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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A different style of celebration in Phuket
PHUKET has its own riotous version of Songkran, Thailand’s most important public holiday. Primarily a water festival, it celebrates the Thai lunar New Year and is held annually on April 13. Mostly an occasion for youthful exuberance, the whole island is turned into a war zone, as young people spend the day getting into water fights with anything from pump…
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Law, Life & Society: Have fun, but don’t break the law
PHUKET: Songkran was originally a Thai religious festival marking the beginning of the Buddhist New Year. Now it has morphed into a week-long holiday, water fights and parties. Large numbers of tourists come to Thailand to join in the festivities. It is a time where people let loose and civility is secondary. In response, Thai police are present in large…
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Handy tips for online shopping in Phuket
PHUKET: Online shopping is so easily accessible these days that even those residing on islands can benefit from its perks while enjoying island life to the maximum. While websites like eBay and Amazon are dominating the West, e-commerce is only starting to grow here in Southeast Asia. According to Statista, the number of users in Thailand’s e-commerce market is expected…
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Keep It Green: Now is the time to act
PHUKET: Bad news for conservationists: the most powerful man in the universe is not only a non-believer in climate change, but is drastically reducing the US budget devoted to environmental issues. And one of Trump’s advisers calls ecologically aware people “like Hari Krishna… they’re glassy-eyed and they chant”. Big business and environmental concerns just don’t mix – globally or locally.…
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Seeing beauty in black and white
PHUKET: In today’s fast-paced digital world, where anyone can take thousands of photos with a smartphone, there are still those who see the value of spending time in a darkroom and processing photographs using a technique known as ‘gelatin silver printing’. It may be unheard of in Phuket, but a group of 12 photographers, together with the Phuket Darkroom Club…
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SNAKES! But not all snakes are deadly, most aren’t
A friend discovered a snake on his balcony the other day and asked me what it was. With alternate broad bands of yellow and black and a triangular-shaped body, it could only have been a banded krait. Fortunately, he stood well back and allowed the creature to slither away into the garden. I say fortunately because all kraits are extremely…
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Profile: Dr Tanwa Apornthip’s love of science and Phuket
PHUKET: Dr Tanwa Apornthip is currently a faculty member at Prince of Songkla University (PSU), Phuket campus. He recently obtained his PhD from the University of Virginia and joined the interdisciplinary graduate school of Earth System Science and Andaman Natural Disaster Management (ESSAND) at PSU. Hailing from a scientific family, Dr Tanwa says he has always looked up to his…
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Law, life and Society: Reassessing the Thai education system
PHUKET: The Thai education system was recently featured in the Economist. The article, titled ‘Poor schools are at the heart of Thailand’s political malaise‘, was published on January 19, 2017 and discussed Thailand’s international education rankings in the recently released ‘Program for International Student Assessment’ (PISA). Thailand’s scores have plunged to an overall ranking of 54 out of 70 assessed…
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Gardening: Marvelous benefits of the neem tree
PHUKET: I have written in these columns before about the sadao tree, or azadiracha indica, which we gardeners in Thailand know as neem. But my interest was re-kindled by a reader from Hua Hin who wrote to say he was “looking for a supplier of neem from the sadao tree”. I presume he wants to use it as an organic…
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Profile: Not your average tuk-tuk driver
PHUKET: Sophon Pol Kaew In, or Pol, as he is better known to his friends and customers, is currently a taxi and tuk-tuk driver in Phuket and somewhat of a favorite with foreigners. Originally from Krabi, he moved to Phuket at the age of 18, more than 25 years ago. “I came to Phuket as a young, carefree boy. I…
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On Deck: Unprecedented boom in ocean waste
PHUKET: I’ve written on the topic of ocean waste before. In fact, I first wrote on the topic more than 18 months ago, but it appears that little has changed. Ocean waste is everyone’s responsibility – not just divers, sailors, or swimmers, but everyone who in some way makes a living from the island of Phuket. Phuket’s lifeblood is tourism,…
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Property Watch: Keeping Phuket property dealings honest
PHUKET: I have written quite a few articles over the years, hopefully in a balanced way, on reservation deposits, property investments and purchases in Phuket, which have always included a word of caution about how practices in Thailand on property deposits can vary significantly from other Asian property investment destinations, such as Hong Kong and Singapore. Certain elements of Phuket’s…
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Profile: Watcharapong Saikaew – First professional CMP in Thailand
PHUKET: Watcharapong Saikaew, or Pom, as he is better known, is the Assistant Director of Events at Angsana Laguna Phuket and the first Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) in Thailand. With a lucrative career and a four-year Hotel and Tourism Management degree from Prince of Songkla University under his belt, he is a proud flag bearer for the Banyan Tree group,…
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Excuse buster: The miracles of nature’s ‘super foods’
PHUKET: One thing in common at nearly all the centers I work at in Phuket is giving clients Apple Cider vinegar. Either clients have it as a salad dressing or it’s given with water before meals. A lot has been written about its remarkable healing properties. Is it a true health wonder or is it mostly fiction? I am always…
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Keep It Green: Small initiatives to clean up the environment
PHUKET: In one of his last essays, “Civilization and Its Discontents”, Sigmund Freud, one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century, argued that mankind had a ‘death wish’, a willed capacity for self-destruction. “Civilization’s aim was,” he said, “to combine single human individuals, families, then races, peoples and nations into one great unity, the unity of mankind”. But he…
