free service – but finally, as the requests have peaked to around 1,000 per year, I just cannot keep up  any longer with this and keep performing snake rescues at people’s homes. So, I’m writing this book to help me reclaim my life back. This book will help me free up a dozen hours a week or more. I’ll answer your questions about the best things you can do to keep snakes in nature – away from you, your yard, and property. I’ll put everything I know here – and you take it from there.

Here in Thailand we have around 220 snake species. That’s a LOT OF SNAKES that can find their way into homes, yards, schools, vehicles, and tree houses. Start with this book to eliminate as much as possible any means for a snake to get close to your home. Head over to ThailandSnakes.com to read more about snakes in Thailand that you need to avoid. We have a couple of other ebooks – one free – you might want to get a copy of. Stay safe! – Vern

Snakes, like most animals, are emotional creatures. The emotion we humans usually see is anger. It’s the most visible of all species’ emotions and we tend to elicit snakes’ anger by doing stupid things. If you want to see an angry snake, check out the video below. If you humiliate a non-venomous snake – by, for example, using it to frighten people and make them scream – then put the snake back down on the ground, it will often stay there for a long time, clearly displaying its resentment.

Thailand has 200 snake species of which 60 are venomous. There are venomous (not poisonous) snakes everywhere here.  Recently I watched a racer swim across the river then haul herself out of the water onto a lily pad to warm up and dry off. She was beautiful. Thai snakes, like most, are terrified of humans. Thai snakes have a protector and friend: expat Vern Lovic who lives in Southern Thailand – is an interpreter between snakes and humans (that’s Vern’s picture of the beautiful red tailed racer, above) and runs a great Thai snakes website.

It’s just as well snakes have a friend: I have snakes in my front yard. My neighbor has twice had cobras in her outdoor kitchen, one expat told me he has a family of kraits living in his storage shed. Vern adds that vipers love bushes and trees near water and walkways. In other words, there are enough snakes in Thailand that it’s worth learning about them. Vern has made this easy by providing a free guide to Thailand’s snakes. Just click here and download it.

If you’re keen to get to know our local snakes, Vern makes that easy. He’s running a Snakes of Thailand field trip mid-year. To join the field trip, click here. Here’s that video of an angry snake:

https://youtu.be/qn5dEtAzb3E

And here’s a video of a remarkable escape:

https://wp.me/p4lpu0-1twDog escapes from python in Thailand

The post Snakes in Thailand appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.

An Aussie, Michelle Hammond, writes that living in Chiang Mai saves her $23,994 a year:

Medical: Dermatologist visit without an appointment: vital signs, 10-minute wait, evaluation, CO2 removal of two pre-cancerous lesions: 996 Baht. (You didn’t think Chiang Mai’s cost of living was so low, did you?)

Two farang friends have just delivered baby girls in Chiang Mai hospitals. Each had a private room, one for four days. Their total was pre-agreed: 60,000 Bt (US$1700) each. Both were delighted by the care they received which, in one case, included an autographed photo of the entire delivery team gathered around the bed of the exhausted mother holding her baby for the first time. Another friend got bad food poisoning and went to the hospital in early July. She needed intensive care but every bed in the hospital was full so the doctor, not wanting to put her back in an ambulance, had his desk removed from his office and a bed installed for her. The bill next day was 1400 Bt (US$40). When she protested that this was too low, staff told her it was because she did  not have a ‘proper room’. A nurse called her at home that night to check her progress.

Automotive: I’ve been doing a lot of fast driving through mountainous roads lately and can assure you that even remote roads are well maintained in the Kingdom. But taking thousands of curves stresses wheel bearings, apparently, because one of mine went out. I discovered this when I went to have the Toyota’s front alignment checked after I hit a pothole (in the middle of town!) and the steering went weird. The shop fixed the affected wheel and moved it to the rear, then balanced and aligned the front wheels. They refused payment because I’d bought the Michelins (3,000 Bt each) from them and the work was covered by their lifetime warranty – a pleasant  surprise. There was no denying the wheel bearing problem (the grinding noise was obvious once they pointe it out) so the next day they came and picked up the car. It was back a few hours later along with a bill for 2,000 Bt. and the old bearing in the factory box that held the new bearing. Don’t worry too much about the cost of owning a car in Chiang Mai: it’s far less than you’re accustomed to at home.

Bathroom Installer: I consider Thai bathrooms more dangerous than Thai roads so decided to install three grab bars in case I slip. Home Pro, the hardware store that sold the bars quoted me 1,100 baht (Aimie was shocked at the price but this was too important to haggle) and sent around a man with the experience and equipment to drill tiles (a tricky business) and I showed him where and at what height I wanted each bar to go then left him to get on with his work.  Thais don’t give up any freedom just because you’re paying them and one of those freedoms is deciding how things should be done. This means you don’t always get what you expect – or want. He installed the bars neatly and professionally in 30 minutes but so far up the wall that I have little chance of grabbing them if I slip, as you can see from the height the door handle.

The garden installer came to put in some shrubs outside my front fence. All my neighbors have hedges and my fence looked naked without one. I told the crew where to break up the thin concrete outside the fence and left them to it. They had other ideas, as it turns out. Their idea is what you see in the photograph: a raised garden surrounded by bricks. It doesn’t match the rest of the street and, worse still, it gets 12 hours of direct sun in summer and the soil gets so hot that it broils the roots of anything but the hardiest weeds.

My hairdresser is an artist. He finds my ultra-short hair style an affront to his aesthetic sensibility. Every time I go for a cut – 220 Baht – he gives me the style that pleases him. Then follows a ‘yes but’ discussion during which I make excuses for the hairstyle I need (“I go swimming every day and cannot spend time drying it”, etc.). He shakes his head in disbelief and, eventually, complies.

