Local Information

Emergency Contact
Chiang Mai’s emergency help number is 191.

Time Zone
The time zone of all regions in Thailand, including Chiang Mai, is GMT+7.

Language
The official language of the conference is English. A lot of Thai people speak English well, but many more (and especially the people you meet in the streets, such as the taxi driver, the market merchant etc.) do understand some English, mostly enough to communicate with you.

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50 Hz, flat or round two-pin plugs are standard.

Currency and Money Exchange
The Thai unit of currency is the BAHT. Most banks are open from 09.00–15.30 during weekdays. Small bank branches in department stores are open everyday during the store time. USD 1 is approximately THB 35-36 (exchange charge excluded).

Eating
Chiang Mai features many foods that are parts of its own distinctive cuisine, including both those handed down over the generations from the Lanna Kingdom and those influenced by its neighbours, especially Myanmar (Burma). Chiang Mai specialties include spicy sausage, Khao soy (a type of noodle soup), and the ultimate in northern cuisine, a Khan toke dinner. Khan toke dinners usually consist of several small dishes, such as curries, crispy fried pork skin, and northern style chili sauces, served with sticky rice on a small round table, usually in front of a traditional dancing show.

Shopping
Shopping is one of the premier activities in Chiang Mai. The advantage of shopping in Chiang Mai is that visitors may learn about handicrafts production by watching artisans making the products firsthand. Both in the city itself and in several outlying villages, particularly along the Bo Sang-San Kamphaeng road, there are establishments where visitors can purchase handicrafts and works of art directly from the people who produced them. For the more casual shopper, the Chiang Mai night market features numerous street stalls and shops, the Sunday Market offers more unique, independently created souvenirs and products, and the indoor, air conditioned Central department store shopping complexes on Huay Kaew Road and Chiang Mai-Lampang road sell international brand name products.

Transportation
As there is no public transportation to the conference venue, after hotel booking, we suggest you book the shuttle transport service that takes participants to and from the hotel to CMECC. The service costs 2,000 baht, which covers transportation throughout the 4-day conference. On-call taxis and other local transport are also available, but with a limited range of coverage and often quite inconvenient (they're not likely to be nearby when you call for service).