Chiang Mai, Thailand, is known for it’s vibrant culture, spectacular festivals, and many live events. But the Thais are not the only ones who are contributing to this.
There is a large holistic community of non-Thais, visitors, travelers and expats from all over the world. They are into yoga, massage, holistic life styles, meditation, healing arts, just to name a few.
You can see them at holistic festivals, in the many Thai Massage schools, in yoga classes, in the city park, and in the restaurants that cater to them.
There is, at least at the time of this writing, a farmers market happening every Friday afternoon next to the Three Kings Monument. I happened to see one very graceful and talented western woman doing a spontaneous dance performance right at the market.
She is living proof that Chiang Mai’s famous atmosphere and culture is a mix of Thais and westerners. Chiang Mai is a multi-cultural city with tens of thousands of visitors and expats present at any time.

The author, Shama Kern, has been living in Thailand for well over a decade. He is the founder of Thai Healing Massage Academy, an online training school for Thai Massage. You can reach him at shama@shamakern.com