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 Why traders in Thailand are choosing EC Markets for gold and forex trading
Gold and forex trading have long been favourites among investors in Thailand, but why are so many traders now turning to EC Markets? The answer lies in a combination of tight spreads, ultra-fast execution, Thai baht (THB) deposit support, and...
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Phuket Gardening: An unkempt piece of paradise
PHUKET: It is a truism that your garden is an expression of yourself. In a literal sense, this is obvious: you are the person responsible for its design, its maintenance, and for the plants you put in or leave out. When I was an undergraduate long ago, the Professor of Biology, an acknowledged authority on botany, spoke on a weekly…
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Fight for your right
PHUKET: Not long ago, a close associate phoned to get a heavy burden off his chest. His parents in the UK were in need of help in moving to another state, but no other family members would help. “John” as we’ll call him, complained to me that he really wanted to go back but that his Thai wife had spent…
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Phuket Entertainment: Giving women what they want
PHUKET: What began as a language-learning exercise – watching Thai soaps with English subtitles online – has become, well, a problem. I stay up too late, watch during breakfast and abandon unessential tasks until I finish the series, all 20-plus hours of it.I became addicted despite the fact that from the first moment I know what will happen – the…
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A glimpse into the future
PHUKET: “I never think of the future – it comes soon enough,” said Albert Einstein. Maybe it works for the geniuses but for the rest of us, a look forward from time to time is inevitable, especially at the brink of the new year. Here are the Gazette’s predictions for 2014 – because as Malcolm X said, “The future belongs…
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Big fun for the little ones
PHUKET: This one is for the kids! Thailand is celebrating its annual Children’s Day on Saturday, January 11 and there sure won’t be a lack of good fun for the little ones on the island. Planned activities in Phuket are as follows:Phuket MunicipalityAt the grounds of Phuket provincial hall, from 8am to 4pm, this year’s festivities will encompass the theme…
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PIMEX 2014 to showcase Asean preparedness
PHUKET: Billed as “Asia’s favorite boat show” and the largest luxury showcase in the region, the four-day Phuket International Marine Expo will open its doors to an expected 5,000 visitors at 11:30 this morning at Royal Phuket Marina. A festival of everything marine and lifestyle, PIMEX shines the light on Thailand’s marine leisure tourism industry and the island’s leading position…
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Phuket Health: Seminar on colorectal disease
PHUKET: Leading medical professionals from all over the world gathered at Bangkok Hospital Phuket last month for the first annual Colorectal Disease Symposium.Organized from December 8-10 by the director of the Colorectal Disease Institute at Bangkok Hospital Phuket, Dr Art Hiranyakas, the symposium consisted of panel discussions, guest speakers and live surgeries. Topics included different types of colorectal diseases, research…
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Tesco says no to plastic bags with new store in Phuket
PHUKET: Tesco Lotus has reaffirmed its commitment to preserving the environment with its new “no bag store” concept for Express format outlets, having recently launched two pilot stores – in Koh Samui and Phuket. Tesco Lotus Head of Public Affairs Charkrit Direkwattanachai remarked: “Tesco Lotus has been able to save the use of eight million plastic bags and this year…
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Tesco Extra officially open in Phuket
PHUKET: Tesco Lotus recently held the official grand opening for its first “Extra” format store in Phuket. The rebranding and re-opening of the shopping center, its main Phuket store located off the bypass road in Sam Kong, follows an extensive renovation project undertaken in the final quarter of 2013. The development also complements the grand opening of a new, full-sized…
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Phuket Property Watch: Walking in the shadows of dinosaurs
PHUKET: With New Year’s celebrations mostly behind us now, the question everyone has is what’s in store for fourteen? My biggest challenge each and every successive drum roll of another 365 (or 366 in the case of leap years) is to remember to change the date on whatever I’m writing at the time. Typically things settle down by February but…
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Phuket Explore: Escape to Koh Kho Khao
PHUKET: You know it’s going to be a good day’s cycling when you see more water buffalo than you do hurtling pick-up trucks, and when the smiling locals stop what they are doing and rush out to greet you with a hearty “Hello Farang!” Such pleasures are rarely found in Phuket these days, but just 80 kilometers north of the…
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Phuket Property Watch – Not such a long way from home
PHUKET: It’s that time of year again – Christmas. And while Phuket’s idea of a whiteout is sand swept beaches, I find it hard not to get into a sentimental mood as soon as the calendar rolls around to the twelfth month of the year. Somehow the pace quickens in December, year in and year out. A few weeks ago…
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Tech: Be forwarned about 4G in Phuket
PHUKET: Lest you think it’s 3G dejavu all over again, the current state of 4G in Phuket has a few interesting, new wrinkles. In many ways, the impending 4G roll out – which is already under way, at least in theory – isn’t nearly as confusing as the 3G rollout two years ago. Thank heavens! Let’s start with the basics.…
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Phuket Property: Centara anticipates tougher times ahead
PHUKET: The insight, influence and impact that the Bangkok-headquartered Central Group employs and exerts across nearly every sector in Phuket is undeniable. The group’s interests encompass retail, infrastructure, construction, real estate, and especially hospitality – through its flagship hotel chain Centara Hotels and Resorts (CHR). The Gazette recently caught up with CHR Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Chris…
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Boutique or bust – Phuket Prop Watch
PHUKET: Obsession is quite a long word – with its three little Ss that sort of roll off the keys with winding twists and turns. Nothing is as it appears, nor is there a straightaway to pull away from the pack. When it comes to design hotels, these enigmatic properties just love to live the “S” life, where the squares…
