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 How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Anthony Lark – Changing the plastic rubbish culture in Phuket
Garry Holden from ‘Waking The Thaiger’ on Phuket’s The Thaiger 102.75 FM, spoke to Anthony Lark, the President of the Phuket Hotels Association who are organising PHIST (read more details below). 400+ attendees are going to the event on Monday in Mai Khao to change Phuket’s prospects for an environmental and sustainable future. Have a listen… PHIST is the…
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Eating your way around Songkhla
by Pattarawadee Saengmanee – The Nation Weekend As we come in for landing at Hat Yai International Airport, I see clear sky reflected in the azure waters of the Gulf of Thailand. Despite the weather App warnings, the sun was out. Sightseeing is first on the agenda though and after a pleasant 40-minute drive from the airport to Songkhla Old…
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6 ways to avoid being defrauded in a property investment
By Desmond Hughes As today’s local Phuket property news is soured by the story of a development ‘scheme’ resulting in losses for investors and third parties, the perception of real estate may be besmirched with negativity, all the while honest families who have elected to take their own risk on the market by developing their land banks, working with architects,…
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70 per cent of Thais wear Buddhist amulets
There’s never been any evidence that they work as lucky charms but most Thais purchase and wear them, whether for faith, protection, luck or as gift, they’re ubiquitous in Thailand. More than 70 per cent of Thais wear Buddha amulets, according to a Suan Dusit Poll. The most popular amulets are those bearing the likeness of the monks Luang Pu…
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NokScoot adds Bangkok to Osaka flights
NokScoot is launching another service with a four-flights-a-week schedule between Bangkok and Osaka, Japan. The announcement follows the start of the airline’s Bangkok to Tokyo service which started in June. The low-cost international carrier is launching the service to Kansai Airport on October 28. Kansai Airport, closed until today following storms which damaged the land-bridge from the mainland to the…
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Chiang Mai biker feeding the homeless
PHOTOS: Facebook/Patchara Mayerku The “Shut Up and Ride” motorcyclist gang in Chiang Mai is being praised for feeding homeless people every Friday night. The leader of the project, Patchara Mayerku, says the group leader was carrying out the activity over five weeks and has inspired groups in other provinces to follow suit. Patchara has posted photos and stories of the…
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‘2,215’ – this year’s ‘must see’ documentary
PHOTO: The Nation From the outset, I can’t recommend this wonderful documentary more highly. It was inspiring, highly entertaining and a beautifully crafted, intimate insight into, as he describes himself, a normal Thai person doing something extraordinary. Artiwara ‘Toon’ Kongmalai, a huge popular rockstar in Thailand, decided to raise money for struggling public hospitals in the Land of Smiles. He…
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Habitat Group launch Walden Sukhumvit 39
ADVERTISEMENT Following the success of Walden Asoke launched in March this year, and now 90% sold, the Habitat Group is launching its second city centre luxury low rise condominium under the Walden brand – Walden Sukhumvit 39. Developed under the concept of “Low Rise, High Living”, the 950 million baht development embraces nature in its design. With end-users and investors…
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Thai sailors to compete in the Para World Sailing Champs in US
Thailand are sending sailors to the Para World Sailing Championships for the first time with Suraphong Chitkhong and Paisal Pa-teh, both from Pattaya, heading to Sheboygan in the USA to take part in a pre-event sailing clinic followed by the World Championships from September 18-22. Peter Jacops, Founder of Disabled Sailing Thailand says that this is a very special moment…
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Begpacking – ‘How to’ guide for aspiring travelling beggars
PHOTO: backslackers.com “Aren’t you technically homeless? Why shouldn’t YOU cash in too. Why shouldn’t other people pay for you to travel? Begpacking (or beg packing) is a way for backpackers like you to earn money while you travel by begging for money or busking around the world.” Thailand has its fair share of ‘beg packers’ each year – young travellers who…
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A Mandarin for Phuket
PHOTO: The Mandarin Hotel Sanya Island One of Asia, and the globes, leading luxury hotel brands, Mandarin Oriental has inked a deal for a Phuket property. Mandarin Oriental, Phuket will be located on one of the undeveloped beachfront sites still to be found on ‘Millionaire’s Mile’ on the west coast of Phuket island. It will occupy 9.5 hectares of land in…
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Saving Phi Phi from its own popularity
PHOTOS: Singha Estate and Marine Discovery Centre Maya Bay is poised to re-open to tourists at the end of this month, albeit in a much better ‘controlled’ system which will limit the number of tourists visiting the famous Bay. There will be no accommodation following the Maya Bay make-over, staying overnight remains prohibited. Maya Bay is the star attraction at Koh…
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Thai pull direct Phuket to Hong Kong flights
PHOTO: Planespotters.net Thai Airways are cancelling the popular direct Phuket to Hong Kong (HKT-HKG) flights from October 28. Any existing bookings beyond this date will be funneled through Bangkok (BKK) instead. Despite the tortured English in the advisory, the Thai national airline is informing all existing bookings of the cancellation of the direct flights and re-routing. A few emails to…
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Phuket hotels join forces with Central Group to reduce plastic bag use
As it prepares to host the inaugural edition of PHIST (Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism Forum 2018), the Phuket Hotels Association has achieved a major victory in its drive to secure a more sustainable future for Thailand’s most popular resort destination. In partnership with PHIST, the unique free-to-attend event that takes place on Monday, September 24 2018, Central Group, Thailand’s…
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Find your dream property in Thailand
… or list your property for free. property.thethaiger.com is a true one-stop-shop when you’re looking to sell or buy property in all Thailand’s hot real estate spots. Paul Trayman, Chief Operating Officer, says property.thethaiger.com provides unique, comprehensive information about up to 40,000 properties around Thailand. “We provide all details on every project and unit available for sale in Thailand (within…