I mention these three people not in any negative way, but to contrast Thai culture with our own: Thais feel freer to be themselves, express their own opinions, and ignore the master-slave relationship that Western employees are encouraged to embrace. And now to a different adventure:

The Plumber: I heard water running outside the house day and night for weeks, then came home to find a a water bill pinned to my gate for 9,761 baht – 30x times normal. A water inspector then showed up and located the leak in a water junction box (no the West does not have such things, and I’m not sure why Thailand does) in the yard behind the house. It was clear that someone in the past had attempted to repair it with what looked like black electrical tape, which had finally given way. The inspector sent a repairman who quickly set things right, but I was now in a tricky position: under Thai law I am responsible for everything in and around the house, but this strange box had water pipes entering it from other properties and the damage was done before I signed the lease. “Did you take a photograph of the old repair?” was Aimie’s first question. Damn! It hadn’t occurred to me that I’d need evidence. However, after some back and forth, the owner offered to split the bill.

Picked up cushions for the two Yang chairs (like the one in the picture). Total for two big cushions, cover and zipped outer covers was 3,180 baht. When I tried to pay, the lady behind the counter became concerned and explained that I had paid when I ordered the cushions. I find this kind of honesty typical in Chiang Mai. Cheating is quite rare.

Internet Bills: I dumped my unreliable Internet carrier, 3BB, and put in a direct fiber connection from AIS, whose equipment is much newer and more reliable. I’m paying 1300 Bhat per month for 30Mb fiber. Twice the speed for little more money and less down time. When you’re figuring your Thailand cost of living, you can usually get Internt free via WiFi in condos and apartments – so that’s a potential savings.

More Chiang Mai Cost of Living

Town gas is unknown in this part of the world, as is cooking with gas indoors. Most domestic kitchens are outdoors, with charcoal braziers. My house has a small Western kitchen with a two-burner stovetop with a small (15 kg) tank underneath. When it ran out last week I took it down to the local gas merchant and swapped it for a full one – enough to last me 6 months using it once a day.

Reading Glasses. After cataract surgery (below) I need reading glasses and, since I only use them at home, did not want fancy (2,000 baht) frames. Bought four pairs of reading glasses for 100 baht each and had the prescription lenses made up and inserted into them for 2,100 baht. Total for four pairs of prescription readers: 2,500 baht ($85).

Furniture: Took delivery of two yang chairs to match the big yang chair/bed/lounge (4,000 Baht each, above) I bought last month (12,000 Baht, below). These are popular locally since the sofa-style yangs double as occasional beds for unexpected guests – and unexpected guests are the most common kind here. They’re (very) solid teak and weigh a ton. I’m planning to upholster them with some fabulous silk from our local silk merchants, Shinawatra, who make beautiful stuff. Very expensive, though.

Refrigerators: This month’s shopping has been educational and fun, as usual. When we’re shopping together sales staff assume Aimie and I are married. She cracks up and tells me, “They call me ‘madam’ instead of ‘sister’ and congratulate me on having such a rich husband”. Their congratulations came when I went to buy a good quality(!) $200 mattress for the guest room (visitors have been lining up since friends learned about the spare bedroom). I was tired of defrosting the Panasonic refrigerator that came with the house and I fell for a tall silver Samsung with a separate freezer on sale at HomePro for 9,999 Baht, $330. Two guys delivered and installed it that afternoon and stayed to explain the controls – which was rather sweet.

Utility Bills: One advantage of condos is that the landlord pays the utility bills. The disadvantage is that she then charges you double what she paid. I was looking forward to saving a few bucks when my first round of bills arrived for the house but I discovered that, like so many aspects of Thai life, bill-paying is more complicated than it appears. For one thing, the bills are in Thai. For another, most companies – including the biggest – have hit-or-miss billing software. Why? I suspect it’s a combination of the facts that

1. Thais hate being told how to do things (especially by farangs)
2. They always assume that the Thai way is best, and
3. They can figure it out themselves.

One result is that my cellular carrier, True, does not bill me at all. Despite my pleas (and complaints, when my service is discontinued for non-payment) they simply tell me that their billing department is ‘having problems” and that I should ‘just remember next time’. The lady says it with the sweetest smile so I apologize and pay meekly. The water bill comes monthly on a cash-register printout slip. It’s about $5 a month and I can pay it – like most bills in Thailand – at any 7-11 store. Reassured by this knowledge, I waited a few weeks before paying the first bill  because there’s no convenient 7-11 near my house. Then I found to my dismay that I was ‘too late’ and would have to visit the Water Department on the other side of town. Bummer. The Water Department building is clearly signed – in Thai – so it took me a while to find it. I finally figured out that the building with the huge, shiny blue pipe and valve in front of it must be the right place. (Pipes and valves are beautiful, from the Water Department’s point of view, of course). Living in Thailand teaches you to look for contextual clues, that’s for sure!

Trash Bills: The trash bill is a bit of a mystery. There’s no regular trash pickup so, if I want it picked up, I must leave the bin outside the gate, in the narrow laneway, permanently. The big yellow truck roars by several times a week, but I’ve taken to carrying my trash to a local drop-off bin (a recycled blue plastic barrel) when I go out for my early morning walk. The standard trash bag in Thailand is a recycled plastic shopping bag, so that’s what I use, too. And since I started hauling  my own garbage, the bills (30 Baht/mo) have stopped. Trash collection is not going to figure heavily in your Thailand cost of living – as you see!

Rent: The least problematic aspect of Thailand’s cost of living is my rent (10,000 Bt/mo): I just transfer it from my online bank account directly to my landlady’s account with a few mouse clicks). On line bank payments are as easy here as they are there, thank God! More here..

So there you have it: bill paying is a curse that we must all endure since Adam and Eve made their rash decision to leave Paradise, and in Thailand it’s a mixed curse. But Chiang Mai’s cost of living is pretty hard to beat!

The post Chiang Mai Cost of Living appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.

