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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Explore: References for underwater world
PHUKET: Coming to Thailand from a landlocked country, there are few points of reference that we can use to mentally prepare for a PADI open water diving course. For those who have never been diving before, most of our context for the underwater world is derived from urban references: movies, books, advertisements and aquariums – we all know what a…
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By the book: Prep your property for rent
PHUKET: Many Phuket property owners purchase here with the intention of renting out their property. Historically, Phuket has provided owners with very attractive rental returns on their investments, a trend which is likely to continue as the island’s appeal to tourists and long-term expats continues to grow. Preparing a property for rent starts at the purchasing stage. A buyer must…
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Books: A great love story
PHUKET: Plot, characterization, dialogue, descriptive style – many elements combine to make a good novel, but the most mysterious is empathy, that magic emotional connection that makes a reader care passionately about fictional characters. In this, first-time novelist Atticus Lish succeeds magnificently. His Preparation for the Next Life (Tyrant Books, New York, 2015, 417pp) opens with this sentence: “She came…
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Property: Boat Avenue goes higher
PHUKET: The Boat Avenue community mall in the Laguna area is in the process of adding seven more shophouses in the main compound and will later build commercial structures along both sides of the newly constructed road. Boon Yongsakul, deputy managing director of Boat Development Company, an offshoot of the famous Boat Lagoon marina, told the Gazette that each of…
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Excuse Buster: Making Maori mighty
PHUKET: Seafood – alongside avocados and coconuts – is my all-time favorite meal. After living in landlocked locations in the United Kingdom and Europe for the past 12 years, it is good to be living in Phuket – back by the sea, enjoying fresh seafood again. On the menu in the Burton house last week were mussels tom-ka style, with…
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Brides go gaga for Baba wedding in Phuket [video]
PHUKET: The Thai Peranakan Association and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket, along with local government officials, are organizing a mass ‘Baba Yaya’ wedding ceremony at Sukko Spa Resort with dinner to follow at 75 VT Nam Neaung Restaurant in Phuket Town on June 21. The event celebrates more than 200 years of local traditional weddings in the ‘Baba…
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Property Watch: Breaking down stats
PHUKET: Island condominiums continue to be the horse you have to ride, which is evident when you see mid-rise buildings coming up as far as the eyes can see. For the market though, talk continues to turn toward a bubble, a crash or at least a short break for a little ‘me’ time. So what’s up for Phuket property as…
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Phuket Pads: Great home, great community
PHUKET: The perfect family home is located on a secure estate just walking distance from British International School, and only 15 minutes from Phuket International Academy, two of the most well-known international schools on the island. The six-bedroom – or five-bedroom plus office – home is in an estate which is already full of expat families, making it extremely convenient…
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Gardening: Between a rock and a hard place
PHUKET: I was recently invited by my good friend Paul Maitland-Smith to Cebu, in the Philippines. Like Phuket, Cebu is an island, and on much the same latitude. It is, however, considerably larger, with mountains rising to 3,300 feet – twice the height of those in Phuket. Much of the tropical vegetation there prompted memories of the hillside rainforests in…
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Topping charter charts
PHUKET: Northrop & Johnson Asia won the distinguished ‘Best Asia-based Charter Company’ award at the 2015 Asia Boating Awards in Hong Kong earlier this month. Created by Asia-Pacific Boating and China Boating magazines in 2005, the annual Asia Boating Awards recognize the best in the Asian maritime industry and beyond. The awards serve as a benchmark for the industry in…
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Property Watch: Make change, not war
PHUKET: We may all well remember a court case involving a hot cup of coffee and a customer who sued the coffee shop for serving hot coffee. What a preposterous case, we may cry. How do people inhabit this earth and go about their daily lives, and yet still manage to create issues out of nothing by simply complaining about…
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Books: Failed search for next giant
PHUKET: I’ve long sought for the successors to the twentieth century giants of Brazilian literature, Jorge Amado and Erico Verissimo. So far, I’ve failed. Daniel Galera’s novel Blood-Drenched Beard (The Penguin Press, New York, 2014, 374pp) is the latest disappointment. The prose is pedestrian, the pace leaden and the plot improbable, shading into preposterous. The entire mess limps along in…
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Southern Asian, Arabic visitors lift Phuket rental market
PHUKET: Although a plunge in the number of Russian visitors hit Phuket’s rental market hard this high season, the unsettling gap narrowed slightly through a small increase in Southern Asian and Arabic travellers, said Dexter Norville, Jones Lang LaSalle’s director for Thailand. This rental market is made up of the usual crowd of Europeans, Australians and Russians, but now more…
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Excuse Buster: Right kind of pressure
PHUKET: The word is out about self myofascial release – foam rolling – and, no, Phuket people, this doesn’t have to do with a ‘soapy’ or ‘happy-ending release’. Foam rolling was once a secretive technique used by professional coaches and therapists, but has become a regular practice for people across the spectrum of fitness levels. Self myofascial release is in…
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Blazing Saddles: Bicycling in Bangkok
PHUKET: I have long believed the bicycle represents something of a magical chariot with the ability to unleash serendipitous experiences at many turns. So it proved on my last visit to Bangkok, where I had flown to spend some time with my 22-year-old daughter, Olivia, who stopped there en route from Sydney to London. Now it’s probably no coincidence the…
