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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A village on the edge: San Tin
PHUKET: In the bad old days of the Cold War and Mao’s Cultural Revolution, this part of Hong Kong, San Tin, used to be called the “Bamboo Curtain” – the 30-kilometer border, and a few kilometers either side, between what was a British Crown colony and the People’s Republic of China.Just to the southwest of the Lo Wu border-crossing between…
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Venturing into the unknown: reflections by Don Battles
PHUKET: NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft recently became the first human-made object to venture beyond the boundaries of our solar system and into what is known as interstellar space, a part of space that our sun has little to no influence on. The 36-year-old probe is now about 12 billion miles (19 billion kilometers) from our sun. New and unexpected data…
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Think globally, act locally – Environment
PHUKET: Let’s draw attention to some local happenings. First some negative ones. “Tainted Tide”, a recent Phuket Gazette front page article, revealed that Patong’s already polluted beaches had suffered yet another setback – a patch of brown, unwholesome water in the bay, perhaps a mindless discharge of sewage from local hotels, or a build-up of plankton, courtesy of contaminants in…
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Fruit: Food of the gods – Phuket Gardening
PHUKET: As any journalist worth his salt will tell you, it is always easier to amplify or pad out a piece than to abridge it. Unless you are very careful, condensing a piece can result in a lack of clarity, in stylistic obfuscation or worse, some painful wrenching of the sense. When, in response to a reader’s question last week,…
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New hotel chain born in Phuket
PHUKET: A new globally focused hotel chain, Bugatti, is using Phuket as a platform for widespread expansion. While here in Phuket development is already underway on the east coast of the island, and on nearby Phi Phi Island, overseas plans call for branded properties in Bali, Myanmar and the Bahamas. By no means is this the first time the island…
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Laguna Park project unveiled
PHUKET: Project plans and fully-furnished show units of the island’s latest middle-upper income residential project, Laguna Park, were previewed this morning at the project’s sales office. Developed by Laguna Property, part of the Laguna Resorts and Hotels and the Banyan Tree Group, the project will be the island’s largest residential community, comprising up to 2,000 homes when fully completed. Located…
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Hurry up to register for Turtle Fun Run
PHUKET: Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation and JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa are pleased to extend an invitation to the general public to participate in the Turtle Fun Run and Mini Marathon 2013, which takes place on Sunday September 15 at Pru Jeh San Lake on Phuket’s beautiful Mai Khao Beach. You can register for the 9th edition of…
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Enjoy the fruits of your labor – Phuket Gardening
PHUKET: Sepp writes to say that he owns three villas in Phuket and “would like to change the gardens to [include] more fruit trees, fruit bushes and nice flowers”. He adds: “Can you help me to find the right ones?” and asks “which books could I buy?” Well, Sepp, even to attempt an answer all your wide-ranging queries would take…
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It’s all in the game – Phuket TECH
PHUKET: Teachers and students of the Prince of Songkla University, Phuket College joined by representatives of the US Embassy, recently welcomed Erin Hoffman, an American video game designer and book author who came to Phuket to conduct a workshop on game designing. Erin Hoffman is a lead game designer at the Institute of Play’s Glasslab project –which is focused on…
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Snot squeezes and secrets – Phuket Diving
PHUKET: There was an issue before we even boarded the boat. We had been waiting all weekend to photograph the artificial reef at Viking Cave off of Phi Phi Island and weather delays had pushed us back to our last day on the island, and now, looking at the pile of green mucus in my tissue, it was clear there…
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A worthy initiative – Phuket Gardening
PHUKET: Any initiative which includes the planting of new trees is to be welcomed. There is a plan afoot, initiated by Mr Songjit Suppakit of Phisut Technology and supported by Phuket’s Governor Maitri Inthusut, to connect Sirirat Road (near Le Meridian Beach Resort) to remote and spectacular Tri Trang and Freedom beaches. The most ecologically sensitive proposal is to replace…
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Yet more dark despair – Phuket Books
PHUKET: After aspiring journalist Howard W French graduated college in 1980 he joined his parents, American medical doctors, in Ivory Coast. His romance with Africa begins with a girl from Mali whom he meets in a nightclub. Intrigued by her tales of Mali’s history, he sets off on an epic overland trip to Mali to see for himself. This journey…
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Skeletons from Phuket’s past
PHUKET: In 1992, a peculiar discovery was made in a village on Phuket Island. Baan Khok-Tanod, situated in Chalong sub-district in the south of Phuket, was the site of the strange discovery when a local company that owned a piece of land in the village decided to dig up the area in order to build a wall around the land.…
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Phuket Retirement: The ‘Use it or lose it’ hypothesis
PHUKET: New findings suggest that retiring later in life can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Studies by French public research institute INSERM, presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference last month, suggested that for each year after 60 that a person is retired, the risk of subsequently developing the disease is lowered by 3.2%. The research included analysis…
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Pampering yourself – Phuket Lifestyle
PHUKET: Beauty and relaxation therapies such as massage, facial, and body wraps remain popular spa treatments for those who want to relax their mind and body, and melt away the stress of a busy work schedule.Spa treatments have a huge range of benefits, which include: increased relaxation, reduced stress, relief from headaches, relief from muscle tension (including facial muscles), improved…
