Thai Life
Thailand guides, travel tips, cultural insights, and essential local information—discover everything you need to know about living, visiting, and experiencing the Land of Smiles. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for Thailand guides.
-
Phuket Movie Watcher: Arts news from around the world
Steve Jobs the movie THE filmmakers behind The Social Network are planning a biopic of Steve Jobs’ life after buying the rights to the former Apple CEO’s authorized biography. Sony bought the rights to the book, simply titled Steve Jobs, by Time magazine former Managing Editor Walter Isaacson for a seven figure sum just days after 56-year-old Jobs died of…
-
Phuket Gardening – Vulgar, but varied
PHUKET: The humble coleus was one of the first houseplants to become generally available in Europe after WWII. In those days, it came in relatively few variations, but it has since been hybridized so extensively that it now has what may be the largest range of foliage colors of any plant. Some people may regard it as a bit vulgar,…
-
Phuket Books: ‘State of Wonder’ by Ann Patchett
PHUKET: Ann Patchett’s seventh novel State of Wonder (Harper Collins, New York, 2011, 353pp) made a big splash upon publication, with many critics comparing it to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. This is nonsense. Comparing Kurtz, the cruel conqueror of an African tribe in the heart of the Congo, to Dr Annick Swenson, an elderly, eccentric and cleverly mendacious medical…
-
Tri Tim conquers Phuket’s Naithon hills
PHUKET: Tim Haddon, Director of Golf at Laguna Phuket Golf Club, is an underdog who has undertaken the challenge of participating in the Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) 2011, which will take place in Phuket on 27 November. Here, ‘Tri Tim’ tells us what it’s like to be training for his first triathlon. His story needs to be read in the…
-
Phuket Music Rewind: Sri Panwa’s night with DJ heavyweights
PHUKET: Looking back at the Sri Panwa party that everyone’s been talking about, and what music fans had to say. The DJ line-up at Sri Panwa’s recent gig (September 28) had music fans buzzing with excitement weeks before the event. Hundreds of locals, expats and tourists shared the dance floor, the balconies and the bars at the five-star resort’s Baba…
-
Phuket Gardening – Between a rock and a hard place
PHUKET: Since we all live on Phuket island, seaside plants deserve a bit more attention here. Like the screw pine and sea vine, there are other plants that also stubbornly refuse to lie down when inundated by seawater. Take the casuarina tree. Although this tropical pine normally spreads its extensive roots on slightly higher ground, it still grows close enough…
-
Phuket Gardening – Covering a lot of ground
PHUKET: The many virtues of ground cover plants were have already been discussed: their contrasting textures and colors; their capacity to act as a retaining layer by protecting the topsoil during tropical downpours, or as a natural mulch that absorbs much of the sun’s heat and inhibits the growth of weeds. Most importantly, they cover bare and unsightly areas. No…
-
Phuket Property: Jones Lang LaSalle to manage the new Pelican in Krabi
PHUKET: Jones Lang LaSalle (JLS) has announced that it has entered into an agreement to manage The Pelican Krabi, a prime resort development by Perry Group International. The agreement is JLS’s first property management contract in Krabi and marks the fast growth of the firm’s property management business in Thailand. The Pelican Krabi is situated on 33 rai of oceanfront…
-
Phuket Lifestyle: Having a baby?
PHUKET: A friend of mine recently had a baby, which is a wonderful moment in his life, as it is in the lives of countless others. However, it can also be stressful, emotional and (if the rumors are true) quite tiring. But for those of you who also have dogs in the house, you need to think about them too.…
-
Go jump off a cliff – in Thailand
PHUKET: Deep water soloing is a pure form of climbing practiced on seaside cliffs at high tide. It relies solely upon water at the base of the climb to protect climbers from injury when free falling from the generally high, difficult routes. This exciting sport has been popular since the mid to late 1990s, but actually originated in the late…
-
Phuket’s vegetarian nirvana at Lotus restaurant
PHUKET: The Vegetarian Festival is a yearly religious event held in honor of the nine Taoist Gods (Kiu Ong Iah), who are revered for their power to protect Phuket island and its inhabitants. For ten days during the ninth lunar month, the Chinese community observes a strict code of conduct to purify the body and mind: celibacy, cleanliness of the…
-
Pinky’s Place in Phuket: Why it’s hip to be seen there
PHUKET: This place is so laid back the staff come here to hang out when they’re not working. The Gallery Café By Pinky is straightforwardly cool. Simple but delicious menu items, music to suit the hipster tone of the décor, and staff who know how to mix business with pleasure. It’s like ‘Cheers’, but with better looking, petite staff, and…
-
Phuket Gardening: They’ve got it made in the shade
PHUKET: Planting some ground cover plants is a practical move that will add exceptional interest to your garden. For now, I’m going to pass on the most common ground cover plants in Thailand, such as the spider lily and the spiral ginger, both of which attain heights of over 50 centimeters and are practically employed in undercover environments all over…
-
Phuket Gardening – still waters run deep
PHUKET: Asians prize water features in their gardens – from the humble pot in the front yard with its mandatory water lily and darting swordtail fish, to the blue fiberglass fish pond with a row of pebbles embedded in its rim. If you’re lucky, you may have a natural pond or klong (canal) within the bounds of your property. Unarguably,…
-
Phuket petrol names fuel confusion
PHUKET: Filling up with fuel in Thailand is a lot like ordering food for the first time in a foreign country – you point to the most visually appealing choice and hope for the best. The types of fuel on sale in Thai gasoline stations – known locally as petrol pumps – are different to what you’re used to at…