My current favorite studio is Satva Yoga, two minutes from the Maya Mall, which teaches Aerial Yoga. What’s Aerial Yoga, you ask? Well, take a look at me doing the Batman Asana, above, and that’ll give you an idea: it lets you do poses that you simply cannot do on the ground. And best of all, it’s fun and much easier than, say, Ashtanga Yoga or Bikram Yoga.

In 1970, I started doing three hours of yoga a week and have never regretted it. (Holy cow! That’s 6,500 hours on a yoga mat!) I’ve never been hospitalized, taken pharmaceuticals nor needed to diet. More important, I feel good – bodily – all the time. I’ve noticed that feeling good all over is not a big priority for most people. (They seem to be content to merely be breathing). But it’s my first priority. It’s not that I love yoga. I don’t. But I love, love, love the way yoga makes me feel all day, every day. Keeping me out of the clutches of doctors, pharmaceuticals and hospitals is just a bonus.

If you’re an experienced yogi you’ll love falling into Chiang Mai’s community of like-minded adventurers, the endless parade of famous teachers and the neverending classes, workshops and special events. If you’ve never done yoga before you’ve also come to the right place – many people dip their toes into yoga’s waters for the first time here in Thailand – so you’re sure to find a class and teacher that’s right for you.

Whether you’ve been practicing for ages or don’t know what a downward dog is, this guide will help steer you in the right direction and make the most of yoga in Chiang Mai.

Types of Yoga

More than just a way of stretching or getting some gentle exercise, yoga is a complex practice combining mind, spirit and body to create complete wellbeing from the inside out. With a centuries of history, there are naturally many types of yoga – each focusing on different aspects of your alignment, flexibility and breath. Here are some of the most common types of yoga:

• • Hatha – Hatha refers to any yoga practice that combines poses, known as asanas, with measured breathing techniques, known as pranayama. The connection between breath and movement creates a deeper sense of relaxation. Most often, teachers will lead you through a series of postures that flow together. The class intensity will depend on how quick or slow the teacher keeps the pace.
  • Iyengar – B.K.S. Iyengar systematized 200 classical yoga poses and 14 different types of Pranayama (with variations of many of them) ranging from the basic to advanced. This helps ensure that students progress gradually by moving from simple poses to more complex ones and develop their mind, body and spirit through a step-by-step approach.Iyengar Yoga often makes use of props, such as belts, blocks, and blankets, as aids in performing asanas (postures). The props enable students to perform the asanas correctly, minimizing the risk of injury or strain, and making the postures accessible to both young and old. Satva Yoga holds regular Iyengar classes at 8 am Mon-Sat.
  • Vinyasa – Sometimes called “power yoga”, vinyasa focus on constantly keeping the body in motion with quicker-paced flows base around the famous “sun salutation” series of postures.
  • Ashtanga – One of the more challenging types of yoga, ashtanga uses a set series of 70 postures and requires both strength and endurance.  
  • Yin – If you’re looking for something slower paced, try yin yoga. Centered around stretching and relaxation, yin is a restorative form of yoga good for calming the mind, improving posture and increasing flexibility. Just because it’s slower doesn’t mean it’s always easy though, you’ll often hold deep stretches for up to several minutes to give your joints and muscles enough time to truly release and stretch.
  • Bikram (hot) – Named for Bikram Choudry, this is a single, set series of difficult poses done in a room heated to 104ºF. Definitely worth a try!
  • Restorative – You may see classes listed as “restorative yoga”. These sessions may involve different aspects of several different practices but focus on relaxing and rejuvenating your body. Instead of pushing it into a pose you may use supports and props to comfortable relax into a pose that helps your body rest and repair itself.
  • Laughter – If you haven’t heard of laughter yoga you will once you’re in Chiang Mai. Consisting of prolonged, self-induced laughing and yogic breathing techniques, laughter yoga lets you connect with your more carefree, playful side and even has been proven to help benefit your cardiovascular system and overall mood.
  • Aerial – Poses that suspend you off the ground so you can do things that would otherwise be impossible. Satva Yoga’s aerial yoga classes are limited to four students and run from 4:00-5:30 Monday through Saturday.

Yoga Studios in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai has evolved from a backpacker haven to a sanctuary for health conscious travelers. Among the plethora of organic cafés and wellness centers that have surfaced within recent years, yoga classes and retreats have become a popular and plentiful option for yogis. They range from beginner to the most advanced classes and offer yoga styles in an impressive variety.

Satva Yoga is two minutes from Maya. Regular

Namo Yoga –has moved to its new, central location on SRIDONCHAI RD. inside MANINARAKORN HOTEL, 10 minutes walk from the old location and 5 minutes from the Night Bazaar.

Freedom Yoga – Adam and his partner, Ning have been running a new yoga studio in chiang mai for about 8 months now. They told me it’s been a challenge but extremely rewarding at the same time. It’s a relatively new yoga studio located just east of the famous Thapea Gate in a refurbished traditional Thai House. Freedom yoga has a relaxed and friendly vibe, with the yoga studio situated upstairs and Freedom cafe and Juice bar below serving up pre and post yoga juices and healthy meals. Freedom offers a thorough yoga schedule covering a variety of classes with something to suit students of all experiences. Their classes have a strong emphasis on correct body alignment and correct breathing. Their schedule:

Monday:  10am-Vinyasa          6pm-Hatha Flow

Tuesday: 10am-Hatha Flow      6pm-Hatha Yoga

Wednesday: 10am-Vinyasa      6pm-mixed flow

Thursday: 10am-Hatha yoga     6pm-Yin Yoga

Friday: 10am-Vinyasa              6pm-Hatha yoga

Saturday: 10am-Mixed dynamic flow

Sunday: 10am-mixed level flow

6pm-gentle and restorative yoga

The Yoga Tree – Enclosed within a lush garden area in the southwest corner of the Old City, this studio’s peaceful surrounding is prized by its students. With special focus on Beginner and Restorative/Yin Yoga styles, instructors also emphasize proper breathing and correct poses without being overbearing. The Yoga Tree frequently changes its yoga class line-up, which also includes dance and movement meditation classes. Don’t forget to check out their events, small festivals, trainings and workshops, which are held several times a month.

