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 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Bangkok Hospital Phuket making strides towards specialized health care
PHUKET: The Bangkok Phuket Colorectal Disease Institute officially opened to the public on January 9. Located on the third floor at Phuket’s Bangkok Hospital in Samkong, the institute specializes in the diagnoses and advanced treatment of a multitude of colorectal diseases including colon and prostate cancer.Founded and directed by Dr Art Hiranyakas, the institute offers patients state-of-the-art medical care by…
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Phuket Property: Living it up in the Ozone
PHUKET: According to chemistry and geology textbooks, “ozone” is a pale blue gas – an inorganic compound comprising three atoms of oxygen – which plays a crucial role in the earth’s stratosphere, absorbing much of the sun’s deadly radiation to make this planet habitable for humans. Perhaps this “life enabling” property is what developer Phuket Pro Property had in mind…
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Centara signs three new Krabi properties
PHUKET: Centara Hotels & Resorts is set to greatly expand its presence in the Southern Thailand province of Krabi following the signing of management contracts for three new properties within the same master development in Klong Muang, Krabi.The properties are Centara Pelican Bay Resort & Spa Krabi, Centara Pelican Bay Residence & Suites Krabi, and Centara Pelican Bay Villas Krabi.Perry…
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Phuket Property Watch: The Medium is the Message
PHUKET: A crash back in time in our memory machine today takes us back to the 1960s and the groundbreaking work of Marshall McLuhan. His forward looking views on the effects of popular mass culture continue to be relevant to this day, over half a century later. Little did readers of The Medium is the Message realize, that the speed…
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Blazing Saddles: Khao Lak Attack
PHUKET: Gadabout pedal-philes living in Phuket are continually in search of more benign, cyclist-friendly venues in which to enjoy their passion. Naturally enough, many such cycling getaways tend to be found across the Sarasin Bridge, which a waggish friend recently described as being “where Thailand really starts”. Almost as soon as you do cycle across those 1,500 meters of turquoise…
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Phuket Property Watch: Sitting on the outside looking in
PHUKET: Exclusive or inclusive? For the hospitality industry, the burning question about all-inclusive resorts is becoming a hot global topic once again. You need to go back no further than the dawn of the global financial crisis and the surge in the consumer class to test the theory of value added sales propositions. If you wind back the clock to…
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Phuket Property: Green Walls – It’s alive!
PHUKET: Last November, an energetic Chilean man came into the Phuket Gazette offices to pitch his vision and innovation – a simple yet potentially revolutionary solution for Phuket’s increasingly congested, polluted and unappealing urban spaces. Ignacio Espoz Babul, director of Santiago-based LatinGreen – a patent holder, innovator and installer of “Green” walls, roofs and buildings – passionately talked of his…
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Phuket Property: Building materials index “unrealistic’
PHUKET: Provincial authorities seek a revision to the central price index for construction materials, pointing to outdated and inaccurate value estimations for building supplies imported to the island. Meanwhile, the Revenue Department reported collecting 9.6 billion baht in tax revenue in Phuket in 2013, exceeding their target by 5%.The economic issues headlined the agenda at the latest Phuket meeting of…
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London’s Fab BEATLES ready to play in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket isn’t exactly famous in the music world. The island doesn’t really boast any world-renowned acts and the occasional musical tour that does find its way here is usually electronic or just a “well-known” DJ. But music lovers in Phuket are in for a special treat. Following their enormously popular, sold-out ABBA Forever concert, promoter Events International has lined…
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Phuket Event: Books in the Old Town festival tonight
PHUKET: Local literary and history enthusiasts should head down to the Lard Yai Walking Street this Sunday evening for the “Books in the Old Town” festival.Scheduled from 4-10pm, activities will take place in three areas along historical Thalang road: in front of the Thawinha-Nung Len shop; inside and in front of the “2521” book shop and in front of the…
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Phuket Escape: Crowd dodging at Koh Racha
PHUKET: It’s almost a defining characteristic of an expat, not wanting to go where the tourists go. Hey, we know better. We know the best local restaurants, the shortcuts, the secret beaches. We refuse to be wedged among the throngs. And yet, in some cases the throngs have got it right. Not with the cashew-factory perhaps (at least, not more…
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Phuket Diving: Diving into the deep end
PHUKET: A woman stands at the edge of one of the enormous limestone cliffs of Etretat, the salty Dutch air whipping her blond hair across her face. She’s been in the banking industry for 10 years – and it’s come to this: make a down payment on a house back in the UK and pay the mortgage for years to…
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Phuket Education: On a Mission to sail
PHUKET: If you have been past the British International School Phuket (BISP) campus in recent weeks, chances are you’ve spotted the giant steel ship, Ixdos, that first appeared on December 4 and now occupies a prominent position on the school’s grounds. The arrival of the ship is a result of the collaboration between former BISP teacher and self-described “boat-person” Patrick…
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BIS students perfrom
PHUKET: In early December, another successful musical theater production was staged at the British International School Phuket (BISP). Hoodwinked, a funny musical tale based on the story of Robin Hood, was performed three times to an audience totaling 1,000 people over three afternoons. At the dress rehearsal, the young actors, aged between eight and 11, were a little nervous as…
