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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    Why long-term expats in Thailand say insurance is worth every baht

    Thailand’s warm weather, low cost of living, and good healthcare attract many long-term expats, including retirees and remote workers. Life here feels easy and affordable, but medical costs can be high if something goes wrong. Private hospitals are popular because...

  • Iconic “Goonies” house on sale in Oregon | Thaiger

    Iconic “Goonies” house on sale in Oregon

    The Victorian home featured in the film “The Goonies” is on sale in Astoria, Oregon. Buyers are said to be planning to make the iconic house accessible to fans of the classic movie. The 1896 home with majestic views of the Columbia River flowing into the Pacific Ocean has an asking price of US$1.7 million (60 million baht). Realtor Jordan…

  • Best Pet-Friendly Condo To Buy In Pattaya | Thaiger

    Best Pet-Friendly Condo To Buy In Pattaya

    Pattaya is an enjoyable and bustling province of Chon Buri, Thailand, and is well-known for its lively beach town. The city provides plenty of new accommodations with its growing popularity among locals and expats to visit during your Christmas vacation in 2022. Today our guide is on for you to find pet-friendly condos with your furry friend, as moving to a…

  • SET-Listed Thai Developers Sought For Interest Rates Cut | Thaiger

    SET-Listed Thai Developers Sought For Interest Rates Cut

    Sena Development Plc and Sansiri Plc, two developers with SET listings, will speak with banking institutions in an effort to lower the interest rate on mortgage loans for purchasers of energy-efficient homes sale in Thailand, estimated between 0.5% and 1% in the first half of the year 2023. Sena Development’s managing director, Kessara Thanyalakpark, asserted that financial assistance in the…

  • Row erupts over Thailand’s unfair allocation of World Cup games | Thaiger

    Row erupts over Thailand’s unfair allocation of World Cup games

    After almost a month of, will Thailand get to watch World Cup for free or not was resolved just in the nick of time for the first game but now a new row has erupted over the unfair allocation of showing the games. The Association of Digital Television Broadcasting (ADTEB) slammed the Sports Authority of Thailand’s (SAT) allocation of World…

  • Kick-boxing Kent mum aims for Guinness World Record | Thaiger

    Kick-boxing Kent mum aims for Guinness World Record

    Kick-boxing Kent mum Nicola Ireland, 40 years old, is on her way to breaking a Guinness World Record this month. Ireland plans to kick more than 59 items off people’s heads in just one minute, according to the Kent Messenger. Before she became a mum, Ireland had a stellar career in Muay Thai, with British, European and World belts to…

  • Joyland cleared for cinema screenings in Pakistan | Thaiger

    Joyland cleared for cinema screenings in Pakistan

    Joyland, the Pakistani film portraying a romance between a married man and a transgender woman was cleared for cinema screenings in Pakistan Wednesday, reversing a ban imposed on filmgoers by the nation’s censors. Loved by critics and audiences alike, Joyland was nominated for the jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival and is expected to be Pakistan’s entry at next…

  • A night of World Cup nostalgia and An Evening With Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne | Thaiger

    A night of World Cup nostalgia and An Evening With Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne

    The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off in earnest this weekend so why not get into the spirit of the tournament with a bit of nostalgia at An Evening With Paul “Gazza” Gascoigne? Gazza set the blue touch flame at Italia 90 with a set of scintillating displays as he helped England through the group stage to the World Cup semi-final…

  • What 50,000 USD buys you for a condo in Bangkok, Hua Hin, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Phuket | Thaiger

    What 50,000 USD buys you for a condo in Bangkok, Hua Hin, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Phuket

    When it comes to finding a place to call home in Thailand, there are plenty of options to choose from. But what does $50,000 buy you? While this may not seem like a big budget for a property, you’ll be happy to know that it can buy you a lot in Thailand. You can get a nice condo in Bangkok…

  • Pakistani love story Joyland triggers rabid transphobia | Thaiger

    Pakistani love story Joyland triggers rabid transphobia

    Joyland, a movie made in Pakistan, is about a young married man who falls in love with a transgender woman. The movie won a prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and will represent Pakistan in next year’s Academy Awards. But a week before the film was due for release at home, Pakistani withdrew its certification. Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, a…

  • Monday, Tuesday, Wankday, and a Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne day! | Thaiger

    Monday, Tuesday, Wankday, and a Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne day!

