It's been a sweet n' sour month in my Chiangmai. The Cricket Sixes was another great sports, social and cultural success, bringing in kudos and welcome business; Songkran was the usual mix of fun and fatalities - and there was tragedy in the air with the loss of 5 local flying enthusiasts.

Behind 14 years of our unique international cricket tournament is an enormous amount of voluntary hard work by a small number of mainly farang enthusiasts. Of course, it's a farang sport! But more and more Thais are getting on board and this year saw a quantum leap in the participation of totally Thai (as opposed to international) schools. Much of this was down to a dynamic powerhouse who kept a low profile at the Junior Cricket Cup, Khun Somboon Sooprasert, co-chairman of the Chiangmai Schools' Cricket Association. Deeply involved in many aspects of children's welfare, Khun Somboon magically whisked up youthful Thai enthusiasm from all quarters.

Dynamic Khun Somboom Sooprasert (left)

I wonder if she knows what a great job she is also doing for cross-cultural understanding? As I saw her preparing the presentations, standing next to super-star Kathaleeya McIntosh, most Chiangmai cricketers were asking each other: "Who's that lady standing next to Khun Somboon?"

Some children started water splashing on the last day of the Sixes, reminding us that Songkran was imminent. I've always liked the origins, the intentions and the pageantry - always hated the dangers of this as much as my colleague Hot Dog. But this year I remembered the adage "Know about what you write", so sampled it for 2 hours along Moon Muang Road. Walking was an icey cold mobile shower and I saw quite a lot of aggression in the faces of some throwers. Don't like that. But I have to admit (grudgingly?) that in open-fronted places like Hash House Pub and Mad Dog Bar you could sample as much or as little of the madness as you wished. I met 2 old friends I hadn't seen for years, enjoyed losing a game of pool on an excellent table, saw a lot of folk having a ball and - yes - enjoyed it. But 2 hours was enough - and I wouldn't have ridden a bike for all the tea in China!

China is the destination, next year, for Thailand's oldest aeroplane (a 1928 Travelair based here in the Air Museum at Wing 41 Squadron). It will be flown by a series of enthusiast pilots, re-creating it's first marathon journey back in 1932. One pilot was to have been Flt.Lt. Worawuth Amnartrath, a jet technician exceptionally well qualified in the USA, but deeply in love with old planes. He had negotiated the loan of a 20 year old Cessna from the Ministry of Agriculture to the museum, then led the restoration effort. It was a plane that neither he nor another friend of mine, Sqdn.Ldr. Kulathep Kongsaeng, could have ever acquired out of their own incomes, and they and 3 others died when it lost power on take-off and crashed near Hang Dong Road. A tragic loss for families, friends, the Royal Thai Air Force - and the only working air museum in Asia.

Our big cricket tournament is selling the sport to Thai schools

David Hardy

MISS JUREEPORN. I'm 30 years old and would like to marry with a foreign gentleman 30-45 years old who has a good heart (...).

Chiangmai and the North

My Chiangmai

David Hardy

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DUTY FREE CITY?

A move to make Chiangmai and Phuket duty free shopping havens within just 3 months was announced at the recent tourism conference opened by the Prime Minister at the Chiangmai Plaza Hotel. (...).

MISS JUREEPORN. I'm 30 years old and would like to marry with a foreign gentleman 30-45 years old who has a good heart (...).

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