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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On Deck: Economic benefits of regattas
PHUKET: Sailing: the sport of Kings. Or is that Polo? This famous resort island is challenging that old perception…at least the sailing one anyway. Purchasing a boat can be pricey, sure, but you do not have to be a boat owner to enjoy sailing. There are plenty of chances for residents and visitors to enjoy sailing in Phuket. The same…
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Across the Land: Designing creative domiciles
PHUKET: It is interesting every year to see the new season’s designer-wear on the runways of Milan, New York, London and other haute couture centers. Creative designers show off their very latest fashions to the world on those runways and instantaneously these new designs are considered the hottest fashion trends. Designing clothes is of course very different from designing a…
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Keep it Green: Haunted by silence of the leaves
PHUKET: Anyone who travels around Phuket will have witnessed the infiltration of the oil palm as the area devoted to this species has increased three-fold since 2000. Moreover, it is the avowed aim of the government to add 400,000 rai of oil palm plantations every year to our island landscape. By 2028, the authorities anticipate that 10 million rai of…
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Tread carefully in budget condo market
PHUKET: Regardless of whether the Thai gross domestic product expands at the lower target of 3 to 3.8 per cent, as earlier expected this year, it would not help the Phuket budget condominium market, or that of other major provincial cities, as they have already been affected, Phanom Kanjanathiemthao, managing director of Knight Frank Chartered Company, said in an exclusive…
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Diving: Avoiding missed experiences
PHUKET: There is no substitute for the first time a diver sees – assuming they’re not having mask issues – the majestic wings of a giant manta ray as it sweeps in from the deep blue. A shadow at first that grows larger and larger until you realize that the manta has come to see what this funny bubble blower…
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Property Watch: Tourism’s disruptive behavior
PHUKET: As the island rains have drenched the collective spiritual well-being of Phuket’s hotels and property people, a little step into the reality zone could be needed. There is little doubt that the months of May and June – well, throw in September – remain agonizing for those in the trade. I came to live here in 2000 and year…
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Profile: Hearing lizard voices in Phuket
PHUKET: I always wonder what people are listening to through their earphones while driving their motorcycles or walking around Central Festival. Are they all listening to the same music or are they just listening to their friends talk? I think I may now have the answer. Silvano Stabile arrived in Phuket several years ago, and was contracted by the Twinpalms…
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Up in the air: Passion for aviation: Part I
This month, Up In The Air presents the first of a two-part series chronicling some of the aerial experiences of well-known Phuket-based aviator Pat James, an American who completed two tours as a combat helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. PHUKET: Most recreational flyers on the island know Pat James as the affable Texan in charge of flight and safety…
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Sneak a peek: June 27 Cryptic Crossword answers
NOTATION:Abbreviations: UPPER CASE (if used as part of anagram, in brackets).Normal spelling: lower case. Anagrams: italic (indicated in clue by words ‘out’, ‘possibly’, ‘strangely’, ‘wild’, or similar). Letters left out: underlined. Across:9. PROVIDES: provedis 10. LOG: cut branch 11. IMAGES: games 12. BEARER: errbea 13. RAVIOLI: valori-1 14. TORN: to-R-N 15. STRAWBOARD: worstadrab 17. ORGANIZE: oringaze 18. QUARTER: traverse ground…
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Profile: Foundation of education
PHUKET: Standing alongside eager students, the Chief Executive of Phuket International Academy (PIA) has started demonstrating how to build a bamboo shelter. As he knots the rope around two bamboo sticks, Julian Whiteley explains to the children how the hut will provide protection from the elements. His 30-minute lesson on basic survival skills cannot be taught properly in a classroom.…
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On deck: Not just another boating cliche
PHUKET: Let’s not beat around the bush: Phuket is Asia’s marine playground. Period. Whether you live in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia or anywhere in the region, Phuket offers some of the best sailing grounds, a well-developed onshore infrastructure and is a great place to cruise, race or base your boat. And many do. It’s also a great place to buy…
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Property Watch: Innocent until proven guilty
PHUKET: The global hypocrisy of societies, governments, parliaments, judicial bodies, law enforcement agencies and even friends and acquaintances can be a fascinating subject. Hypocrisy exists everywhere in the world, including the Phuket property market. In recent months, there has been a notable and worthy attempt to clean up many issues here. This work is ongoing, and will take many years.…
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Fraudulent designing in disguise
PHUKET: When purchasing new furniture, it is always wise to keep an eye open for poorly made or refurbished goods in disguise. Some seemingly brand new, imported furniture is in fact a renovated secondhand piece with a big price tag, says Niwat Aunprueng, interior designer and executive partner of PIA Interior Company. This means that overseas dealers and local importers…
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Gardening: Neem: A tree for all seasons
PHUKET: Back in February, 2009, the Thai government, in the guise of the Industry Ministry, issued a decree listing 13 herbs as hazardous plants and forbidding their use nationwide. The penalty? Six months in jail or a 500,000 baht fine. There was immediately and, quite properly, an outcry from farmers. Why? Because these ‘hazardous’ substances were all traditional, organically derived…
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Blazing Saddles: Safe cycling in Thailand
PHUKET: The tragic events of the past year have raised the title of this article, ‘Safe Cycling in Thailand’, from a mere eyebrow-raising non sequitur, to the status of a full-blown oxymoron. Following the litany of cyclists’ deaths on Thailand’s roads, many would say there is no such thing as safe cycling in Thailand and that the activity should be…
