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 Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
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Phuket Lifestyle: Jan Sylan as described by an officer and a gentleman
PHUKET: Captain James Forrest is a significant character in Phuket’s history as he was one of the few English naval captains who visited the island during the 18th century. His travel accounts are useful because they vividly depict the geography of the island, the abundance of resources, trade and how the inhabitants of the island lived during that period. Capt…
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Phuket Comedy: Who’s this Andy Smart anyway?
PHUKET: Phuket Gazette: Where and when were you born? Andy Smart: I was born in Portsmouth in a nursing home that is now appropriately a Casino, in 1959. PG:Any amusing tales from your childhood and/or school days? AS: I drowned when I was 7 in the Basingstoke canal, and was clinically dead for about 2 and a half minutes. Luckily…
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Phuket Lifestyle: An elephant that is hard to forget
PHUKET: Phuket has elephants but at the elegant wine dinner held at the Evason Phuket last week, the only elephant there was the one featured on the bottles of Cos D’Estournel. Evason Phuket has a long history of bringing great wines and winemakers together with guests at their special SLOW (Sustainable, Local, Organic and Wellness) gourmet dinners where the wines…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Bangers cyclists will change lives forever
PHUKET: The kitbags are being put together and include Vaseline, talcum powder, bandages and ibuprofen for swollen muscles. Yes, it’s time again for those hardy cyclists of the Bangers On Bikes Charity Bike Ride to furiously pedal from the capital of Thailand to the island province of Phuket. The charity event was conceived three years ago by members of the…
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Phuket Valentine’s Day
History is unclear on whether any of The Beatles had journeyed to Phuket before they wrote their 1964 smash hit with its charmingly quaint lyrics…”Money Can’t Buy Me Love.” Clearly the lyricist Paul McCartney had never had the pleasure of a wander down Soi Bangla around midnight on almost any evening. Had he done so, he would have certainly witnessed…
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Phuket Books: Searching to do the right thing
PHUKET: At the age of 70, Russell Banks has written 14 novels. I’ve read two, The Book of Jamaica and Continental Drift which work out moral quandaries found on the border between a white working class hero from New England and the exotic world of the Caribbean. His latest novel, Lost Memory of Skin ( Ecco, 432 pages), takes place…
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Phuket Property: Vocation students to fill service vacancies
PHUKET: Shortages of skilled personnel in Phuket’s hospitality and service sectors look to be reduced with increased collaboration between key operators and the island’s biggest, yet underutilized supplier of human resources. Six major hotels, along with two food and beverage operators on February 7 signed bilateral agreements with the Phuket Vocational College to cooperate in jointly managing students’ vocational education.…
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Phuket Property: Sale and purchase agreements – what is important to know?
PHUKET: A property buyer or seller scrutinizing sales documentation may wonder what provisions should be part of a sales contract. A sales agreement typically starts with a description of the parties who wish to enter into the agreement supported by passport copies or company documentation providing full details of the parties. A preamble or recitals may follow setting forth specific…
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Phuket Gardening: Reading palms again
PHUKET: I recently came across a letter in which the writer lamented the absence of palms on Phuket’s beaches. Not like the Caribbean, he declared. While this observation is more or less true, there are a few sprouting improbably from the sand dunes at secluded spots around the island. And anyway, there are plenty of alternative trees: avenues of casuarinas…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Love on a wing and a prayer
PHUKET: Finnish daredevil Jari ‘Birdman’ Kuosma will hurtle from the skies of Phuket into the waiting arms of his betrothed on Februay 25. Jari ‘The Birdman’ Kuosma is Phuket’s own adventure action hero. He is known around the world for his sky diving talents and breathtaking exploits. From his home country, Finland, to South America to Africa to California and…
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Phuket Gazette: Your horoscope by Isla Star
AQUARIUS (January 21-February 19): A talk with a close friend can mark the end of a story for Aquarians this week, but it will be important to accept that some things cannot be changed. Business should boom during the remainder of February for those who have been chasing up old contacts. If your birthday is in the week ahead, look…
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Phuket Gardening: Totally tropical Phuket pineapple
PHUKET: My local plant nursery has hundreds of colorful bromeliads hanging in small pots, the profusion of which is unusual since they are not that common in Phuket gardens. One bromeliad that is exceedingly plentiful on the island is the pineapple. Normally grown solely for eating, its broad, spiky rosette of waxy, strap-like leaves set atop the characteristic oval fruit,…
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Phuket Property Watch: The art of changing places; tax hoopla; more foreign banks?