Wild Rose Yoga – Housed in a gorgeous traditional teak wooden home, Wild Rose Yoga is known for its range of intermediate to advanced weekly classes and specialized workshops. Classes are lead by various local and international teachers emphasizing and usually offered 3-4 times a day during the week and 1-2 times a day on weekends.

Yoga Kuukan – Known for its positive energy and beautiful space, Yoga Kuukan offers several styles of  Yoga in addition to Tai Chi and Chi Kung. The instructors encourage balance and exploration and teach with the basic intention to improve the health of both the mind and body. Located in the northeast corner of the Old City in a quaint teak house, this studio encourages drop-ins and private lessons.

Blue Garden – This small yoga and massage studio is hidden down a quiet street in the center of the Old City near Wat Pha Kaaw. Step into a beautiful open-aired garden studio and stretch, strengthen, and tone your muscles with flow, hatha or yin yoga. Classes are lead by Remco, an instructor who brings his knowledge of healing and abdominal Chi (Chi Nei Tsang) and Thai massages to his yoga practice. His style also emphasizes restoring energy balance and detoxifying the body.

Weena’s Yogasana – This small friendly studio is easily accessible and nestled in the up and coming Nimmanhaemin area of Chiang Mai. Lead by Weena herself, she emphasizes simplicity and focuses on four types of yoga: yoga asana, hatha, vinyasa flow and power yoga. Weena’s style delicately balances a challenging but supportive environment for students and accommodates skill levels ranging from beginner to more advanced.

Loft Yoga  at  Kantary Terrace – If you’re staying close to Nimmanhaemin Road, check out Loft  Yoga on the second floor of Kantary Terrace. You can call 081-377-7306 for more information and a class schedule.

Mahasiddha – Just north of Suan Buak Hat park in the southwest corner of the Old City, Mahasiddha Yoga school focus on meditation and tantra yoga. Through the practice of tantric yoga one gains awareness of who he truly is and what he can become. Whether you are a complete novice or a well-travelled practitioner, the classes, courses and events of Mahasiddha Yoga will help you attain your happiest, most fulfilled and sincere self. Every week, Mahasiddha Yoga offers a (long term) tantra course, hatha yoga classes and workshops along with a FREE activity every Sunday night, such as a hatha yoga class, a movie night or biweekly kirtan. In addition, the school aso organizes monthly retreats. Mahasiddha Yoga can be found at 19 Samlan Soi 6 (green house, with a green gate – or use these GPS coordinates in Google Maps: 18.783397, 98.980086).

Wise Living Yoga Academy. This yoga academy is based in the beautiful countryside of Chiang Mai which offers regular yoga teacher training programs, ranging from around 200 to 500 per hour courses. They are registered with the international Yoga Alliance and affiliated to The Yoga Institute of Santa Cruz, Mumbai which is the world’s oldest yoga institution.

Om Ganesha Yoga. This yoga teaching academy takes a different approach to yoga. They focus more on the therapeutic side of yoga and focus on the benefits it could lift to each and every person that practices this holisitc approach. All levels of classes are open and offered in a traditional Thai wooden sala set in a relaxing garden.

Yoga Retreats in Chiang Mai

Along with yoga studios and classes, Chiang Mai and the surrounding region is also a popular place for yoga and meditation retreats held by teachers from around the world.

Thailand Yoga Holidays

Naturally, my favorite retreats are run by one of my own teachers, Christophe Cappon, a Canadian instructor who’s been living in Chiang Mai for the past eight years. Not only is Christophe one of the best yoga teachers I’ve ever met – his adjustments are among the best in the world and he has a killer sense of humor – he also knows how to truly appreciate and take advantage of everything Thailand has to offer (especially its food. The boy knows how to eat). Thailand Yoga Holidays runs 10-night retreats that combine a yoga focus while taking full advantage of the true beauty of the north and all that Thailand has to offer with stops in places like Pai, Chiang Dao, a permaculture farm and even a floating retreat center. By discovering the area through one of the Christophe’s retreats, you’ll practice yoga in some unbelievable places you never would have found on your own while also learning more about the country, culture and, of course, eating delicious food. You can check out Christophe’s upcoming yoga retreats in Chiang Mai here and see where Christophe teaches, in this dreamy video:

Feldenkrais in Chiang Mai

The world’s funniest (ha ha) yoga+Feldenkrais teacher, Tara Eden, sent me this: “If you’re interested in adding Awareness Through Movement to your routine, I am starting Feldenkrais classes at Yoga Tree on Fridays at 130. I am sure you’re retiree community would benefit greatly from this class too”.

And remember, when it comes to yoga in Chiang Mai, there are always a wide range of workshops and retreats going on around town. Every yoga studio or vegetarian restaurants will have a bulletin board with notices and fliers promoting various offerings so see what catches your eye.

Hotels and Fitness Center Yoga Classes in Chiang Mai

While there are a few standalone gyms and fitness centers throughout Chiang Mai, the workout scene here is quite different from the more fitness-oriented countries in the West. It’s popular for expats to sign up for monthly memberships at one of Chiang Mai’s larger hotels and use not only the fitness area but the additional facilities such as the pool and sauna, too. Many of these centers also offer classes that include yoga. Here are a few:

Duang Tawan Hotel – Located across the street from the Le Meridien Hotel on Loi Kroh Road, Duang Tawan Hotel has a well-equipped fitness center with an excellent assortment of free weights, newly fitted machines, and cardio equipment. The fitness center also runs nightly group classes, including step aerobics and yoga. Outside is a saltwater pool that offers views across the city and of Doi Suthep with a nearby café serving up a light fare and fruit smoothies. To top it off, members and visitors can relax in the saunas or giant jacuzzi.