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Express love for Hong Kong
PHUKET: If you’ve been in business in Asia long enough, eventually you land in Hong Kong. We know the rigmarole: airport to hotel to meeting to hotel and back to the airport. So, despite having been to Hong Kong many times for business, I’d yet to actually tour the city. I wouldn’t have known what there is to see in…
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Montara Hospitality Group eyes young, wealthy Chinese
PHUKET: Montara Hospitality Group, owner and operator of Thailand’s ultra-luxury resort brand Trisara is set to increase its presence on Phuket in a bid to capture emerging markets while also expanding locally and abroad for the first time. “More private villa hotels and luxury residences have been opened on Phuket island and that has brought even tougher competition. Many players…
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Phuket Pads: Hide out in Nai Harn home
PHUKET: A very unusual yet stunning two-storey, four-bedroom modern Thai-style home is hiding in Nai Harn, only 1 kilometer from the famous beach and beautiful Nai Harn Lagoon. This is one of the most coveted locations in which one can live on the island because of its access to upscale lifestyle venues. This home is extremely private, located alone in…
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Property: Building a better market
PHUKET: Although not visible across the island’s multi-fold property market, the dominance of re-sales over new developments is obvious in the luxurious, but not lavish segment, chairman of CB Richard Ellis Thailand David Simister said. Sitting just below the multi-million-dollar villa tier is this interesting segment, which has a number of quality properties in the range of 12 to 30…
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Fixie passion gives birth to criterium
PHUKET: One man’s love of fixed-gear cycling races gave birth to the Southern Criterium which took place in Saphin Hin, Phuket Town last month. Vissaves ‘Bon’ Kumphanthong, owner of Cuca Bike, event organizer and director of the Bangkok Criterium, got hooked on cycling only a few years ago. “It was between 2009 and 2010 that I started looking for a…
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Explore: References for underwater world
PHUKET: Coming to Thailand from a landlocked country, there are few points of reference that we can use to mentally prepare for a PADI open water diving course. For those who have never been diving before, most of our context for the underwater world is derived from urban references: movies, books, advertisements and aquariums – we all know what a…
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By the book: Prep your property for rent
PHUKET: Many Phuket property owners purchase here with the intention of renting out their property. Historically, Phuket has provided owners with very attractive rental returns on their investments, a trend which is likely to continue as the island’s appeal to tourists and long-term expats continues to grow. Preparing a property for rent starts at the purchasing stage. A buyer must…
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Books: A great love story
PHUKET: Plot, characterization, dialogue, descriptive style – many elements combine to make a good novel, but the most mysterious is empathy, that magic emotional connection that makes a reader care passionately about fictional characters. In this, first-time novelist Atticus Lish succeeds magnificently. His Preparation for the Next Life (Tyrant Books, New York, 2015, 417pp) opens with this sentence: “She came…
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Property: Boat Avenue goes higher
PHUKET: The Boat Avenue community mall in the Laguna area is in the process of adding seven more shophouses in the main compound and will later build commercial structures along both sides of the newly constructed road. Boon Yongsakul, deputy managing director of Boat Development Company, an offshoot of the famous Boat Lagoon marina, told the Gazette that each of…
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Excuse Buster: Making Maori mighty
PHUKET: Seafood – alongside avocados and coconuts – is my all-time favorite meal. After living in landlocked locations in the United Kingdom and Europe for the past 12 years, it is good to be living in Phuket – back by the sea, enjoying fresh seafood again. On the menu in the Burton house last week were mussels tom-ka style, with…
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Brides go gaga for Baba wedding in Phuket [video]
PHUKET: The Thai Peranakan Association and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket, along with local government officials, are organizing a mass ‘Baba Yaya’ wedding ceremony at Sukko Spa Resort with dinner to follow at 75 VT Nam Neaung Restaurant in Phuket Town on June 21. The event celebrates more than 200 years of local traditional weddings in the ‘Baba…
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Property Watch: Breaking down stats
PHUKET: Island condominiums continue to be the horse you have to ride, which is evident when you see mid-rise buildings coming up as far as the eyes can see. For the market though, talk continues to turn toward a bubble, a crash or at least a short break for a little ‘me’ time. So what’s up for Phuket property as…
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Phuket Pads: Great home, great community
PHUKET: The perfect family home is located on a secure estate just walking distance from British International School, and only 15 minutes from Phuket International Academy, two of the most well-known international schools on the island. The six-bedroom – or five-bedroom plus office – home is in an estate which is already full of expat families, making it extremely convenient…
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Gardening: Between a rock and a hard place
PHUKET: I was recently invited by my good friend Paul Maitland-Smith to Cebu, in the Philippines. Like Phuket, Cebu is an island, and on much the same latitude. It is, however, considerably larger, with mountains rising to 3,300 feet – twice the height of those in Phuket. Much of the tropical vegetation there prompted memories of the hillside rainforests in…
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Topping charter charts
PHUKET: Northrop & Johnson Asia won the distinguished ‘Best Asia-based Charter Company’ award at the 2015 Asia Boating Awards in Hong Kong earlier this month. Created by Asia-Pacific Boating and China Boating magazines in 2005, the annual Asia Boating Awards recognize the best in the Asian maritime industry and beyond. The awards serve as a benchmark for the industry in…
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