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Lunch Bunch meets at Annelie’s house
Once a month a group of international women gather for
lunch and conversation. The Lunch Bunch consists of women from about 15
countries who are living in Chiang Mai along with local Thai women. Each
monthly gathering is organized by a different woman. The gatherings offer
all the opportunity to meet new people and learn of the activities available
in Chiang Mai.
The
Lunch Bunch gathers for a group photo during this month’s meeting at
Annelie Hendriks’ house.
The January luncheon was at the home of Annelie Hendriks
in the Doi Saket area and was followed by a 12 kilometer bike ride through
the countryside for those venturesome souls who chose to stay for this
activity. Following the tradition of “pot-luck,” each woman brought a
dish to share and, as usual, there was plenty of food left.
There are no membership requirements and newcomers are welcome. The
gatherings provide an opportunity to meet new people and learn of the
interesting activities of others who have chosen Chiang Mai as their
permanent or temporary home.
Canadian writers get a guided tour of Chiang Mai
Metinee Chaikuna & Supatatt Dangkrueng
Six writers from Canada recently came to visit Chiang Mai
at the invitation of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) New York Office
director, Sethaphan (Eddy) Buddhani. Their visit corresponded with the
recent Bangkok Film Festival, which the TAT had been promoting all over the
world.
Six
Canadian writers from different publications (from left to right): Jim
Slotek, Monica Zurowski, Diane Slawych, Laurie Carter, and Theresa Rowat.
During their stay in Chiang Mai, the six visited Chiangmai Mail’s very own
chairman of the board, Norachai Prasertmanukitch’s Jaiya Mongkol House.
The six writers were Diane Slawych, a journalist from
Toronto, Monica Zurowski, the Calgary Herald features and travel editor,
Theresa Rowat from Varia, Laurie Carter, associate editor of Okanagan Life,
and Jim Slotek, a film critic and travel writer from the Toronto Sun.
Sethaphan said that the Bangkok Film Festival, which was
held from January 10 to 21, was the biggest film festival Thailand has ever
organized and the TAT was responsible for promoting the festival to many
countries. He therefore invited these six well-known writers from different
magazines in Canada to visit Chiang Mai and other parts of Thailand, so that
they would get a first hand impression of how beautiful Thailand is.
“We invested a big budget and over 160 films were
shown. To make it worthwhile, we needed to promote the festival as much as
we could and promote Thailand as well, which becomes easier when you invite
professional writers to give their impressions.”
The writers stayed in Thailand for 13 days. The main
purpose was to stay in Bangkok at the film festival, but they also visited
Chiang Mai for 3 days and Hua Hin for 3 days. All of the writers said that
they appreciated Chiang Mai very much and will be back again for sure.
Film critic and travel writer Jim Slotek said he had
never been to Thailand, but after his first visit he was quite impressed. He
said he was enjoying getting to know Thailand better and was looking forward
to sharing his experiences with his readers, especially Thai massage and the
elephant camp.
Director Sethaphan said that he wanted to promote Chiang
Mai, so he brought the sextet north to experience the Northern Thai style of
life. His guided tour of the north included a visit to a Northern Thai style
house, plus galleries and museums. “I wanted to show them how a normal
Northern Thai family lives, as well as show them the Northern Thai upper
class.”
“Eddy” said that it is his responsibility to bring more tourists to
visit his country, to make them stay as long as possible, and to spend money
as much as possible to help the country’s economy, because Thailand’s
main source of revenue is tourism.
Rotarians and friends make donations to Karen village in Mae Chaem District
Story and pictures by Annelie Hendriks
Saturday January 18, members from 6 Rotary Clubs in
Chiang Mai and one club from Bangkok / Chonburi went to Mae Chaem District
to bring donations to a small village called Baan Mae Naam Luang high up in
the mountains. Two officials from the Mae Chaem District office led the way.
Baan
Mae Naam Luang is a quaint looking village nestled on the hillside.
From Mae Chaem, it was a very difficult and bumpy 1 1/2
hour drive over steep hills to the Baan Mae Naam Luang village. This village
is populated by 300 Karen. It is possible, although difficult, to reach this
village in the dry season but in the wet season the villagers are completely
isolated from the world around them.
Karen
mothers received blankets for their families.
The convoy of cars carried many blankets, heaps of
clothes, a lot of toys and some snacks for the villagers in Baan Mae Naam
Luang. Ten wooden boxes filled with medicine for 10 hilltribe schools
situated in the hills around Mae Chaem City were also donated. Everything
was donated by the above-mentioned clubs and the Samsara Foundation based in
the Netherlands.
Baan Mae Naam Luang is a poor village. The villagers badly needed these
blankets and clothes for the cold nights in the mountains.
To Nobody opens a bar
A comfy
place for a cozy get-together, a beer, or a chat is the newly opened bar
counter at To Nobody’s Restaurant. Weihenstephaner wheat beer, black
dragon, and, of course, Singha beer on tap is on offer, making for the
perfect ingredients to enjoy a drink, plus good food, after work or on the
way home. Seen here are (foreground from left) a blue shirted man in
disguise, Marion Vogt from Chiangmai Mail, Victor from Switzerland, and Dr.
Rudi, and in the back Sunisa and Chef Joerg from ‘To Nobody’.
HomeNet North expo
this weekend
HomeNet North is holding its 1st northern handicraft fair
January 25-26 from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. at the Sri Nakhonping Culture market,
opposite Chiang Mai Airport. 9 province members, Nan, Phrae, Chiang Rai,
Lamphun, Lampang, Phayao, Mae Hong Son, Uttaradit, and Chiang Mai make up
this networking group.
The fair will be officially opened at 5 p.m. on Saturday
January 25 by a representative from the Chiang Mai Provincial Industry
Office, and followed by northern dance and Thai musical shows. Following
that there will be demonstrations of Hmong textile hand made products, local
toy making, and other local products on display and for sale to the public.
On the Sunday there will be demonstrations of the Karen
handicrafts from Mae Hong Son and Northern music shows will be performed.
The fair is open to all.
Pro-Am Art at Chiang Mai Vocational College
Supatatt Dangkrueng
An exhibition entitled The Art of Chiang Mai Vocational
Exhibition 2002, aiming to show the work of students from the Division of
Fine Arts, Division of Design, Division of Ceramics and Division of
Photography, Chiang Mai Vocational College, will be shown from 27th January,
according to Reangchai Chuensirikulchai, the head of Art Department.
Most exhibits (300 items) are from amateur art students
in the Vocational Certificate and High Vocational Certificate courses, and
their professional lecturers will exhibit another 50 items.
There are two other activities being held at the same
time, firstly an art exhibition and secondly painting contest entitled
Chiang Mai in the imagination. Both are aiming to stimulate creativity in
the arts. Additionally, it may produce some new ideas to reform and develop
the process of teaching in the vocational colleges.
The opening ceremony will be held on Monday, January 27
this year at Chiang Mai Vocational College. The deputy of permanent
secretary of the ministry of education, Sawittree Suwansatit, will preside
over the festivities.
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