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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If you plan to stay longer in Thailand, having health insurance is now more important than ever. Thai immigration often asks for proof of medical coverage when you apply to extend your visa. This applies to many types of visas,...
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Recent highlights of Thailand’s marine industry
PHUKET: The Singapore Yacht Show, held just before Songkran, has become a leading marine industry event. It is a place where global brands are present and also where many from Thailand’s marine industry attend. With two-and-a-half days of conferences, it’s very much a business event, distinct from Thailand’s boat shows which focus more on the experience of owning a boat,…
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Profile: Achirawit Churmung – Seeing beauty in black and white
PHUKET: Achirawit Churmung is currently working as a professional photographer as well as a university lecturer teaching photography courses at Prince of Songkla University and Phuket Rajabhat University. He is also one of the organizers of ‘The Quiet Beauty’, a photography exhibition being held in Phuket till the end of this month, featuring more than 70 black and white photographs…
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A different style of celebration in Phuket
PHUKET has its own riotous version of Songkran, Thailand’s most important public holiday. Primarily a water festival, it celebrates the Thai lunar New Year and is held annually on April 13. Mostly an occasion for youthful exuberance, the whole island is turned into a war zone, as young people spend the day getting into water fights with anything from pump…
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Law, Life & Society: Have fun, but don’t break the law
PHUKET: Songkran was originally a Thai religious festival marking the beginning of the Buddhist New Year. Now it has morphed into a week-long holiday, water fights and parties. Large numbers of tourists come to Thailand to join in the festivities. It is a time where people let loose and civility is secondary. In response, Thai police are present in large…
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Keep It Green: Now is the time to act
PHUKET: Bad news for conservationists: the most powerful man in the universe is not only a non-believer in climate change, but is drastically reducing the US budget devoted to environmental issues. And one of Trump’s advisers calls ecologically aware people “like Hari Krishna… they’re glassy-eyed and they chant”. Big business and environmental concerns just don’t mix – globally or locally.…
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Profile: Manop Suwannachit ready to take on the Xterra challenge
PHUKET: Manop Suwannachit, 31, is the brand ambassador for ‘Xterra Asia Pacific and World Series 2017–Road to Hawaii’ which is being organized by Xterra Thailand and Active Management Asia (AMA) in Phuket today. Mr Manop is also participating in the races – he is a well-known sportsman who has won many competitions throughout his career. Last year, he took part…
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Seeing beauty in black and white
PHUKET: In today’s fast-paced digital world, where anyone can take thousands of photos with a smartphone, there are still those who see the value of spending time in a darkroom and processing photographs using a technique known as ‘gelatin silver printing’. It may be unheard of in Phuket, but a group of 12 photographers, together with the Phuket Darkroom Club…
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SNAKES! But not all snakes are deadly, most aren’t
A friend discovered a snake on his balcony the other day and asked me what it was. With alternate broad bands of yellow and black and a triangular-shaped body, it could only have been a banded krait. Fortunately, he stood well back and allowed the creature to slither away into the garden. I say fortunately because all kraits are extremely…
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Law, life and Society: Reassessing the Thai education system
PHUKET: The Thai education system was recently featured in the Economist. The article, titled ‘Poor schools are at the heart of Thailand’s political malaise‘, was published on January 19, 2017 and discussed Thailand’s international education rankings in the recently released ‘Program for International Student Assessment’ (PISA). Thailand’s scores have plunged to an overall ranking of 54 out of 70 assessed…
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Across the Land: Latest trends in Phuket hospitality
PHUKET: Based on C9 Hotelworks’ Phuket Hotel Market Update last month, total inbound passengers through Phuket International Airport in 2016 were 7,549,346, with 54 per cent from international flights and 46 per cent from domestic arrivals. This is an 18 per cent growth rate in 2016, compared with 13 per cent in 2015. The top five geographic source markets are…
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Gardening: Marvelous benefits of the neem tree
PHUKET: I have written in these columns before about the sadao tree, or azadiracha indica, which we gardeners in Thailand know as neem. But my interest was re-kindled by a reader from Hua Hin who wrote to say he was “looking for a supplier of neem from the sadao tree”. I presume he wants to use it as an organic…
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Profile: Not your average tuk-tuk driver
PHUKET: Sophon Pol Kaew In, or Pol, as he is better known to his friends and customers, is currently a taxi and tuk-tuk driver in Phuket and somewhat of a favorite with foreigners. Originally from Krabi, he moved to Phuket at the age of 18, more than 25 years ago. “I came to Phuket as a young, carefree boy. I…
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Property Watch: Keeping Phuket property dealings honest
PHUKET: I have written quite a few articles over the years, hopefully in a balanced way, on reservation deposits, property investments and purchases in Phuket, which have always included a word of caution about how practices in Thailand on property deposits can vary significantly from other Asian property investment destinations, such as Hong Kong and Singapore. Certain elements of Phuket’s…
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Looking Back: History of the Emerald Buddha
PHUKET: The Emerald Buddha is one of Thailand’s most revered artifacts. Contrary to its name, it is actually carved out of jade. It is a figurine of the seated meditating Buddha. A beautiful and ancient piece of art, it draws tens of thousands of visitors to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew every year. No one really knows who…
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Profile: Watcharapong Saikaew – First professional CMP in Thailand