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Sea Co-working space to bring waves of change to Phuket’s shores
PHUKET: THE SEA Co-working Space and Marine Library Cafe in Phuket Old Town welcomes people of all walks of life to join projects, events and discussions as the co-owners – Saovapa Atsilarat and Krongkaew Soo-ampon – work to make Phuket more sustainable, one minimized carbon footprint at a time. Housed in a 3-storey building, the venue offers complete office infrastructure,…
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Gardening: Laying down the lawn
PHUKET: Michael Hickman, an experienced Kalim gardener, has some questions about grass. The first concerns grass varieties, their availability and maintenance. “We laid the lawn in our garden six years ago and have tried to keep it regularly cut, weeded and fertilized,” Michael said. “However there are areas where we have lost the battle against some invasive grass type”. Michael…
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Baba Beach Club aims for top tier
PHUKET: Only a perch at the very top is good enough for a 42-rai super project just across the bridge on Phang Nga’s Na Tai Beach, which is being developed by well-known Charn Issara Development Plc in partnership with China-based Junfa Real Estate Company. Called Baba Beach Club, this massive development will have a hotel and a beach club, six…
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Island Fever: After the thrill is gone
PHUKET: We have just hit midair turbulence as the captain turns on the fasten-seat-belt sign. In the row opposite me, an older mother of two has her son in a headlock, and a spare hand clamped over his mouth to muffle the droning noise of what appears to be a manic case of attention deficit disorder. A quick bite to…
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Phuket Pads: Layan villa beckons buyers
PHUKET: Some would say location and convenience are two of the main attractions, in addition to exceptional property value, in what is a very up-market area of Phuket Island. The Laguna, Layan areas are known for houses and villas with starting prices above 20 million baht, which makes this value-for-money gem a great buy. This villa is a part of…
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Yacht Solutions ramps up for superyachts
PHUKET: Renowned marine services provider Yacht Solutions opened its second office in Phuket on May 1, anticipating a surge in the number of high end yachts and superyachts seeking to call Phuket home, or to use the island as a base for charter operations. Interest in Phuket from yacht owners around the world is increasing year on year and in…
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Up in the air: Thalang Technical College launches aviation industry program
PHUKET: Thalang Technical College (TTC) has launched Thailand’s first vocational program to prepare students for a wide range of careers in the aviation industry and help support the growing need for skilled staff at nearby Phuket International Airport (HKT). TTC Deputy Director Kochakorn Butsaraporn, who administers the school’s aviation program, told the Phuket Gazette that TTC is proud to be…
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Art: Double-dose of spice features comedy, Indian food
PHUKET: Those looking to add a double-dose of spice to their lives, gastronomically and satirically, need travel no farther than the Spice Box Indian restaurant on Boat Avenue on May 30. That’s where and when internationally renowned American stand-up comedian Tom Rhodes takes the stage to dispense his unique blend of razor sharp and often irreverent comedic commentary. Beginning at…
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Books: Powwow with Chief Red Cloud
PHUKET: The histories of wars are told by the victors. We have Caesar’s Gallic Wars, nothing by Vercingetorix. Entire libraries are devoted to the white man’s wars against the American Indians, whose leaders remain largely mute. The exception is Red Cloud, the war chief of the Sioux. His war in 1866-1867 resulted in victory, withdrawal of the United States Army…
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Across the Land: Strong baht, fewer buyers means soft summer market
PHUKET: The Year of the Goat (Sheep/Ram) was heralded February 19 and signaled the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year. After a disastrous Year of the Horse – two major airplane crashes, unrest in Ukraine, ISIS kidnappings and be-headings, social turmoil in Thailand – the Year of the Goat is much welcomed. For a start, The Tourism Authority of…
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Excuse Buster: Magnesium – A powerhouse mineral
PHUKET: Guess which mineral deficiency makes you twice as likely to die as people with healthy levels? According to a study published in The Journal of Intensive Care Medicine, the answer is magnesium. Many people have heard of the benefits of getting enough magnesium to relax muscles (reduce muscle cramps) and promote sleep, but did you know magnesium is responsible…
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Diving: Seldom seen sea creatures revealed in Kata Beach night dive
PHUKET: If you haven’t figured it out yet, you might not be at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, but you sure aren’t listening well – Kata Beach diving is amazing, and so are the night dives there. Of course, it feels a little like bragging about going to a underground Rolling Stones’ show after the fact, but for those…
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Shop, chill and eat at Phuket’s liveliest marina
PHUKET: The Lighthouse Weekend Market returns to Boat Lagoon this Friday for a three-day weekend extravaganza, the last of the year as the southwest monsoon season officially rolls in. The events kick off with a nightly Happy Hour from 5pm to 7pm, during which half-priced drinks and two-for-one specials will be offered at all the dockside bars and selected eateries.…
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Phuket Pads: Get resort feel in bay villa
PHUKET: This type of beachfront villa in the south of the island is rare. But, why? We should start by saying that all beach fronts on the island of Phuket have been occupied by hotels and resorts, and the cost of land is so expensive that to build a private villa, for most budgets, would not be economical. Furthermore, Thai…
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Island Fever: Recall – Sportsmanship, winning
PHUKET: I’m not quite sure what compelled me to join the flock of media-crazed sports fans and buckle up for the fight of the century between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. The fact it was a Sunday made the decision to couch surf a little bit easier. But in the end, I, like so many others who once went past…
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