The Chiang Mai Music Festival

The Chiang Mai Music Festival
requests the pleasure of your company at a private concert
for enrolled and enrolling Friends of the Chiang Mai Music Festival.

Friday evening, December 11, 2009 at 7:30
Remi Namtep (piano)

To be held at the Murase home

Ban Wangtan Village – Section 4B, Soi 7
226/209 Moo 3, T.Sunpakwan, A. Hangdong
Chiang Mai 50230, Thailand

Kindly reply to: murase@earthlink.net

In the event you get lost, please telephone 087-191-9484 and wait in front of the Ban Wangtan Restaurant for our staff to arrive and guide you.

Friends of the Chiang mai music festival
Festival Co-founders: Anne and Kazuyoshi Murase, Tong-Il Han

The co-founders of the Chiang Mai Music Festival proudly present:

Remi Namtep: piano

In a program of classical works exclusively for the Friends of the Festival and their esteemed guests:

. J.S. Bach (arranged by F. Busoni) Toccata and Fugue in D minor (1708)
. Prokofiev: Andante caloroso and Precipitato from Sonata No. 7, Op. 83 (1939/42)
. Piazzolla: Adios Nonino (1958)
. Liszt: Les Jeux D’eaux a la Villa d’Este (1877)
. Debussy: L’ile Joyeuse (1904)

Future soirees exclusively for Friends and their guests:
. Friday February 19th 2553 (2010): Tasana Nagavajara (violin) accompanied by Ajaan Dr. Bennett Lerner in a program of works by Ravel, Bartok, Bach and Tcherepnin
. Friday February 26th 2553 (2010): Sun-Ah Kim (piano) from Korea will play Mozart, Beethoven and other works for piano.
. Friday, March 19 th 2553 (2010: Yoko Kakishita (piano) from Japan will play Chopin Preludes with remainder of program to be announced.

ENROLMENT IN FRIENDS OF THE CHIANG MAI MUSIC FESTIVAL

As music-lovers who want to see this firmly established and much loved Festival continue, we urge you to join the Friends group by completing the enrolment form below. Membership is at five levels:
1. Parent of student & one student: 500 baht (admit two persons)
2: One year annual membership: 1,000 baht (admit one person)
3: Life membership: 5,000 baht (admit one person)
4: Small business membership: 5,000 baht
5: Corporate membership: 10,000 baht (Bronze); 25,000 baht (Silver); 50,000 (Gold)
Please note: in the highly unlikely event of cancellation, a full refund of your contribution will be made upon your request. Otherwise, funds held in the Chiang Mai Music Festival bank account will go towards further study/career development for a musician from Thailand selected by the co-founders. Your kind support will be very much appreciated.

with thanks to : CITY-NOW

How To Eat The Thai Way

Eating food is such an important activity here in Thailand that you had better brush up on your table manners before you come. Erm…Thai table manners that is. Forget about stiffly starched napkins, enough cutlery tools to hold up an airplane and all sorts of long forgotten, quirky Victorian mannerisms at the table; eating in Thailand is quite different. None the less, Thais have their own etiquette at meal times.

OK, so you’ve been taught all sorts of posh habits, like eating with your mouth closed, never using your fork as a spoon and tipping your soup bowl away from you, well throw that all out the kitchen window, the locals are a little uncouth, what!

Thai table manners are more practical and mostly aimed at civil communal eating. Many mannerisms go back to a previous era when meals were collectively shared; food was the most important gift and gratefully received.

Firstly, forget about ordering yourself a whopping great steak and devouring it single-handedly. In Thailand all dishes are shared. For starters, if you dine with a group of Thais, you’ll have little chance to order the bovine of your choice, for that important task is left up to the senior women in the group. A skilled host will ensure that all palates are catered for, ordering fish or seafood, pork, shrimp, chicken and several vegetarian dishes that encompass a full range of tastes. Spicy, sweet, salty and bitter will all be represented, often all in one dish – the perennial favourite tom yum gung. And don’t expect them to come all at once. The amazing thing about dining out with a large group of Thais is that the food just keeps coming and coming.

So, that brings us to the next point, don’t tuck in like you’ve just crossed the Sahara. Thais eat slowly, enjoy the food, conversations, laughter and company. Each of you will be given a plate of rice and a soup bowl. Someone near you will ladle some soup into a bowl and you help yourself to the spread. But wait! Don’t go shovelling a mountain of your favourite curry onto you plate, there’ll be none left for the others. The polite way to do it is to take as much as you can eat in one or two mouthfuls. Savour it and then move onto another flavour. Thais like to pick at food, helping themselves to the dishes one spoon at a time. Take your time and try everything.

Now for the next problem. There are no knives on the table. Well, this is because all the food as been diced before cooking, pretty smart, eh? Traditionally, Thais ate with their hands, and in the rural areas or in some specialist restaurants this still occurs, especially when eating sticky rice and Isaan food. Nowadays they’re far more refined and use a fork and spoon, but you might also find yourself using your mitts to eat with in some places in Thailand.

When eating, always wait for the host, usually the biggest noodle at the table (and the one whose going to pick up the entire tab) to invite you to help yourself before tucking in. When you’re finished there’s no need to place your eating irons together, but leaving food on your plate may indicate you didn’t find the food tasty, which is always a big concern in Thailand. Remember, everything here is far spicier than you’re used to so take tiny mouthfuls of new dishes.