PHUKET: Watcharapong Saikaew, or Pom, as he is better known, is the Assistant Director of Events at Angsana Laguna Phuket and the first Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) in Thailand. With a lucrative career and a four-year Hotel and Tourism Management degree from Prince of Songkla University under his belt, he is a proud flag bearer for the Banyan Tree group,…
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Excuse buster: The miracles of nature’s ‘super foods’
PHUKET: One thing in common at nearly all the centers I work at in Phuket is giving clients Apple Cider vinegar. Either clients have it as a salad dressing or it’s given with water before meals. A lot has been written about its remarkable healing properties. Is it a true health wonder or is it mostly fiction? I am always…
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By The Book: Market signals in the new year
PHUKET: Last year, Thailand experienced a record number of tourist arrivals – 32.6 million (up 9 per cent year-on-year), generating 1.6 trillion baht in revenue (up 12.6 per cent year-on-year). As we go further into 2017, occupancy rates for rental properties over the high season look good – albeit slightly lower than previous years – especially for pool villas, which…
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Understanding your place on the happiness scale [video]
PHUKET: There is no single key to happiness that will work for every single person out there, which is what makes Lisa Cypers Kamen’s holistic approach to understanding where we are on the happiness scale, and where we want to be, so insightful. ‘Are We Happy Yet? Eight Keys to Unlocking a Joyful Life’ is a hands-on guide to changing…
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Law, Life and Society: Consequences of holiday debauchery
PHUKET: There are numerous ‘dek khrueng’ or ‘half-children’ born to women who work in Thailand’s red-light districts. Many foreign men come to Thailand for a short holiday to spend their time with Thai women. Some of them leave without knowing that they have a child. Others know about, but still decide to return to their home country. These women are…
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Profile: What victory means for Miss Grand Krabi 2017
PHUKET: Phuket native Pamela Pasinetti was recently crowned ‘Miss Grand Krabi 2017’. Poised and elegant in her gown and tiara, Pamela spoke to Simon J Hand of Gazette Radio to talk about her pageant experience. Now 23 years of age, Pamela has always had big dreams. “I’ve always wanted to be a pageant queen,” she smiled. “It’s something every young…
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Property Watch: Seeing through Phuket property transience
PHUKET: There are many themes of life in Phuket that are either interwoven or operate independently. It is possible, as many local Phuketians will testify, to exist in Phuket without even meeting your friends on a regular basis because you live on ‘different sides of the island’, or ‘don’t like driving over the hill’, or because of the traffic jams.…
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Gardening: Two valuable Mexican climbers
PHUKET: I am not talking about social climbers or even those intrepid fellows who scale up the sheer cliffs at Railay. Rather, I’m referring to two members of the vine brigade who have received less than their due footage in these columns. I was reminded of the value of the garlic vine when I visited an estate, the common parts…
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Party it up like you’re in Ibiza
PHUKET: Did you know that the Balearic island of Ibiza and the Andaman island of Phuket are within a few square miles of being the same size? There are other connections too: quite a large chunk of Ibiza has UNESCO World Heritage status, while Phuket cuisine recently picked up the UNESCO seal of approval. Additionally, a significant and growing chunk…
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Excuse Buster: A healthy treat for gluten intolerant foodies
PHUKET: Consider the irony: a gluten intolerant nutritionist marries a German baker’s daughter… things could get very interesting. However, I am really lucky to have a very accepting father-in-law who also enjoys making breads and bakery goods that I can eat too. He was recently with us over Christmas and came up with a new low-carb, gluten-free bread recipe that…
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Across the Land: Evolution of high season property market
PHUKET: The last two months have been particularly ‘different’ from the past years’ norms in Phuket in more ways than one. Firstly, the weather has not been as predictable. Hot, sunny days are now interlaced with cloudy, rainy days and the weather forecast is hardly ever accurate. If you think the weather forecast in Phuket is sounding a little like…
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On Deck: Resurgence of sail boats in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket’s marine destination reputation was, to a large part, built by the sailing fraternity. That statement is perhaps a red rag to some bulls, but in my opinion, the industry was built on the back of initial efforts by the sailing fraternity and for this, they should be grateful. Thirty years ago, back in 1987, the Phuket King’s Cup…
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Keep It Green: Opening the floodgates to a watery embrace
PHUKET: Southern Thailand has recently been in the watery embrace of floods that are unprecedented in their severity. A few statistics to clarify the situation: the inundation has affected 13 provinces in Southern Thailand, with Songkhla being the worst hit – 14 out of 16 districts have been declared disaster areas. There have been more than 40 recorded fatalities, while…
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Profile: Tasana Nagavajara – A musical feast for the soul
PHUKET: Bangkok native Tasana Nagavajara is the artistic director of Pro Musica and is currently performing a series of classical concerts as the violinist for Pro Musica Ensemble. The trio is touring Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin and Bangkok this month, with the Phuket performance tonight – Monday January 23 – at Mom Tri Villa Royale. Mr Tasana has been…
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Phuket International Boat Show draws crowds
PHUKET: The 2017 Phuket International Boat Show (PIMEX) presented by Thailand Elite was held from January 5-8 and aimed to impress with an abundance of action in the marina and waterside Exhibition Hall – and a busy boardwalk at host venue Royal Phuket Marina. Despite the unexpected rainy weather on the last two days, visitor turnout was strong, with a…
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Profile: Tara Sudlow – A special connection with Phuket
PHUKET: Tara Sudlow is a Perth native who moved to Phuket 22 years ago, and for the last 13 years has been running her own real estate company here. “I first visited Phuket in 1986 at the age of 14. I was a very shy kid back then, always hanging around my mother. Then, I met this amazing Thai family…
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