-
Building a future in Phuket
PHUKET: Three young boys from a government school in Phuket Town will fly to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates to compete in the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) 2011 in November. Pakin “Paper” Boonlom, Tipok “Nueng” Kinkobsin, and Boonyarit “Tel” Pulsen – all 11 years old – won their age category in a national competition in Bangkok last month.…
-
Looking back: Prah Mongkol Visut of Phuket – a lifetime
PHUKET: Prah Mongkol Visut is one of Phuket’s most revered monks. Locals fondly refer to him as ‘Luang Pu Supha’. On September 17, Luang Pu Supha celebrated his 115th birthday, unofficially making him the oldest living man in the world. Luang Pu Supha was born in 1896. Since then, the revered monk has seen drastic and unimaginable change in his…
-
Phuket Property: Foreign currency exchange risks
PHUKET: Many foreigners who have decided to buy a residential property in Thailand are required to use funds held in foreign currency in their country of origin. Property transactions in Thailand utilize myriad ways in which a buyer pays the purchase price to the seller. For instance, a buyer may be required to make payments to the seller upon signing…
-
Phuket books – Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff
PHUKET: Mitchell Zuckoff is a hack journalist and a very good one. His specialty is dredging up old forgotten stories and making them new again. His latest effort is Lost in Shangri-La (Harper Press, New York, 2011, 384pp). “Escape from a Hidden World – A True Story” is the subtitle of this tale of a plane wreck and rescue in…
-
Brand Andara and investing in Phuket
PHUKET: The American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Greater Phuket chapter held an event last week where record crowds turned out to hear Hong Kong billionaire Dr Allan Zeman give his thoughts on what it takes to make a business venture successful. Hundreds of Phuket developers, resort industry professionals and business people packed into the chic Silk restaurant at Andara Resort…
-
Uniforms: fashion or ‘fitting in’ around Phuket?
PHUKET: It’s not unusual to see people in starched uniforms all over Phuket or even Thailand – on the job, after work and during the weekend. For reasons of safety and convenience, certain professions or groups in every culture call for a uniform, whether it be police officers, fireman or school children. But in Thailand, it’s taken a step further,…
-
Phuket’s “Tri Tim’ has already beaten the odds
PHUKET: Tim Haddon, Director of Golf at Laguna Phuket Golf Club, is on a mission – a mission that will change his life, and hopefully the lives of others as well. In the six months between May and November 27, Tim, under the guidance of his trainer Darren Hancock, Club Manager of Royal Phuket Marina Health Club, has set out…
-
Phuket’s “Tri Tim’ – the surprises of dedication
PHUKET: Tim Haddon is on a mission to change his life, and hopefully the lives of others. In six months, Tim, under the guidance of his trainer, Darren Hancock aims to change from a man with heart problems and diabetes to a man who can complete the Laguna Phuket Triathlon 2011. TIM: What stands out most about the early days…
-
Phuket cinema: ‘Friends with Benefits’
PHUKET: Friends with Benefits will appeal especially to those who have lived or would like to live under the circumstances implied by its title. You can almost hear the echoes of Harry Burns from 1989’s When Harry Met Sally cautioning, “Men and women can’t be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.” Thankfully for showbiz, the young…
-
Phuket’s time machines
PHUKET: Phuket moves forward into the 21st century, striving and struggling to maintain its name and reputation as a world-renowned destination, island and home. Along with progress have come problems. A sharp rise in population and increased traffic congestion are among the downsides of rapid urbanization. One of Phuket’s most pressing issues is public mass transport, or lack thereof. Indeed,…
-
Foreign teacher employability in Phuket
PHUKET: Soon Thai schools throughout Phuket will finish this year’s first term and break for a respite before the second term begins in late October. This being the case, prospective teachers will be hitting the pavement in search of a job and this is a perfect time to assess an applicant’s chances of employment. While certainly not scientific, the following…
-
Phuket Gardening: Going back to your roots
PHUKET: Recently I went in search of spice seeds to photograph. I needed them for pictures that could accompany my scribblings about herbs and spices, and, in addition, to try out in the garden. I found more than I had bargained for, including such exotic stuff as dried butterfly pea flowers (clitoria ternata), liquorice root, star anise and fenugreek. Not…
-
Phuket Gardening: Take a leaf out of my book
PHUKET: As anyone who lives here in Phuket can testify, green leaves are as crucial to Thai cuisine as lettuce is to a western salad and mint to English roast lamb. Indeed, the edible leaves of at least three herbs – coriander, basil and mint – are present in many international dishes, both east and west of the Indian Ocean.…
-
Phuket Lifestyle: Dream voyage with Silver Lining
PHUKET: A superyacht made in Thailand has left Phuket’s shores on a circumnavigation of the World. It has taken more than three years and 375 workers to build, but at last the superyacht Silver Lining has begun its round-the-world voyage. And for Canadian owner Chris Lenz, 45, it’s a dream come true. Formerly one of Hong Kong’s most successful food…
-
Teaching 9/11 in Phuket schools
PHUKET: A decade on from that fateful day, what are Phuket schoolchildren learning about 9/11? Teaching children too young to remember the events of 9/11 is difficult to imagine for adults who can recall the carnage of that day as if it were yesterday. For us adults, 9/11 will be an event that defines our time, but for children it…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.