Thai Life
Discover the latest regional stories and happenings in Thailand with The Thaiger, your source of credible, informative, and reliable updates. Stay informed about important local events, political happenings, social issues, cultural highlights, and entertainment stories, all curated to ensure you never miss out on what’s happening in the Land of Smiles. Our journalists will keep you informed with all the essential Thai life updates and allows you to connect with the community and experience Thailand like a local.
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Sponsored Why is Bangkok's air quality so bad?
Imagine waking up early in Bangkok and you see all the beautiful morning fog from your balcony, but as you sip your coffee you realise it's just Bangkok's air pollution that's making the sun rise aesthetic. Ranked as the 36th...
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Phuket Health: The secret to anti-aging and disease prevention
PHUKET: Phuket has become recognized for its spectrum of health and wellness retreats that have sprouted up offering fasting, detox programs, raw food diets and anti-aging therapies. As adults, we all want to look and feel younger, and this quest has led researchers to look for ways to slow, and even attempt to reverse, the aging process. One such researcher…
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Opinion: Set a baseline for Phuket’s reef research
PHUKET: Southeast Asia’s reefs are next on the list for “street view” mapping, Richard Vevers, executive director of the Catlin Seaview Survey and CEO of Underwater Earth, told Sci-Tech Today earlier this month. The Phuket dive community, and industry, must push for the Similans and our other reefs to be at the top of the list when the surveyors arrive.…
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Property Watch: Too tents? Back to the romance of nature
PHUKET: I’m not quite sure what happened to the age-old art of counting sheep, which can effectively – and quickly – put one in a blissful slumber. This was of course in days past, before Xanax. Looking back at romantic notions – such as the classic folk adventures of Aladdin and Sinbad in One Thousand and One Nights – you…
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Gardening: Hydrophilic herbage along the isthmus of Thailand
PHUKET: Many of you will know that the narrowest bit of the Kingdom – within touching distance of both the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand – has among the heaviest rainfall in the country. This week I drove to Ranong and the windscreen wipers had no respite for the entire journey. Once there, the heavens stayed open for…
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Escaping urbanization at Vijitt resort
PHUKET: Blanketing 44 rai of luscious hillside above Friendship Beach in Rawai, lies the Vijitt Resort Phuket. Although the sprawling beachfront resort was subjected to a US$15 million (480mn baht) make-over in 2008, it has an enduring legacy reaching back 38 years. What began in the 70’s as a small family vacation getaway, has been transformed into a top-notch boutique…
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Phuket Health: Don’t just cast away cardio
PHUKET: Cardio has been getting a bad rap in the fitness industry lately, and with all the strength and conditioning gyms popping up on the island – Unit 27, Titan, TFW and more – there have been less and less joggers frequenting the path around Nai Harn Lake. The rumors about cardio came about when members of the fitness community…
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History: The Thai army’s struggle for power over the navy
PHUKET: Thailand has witnessed many attempted and successful coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. In 1938, Field Marshall Plaek Phibunsongkhram, a military strongman, rose to power and became Thailand’s prime minister. Phibunsongkhram, or as many Western historians prefer to call him, Phibun, was a controversial figure. He led Thailand into the Second World War by openly siding…
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Samui’s tourism market hits mid-year glitch
PHUKET: While many of Thailand’s resort destinations think they are immune to what happens in Bangkok, the reality is that they are sadly mistaken. There is little doubt that the events which played out in the nation’s capital had a profound impact on tourism. Be it from martial law or the globally publicized curfews, there has been fallout in the…
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Boat insurance: Better safe than sorry
PHUKET: If there’s one thing boating enthusiasts let sail off into the wild blue yonder, it’s the thought of liability insurance. The lure of the sea apparently does not account for taking out appropriate coverage. “One of the most alarming facts about the marine industry in Phuket, and the rest of Thailand, is that there is very little compulsory liability…
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Phuket Well-Being: To soy or not to soy?
PHUKET: With a multitude of media sources voicing arguments both for and against soy products, it is very easy to become confused about what’s best for your body. However, given the mounting evidence against soy as a healthy diet option, I urge everyone to be very cautious about accepting the ‘big soy’ spin as nutritional gospel – especially in a…
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The day of the dahlia
PHUKET: Thais are seriously superstitious. There are lucky days when big decisions must be made and unlucky days when everything must be put on hold. Lotteries are a national obsession. Ghostly presences haunt every soap opera, bringing misfortune to those who fall foul of them. Good or bad karma is part and parcel of daily experience. There are, predictably, a…
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Angel’s Trumpets: Alluring but…
PHUKET: While perusing old photographs of Chiang Mai, I came across some views of Doi Inthanan. This mountain, at 2,564 meters, is not only the highest in Thailand, but boasts some spectacular montane forests and flowers. At the summit, the twin Chedis appear to float, disembodied, in swirling mists that are more reminiscent of a Scottish “haar” than a tropical…
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French naval traditions meet Italian design in the Monte Carlo 76
PHUKET: There are hundreds of boats docked at marinas in Phuket, some big and some small, some flashy and some more subdued. But if you find yourself walking down one of the piers and come across a Monte Carlo yacht, you’re guaranteed to stop and stare… And start dreaming. There is something about those curves, the sophisticated lines. They exude…
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A journey back to our old town
PHUKET: One of my earliest memories of theater is the three-act play Our Town by Thornton Wilder. It’s simple, direct and economical in its depiction of life, love and death in a small town. One of the most notable facts about the play is how the author used metatheater. Metatheater is a technique often used in narrative forms, which can…
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Phuket Gardening: Papering Over the Cracks – plants to cover the ground