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Logos Hope visits Phuket
PHUKET: Logos Hope which docked in Phuket recently, is operated by the German charity GBA Ships, and has made over 1,400 port visits in over 150 countries and territories. During these port calls, since 1970, it has welcomed over 42 million visitors on board – bringing knowledge, help and hope to people around the world. The book fair is on…
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Passing on your condo – Phuket Property Legal
PHUKET: Pursuant to the current Condominium Act of Thailand, and per the common practices used at the Thai land offices, the transfer of ownership of your freehold condominium unit to your spouse or children, in whole or in part, can pose a problem to those who wish to make such a transfer. Section 19 of the Condominium Act of Thailand…
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Phuket Books: An entrepreneur’s journey in life – Don Battles
PHUKET: A book that is self-published is called a vanity project. Don Battles shows a big chunk of vanity. Subtitled An Entrepreneur’s Journey in Life, his autobiography Merchant of the Orient (Xlibris Corp. 2013, 292pp) is printed on glossy A4 sized paper and costs over 60 American dollars. The text is clear and free of typos, yet weakened by the…
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Adventure on Koh Yao Noi – Phuket Explore
PHUKET: Koh Yao Noi is a little island located in between Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi and is part of the Phang Nga province. The island has not yet seen a massive invasion of tourists and it has gained a reputation as a quiet place to escape from the buzz of Phuket, in particular for local expats and for all…
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Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut
PHUKET: Governor Maitri Inthusut has just come back from a long meeting – part of the “fin free” campaign to dissuade the public from consuming sharks’ fin. The day before it was a group discussion with various government agencies on tsunami awareness and early warning systems. The whole week prior to this has followed more or less the same pattern…
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Happy Ukrainian Independence Day, Phuket!
PHUKET: With all the Russian writing on Phuket signs and in beachside restaurants’ menus, you might think that there are many Russians in Phuket…and you wouldn’t be wrong. But keep in mind that not all of them are actually Russians. With some 30,532 Ukrainians having visited Thailand since the beginning of this year, chances are that the Russian family you…
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Phuket Explore: Blazing saddles – Capering “round the cape
PHUKET: Seeking quieter backwaters where the cycling is relaxed and relatively traffic-free, the locals laid-back and the scenery dramatic, is a challenging task these days in Phuket. However, one corner in the island’s southeast certainly ticks all these boxes with the added bonus of offering one of the island’s cleanest, most beguiling swimming beaches. Last week I took a trip…
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Our neighbors, the Sikhs – Phuket Culture
PHUKET: Travelling is my thing. And chances are it’s yours too. For many of us it was the love of travel that brought us here to Phuket.But what’s the point of living on one of the world’s most famous islands if you end up leaving it every weekend? Khao Sok, Khao Lak, Phang Nga, Phi Phi… all very tempting. But…
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Bitcoin ban in Thailand
PHUKET: Bitcoin is only one among hundreds of its kind, collectively known as cryptographic protocol currencies or cryptocurrencies, which are only a small part of all digital currencies. More than 90% of almost every single currency in the world today is digital. Still, cryptocurrencies are unique while having only existed for four years, the total value of Bitcoins alone surpasses…
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Hedging your bets – Phuket Gardening
PHUKET: Few of us don’t relish the sense of ownership, of having our own pad or plot. And since we want to feel secure, we build walls around us to ensure that we can enjoy some privacy, as well as for a feeling of protection. As the saying goes: “An Englishman’s home is his castle.” But there are dissenters to…
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Condo commercial compliance
PHUKET: There are a number of condominium developments in Phuket where commercial entities do business, be it a travel agency, rental agency, spa or restaurant. Although such businesses may benefit the owners, juristic persons should make sure that commercial use of space in residential condominiums is compliant with the Condominium Act. Compliance with the building regulations will help ensure transparency…
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Savitri plans Phuket hotel
PHUKET: Savitri Ramyarupa, managing director of Chatrium Hotels and Residences, shared her vision and plans for the next three years. She said she is planning to add two more properties in Bangkok and Phuket, along with expanding an existing property in Yangon, Myanmar. This is an attempt to cash in on the expected influx of international business and leisure travellers…
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Indonesia celebrates Independence Day
PHUKET: In the last 10 days, numerous nations celebrated their national days – Singapore, Pakistan, India, Laos and today, it’s time for Indonesians to celebrate theirs – Independence Day.On August 17, 1945 Indonesia declared its independence from the Netherlands. It took four more years for the Dutch to recognize Indonesia’s sovereignty and 56 more years for them to accept August…
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Tuk tuks go green, global – Phuket Tech
PHUKET: Dutch company Tuk Tuk Factory, which builds electric three-wheeled tuk tuks modelled on the classic Thai form of transportation, has developed a new webtool enabling customers to design their own customized, electric tuk tuk.When they began supplying electric e-Tuks all over the globe, from Greenland to the Caribbean, it became clear to the manufacturers that practically all three-wheelers produced…
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Dennis Rodman saves the world
PHUKET: Dennis Rodman, the bad boy of basketball, recently visited North Korea and became great pals with its youthful leader, Kim Jong-un, an ardent basketball fan. Rodman declared Kim to be an “awesome kid” and his “friend for life.” The two were photographed laughing and clapping at a basketball game and giving each other a series of warm hugs. Below…
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