    Monday, Tuesday, Wankday, Gazza day! English speaking skills not up to scratch? Why not employ former England, Newcastle United, and Tottenham football legend Paul “Gazza” Gascoigne? Believe it or not, Gazza was once employed by his former club Newcastle to act as an interpreter for Brazilian star Mirandinha, who could not speak a word of English when he arrived at…

  • Spielberg’s ‘Terminal’ man departs CDG forever | Thaiger

    Spielberg’s ‘Terminal’ man departs CDG forever

    The man who lived in Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport for 18 years and was the inspiration for Steven Spielberg’s film The Terminal died yesterday in his “beloved” airport. Merhan Karimi Nasseri suffered a heart attack at the airport around midday. Police and a medical team were quickly on the scene but could do nothing to save him. Karimi Nasseri was…

  • Disturbing video of Myanmar junta allegedly torturing victim goes viral | Thaiger

    Disturbing video of Myanmar junta allegedly torturing victim goes viral

    A disturbing video featuring an alleged Myanmar junta military member torturing a man has caused an uproar after going viral. The video was retrieved from a phone that was found on November 6 in the Moe Bye township in Kayah state by members of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force. The group is one of many who are fighting the junta…

  • 2022 World Cup for free on Thai TV fiasco rages on | Thaiger

    2022 World Cup for free on Thai TV fiasco rages on

    Will footie fans or won’t footie fans get to see the 2022 World Cup for free? That is the question while the fiasco rages on. The clock is ticking on whether football fans in Thailand will be able to watch the World Cup for free. Last week the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), blamed the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT)…

  • Pattaya drag icon Maisie Trollette makes movie | Thaiger

    Pattaya drag icon Maisie Trollette makes movie

    Drag icon Maisie Trollette, a familiar sight in Pattaya’s gay clubs of 20 years ago, has made a movie. Based in Brighton UK, David Raven was hired by Pattaya clubs as an MC way back when, and is said to have raised hundreds of thousands of baht for AIDS victims, orphanages and other charities. Maisie is now 89, and the…

  • Hollywood star’s bizarre Oscar gesture to Zelensky ridiculed | Thaiger

    Hollywood star’s bizarre Oscar gesture to Zelensky ridiculed

    Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn loaned Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky one of his Academy awards in a scene which brought much mirth, merriment, and ridicule. The Hollywood star visited the Ukraine president yesterday and in a show of ostentation handed over one of his precious Oscars and said… “It is just a symbolic, silly thing but if I know this is…

  • New foreign land ownership law in Thailand can be scrapped if Thais don’t agree | Thaiger

    New foreign land ownership law in Thailand can be scrapped if Thais don’t agree

    If Thai people aren’t happy with the newly proposed foreign land ownership law in Thailand, the whole plan can be scrapped, said Minister of Interior General Anupong Paochinda in Parliament yesterday. “We can improve the regulation, such as by increasing the investment to 100 million baht. The plan can be scrapped if people have serious concerns. We won’t see it as…

  • Thailand is not ‘selling off’ the country by letting foreigners buy land, says govt | Thaiger

    Thailand is not ‘selling off’ the country by letting foreigners buy land, says govt

    The Thai government is defending its plan to allow foreign investors to buy up to one rai of land after an opposition party claimed that they are “selling off” the country. Foreign land ownership in Thailand comes with strict conditions and the plan will benefit the country’s economy, a government spokesperson said yesterday. The Cabinet recently voted to allow four…

  • Universal acclaim? Jakapong’s pageant purchase dismays rights campaigners | Thaiger

    Universal acclaim? Jakapong’s pageant purchase dismays rights campaigners

    Thai businesswoman Jakapong “Anne” Jakrajutatip recently purchased the Miss Universe Organization once owned by fellow reality TV star Donald Trump, something described in prehistoric quarters (US broadcaster NBC) as a “phenomenal milestone.” The deal cost an estimated US$20 million (750 million baht), but who is Jakapong, and what does she want? With million followers on Instagram, the 43 year old…

  • Best land plots and villas with gorgeous sea views in Kamala, Phuket | Thaiger

    Best land plots and villas with gorgeous sea views in Kamala, Phuket

    Sponsored So you’ve finally decided to have your own slice of heaven in Phuket? Whether you plan to buy a luxury beach villa to rent out or a piece of land to build your dream holiday home, almost any property investment on this island is a good idea. Phuket is not only a blissful place to live, renting out a…

  • Jack White strikes a chord in Bangkok for the first time | Thaiger

    Jack White strikes a chord in Bangkok for the first time

    Former White Stripes frontman Jack White plans to strike a chord in the capital early next month with rock and roll enthusiasts. The US indie rock star is in Bangkok for the first time on the Pacific Rim Leg of The Supply Chain Issues Tour. White also visits Manila, Seoul, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur. The 47…