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Phuket Town’s Thavorn Grand Plaza Hotel acquired by Accor Group
PHUKET: Some good news for the property market in the heart of Phuket Town: the old Thavorn Grand Plaza Hotel has been acquired by an owner affiliated with the Accor Group of hotels and is now undergoing a complete renovation for a scheduled rebranding under one of that group’s many hotel chains. Work at the site had been underway for…
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An invitation to Sleep With Me
PHUKET: A newcomer to the island’s hotel industry, “SLEEP WITH ME Design Hotel @ Patong” is comprised of 258 guest and suite rooms, overlooking the high-rises of Patong Bay. Located in the heart of Patong, close to Jungceylon Shopping Center, “Bangla Road” walking street and only a three minute walk to the beach, the hotel offers modern facilities, personal service…
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Phuket Events: 17th Andaman Motor Show underway at Central Festival
PHUKET: The 17th Andaman Motor Show was officially launched this afternoon on a jam-packed ground floor of Central Festival Phuket. The region’s most popular and anticipated automobile exhibition will last until Wednesday, December 18. Presiding over the opening ceremony was Phuket Vice Governor Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak, who was joined on stage in the official launch countdown by Phuket…
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To infinity and beyond – Phuket Diving
PHUKET: A tiny helmet diver stands at attention on the red rocks of a five-gallon freshwater aquarium. Having explored the treasure chest blowing bubbles through fake gold coins, as well as the single strand of Brazilian Pennywort – and even poked around the filter, he simply stands there watching sediment build on his feet, the occasional gold fish going belly…
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The Rendezvous returns – Phuket Lifestyle
PHUKET: Final preparations are underway for the 13th Asia Superyacht Rendezvous. With nine confirmed superyachts, a stunning venue, and captains, owners and crew flying in from all over the world to attend, this looks to be the best Rendezvous to date. The Rendezvous will commence on Monday and conclude on Wednesday. With such a mix of captains and crew, from…
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Phuket Boat Show (PIMEX) looks set to break records
PHUKET: From small trailer-boats to luxury sailing and motor yachts, the on-water line-up for the upcoming Phuket International Marine Expo (PIMEX) is set to be the best yet. Virtually all of the major dealers and brokers in Thailand and the region are signed up and will represent all of the major global brands, including Ferretti, Pershing, Riviera, Jeanneau, Cantiere Della…
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Phuket Food: Think globally cook locally
PHUKET: First on a speedboat, through the deep blue waters, east from Phuket, then in a song taew, across the lush green jungle of Khao Yao Yai – and finally I’m there: a stone’s throw away from a fisherman’s village, surrounded by rubber trees, talking to a chef. Or should I say – a celebrity. With his recent appearance on…
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Phuket Diving: Plunging in before big splash in Bollywood
PHUKET: With her head down and pencil scribbling out numbers for a dive profile, it’s hard to believe that the woman on the far side of Scuba Cat’s Scuba Fun is about to make a big splash – not in the dive industry, but in Bollywood. Manasvi Mamgai, Miss India 2010 and Elite Model Management recruit, is about to debut…
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The legend of the Emerging Buddha – Phuket History
PHUKET: Wat Phra Thong, or the “Temple of the Golden Buddha”, at first glance may seem like any other temple in Phuket. This old temple, located in Thalang district in the northern part of the island, was built during the 18th century towards the end of the Ayutthaya period. Walking into the main chapel, visitors will be greeted with a…
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The ins and outs of usufruct – Phuket Property Legal
PHUKET: The right of usufruct is rarely used and often overlooked when it comes to securing one´s interest in immovable property. Usually, lease rights are registered against the property – providing use and possession rights for the benefit of the beneficiary until the lease is terminated or expired. The right of usufruct, which is a property right, the same as…
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Construction: Thai Watsadu Phuket now open for business
PHUKET: Numbered are the days of expensive and overpriced construction, home improvement, furnishing, landscaping and gardening materials in Phuket: The Central Retail Group have officially opened the doors of their Thai Watsadu store on Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang, just north of the Heroines Monument. Phuket Governor Maitree Inthusut presided over the ribbon cutting this morning, which was also attended by…
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Merry in the Maldives – Phuket Property Watch
PHUKET: I’ve spent more years than I can recall hovering around sea level. Visualize Robinson Crusoe walking around a desert island, umbrella in hand and deep in conversation with a coconut named Friday. A week ago I found myself on a small atoll about 45 minutes north of Malé, the capital city of the idyllic island nation, the Maldives. My…
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AMCHAM real estate event
PHUKET: Tomorrow (Friday November 22) the American Chamber of Commerce Thailand (AMCHAM) will hold a real estate event at Angsana Laguna Phuket. Topics covered will include the trend in leasehold ownership, regulating real estate agencies in Thailand, big development news in Phuket real estate and current property tends. Shine PR’s, Natasha Eldred will moderate the event. Audience members will be…
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Much ado about Ewan McGregor – Phuket Books
PHUKET: Movie star Ewan McGregor and his friend Charley Booring rode big BMW motorcycles from London to New York, chronicled in the book and TV documentary The Long Way Around. Nathan Braund has published a book called The Wrong Way Round to Ewan McGregor (FeedARead Publishing, funded by the British Arts Council, UK, 2013, 220pp). This slim volume is based…
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Phuket Gardening: A maze in a month?
PHUKET: Some weeks ago, I received a most unusual, perhaps I should say labyrinthine email – a request from Phuket resident Alex Riva who explained: “I am planning to plant a hedge maze and was wondering what is the most cost effective and recommended type of hedge.” Somewhat bemused, I wrote back requesting more specific details. The reply included the…
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