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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Starting a new life abroad is exciting—new culture, new lifestyle, and new chances to grow. But living far from home also means taking steps to protect your health in unfamiliar surroundings. Without the right coverage, even small health issues can...
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Bangkok’s gone to the dogs
by Wong Chun Wai, The Star, Malaysia PHOTOS: TrueLove at Neverland The routine holiday to Bangkok, Thailand, for seasoned Malaysian tourists (like me) will probably include eating, massages and shopping. We have visited most of the tourist spots, and they are no longer appealing. Yes, we’ve been there, done that… you know the drill. It’s become obvious to us that there…
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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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Hua Hin’s Centara Grand Beach Resort make it into list of best heritage hotels
Creaky wooden floors, teak antiques, afternoon tea, marble staircases. There’s just something magical about a hotel with some history. From Yangon to Hong Kong, many of Asia’s most beautiful heritage hotels emerged during the 19th and early 20th centuries. And one of them is in Hua Hin. TTR Weekly reports that one of Thailand’s iconic and historical hotels, Centara Grand Beach…
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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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Hilton Phuket Arcadia announces new Commercial Director
Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa today announced the appointment of Ranjeet Viswanathan as Commercial Director. Ranjeet most recently served as Director of Sales and Marketing at the Anantara Mai Khao, Phuket. Commenting on his appointment, Ranjeet said, “I am excited to be joining the Hilton family once again and am looking forward to working with the strong commercial team…
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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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Thailand’s winners in the Conde Nast Traveller awards
PHOTO: Conde Nast Thailand has been voted the world’s Best Country for People by readers of Conde Nast Traveller magazine in the 2018 Readers’ Travel Awards. Thailand was voted into third spot in the ‘Best Country’ category behind European winners Italy and Greece. But Thailand scored Number One in the ‘Best Country For People‘ category. But the Conde Nast love continues…
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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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Mong Thongdee approaches the citizenship finish line
Good news for Thailand’s favourite paper plane flyer. The stateless paper-folding airplane competition champion, Mong Thongdee, has applied for Thai nationality. The process is expected to take three weeks. It’s only taken a decade since he first promised citizenship as a result of him representing the country in international paper-plane contests in Japan. The 21 year old stateless man, Mong…
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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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Sakchai completes his mission to visit Doi Inthanon with his partner’s ashes
The man who headed out on an epic journey of 1,500 kilometers to fulfill a promise to take his girlfriend to Thailand’s highest mountain 18 months ago, has run into beaurocrats in Chiang Mai. The man headed out from Trang in March 2017 with his partner’s ashes. Along the way he befriended a kitten and two stray dogs who 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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From tropical paradise to busy urban island – Phuket
By Bill Barnett Phuket’s tourists, expats and property buyers are finding new reasons to head to the Pearl of the Andaman. They’re now spending more time and money seeking out alternative activities in areas other than the famed west-coast beaches. A report says that the island is transforming into a more well-rounded destination as visitors and new residents takes advantage…
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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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Central Phuket opens on September 10
The new Central Phuket is set to open its doors on September 10. The announcement was made at Centara Grand Beach Resort, also owned by the Central Pattana Group. The concept of the new shopping centre, twice as big as the current Central Festival, is ‘The World Comes To Play’. The new complex will feature 20 of the world’s biggest…
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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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