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‘Boss’ is off the front page of Interpol – the search for the fugitive Red Bull heir
by The Nation Weekend The Interpol website’s removal of its red notice against Thai fugitive Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, involved in a 2012 hit-and-run road incident in which a Bangkok policeman died, will negatively affect an international effort to bring him to justice. This claim from a senior Thai prosecutor. While the Interpol matter is directly handled by the Royal Thai…
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Responsible property purchases – do your homework and seek a second opinion
Many times prospective buyers of property in Thailand search online for legal information in regards to their purchase. They soon discover that online legal advice varies depending on the law office, lawyer or advisor providing the information. In some cases advice is given which recommends that to secure an investment in property a Thai company should be incorporated to hold…
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Getting longer life out of your outdoor furniture
Outdoor furniture can be a sizable investment even here in Thailand. In Phuket it’s either the hot sun or rain adding to deterioration. The sun and heat are relentless. But with proper care and cleaning, you can enjoy your outdoor furniture for years. New furniture comes with care instructions; however this is not always the case in Thailand. So here’s…
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Meet Kluay Hom, Krabi’s friendly neighborhood boar
A domesticated boar in Krabi is the luckiest boar in the world! The year old boar’s favourite food is fruit (watching the waistline!) especially bananas. He takes a bath every day before going to bed. The friendly wild boar lives at a house in Lam Thap, Krabi with 40 year old Napapat Khaoluan and his family. The boar weighs about…
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SHOW DC to host “Dance Battle Revolution 2018”
Dance competition with three categories – B-Boy, Hip Hop and Cover Dance. Prizes worth more than 100,000 baht. SHOW DC invites dance lovers from all over Thailand to showcase their dancing talent at “Dance Battle Revolution 2018”. An all-new dance competition hosted by SHOW DC, it’s open for three dance styles – B-Boy, Hip Hop and Cover Dance. Dancers will have…
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The rise of the mixed use retail development
As our lifeststyles continue to change and morph along with technological and social evolution, so too our living spaces and the locations we choose to live. Behavioural changes among urbanites have led to the rise of mixed-use projects in Southeast Asian countries, according to property experts. Christian Olofsson, shopping centre & mixed-use director of IKEA/Southeast Asia, told The Nation that…
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Paper plane champ hopes for Thai ID soon
by Kriengkrai Rattana Almost a decade after earning fame for winning a national paper-aeroplane championship at the age of 12, Mong Thongdee is poised to become a Thai citizen. Born in Thailand of Burmese ancestry, the young Chiang Mai man has been stateless all his life, but says he’s looking forward to continuing his studies on to the highest level…
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Mourning man walks 1,533 kilometres to Doi Inthanon with girlfriend’s ashes
A man has spent more than a year walking from Trang in the south to Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s tallest mountain in Chiang Mai – an epic journey of 1,533 kilometres – to spread the ashes of his girlfriend. By yesterday afternoon (Wednesday), 39 year old Sakchai Suphanmart, from Udon Thani, had reached the San Patong district of Chiang Mai. He…
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Centipedes “if you aggravate them they will bite”
In the wake of the death of the woman on Tuesday following a centipede bite on Sunday, we’re tried to find more concrete information about centipedes. Finding specific information about these creatures is little difficult so we share some links to kick off your research. An article from the Pattaya Unlimited blog warns that there are some centipedes that have…
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Hands-on schooling setting an example in Chiang Mai
by Chularat Saengpassa PHOTO: Padungkiat Jaiwong, far left, and fellow barbers of the “HK Barber” salon at Wat Huai Kaew School in Chiang Mai’s Mae On district show off their haircutting equipment. “Take me to your heart, Take me to your soul. Give me your hand before I’m old, Show me what love is, haven’t got a clue, Show me…
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The new Blue Tree waterpark and entertainment precinct unveiled
Phuket’s tourism industry has received a major shot in the arm with the unveiling of the new Blue Tree Phuket – a US$40 million investment and multi-dimensional destination waterpark and entertainment complex set over 140 rai in Cherng Talay. Positioning themselves as ‘Phuket’s premier family attraction’, Blue Tree is the island’s first international-standard, fully integrated waterpark and family entertainment complex.…
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A very Asian tale “Crazy Rich Asians” opens
“The last high-profile Hollywood film with an all-Asian cast was The Joy Luck Club released in 1993.” By The Star, Asia News Network, Kuala Lumpur It was a sweltering night in Singapore and the production of Crazy Rich Asians was in the last leg of filming. Director Jon M. Chu was sweating buckets and it’s not entirely because of the humid weather. Chu, who has worked on…
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Fern helps her mum sell food in Krabi. She also speaks four languages fluently.
PHOTO: A five year old Thai girl, who can speak three foreign languages, helps her mother to sell food along the beach in Krabi. A young beach vendor who sells food along Klong Heng Beach in Krabi, is carrying two baskets with fruits and snacks. She can speak Thai but also Chinese, English and Bahasa Malay languages. She is seen…
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Observations of a working expat couple, and their 9.5 kilogram cat ‘George’
All expats have a story of how they ended up in the Land of Smiles. Few are just ‘I got a job here’. It usually happens the other way around where people visit Thailand and find a reason to stay. John Read, writing for the Financial Times, and his husband German, have lived and worked in many of the world’s…
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Toon’s back on the road again
“The director admits there were many times when he was sure Toon couldn’t possibly finish his mission.” A documentary comes out next month and follows the epic run led by Athiwara ‘Toon’ Khongmalai when he ran Thailand – south to north – to raise funds for Thailand’s public hospitals. The trials, tribulations and triumphs captured on 16,300 minutes of footage…
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