Fitness Thailand – One of the largest gyms in town, Fitness Thailand has a beautiful view of the city from it’s 8th floor location and evokes the feel of a Western gym with it’s bright spacious rooms and thumping background music. It has an excellent assortment of classes (up to seven per day) that are split between group exercise, yoga and spin studio rooms. To top it off, Fitness Thailand also has a personal trainer program and a health and juice bar.

Touch Shape and Fitness Center – Located on the fifth floor of the Maya Lifestyle Shopping Center on Huay Kaew Road, this fitness center features high quality machines, plenty of cardio equipment, and specialty classes such as Spin, Hammock Yoga and TRX. It’s modern design evokes a hip and energetic feel that will sure to keep you coming back for more. Personal trainers are also available onsite to assist in your fitness goals and offer training techniques.   

Dhevi Spa & Wellness Centre – If you’re looking to really splurge, the Dhara Dhevi Resort offers a Wellness Retreat Programme featuring a Ayurvedic Healing, Lanna Wellness, Yoga, and Meditation Retreats that include access to a steam room, sauna, fitness center and even hydrotherapy. Their entirely holistic approach to wellness will stretch and strengthen both your mind and body. Hatha yoga and children’s yoga are among the classes taught. If needed, personal training is available on request.

Free and Donation Yoga Classes in Chiang Mai

Yoga doesn’t have to cost you. It’s not unheard of for locals, expats and visitors to participate in or even lead free yoga sessions in Chiang Mai. What’s even better, is that these classes often take place in a wide outdoor area that make for a unique experience! For example, The Yoga Tree usually runs a weekly laughter yoga class, but you’ll often see fliers or Facebook events with donation-classes at the park or around town.

Again, keep an eye out for notices around town, or try joining some of the Chiang Mai events, yoga and wellness groups on Facebook such as What’s Happening in Chiang Mai and Chiang Mai Wellness Community. With so many different offerings, you’re sure to find something that fits with your ability and preferred style!

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A dear friend (not a client) who labored long and hard to make his Thai restaurant a success (#1 on TripAdvisor – hard to pull off) was recently approached by his Thai landlord’s  son. He had noticed that the restaurant was constantly sold out. He deduced that my friend had cheated his mother when she signed the 5-year lease – though the restaurant building had been abandoned for years before my friend leased it.

The son demanded that my friend sign a new lease, more than doubling the rent and that, if my friend refused, he would ’cause trouble’ in the restaurant. The son holds the double advantage of sharing his mother’s high social standing and of being known to hang out with thugs.

So my friend decided to move his restaurant elsewhere.

If the son is true to form he will now start a restaurant in the same location and wonder why it fails within 6 months. That is part of Thai commercial landlords’ pattern, too. It’s not just restaurants that are in danger of this. 3 years ago another expat friend started a very hip coffee shop-bookstore and the place was jammed from 10 am to midnight on the first day. The next morning the landlord arrived with a new lease.

And yes, the landlord did start a coffee-shop bookstore after my friend vacated. And it failed in 4 months.

If you intend to enter into an agreement with a commercial Thai landlord, please contact me first. There’s a right way and a wrong way to go into such deals that has nothing to do with what’s written on the lease document. This is the kind of minefield that we routinely navigate for our Concierge clients. That’s the point of having a concierge, after all: to help you through the local scene in comfort and safety.

Update: two years later, my friend’s new restaurant in town is booming. His previous location is still empty. Landlords in Thailand remain as much a mystery as ever!

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Chiang Mai Rentals, Sublets

Sublet 3 Bdrm Home World Club – 20,000 Baht/month + damage deposit. Clean, spacious 3 bedroom house in World Club Land available for sublet through June 2018. Serious applicants with references email Paula at paula@moondata.com

A 3 bedroom, newly renovated townhouse for rent for June, July and August 2018.  Rent will be 12,000 THB/month, plus responsible to pay electric, water, and internet bill (total about 1000 thb a month). Apartment is close to super highway and train station. Fully furnished. Send me an email for more info or pictures. | May 17 – Aug 30 2018 –> Email Dave at smallhockey@gmail.com (04/2018)

Grand SiriTara condo – 16,000 Baht one bedroom fully furnished 60 sqm. Pool, Fitness and security guard . Hang Dong. email tpiner4@aol.com

One Bedroom House in Muubaan Sinthana in Sansai available immediately. Partially furnished w/ 2 air cons. Kitchen w/ fridge, electric burner, rice cooker, and some cooking/dining items. Large bedroom w/ double mattress. Bathroom w/ full tub & shower. 6,000 THB per month; 3 month deposit required and 3,600 THB for annual Muubaan fee. Conveniently situated in a small quiet community — you don’t even need a vehicle to reach a wide variety of nearby restaurants and stores (but if you do drive it is only a half km. to reach the middle ring road) or just a short 1.5 km. walk to Central Festival. Also near the Promenada Resort Mall. Close by are Bangkok Hospital, McCormick Hospital, CM Dental Clinic, Fortune Dental, Expat Auto, Oasis Air Travel, Thai post offices (2 branches), the Arcade Bus Terminal, Tops and three of the Rimping grocery stores (all within ~10-12 min.) And, if you enjoy safe urban biking/hiking, it only takes about a 7 min. walk to reach the beautiful Payap University campus. Just beyond is Big C Extra, HomePro, Perfect Dry Cleaning, and Index Furniture. It’s almost like living in a planned community but in a quieter setting, with so many of these local resources conveniently available. See map of surrounding area: http://g.co/maps/8q5j | –> Contact Khruu Gang 0992948654 or Lea by email betafish3006@gmail.com or LINE ID leaburns.

