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.
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Sponsored Digital nomading in Chiang Mai? What US$1,000 a month really gets you
Chiang Mai has become a popular destination for digital nomads due to its low living costs, rich culture, and active remote work community. The city offers affordable housing, tasty food, reliable internet, and many co-working spaces, making it a great...
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Profile: The Wizard of Oil
PHUKET: I first met the artist Watcharin Rodnit in 2007 when I went to prison in Phuket Town. Perhaps I should explain that a little. In fact, I visited the Phuket Youth and Child Penitentiary for an afternoon to write a story about a couple of artists who dedicated their time to teaching painting to young offenders behind bars, using…
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Blazing Saddles: Cycling against cancer
PHUKET: Last year, as I was grinding out the kilometers from Bangkok to Phuket with Siam Bike Tours’ eight-day group trip, I was inspired by the robust figure of Rudy Pospisil, a Canadian firefighter and cancer survivor who was also cycling this trip as a small part of his around-the-world epic ride to raise funds for cancer research. I started…
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Keep it Green: The need to invest in our trees
PHUKET: The recent decision by Rawai’s mayor to uproot 27 casuarina trees next to Nai Harn Beach caused such an outcry that the project had to be suspended and the project to build a Hollywood style movie museum, at least for the time-being, put on hold. This disturbing and short-sighted initiative is symptomatic of Phuket’s disregard for one of its…
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Banyan Tree ready for high season with new renovations
PHUKET: After more than two decades as a dominant player in the luxury hotel market on the island, the Banyan Tree Phuket finally became an ‘all pool villa’ resort as it completed its most recent renovations last month. “With a lot of new resorts coming on line, it has become almost imperative to get our resort up to where we…
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On Deck: Preparing to set sail with AEC
PHUKET: As we near the end of the year there’s more and more talk about the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). Set to be implemented in December 2015, the details are sketchy at best, but don’t let that dampen your optimism. The AEC is a work in progress. I’m going to gaze into my marine industry crystal ball in a moment…
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Property Watch: Phuket tourism must innovate or die
PHUKET: As Phuket takes the sharp left turn into yet another high season, one constant source of chatter on line, in bars and in the media, is the meteoric rise of the cult of the doomsayers. Call it bling, or just plain nonsense, but our island telegraph remains ripe with tales of rampant chronic failure. Yes, the once maligned Russian…
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By the Book: Lowdown on holiday villa rentals
PHUKET: When planning a holiday, location is usually the first consideration. Having chosen your destination, the next decision is accommodation. Traditionally, holiday makers would look for hotels, with the idea that they will provide the best value for money and more facilities. However, these days, renting villas has become a popular and flexible option. A family of five with two…
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Diving: Saving mantas with photos
PHUKET: Phuket divers have been regularly asked to participate as citizen scientists over the last several years, helping ‘Spot The Leopard Shark’ to better understand shark populations and to collect data for ‘Project Seahorse’ as they determined the sustainability of fishing practices for seahorses in Thailand. Now, a new project is afoot in the Kingdom, one destined to improve conservation…
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Boat Pattana chases middle-class segment
PHUKET: Boat Pattana Co Ltd has announced a new 400-million-baht residential development in Chalong that aims to target middle-class families. “We don’t think any other properties are really targeting this segment with a project concept like ours; they seem to have forgotten the importance of family space,” said Panupong Kritchanarat, chief executive officer (CEO) of Boat Pattana. The daring move…
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Up in the Air: South sees new direct flights and developments
PHUKET: Thomson Airways, the world’s largest charter carrier, is planning to add direct flights to Phuket using its fleet of fuel-efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The twice-weekly flights from Manchester to Phuket are scheduled to begin soon and Thomson is already accepting bookings as part of its holiday package deals. Packages to Phuket currently on offer are typically about 1,500 GBP…
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Law and Order: Evicting a Tenant in Thailand
PHUKET: It’s a goal for many people to become a landlord. They purchase property for the purpose of renting it out for passive income. The property owner interviews prospective tenants and ensures that they sign a lease agreement and put down a deposit. However, all of this does not prevent bad tenants from revealing themselves after they have moved into…
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Brokers: Condo market is bouncing back
PHUKET: Phuket’s residential property market is showing signs of recovery following two years of decline, according to research by real-estate agencies. The latest survey by Plus Property, an agency subsidiary of residential developer Sansiri, shows sales of high-end condominium units priced at about 100,000 baht per square meter or more are continuing to grow. Completed unit prices have risen 5…
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Blazing Saddles: Cycling to great heights
PHUKET: Since the Mingmongkol Buddha was completed on top of Phuket’s Nakkerd Hills in 2010, I’ve felt the spiritual presence of the Gautama watching over me. That may sound rather outlandish, but as I can look westward and see the Buddha from my back bedroom window, it also has some rational underpinning. I particularly feel the Buddha watching whenever I…
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Property Watch: Phuket reality versus hype
PHUKET: Phuketians and long-term expatriates will recall the days when moving between beaches and Phuket Town required a scrambler bike due to the lack of roads. Umbrellas were occasionally sighted in Patong near the sandy Bangla Road track. The property market in Phuket and the reasons for Thais and foreigners to invest in Phuket have radically changed, as has the…
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Marriott to buy Starwood to create world’s biggest hotel chain
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityMarriott to buy Starwood to create world’s biggest hotel chainPhuket Gazette / ReutersPHUKET: Marriott International Inc (MAR.O) will buy Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc (HOT.N) for $12.2 billion to create the world’s largest hotel chain with top brands including Sheraton, Ritz Carlton and the Autograph Collection. The…