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By The Book: Market signals in the new year
PHUKET: Last year, Thailand experienced a record number of tourist arrivals – 32.6 million (up 9 per cent year-on-year), generating 1.6 trillion baht in revenue (up 12.6 per cent year-on-year). As we go further into 2017, occupancy rates for rental properties over the high season look good – albeit slightly lower than previous years – especially for pool villas, which…
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Law, Life and Society: Consequences of holiday debauchery
PHUKET: There are numerous ‘dek khrueng’ or ‘half-children’ born to women who work in Thailand’s red-light districts. Many foreign men come to Thailand for a short holiday to spend their time with Thai women. Some of them leave without knowing that they have a child. Others know about, but still decide to return to their home country. These women are…
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Profile: What victory means for Miss Grand Krabi 2017
PHUKET: Phuket native Pamela Pasinetti was recently crowned ‘Miss Grand Krabi 2017’. Poised and elegant in her gown and tiara, Pamela spoke to Simon J Hand of Gazette Radio to talk about her pageant experience. Now 23 years of age, Pamela has always had big dreams. “I’ve always wanted to be a pageant queen,” she smiled. “It’s something every young…
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‘Flying moth’ comes to town
PHUKET: There’s a new bird in town that goes by the name of Shadow. Light as a feather and built entirely with carbon fiber, the Shadow is a Moth equipped with hydrofoils that allow it to ‘fly’ up to a height of at least 5 feet. The idea of the ‘Moth’ dates back to 1928 when the first model of…
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Property Watch: Seeing through Phuket property transience
PHUKET: There are many themes of life in Phuket that are either interwoven or operate independently. It is possible, as many local Phuketians will testify, to exist in Phuket without even meeting your friends on a regular basis because you live on ‘different sides of the island’, or ‘don’t like driving over the hill’, or because of the traffic jams.…
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Party it up like you’re in Ibiza
PHUKET: Did you know that the Balearic island of Ibiza and the Andaman island of Phuket are within a few square miles of being the same size? There are other connections too: quite a large chunk of Ibiza has UNESCO World Heritage status, while Phuket cuisine recently picked up the UNESCO seal of approval. Additionally, a significant and growing chunk…
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Excuse Buster: A healthy treat for gluten intolerant foodies
PHUKET: Consider the irony: a gluten intolerant nutritionist marries a German baker’s daughter… things could get very interesting. However, I am really lucky to have a very accepting father-in-law who also enjoys making breads and bakery goods that I can eat too. He was recently with us over Christmas and came up with a new low-carb, gluten-free bread recipe that…
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Looking Back: The rise and fall of Chiang Mai
PHUKET: Chiang Mai has existed as a city for over 700 years. It is older than Bangkok and probably as old as Sukhothai. In the past, Chiang Mai was the capital of the Kingdom of Lanna, an independent kingdom rich in resources and unique in its culture and traditions. The city was founded by King Mengrai, who came to the…
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Across the Land: Evolution of high season property market
PHUKET: The last two months have been particularly ‘different’ from the past years’ norms in Phuket in more ways than one. Firstly, the weather has not been as predictable. Hot, sunny days are now interlaced with cloudy, rainy days and the weather forecast is hardly ever accurate. If you think the weather forecast in Phuket is sounding a little like…
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Keep It Green: Opening the floodgates to a watery embrace
PHUKET: Southern Thailand has recently been in the watery embrace of floods that are unprecedented in their severity. A few statistics to clarify the situation: the inundation has affected 13 provinces in Southern Thailand, with Songkhla being the worst hit – 14 out of 16 districts have been declared disaster areas. There have been more than 40 recorded fatalities, while…
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Profile: Tasana Nagavajara – A musical feast for the soul
PHUKET: Bangkok native Tasana Nagavajara is the artistic director of Pro Musica and is currently performing a series of classical concerts as the violinist for Pro Musica Ensemble. The trio is touring Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin and Bangkok this month, with the Phuket performance tonight – Monday January 23 – at Mom Tri Villa Royale. Mr Tasana has been…
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Law, Life and Society: Becoming a professional teacher in Thailand
PHUKET: If there is one thing that impels young professionals to come and visit Thailand, it’s the idea that the grass looks greener on this side of the world. Thailand offers vast employment opportunities to foreigners, especially in the field of education. I recall being reluctant, yet interested, as I started looking into the possibility of becoming a teacher about…
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Phuket International Boat Show draws crowds
PHUKET: The 2017 Phuket International Boat Show (PIMEX) presented by Thailand Elite was held from January 5-8 and aimed to impress with an abundance of action in the marina and waterside Exhibition Hall – and a busy boardwalk at host venue Royal Phuket Marina. Despite the unexpected rainy weather on the last two days, visitor turnout was strong, with a…
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Property: Angsana Beachfront Residences attract global interest
Advertorial: PHUKET: The Banyan Tree Group’s launch of Angsana Beachfront Residences, its inaugural investment in resort style living in Thailand at Laguna Phuket, Bang Tao Beach, is already being hailed a success. Over 60% of the beachfront luxury branded condominiums have been sold since the project was announced last month (story here). “We are receiving a level of response in…
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Across the Land: What the new airport means for Phang Nga
PHUKET: It’s been three months since the new Phuket International Airport terminal was officially opened, but the moans and groans about the efficiency of the airport remain, with passengers complaining of long delays at immigration counters – whether inbound or outbound. Even the domestic terminal has seen long queues waiting for luggage, and a chaos of cars, taxis and limousines…
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