Two Bedroom Townhouse 15,000 Bt/m close to Airport Central Plaza. Located in secure community at Clover Homes. Feb-2 – May 31 2018 – > Call Tony at 0827602233 or 053 430346.

House 4 Rent @ Prom  9,500 baht per month with a minimum of a one year rental. – Lovely 2 storey, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house with covered car park for rent in Mooban Kwan Nakhorn Ping about 5 minutes away from Promenada. The 200 square meter house sits on a land size of 61 square wahs. It is fully furnished with True internet; 2 air condition units; flat screen television; sofa; stove; electric oven; microwave; refrigerator etc. Sorry but damage caused by pets are extensive and costly. http://goo.gl/maps/gOmmJ Call Namatha at 0811116012 or email her at belasians@gmail.com

House for rent near GIS – A new house for rent on the outer ring road. 5-10 mins drive to GIS / Lanna / Satit. Furnished, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms with a small yard and parking space in a quiet safe compound with security guards. THB15,000 baht per month negotiable. Available 1 July 2017. See Map: https://goo.gl/maps/iNoz4bQqPRv | Email narada.luckanachai@gmail.com or call 0808070885. (07/2017)

House for Sublet  through October 20 at Laguna Home in Sansai:
Two-story, fully furnished. 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (2 water heaters), 4 a/c. Small garden, easy to care for. Super-quiet neighbourhood, no barking dogs, no crazy parties. Pleasant sounding atmosphere, birds singing in the daytime, frogs singing at night. Nice and safe places for walking / jogging / bicycling. Club house with swimming pool, workout facility, sauna, tennis and basketball courts within three minute walk. It does not have to be the whole six months – though it’d be perfect, and we’d be willing to bring down the price. We would also consider renting out for 3-4 months. 15,000 Baht per month plus utilities – water, electricity, optical fiber internet (750 Baht), maintenance fee (660 Baht). Weekly cleaning by a reliable English-speaking helper is available for 400 Baht per cleaning. Rental of a car with automatic transmission is negotiable. Marina Nekrasova. Photos and more info here.

3 bedrooms, 3 baths in Hangdong through August. $13,000 baht/month. Faith Needham

A cute 3 bedroom, 2 bath house in Koolpunt Ville 9, 88/126 Arcadia 4, Alley 4 next to Kad Farang. Located in a quiet corner with a lot of privacy. AC’s in all rooms, fully furnished with wifi. Rent includes wifi and water. Renter will pay for electricity. Rent is 12,500 THB per month. Please write Christy or call 093-731-5005

3 BDR house in Muubaan Sinthana in Sansai  thru Sept 30. Fully furnished w/ 4 air cons. Kitchen fully outfitted w/ cooking/dining supplies (see pics). Large master BDR w/ king mattress; large upstairs BDR w/ twin mattress; downstairs BDR can be used as office or third BDR w/ 2 sleeping cushions. 3 bathrooms: 1 w/ full tub & shower, and 2 w/ shower. Fast wireless internet. 18,000 THB per month. Click for PHOTOS | Conveniently situated in a small quiet community — you don’t even need a vehicle to reach a wide variety of nearby restaurants and stores (but if you do drive it is only a half km. to reach the middle ring road) or just a short 1.5 km. walk to Central Festival. Also near the Promenada Resort Mall. See map Contact Khruu Gang 0992948654 or Lea by email betafish3006@gmail.com or LINE ID leaburns.

Grand SiriTara condo – 16,000 Baht one bedroom fully furnished 60 sqm. Pool, Fitness and security guard | Location Hang Dong Ph. 095-197-2652 or email tpiner4@aol.com

One BR house in Sansai. Partially furnished w/2 air cons. Kitchen w/ fridge, electric burner, rice cooker, and some cooking/dining items. Large bedroom w/ double mattress. Bathroom w/ full tub & shower. 6,000 THB per month; 3 month deposit required and 3,600 THB for annual Muubaan fee.  See map of surrounding area:    Contact Khruu Gang 0992948654 or Lea by email betafish3006@gmail.com or LINE ID leaburns.

Sublet 3 Br Home World Club  20,000 Baht/month + damage deposit. Through June 2018. Paula at paula@moondata.com

So that’s it for Chiang Mai rentals and sublets for June, 2018. More next month!

Renting Apartments

When clients ask about apartments in Chiang Mai I recommend visiting Hillside 3 as a reference. It’s affordable and in a handy location.

Here’s a Video of new furniture being delivered to my 3-bedroom Chiang Mai house. I pay 10,000 Baht/mo. for it, semi-furnished.

So that’s it for Chiang Mai Rentals, Sublets this time!

If you need help with accommodation why not use our Concierge Service? And for Where to stay in Chiang Mai? Check out these suggestions..

Return to ThailandRetirementHelpers.com

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A History of Southeast Asia: Critical Crossroads 

Southeast Asia can fall between the two stools of China and India, overlooked or viewed merely as a reflection of either or both of these two major historical, political and commercial entities. It is, says Anthony Reid in A History of Southeast Asia: Critical Crossroads, often seen as the awkward residue after the great civilizations of India and China have been studied, or at best the sphere of interaction between the two.
But it is a region with a population that far exceeds that of either the European Union or North America and – in the South China Sea – is currently the focus of one of the world’s most serious strategic confrontations.
Understanding the region is therefore not just a matter of intellectual curiosity but also of considerable topical importance. Despite its textbook-like appearance, History is eminently readable. It succeeds at both providing a broad-brush overview of this complex region, presenting it from within, identifying and tracing major themes, while at the same time delivering a wealth of fascinating and intriguing detail.
Reid is particularly strong on the less regularly covered pre-modern periods. One interesting takeaway about the early history of Southeast Asia is its relative “statelessness:” the majority of the people in the region lived outside formal state structures until quite recently. This was related to a second interesting fact that pre-modern Southeast Asia seems to have been sparsely populated, with population densities in 1,600 of less than five per square kilometer outside only a few sizable concentrations:
… humans had been continuously present in the Asian tropics longer than in most parts of the planet, surviving the last ice age there, and developing agriculture some 5,000 years ago. Why then did Southeast Asia’s demographic catch-up with the denser populations of Europe, India, China, and Japan occur only in the last two centuries?
“Natural disasters,” concludes Reid.
Southeast Asia, he writes, is both “not-China” and “not-India.” Its distinctiveness found expression not just in politics and demographics but even in such everyday items as clothing:
Southeast Asians were much slower than their neighbors to adopt sewn garments that required the production or acquisition of needles… even with the pressure of Islam and Christianity after 1500, the carefully oiled and perfumed skin of the upper body remained in many areas the ultimate sign of cultivation. Order a copy here..

