If you were to start, one late afternoon, reading a book in a Beer
Garden, treat yourself to further pampering with an evening visit to a
town centre Spa, then round it off in the elegant surroundings of a sophisticated
Jazz Club you'd be following in my recent footsteps!
The Beer Garden sits aside Chiangmai's ultra smart new Rydges Tapae
Chiangmai, a genuine 4-star run by Australia's 3rd largest hotel chain
and under the skillful direction of Dutch GM Arie de Kyjzer. His boundless
energy seems to open up at least one new facility every month and I strongly
recommend an hour or more with an ice cold beer and buffet, overlooking
the moat. Send your "Wish You Were Here" photos from here to
your home-bound friends, pale as paste and cold as Christmas!
In the small soi just behind the hotel you find a confusing profusion
of yellow signs, all advertising used book shops. It seems strange that
once George Goldberg established the excellent Gecko Books here,
first one and now a second has appeared, shoulder to shoulder. This competition
for your business ensures great choice of course, but sadly has led to
back street back biting which Chiangmai can do without. Thai means "free"
and surely that applies to hassle-free trading too?
"It's as much a mental relaxation as a massage treatment"
said a Thai ladyfriend, describing Chiangmai's first city centre Spa opposite
the Pornping Hotel, Ban Sabai in Charoenprathet Road. Look for the
white naga dragons guarding the entrance to this haven of quiet care and
treat yourself to some 5-star pampering at far from 5-star pricing. I did
and floated off - as on a cushion of air - to my last treat of the day,
just across the river.
Multi-talented musician Gunter Nilprapa opened Blue Note "high
class music club" last month and gave Chiangmai something really new
and unique: a stylish, air-con place with live trad jazz, swing, blues,
you name it. It's stylish and it's for people "of a certain age".
Vitally for me - it's not too loud! I've never ever met a musician who
combined the skills of drums, pipes of pan and vocals before but Gunter
does so, and I suspect that he's more than a little famous in Germany and
Switzerland! Aided by 2 very talented musicians from the Philippines on
guitar and piano, his sheer quality has ensured that I'll be back there
one Monday this month when he opens up the little stage to us all for weekly
jam sessions. If you are Thai and play the piano, Gunter would especially
like you to show what you can do! Enough! The Editor cracks his whip. Back
to a hot computer…..
Ric
Klein
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