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Residing in the luxury of a steadfast market
PHUKET: While those involved in many segments of the Phuket property market are having to carefully navigate through times, those in the luxury residential market continue to enjoy smooth sailing. “Premium luxury residential markets across the world are not directly impacted by market fluctuations in domestic housing sectors,” explains Micah Tamthai, vice president – real estate, Minor International, ahead of…
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Looking Back: Understanding Bangkok blast point
PHUKET: The Erawan Shrine is a revered place of worship located in the heart of Bangkok. Flanked by some of the capital’s best malls and five-star hotels, the shrine is frequented by hundreds of Thai and foreign devotees every day. On a typical day, the shrine is crowded with people who come to offer their prayers. There is a thin…
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Gardening: Slippery slopes of landscaping
PHUKET: I was recently consulted about changes to a large, established garden of some four rai in Laguna. Nothing unusual about that, but here’s the catch. The villa, itself in the throes of major renovation at the behest of a new owner, is sited on a steep hillside and the front garden – mostly Malaysia grass – slopes steeply down…
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Excuse Buster: Treating sickness with water
PHUKET: “You’re not sick; you’re thirsty. Don’t treat thirst with medication,” says Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, author of the acclaimed book Your Body’s Many Cries for Water. We all know that water is essential to life and that in fact it makes up more than 70 per cent of most living things. We also know that although we can survive weeks…
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Twinpalms teams up with MontAzure for luxury project
PHUKET: Phuket’s MontAzure, a mixed-use community in the Kamala district, has teamed up with leading hospitality company Twinpalms to launch a branded residential project on one of the last direct beachfronts on the west coast of the island. Twinpalms Residences MontAzure will comprise 75 luxury condominiums, with 100 meters of beachfront located between Millionaire’s Mile and the Amanpuri headland. After…
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Aussie navigates through haze to paddle against child abuse
PHUKET: As part of his battle against child abuse, Damien Rider successfully circumnavigated Phuket on his standup paddle board (SUP), despite the dense Indonesian haze leaving him lost at sea earlier this month. Mr Rider, a victim of child abuse, first caught the media’s attention with Paddle Against Child Abuse (PACA) when he completed an 800 kilometer prone paddle through…
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Across the Land: Going big while away from home
PHUKET: Recently we were invited to view a brand new luxury eight-bedroom villa solely for holiday rentals. I was thinking to myself before the viewing, now who would want to rent such a big villa and what purpose would it serve. Isn’t a villa with eight bedrooms just a little decadent? Well apparently I was mistaken and that villa is…
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Phuket Classic building recognition
PHUKET: The annual Phuket Classic Bodybuilding event is ready to begin on Sunday, November 8 at Central Festival Phuket, with popular former governor Maitri Inthusut set to open the proceedings. It will be conducted under the watchful eye of the World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Federation. “It is a competition that aims to promote a healthy lifestyle amongst participants and…
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Port Takola prepares to open phase one
PHUKET: The Port Takola yacht marina and boatyard in Krabi will resume construction at the end of next month with the first phase of berths scheduled to open in May 2016. Owner Suriya na Nagara, a retired admiral of the Royal Thai Navy, along with his son Matthew na Nagara, are developing the marina within the family’s private estate. “After…
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Up in the Air: Bangkok Airways spreads its wings
PHUKET: Bangkok Airways finally launched a daily flight service connecting Phuket and Hat Yai with an inaugural launch ceremony after touchdown at Hat Yai Airport on October 11. As previously reported by Up in the Air, the link between south Thailand’s two busiest airports is long overdue. There are thousands of people from Songkhla and surrounding provinces who have been…
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Up in the air: Strong demand anticipated for Phuket – Hat Yai flights
PHUKET: Bangkok Airways finally launched a daily flight service connecting Phuket and Hat Yai with an inaugural launch ceremony after touchdown at Hat Yai Airport on October 11. As previously reported by Up in the Air, the link between south Thailand’s two busiest airports is long overdue. There are thousands of people from Songkhla and surrounding provinces who have been…
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Andaman “Sax Idol’ returns
PHUKET: Dutch-born, multi-talented saxophone player, singer, DJ and performer Gerard Cornielje made his debut in Thailand in 1995. Back then, Gerard performed as a live act at the island’s ‘hottest’ nightlife venues: Timber Hut, Titanic and the Safari Pub. Crowds went crazy as the ‘Singing Dutchie with a Backpack full of Sex Appeal’ took the stage. Given his immediate success,…
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On Deck: Ocean Emerald first to receive superyacht licence
PHUKET: The visually stunning superyacht Ocean Emerald is the first superyacht to receive one of the recently launched 12-month superyacht licences. Currently based in Pattaya at Ocean Marina Yacht Club, Ocean Emerald is being heavily promoted in Phuket by numerous locally-based charter agents. Designed by Norman Foster and built in Italy, the 41meter Ocean Emerald is one of four built…
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Gardening: Answer lies in top soil
PHUKET: When steam radio was in its heyday, an English comedy show called ‘Beyond Our Ken’ had a ‘joke’ gardening expert called Arthur Fallowfield. His answer to every query, couched in a ripe west country accent, was: “The answer lies in the soil.” Hardly earth-shattering (if you’ll pardon the pun), but true as well as trite. After all, soil is…
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Books: New Western novel a Wild West of cliches
PHUKET: There was a time, for about three decades in the middle of the last century, when Westerns were the predominant form of American entertainment. Books, magazines, movies and television shows were all devoted to tales of the Old West. Cowboy writer Louis L’Amour was the country’s bestselling author, and even the great Elmore Leonard got his start writing pulp…
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