Sightseeing by Rattawut Lapcharoensap

Rattawut was born in Chicago and grew up in Bangkok. He now lives in New York.

In the poignant title story a son and his mother, who is rapidly going blind, go on a trip to see their country as tourists. In Priscilla the Cambodian, a boy learns of the hostility towards migrants. And in the novella-length Cockfighter, a family is almost torn apart by a father’s obsession with betting, bird-fighting and getting even with the town bully.

“Pussy and elephants. That’s all these people want,” says a hotel owner who caters for farangs (Thai for whites). That sets the tone for an east-west culture clash in the opening tale of this lively debut collection of short stories set in contemporary Thailand. It’s a fresh, provocative take on the country’s beauty and bleakness – without a hint of exoticism.

The first-person narration in each of the seven stories immediately draws the reader in, whether it’s about cultural discord, coming of age and the loss of innocence, small-town corruption or social divisions. The narrators, mostly young Thais, are finding their way in an unequal and irrational adult world.

An acute observer, Rattawut makes a candid and witty tour guide to the darker side of the “land of smiles”. And despite an undercurrent of anger and frustration, he avoids pamphleteering.

A History of Thailand by Chris Baker and Pasuk Phongpaichit

This engaging and accessible history focuses on the economic, social and political forces that shaped contemporary Thailand. Baker and Pasuk reveal how ruling nobles, unfree labourers, Chinese migrants and Buddhism become part of the mix as the country is transformed from a culturally and linguistically disparate region into a homogenised nation-state under a strong monarchy.

Although Thailand avoids direct colonial rule, it doesn’t escape foreign machinations. French and British territorial ambitions have to be parlayed, the second world war brings Japanese occupation, and the US underwrites dictatorship and recruits Thailand as an ally during the cold war.

The military and Washington also oversee a revival of the monarchy following its partial eclipse in 1932, when it was forced into a constitutional role (today Thailand has severe lese-majesty laws).

The authors recount how, over the years, nationalists, army generals, communist guerrillas, businessmen and civil society movements have all attempted to capture the state and bend it to their beliefs. The right, seeking to impose its formula of nation, religion and king, comes up against reformers pushing for a more liberal, democratic state. The battle remains unresolved, as the recent military coup attests to.

Baker taught Asian history at Cambridge University and has lived in Thailand for more than 20 years. Pasuk teaches at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

Four Reigns by Kukrit Pramoj

Kukrit’s epic novel follows one woman’s life spanning the reigns of four kings – Rama V to Rama VIII – from the 1890s to the second world war.

At the age of 10, Phloi goes to live in the royal palace in Bangkok with her mother, who serves as a minor courtier. Phloi’s eventful life inside and outside the palace – as daughter, sister, wife and mother – reflects the enormous changes taking place in the country. Traditional Siam is buffeted by historic events at home and abroad – a palace revolution, two world wars, Japanese occupation, allied bombing – as it evolves into modern Thailand.

After the absolute monarchs are forced to become constitutional rulers, “the air is thick with politics”. That, along with increasing western influence and the turbulence of the second world war, causes fissures in society that intrude into Phloi’s family.

This leisurely paced novel is both intriguing and entertaining. And despite being bathed in conservative nostalgia, offers a fascinating insight into the country.

Four Reigns is regarded as a classic in Thailand and has often been staged and serialised on TV.

Kukrit was something of a renaissance man – Thai prime minister, journalist and newspaper proprietor, Hollywood film actor and classical dancer. He died in 1995.

In case you’re inspired, here’s a video about books on learning to speak Thai:

More Best Books About Thailand

How can you do better than to read the classic, Making Money in Thailand?  It describes 22 ways that Westerners who retire in Thailand can (and DO) make extra income. From legal employment to buying a business to starting one. Covers budgets, profit margins, on-line and off-line businesses, visas, legalities, business culture, import and export, and a range of stories and videos by and about Thai expats making extra money,  and more.

• Thailand Novels – Visit Chiang Mai Online – Books about Thailand. English-language writers in thailand. Thriller And Adventure novels From Or Set In Thailand … Thriller and adventure novels from or set in Thailand shopping in Thailand Learn Thai at DCO books.
• Books about Thailand | Richard Barrow in Thailand – Books about Thailand. September 28, 2013. By Richard Barrow. I was in Asia Books this afternoon and I thought you might be interested in these four books. 20130928-064400 pm.jpg. 19th edition of “Bangkok Guide” is now available at Asia …
• Camera’s deployed in Thailand’s Khlong Saeng Wildlife … – His books are available on this web site www.brucekekule.com In addition to publishing gorgeous and informative books about Thailand’s last and best wild places, Bruce is likely the world’s leading photographer of the rare …
• Two books about Thailand | The Lost Boy – In every foreign-language book store in Thailand there is a section devoted to books written by foreigners about their new home. I sometimes pick one up and.
• USDOJ: Alliance One International Inc. and Universal … – The charges relate to bribes paid to Thai government officials to secure contracts with the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly, a Thai government agency, for the sale of tobacco leaf. … of Virginia charging Universal Brazil with conspiring to violate the anti-bribery provisions and books and records provisions of the FCPA, and with violating the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA relating to bribes paid to Thailand Tobacco Monopoly employees for the sale of Brazilian tobacco.