PHUKET: Sometimes more is more. At the other end of the universe less can also be more. Sounds confusing? It’s not really. Take the recent repositioning of the upscale hotel Indigo Pearl into an all villa and suite property as a prime example. Working with legendary designer Bill Bensley, an estimated 1.2 billion baht has been invested in the extreme…
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Samui hideaway secret unveiled
PHUKET: Ready to lift the veil on Koh Samui’s “best-kept secret”, the boutique Akaryn Samui is set to welcome its first guests next month. As the fourth and latest venture by Thailand hospitality pioneer Anchalika Kijkanakorn, the Akaryn Samui looks to redefine the boutique resort experience. The largely undiscovered, Hanuman Bay is a pristine crescent cove with a 500-meter powder…
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Phuket Lifestyle: BIS kids get the blues
PHUKET: Music fans are in for a treat at this year’s Phuket International Blues Rock Festival as the main act is none other than Chris Thomas King who has sold more records, and appeared in more successful movies, than any other blues artist this century. Seeing him perform live is one thing, but imagine being able to get “up close…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Keeping your dog fit
PHUKET: Exercising your dog on a daily basis is essential. The best exercise channels the activity of both mind and body and for that, you need to take your dog out for a walk. Lack of proper exercise can lead to obesity, poor muscle tone, heart ailments and a host of emotional and behavioral problems. Take your dog different places…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Finn dining in Chalong
PHUKET: If anyone ever asked you, “Fancy a Flatty at Skiffer?” you would be forgiven for not knowing what they meant but after one visit to the trendy Skiffer restaurant in Chalong Bay you would likely answer in the affirmative as flatties are delicious. Having lived in Phuket for years I must have passed near this place hundreds of times…
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Phuket Books: The all-American horror tale of a tough childhood
PHUKET: In 1989, Tobias Wolfe published his block-breaking memoir This Boy’s Life, later made into a movie with Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio. Tobias Wolfe was the mentor of Mary Karr who published her own masterpiece memoir in 1995: The Liar’s Club. These two books about hard-scrabble childhoods marked the emergence of a new literary era and unleashed a floodgate…
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Restoring the historical buildings of Phuket Town
PHUKET: Premises such as the Standard Chartered Bank and the police station in Phuket Town will soon be restored to former glory. It’s always interesting meeting with Pranee Sakulpipatana, who works to ensure that local people learn and celebrate their heritage. She comes from a Chinese/Thai family who were originally merchants on Thalang Road, Phuket City’s “Road of Culture”. Pranee…
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Phuket Lifestyle: What’s so funny, wee man?
In the run up to The Phuket Punchline Comedy Club’s February 29 ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’ show, the Gazette asks each of the comedians about themselves. This week its the diminutive Ian Coppinger. Phuket Gazette: Where and when were you born? Ian Coppinger: I was born in Dublin in 1970. I was actually born in my parents house, my…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Day of the kiddies
PHUKET: Children are our future as the song tells us and to prepare them for the waiting world of adulthood we endeavor to provide a wealth of learning experiences that are an important tool for their development. National Children’s Day in Thailand was celebrated on January 14 and many places marked this special occasion with events filled with fun activities.…
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Phuket’s Playground of comedy
PHUKET: Utterly uproarious and mind-bendingly brilliant is the usual hilarious result when a group of talented comedians improvise a sketch based on a random scenario pieced together by a willing audience. Phuket has its willing audience and this month the Punchline Comedy Club provides the comedic talent when they present their biggest show yet – the live stage show of…
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Phuket Fashion: Distress that dress
PHUKET: When most of us think about good fashion one word comes to mind: quality. Well-made, classic pieces will always stay in our wardrobes longer, withstanding the test of time. But when it comes to some fashion trends, the emphasis away from impeccable craftsmanship might surprise you. Distressed clothing is nothing new; we’ve all had our share of ripped jeans,…
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Phuket Books: Fair game in the Windy City
PHUKET: Thomas Pynchon’s epic 1000-page novel Against the Day opens with a boy’s adventure tale: the arrival of the Chums of Chance aboard their airship at the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. In The Devil in the White City (Vintage Books, New York, 2004, 447pp), Erik Larson describes just such a dirigible arriving at the Fair at the climax of…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Classical music hits high note in Phuket
PHUKET: There is good news for those who appreciate European classical music: Mom Luang Tri Devakul is again welcoming Phuket residents and visitors to his luxury estate at Villa Royale tonight for an evening of music and fine dining. Mom Tri has long supported the arts on the island with his Baan Kata Artsfest, a celebration of music, art and…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Eye to eye contact
Doctor Captain Wiriyaluppain is launching a series of articles to help educate Phuket Gazette readers about eye health and what to be beware of. The articles will also explain advances in eye treatment technologies. Here is the first in the series. PHUKET: As an eye doctor who has practiced in Phuket for many years, I have found that the patient…
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Phuket Lifestyle: BAKE brings uniquely Thai handcrafted coffee to Phuket
PHUKET: Since opening two years ago, BAKE by Twinpalms has become a go-to spot for Phuket island residents and visitors who love a selection of freshly baked goods, sandwiches, salads, chocolates, desserts, juice, smoothies, coffees and teas. They have now announced the addition of another sensory delight to their repertoire of premium baked goods with their new coffee roasting and…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Vladi good fish at Palau
PHUKET: There’s a brand-new, gorgeous-looking, blue-and-white seafood outlet down in Nai Harn Village called Palau Fish. It turns out that the restaurant is named after a Pacific island some 800km east of the Philippines, one of the world’s youngest states. Pub quiz aficionados take note… Palau is way over the top, design wise, with billowing white curtains complementing its peripheral…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Count Snape gets his teeth into opera
PHUKET: Dressed in a flowing black cape, a certain Mr Snape mingled with the New Year crowds in Patong on New Year’s Eve, but Andrew Snape has no relation to the character in Harry Potter. Yes, they are both teachers, wear black capes and have English accents. But “Count Snape”, as Andrew calls himself when dressed as a vampire, performs…
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In memory of Bjorn Täckmann
PHUKET: Bjorn Täckmann, an important member of the dive community in Phuket and Thailand, passed away on January 6 in a hospital in Surat Thani. He had been diagnosed with cancer last year. Mr Täckmann started diving in 1983 and moved from Denmark to Thailand in 1993 as a PADI Dive Instructor. Since then he has ushered thousands into the…
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