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A perfect model of island life
PHUKET: Hailing from another tropical paradise on the opposite side of the globe, Jamaican-born Tracy Dawkins is no stranger to island life. She has achieved some fame in Phuket as a model, actress and erstwhile PR and marketing executive and now calls the island home. In an exclusive interview, we spoke with Tracy about island life, competing to be Miss…
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Phuket Humour: Is there anybody out there? Yes, apparently
PHUKET: There is a video on YouTube that shows Morgan Freeman explaining a new theory in quantum physics (click here to see). The universe might be conscious. In fact, scientists think it might be a sort of cosmic brain that is constantly expanding and evolving. I had lots of questions about this. But I couldn’t interview the universe because the…
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Phuket AA: Party till you drop
PHUKET: Phuket is renowned for its party scene, especially during the holidays, when tourists venture from around the globe to enjoy the island’s nightlife, and expats let their hair down. For many people, the annual revelry is marked by a few heavy drinking sessions followed by a few hangovers – and a new year resolution to take it easier next…
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Phuket gardening: Heliconia and hibiscus
PHUKET: I have deliberately kept the heliconia for another day. Why? Because, despite the name, the connection with the sun is less obvious than with the sunflower brigade. I can only assume it is because one common variety has chrome yellow spikes, much used as a cut flower by florists. But whatever the reason, the heliconia is a favorite here…
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Consultant says gray out, green in for Phuket’s real estate boom in 2014 and beyond
PHUKET: Back in November, an energetic Chilean man paid a visit to the Phuket Gazette offices. Identifying himself as Ignacio Espoz Babul, the Director of (Santiago-based) LatinGreen – a patent holder, innovator and installer of “Green Walls” – the man passionately talked of a coming “Green Revolution” that he had envisioned for Phuket and the whole of Asia. In the…
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Hotels support coastal water safety
PHUKET: Several Phuket hotel general managers and marine industry stakeholders met recently to discuss coastal waters safety, agreeing that there will be a renewed push to move the island’s safety standards to the next level – and that they would give their full-hearted support to the recently launched Safer Phuket campaign. Also, see related story here. The meeting was held…
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Phuket Property: Laguna park condominiums launched
PHUKET: Laguna Park Condominiums, the latest development by Laguna Property, was launched as the final component of the Laguna Park master plan’s first phase.The condominiums follow the recent and successful introduction of townhomes and villas to the project’s plan. “With the Laguna Park condominiums, we are targeting single residents and young couples with the appeal of the integrated Laguna lifestyle…
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Outlook bright for Dubai property expo
PHUKET: The 10th International Property Show (IPS), which will coincide with the Annual Investment Meeting 2014, from April 8-10 in the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center, will attract 300 companies from 80 countries. The Phuket Gazette and PGTV are proud media sponsors of the exhibition, which this year will be the biggest edition since its inception. Supported by the…
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PIMEX 2014 draws to a successful close
PHUKET: It was all smiles last Sunday evening as the 11th Phuket International Boat Show at the Royal Phuket Marina drew to a close. Happy exhibitors cleared their displays before moving on to enjoy a well deserved respite from a busy weekend at the boardwalk restaurants and bars. By all reports, this year was a fantastic show with many exhibitors…
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Royal Melodies concert coming to Phuket
PHUKET: Jazz lovers are in for a treat starting tomorrow when the Royal Melodies concert and exhibition kicks-off in Phuket. Featuring the music of His Majesty King Bhumibhol Adulyadej (Rama IX), the three-night concert will be a star-studded affair. The exhibition of HM’s musical legacy will include the saxophone, which he used to composed many of his songs. There will…
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Property Watch: So near and yet so far
PHUKET: Asia’s resort property scene is not unlike any other industry, in that it’s always on the lookout for the next big thing. What do they say about the key to success – location location location. Is that one or three? Perhaps there is just an echo in the room or the snoring of an elephant next door. Of course…
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Living in Patong has its privileges
PHUKET: With the lasting development boom in Phuket, one might find it difficult to keep track of all the new condominiums and villa projects appearing on the island’s map. That’s why Karn Jiratuntathorn, the owner of the Privilege residences in Patong is aiming for something different. “My project is not the same as others. There are many projects coming to…
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Phuket Art: The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom
PHUKET: Richard Skene is no stranger to art nor to Phuket. While his professional training is in the management of property, he has maintained a lifelong interest in how art can reflect the struggle to find happiness. “I’ve observed that the path to happiness can lead either to the pursuit of pleasure or the pursuit of restraint as practiced by…
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Colorectal Disease Institute opens at Bangkok Hospital Phuket
PHUKET: Today marked the official grand opening of the Bangkok Phuket Colorectal Institute at Bangkok Hospital Phuket (BHP). The opening follows a colorectal symposium at BHP last month (story here). Directed by surgeon Dr Art Hiranyakas, the new institute specializes in the diagnoses and advanced treatment of a multitude of colorectal diseases including colon and prostate cancer. Dr Hiranyakas is…
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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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