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Chiang Mai’s 800-year-old, moated Old City has begun to consider applying for UNESCO World Heritage listing as a registered UNESCO Site.

Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Fine Arts will host a seminar “Chiang Mai and the Road to UNESCO World Heritage Listing ” in Bangkok on 13 September to share opinions and develop contingency plans for the city of Chiang Mai if it were on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
The forum, at the Wang Na Theatre in Bangkok, will brainstorm a bid to include the Chiang Mai city area (‘old town’) on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Anek Sihamart, Director-General of the Fine Arts Department, said the the proposal, “Monuments, Sites and Cultural Landscape of Chiang Mai, Capital of Lanna” would be submitted to UNESCO after the department conducted a study on the provincial government’s readiness and the local people’s enthusiasm for the changes that would be required.

Old Chiang Mai eassily meets UNESCO’s four selection criteria

1. town-planning,
2. diversity,
3. important interchange of human values and
4. exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition.

If Chiang Mai is approved by UNESCO as a Heritage site, it will be the fourth UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site in Thailand.

Here’s another Thai UNESCO site you might consider visiting…

Read More about Chiang Mai as a Thailand UNESCO Site

• NCPTT | John Asmus on Laser Cleaning “Have Laser Will … – Her name was Giulia Musumeci and she was employed by UNESCO and the Venice Imperil Fund, and she was trying to do what she could to save these marble statues of Venice. She pointed out to us that cleaning the …
• Ban Chiang: Thailand’s most underrated UNESCO World Heritage … – Tough sell. This might explain why Ban Chiang — despite being a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s considered the most important prehistoric settlement ever discovered in northeast Thailand’s Udon Thani province — isn’t up there with the ancient kingdom of Sukhothai when it comes to hot tourist attractions. … Udon Thani’s airport services domestic flights from several cities including Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Phuket. To book seats, check out Nok Air, Air Asia or …
• mffun Chiang Mai Tourism association supports bid for UNESCO … – mffun my private feeds Chiang Mai Tourism association supports bid for UNESCO World Heritage listing – Thailand National News Bureau.
• UNESCO-UNDP Report Highlights Culture, Creative Sector … – For example, by building on the city’s cultural assets, the Chiang Mai Creative City (CMCC) Initiative in Thailand aims to make Chiang Mai an attractive city in which to invest, live and work. The report also features Argentina’s …
• Chiang Mai – Unesco City of Crafts & Folk Art | 751444 & 751446 … – CHIANG MAI – UNESCO CITY OF CRAFTS & FOLK ART On July 17 there were seminars. Thailand would like to nominate Unesco. Listed as a world cultural heritage can offer two types is offer limited just only Chiang Mai or …
• Squidoo : Welcome to Squidoo – Squidoo. The popular (free) site for creating single webpages on your interests and recommendations. Even earn money for charity or yourself.

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The Thai word for temple is wat. When you are giving or receiving directions, Thais usually refer to the nearest wat since the neighborhood wat’s location will be familiar to everyone. That’s how central they are to Thai life.

Temples usually consist of several buildings: large buildings, shrines (big and small) and monuments enclosed–all by a wall. There are thousands of temples in Thailand, and every town and village has at least one. In Chiang Mai, where I live, some city blocks have four!

The word “wat” (วัด) means school, as the temples were the only place where formal education took place for centuries. To this day, poorer families send their children to the temple school. Buddhist wats usually consists of:

• Bot: The prayer or meditation room. It’s usually open only to monks. Architecturally similar to the viharn (below), but more heavily decorated. It is also called the “ordination hall” and it is where the monks take their vows.
• Viharn: The busiest structure in a wat, where the temple’s main Buddha image is displayed and where people come to make offerings. It is open to all.
• Chedi or stupa: A tall bell-shaped structure that generally houses relics of the Buddha.
• Prang: A tall, slender spire (of Khmer and Ayutthayan origin) that serves the same devotional purpose as a chedi.
• Mondop: A square, open-sided building with four arches and a pyramidal roof often where religious texts or objects are displayed for veneration.
• Sala: An open-sided pavilion that is used for relaxation, as a meeting place, for larger crowds to hear the dharma read, and a rain shelter.
• Chofah (‘sky tassel’): Bird-like decorations on the end of temple roofs. They represent Garuda, a mythical creature that is half bird and half man.

Now, here’s a video about understanding local, Chiang Mai Thailand temples:

http://youtu.be/2DDEel8pwfs

And Some More Reading to Help Your Understanding of Thai Temples

• President Obama’s First Stop in Asia Is in Thailand | The White House – Though his stop to the country lasted for less than one full day, the President visited a Buddhist temple at the Wat Pho monastery, met with Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, held a joint press conference with Thai Prime Minister …
• Speak More Chinese, Ambassador Tells Thais – NYTimes.com – Recently, there was much embarrassment at home after a teenage boy from Nanjing scrawled “Ding Jinhao was here” on a stone relief in Egypt’s 3,500-old Luxor Temple. There are reports about “cashed-up” Chinese tourists …
• Thai temples – page 1/7 – Thai World View – THAI TEMPLES. A Thai Buddhist temple (“WAT” – วัด) is a complex comprising several distinct religious buildings. Major Buddhist ceremonies happen in temples. Some ceremonies (wedding, death, building consecration) are done by monks …
• Thai temples – page 5/7 – The Buddhist flag is yellow-orange. The Dharma wheel is drawn on it. The Thai flag (“THONG TRAI RONG” – ธงไตรรงค์) symbolises the monarchy (blue color), the nation (red color) and the Buddhism (white color). Buddhist and Thai flags …

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