  • 1-billion-baht tourism stimulus back on track | Thaiger

    1-billion-baht tourism stimulus back on track

    While debate continues around Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s return to office, one thing has become clear: the Tourism and Sports Ministry is moving ahead with a package of measures delayed while General Prayut was suspended pending the Constitutional Court’s ruling. One proposal will allow entertainment venues to remain open until 4am. It’s estimated that Thailand loses roughly 70 million baht (US$2…

  • Legendary Carabao rocker begs forgiveness over Elephant Duel “misunderstanding” | Thaiger

    Legendary Carabao rocker begs forgiveness over Elephant Duel “misunderstanding”

    Rock star Yuenyong Opakul must report to the police to answer a charge of insulting Natthapat Suwanprateep, governor of Suphan Buri province, during an offensive rant last week. Pol Maj Gen Uthai Kawindechathorn, deputy commissioner of Provincial Police Region 7, yesterday said the frontman of celebrated rock group Carabao must visit Song Phi Nong police station in the southernmost district…

  • The truth behind ‘rental guaranteed returns’ in Thailand | Thaiger

    The truth behind ‘rental guaranteed returns’ in Thailand

    Guaranteed rental return is one of the latest schemes that is taking the property market in Thailand by storm. It’s easy to see why many people are tempted by the idea of this scheme. After all, who doesn’t like certainty? But a lot of people are also in doubt and left with questions — is guaranteed rental return something you…

  • Tears in Hogwarts – Hagrid is dead | Thaiger

    Tears in Hogwarts – Hagrid is dead

    Robbie Coltrane, probably best known for his role as Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies, has died aged 72. Born Anthony Robert McMillan in Glasgow, Coltrane went to Glasgow School of Art until he had second thoughts about talent, and switched to acting in and doing standup, taking his name from jazz musician John Coltrane. Coltrane started out with small…

  • Honouring the 6th anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s death | Thaiger

    Honouring the 6th anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s death

    Today marks the sixth anniversary of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s death. Known as King Rama IX, his passing on October 13, 2016, is now celebrated as a national holiday. People recall his lasting legacy and pay tribute to the beloved king who reigned over Thailand for 70 years. The anniversary of his death is a public holiday. Though there…

  • What $300,000 and less buys you for a villa in Pattaya | Thaiger

    What $300,000 and less buys you for a villa in Pattaya

    When it comes to property, a budget of $300,000 goes a long way in Pattaya. With that kind of budget, it’s possible to find a well-designed villa with plenty of space, a pool, and even a garden. So, if you’re looking to buy a pool villa in Pattaya with a $300,000 budget, here are some of the best options. A…

  • 10 things foreigners may find strange in Thailand | Thaiger

    10 things foreigners may find strange in Thailand

    As a foreigner living in Thailand, you might notice some strange things and habits that are so far from what you know at home. From cultural quirks to monitor lizards wandering into convenience stores, here are things that most foreigners find surprising and strange in Thailand. Eating raw instant noodles Did you know that instant noodles can make a tasty…

  • Son of a gun! Hunter Biden caught lying on pistol application | Thaiger

    Son of a gun! Hunter Biden caught lying on pistol application

    The hard drive that Hunter Biden abandoned at a Delaware computer repair shop is the gift to tabloid media that just keeps on giving. The New York Post yesterday claimed to have found a 4-minute, 30-second recording on a copy of the drive that has the United States President Joe Biden’s son begging his sister-in-law-turned-lover Hallie Biden for cash to…

  • 10 strange laws to be aware of in Thailand | Thaiger

    10 strange laws to be aware of in Thailand

    Be careful if you speak English using a microphone, you could be fined! Thailand’s culture and values might be much different than those you’re used to in your country. Therefore, there are some offences that most visitors may not know are illegal. Some laws might seem downright silly, but they need to be taken seriously if you don’t want to…

  • ‘The Trapped 13’ lets Wild Boars speak for themselves | Thaiger

    ‘The Trapped 13’ lets Wild Boars speak for themselves

    We’re probably all too familiar with the uplifting tragedy of the Wild Boars football team. We know almost every detail of their time underground, their escape to the light and subsequent international celebrity. But still, the screen adaptations come, three in the last year alone. This time, it’s Netflix The Trapped 13: How We Survived the Thai Cave. The Trapped 13…