PHUKET: In my humble opinion, the two best ground cover plants are purple leaved spiderwort (tradescantia spathaceae) and purple heart or purple queen, now known botanically as setcreasea pallida. Naturally there are many other choices for the tropical gardener. For instance, I use pandanus pygmaeus as an edging plant: grass-like in appearance, it is very tough, grows in clumps and…
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Put down your wallets Phuket, pick up functional training
PHUKET: The Phuket fitness community has been buzzing about the new exercise trend functional training, also known by the name “integrated training”. Its popularity has skyrocketed due to the various benefits it offers – and it only requires two things: your body and a space in which to exercise. There is no room for excuses when integrated exercise is an…
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International Diploma of Sustainable Development to revolutionize Phuket education
PHUKET: A new International Diploma of Sustainable Development course being established by Prince of Songkla University (Phuket Campus) is the beginning of an education revolution in Phuket. “Transforming the educational paradigm to provide a rich and vibrant education” is the goal of the new Andaman International College of Arts and Sciences to be opened in 2015, which was announced by…
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Getting them going: From a seed to a plant
PHUKET: Recently, we considered propagation using cuttings taken from the parent plant (story here). A great method if it works. But some shrubs resolutely refuse to take root from pieces of stem immersed in potting mix. What then is the alternative? Seeds are the obvious answer: in fact, most gardeners would opt for seeds as their first choice. Simplicity itself……
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Total body transformation at Thanyapura
PHUKET: Many have tried it, few have made it and all of them have proven the maxim – losing weight and getting in shape is no easy task. But, as with any difficult task, it’s easier if you have somebody to lean on. This is why Thanaypaura Phuket has extended a helping hand to all those people out there who…
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Phuket Humor: Introducing Geckoman, Thailand’s newest superhero
PHUKET: Many years ago I invented a superhero for Thailand called Geckoman. He was modeled on Spider-Man, but with significant differences to make him more relevant to Thailand. Now I believe it’s time to resurrect and update him. The scenario: Nerdly young high-school student Worrawit Worrawitworraworrapong (nickname: “Worry”) has a problem. Skinny, frail, and undersized, he wears thick glasses, trips…
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Never a dull moment in the ‘comfortably numb’ zone
PHUKET: Adrenalin junkies simply never tire of flirting with disaster. Take those storm-chasing fanatics you see on reality television as they lean into the wind trying to catch a glimpse of the eye of a hurricane: Just one wrong step and they’re toast, along with their entire crew. Recently, I’ve taken to travelling to India again after a long break.…
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Warning signals for Phuket’s unlicensed accommodation sector
PHUKET: Part of every real estate cycle across Asia since the early 1990s is the appearance of exotic property investment propositions. Imagine it’s Groundhog Day and the past is destined to replay, time and time again. We can always count the condominium hotel sector to surge as we crest a wave of undying consumer exuberance. Over the past few months…
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Nailing down tummy troubles
PHUKET: A whopping 45 per cent of us believe we are allergic to basic foodstuffs such as wheat and dairy products – causing anything from bloating to insomnia, according to an article called “The Allergy Fraud” which was published in the UK’s Daily Mail. Another food item that many people believe wreaks havoc on their health is monosodium glutamate (MSG).…
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Phuket Boating: Ao Po Grand Marina goes large
PHUKET’S Ao Po Grand Marina, which opened as the island’s latest high-end addition to the marina scene in 2008, has undergone a major upgrade to allow a growing fleet of luxury yachts to take advantage of the east coast haven. The expansion of the marina now allows 220 boats in the water, explained Marina Manager Derrick van Deventer “We can…
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Local art on show this week at Central Festival
PHUKET: The ground floor of Central Festival Phuket has been transformed into a gallery featuring diverse collections of paintings by local artists. If you’re looking for an original and unique piece of art to decorate your space, come and meet the artists, watch them work and peruse the sketches, oils and watercolors of beautiful landscapes, traditional scenes captured on canvas,…
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For the love of latex: A glimpse into Phuket’s role in Thailand’s rubber industry
PHUKET: Visitors to Phuket are often perplexed by the many things going on around them. Following a recent visit to a working rubber plantation and whirlwind tour of the world’s largest rubber factory, many of the questions I had been accumulating over the years, regarding the omnipresent farms blanketing Southern Thailand, were answered. A number of useful innovations were spawned…
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A centuries old mystery unearthed
PHUKET: In May of this year an unbelievable discovery was made in a palm plantation in Khao Chaison, a district within Phatthalung province. Wee Thapsaeng, the owner of a 7-rai plot of land was using his tractor to plow the land, in order to prepare it for growing palm trees. What emerged, however, was not just mud and earthworms, as…
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DJ Kimball Collins at XANA beach club
DJ Kimball Collins, a true pioneer of the American electronic music scene, who keeps traveling the world electrifying crowds and staying true to breaking underground house music for the past 25 years will perform at XANA beach club this coming Saturday August 23, during the Chandon Summer Limited Edition 2014 launch party. DJ Kimball was one of the first American…
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Property Watch: These are a few of my favorite things
HAVE you ever heard music ringing in your ears or else started humming to yourself in a hotel room? You have indeed stumbled as an extra onto the movie Sound of Music. Not. But hotels that provide an emotional uplift from design, art or creative energy can be a source of inspiration for even the most road hardened traveller. What’s…
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The future of printed books in the digital age
PHUKET: Early in 2003, I took my camera for servicing. While collecting it, I suggested to the old man who ran the shop that my camera would soon be obsolete, and that the future would be digital.“Oh, film won’t ever be replaced,” he said confidently. He went into a learned explanation of how 35mm film had an assured future, and…
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