So, when do you get to use chopsticks? Well, these are a Chinese import, so they are only used to eat noodles (and Chinese food of course), which can be tricky seeing as soft dripping noodles aren’t the easiest things to grasp between two sticks; luckily they give you a small spoon to help.

Finally, the bill. This is always left for the wealthiest or most important person to pick up. If that happens to be you, then take it as a compliment. A meal is cheap in Thailand, even if there were 10 mouths to feed, it won’t break the bank. They aren’t being rude; this is simply the way Thais gain respect by looking after the stomachs of the less fortunate. However, there should never be a fuss over who pays; the bill should always be discreetly taken care of.

Other than that, there’s no need to go to finishing school to survive a Thai dinner. Everyone is relaxed and friendly at the table; after all food is something to be shared and enjoyed.

with thanks to : 1STOP PHUKET

Transportation to Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is about 800km north of Bangkok and a 90-minute journey by air. It is connected to Bangkok by rail as well as road, and has air connections to several international destinations.

There are several ways of getting to Chiang Mai, including bus, train and airplane. The bus is the cheapest option and has the most extensive national coverage but it’s not particularly comfortable. Many opt for the overnight sleeper train which takes a little longer but has much more character. Cheap domestic flights on budget carriers, however, have added a fast and flexible way to reach Chiang Mai from distant Thai destinations.

Chiang Mai International Airport is located right in the heart of the city, making it a very convenient and quick way to get here from around Thailand and abroad. A well-organised taxi stand offers set rates of around 150 baht to any destination in the heart of the city. The public bus also has the airport on its route if you’re travelling light and are on a budget.

By air to Chiang Ma

Chiang Mai is a major hub for domestic flights, offering regular service from Bangkok, Phuket, Samui, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Pai, Udon Thani and a handful of smaller destinations. International flights arrive regularly from Singapore, Luang Prabang, Vientienne, Seoul, Taipei and Kunming.

There are at least 30 flights a day between Chiang Mai and Bangkok on a variety of airlines, particularly budget carriers like AirAsia, Nok Air, Bangkok Airways and One2Go, while the more comfortable Thai Airways has some competitive prices too. However, since the opening of the new Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, some flights depart from the old Don Mueng Airport and others from Suvarnabhumi. Airfares are a reasonable alternative to land travel, especially if you can find a deal on Air Asia or Nok Air. Even in the busy season there can be same day availability, but the best prices are usually offered a couple of weeks in advance.

By train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai

Getting to Chiang Mai by train is another popular option with budget travellers, though the service is becoming increasingly decrepid as a deadlock with the rail union, resulting in strikes in October 2009 and a series of accidents, has eroded confidence in the railways ability to modernise. There are six trains a day, of differing classes and speeds, departing Bangkok’s Hua Lampong Station at 08:30, 14:30, 18:00, 19:20, 19:35, 22:00. The journey can be painfully slow (12 hours) so the overnight sleeper ticket is recommended. All trains departing from 16:00 onwards have comfortable bunks (some without air-conditioning), except the 20:30 departure. We suggest a second class (741 baht) bottom bunk on the 17:50, as the best option. Trains depart from Bangkok’s Hua Lampong Station and have full food and drink services onboard at reasonable prices.

By bus from Bangkok to Chiang Mai

Buses depart at least every hour between 05:30 and 22:00 from Mo Chit Station and take roughly 10 hours, with a similar schedule in reverse from Chiang Mai’s Eastern (Main) Bus Terminal. We recommend VIP buses (fare 400 – 600 baht), offered by either the government or private companies. These can also be arranged from travel agents on Bangkok’s Khao San Road and at other points around the city, but be wary of agents who promise services that aren’t delivered, such as reclining seats and air-con. Dress warmly and bring earplugs as the Thais love freezing air conditioning and prefer to sit up all night watching noisy videos onboard.

By car from Bangkok to Chiang Mai

You can also hire a car in Bangkok or elsewhere for getting to Chiang Mai, and drive up at your own leisure, stopping off in Ayutthaya and Sukhothai. The countryside is quite pretty as you enter the mountains from Tak or Phitsanulok onwards. With dual-lane highways most the way, reaching Chiang Mai by car is a straight-forward journey of about seven hours. Driving in Thailand is on the left hand side, roads are in good condition but driving habits here are typically poor and accidents common, so drive defensively.

Getting around in Chiang Mai

Once in Chiang Mai, getting around is easily done by flagging down a tuk tuk or songtaew (red pick up trucks). There are a few metered taxis but they are impossible to find as most operate the airport-to-city route. Negotiate your fare beforehand with the tuk tuk driver (50 baht for a 10 minute journey – most places within the centre) or hop aboard one of the red songtaew trucks which act as an informal transport system. Red trucks will take you along popular routes in the city for 20 baht, and may deliver you to outlying destinations for a little more. You should also negotiate the fare with red truck drivers before getting in. There is a very limited bus service in Chiang Mai, but it’s really not practical for tourists. Hiring bicycles or motorbikes/scooters is a popular and practical way to get around at your leisure.

with thanks to : 1STOP CM

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