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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Bonsai, cacti, palms and ponds – Phuket Gardening
PHUKET: One article could hardly begin to catalog the sheer scope and variety of the Phuket Botanical Garden, with its 15 rai and an army of 30 gardening staff. There are more than 30 independent zones, ranging from Thai inspired mini-gardens to a Japanese style affair complete with miniature pagoda and red rectangular arch; even an English Garden with raised…
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Phuket Explore: Blazing Saddles – Sok it to me baby!
PHUKET: Just three hours north of Phuket is one of Southeast Asia’s most stunning unspoiled natural resources – Khao Sok National Park. As Phuket becomes ever more febrile and hectic, residents and visitors alike increasingly need to escape to such places of physical, spiritual regeneration. We reached Khao Sok National Park on a sweltering April day by heading north across…
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Superyacht Rendezvous to rock Kata
PHUKET: Kata Rocks, one of Phuket’s premier oceanfront developments, has been chosen to become the official host sponsor for the 2013 Asia Superyacht Rendezvous event. “This is a logical move for two companies that cater to the lifestyles of individuals, to whom luxury, beauty and tranquility are of paramount importance,” commented organizer, Charles Dwyer. Charlie Dwyer of the Asia Superyacht…
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Phuket Pets: Unchecked aggression
PHUKET: We’ve all heard stories about aggressive dogs and perhaps you have one of these so labeled canines living next door. Many of us have read newspaper articles, here and abroad, depicting vicious attacks on youngsters, or other dogs, by these ‘aggressive’ or ‘bully’ breeds. Of course, we all know the breeds I’m talking about: Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Pit Bulls…
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Phuket Property: Space solutions
PHUKET: Surging land costs and the resulting trend of ‘residential downsizing’ has been a boon for Phuket’s premier self-storage company, MY STORAGE Self Storage; with its ideally located Patong facility seeing an accelerated demand for its services. Speaking to the Phuket Gazette recently, owners Sukanda Chiaranussati and Robert Akerblom talked about residential market trends as well as their firm’s growth…
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Phuket Property Watch: Color-blind vision for the future
PHUKET: The island’s coconut-esque social media is simmering over political events in shirt-dom. Red, yellow, white and blue. For those who know me, I am firmly a black shirt kind of guy. Yes indeed, day in and day out I just love those casual tees. In case anyone is wondering, yes, I do have a large drawer in my closet…
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Phuket Health: Back to the bare basics
PHUKET: Dr Thomas Walton is the newest member of the team at Thanyapura’s Integrated Health Clinic in Thalang. In addition to being a Chiropractic Sports Physician, Dr Walton, a native of Buffalo, New York, is also a US-licensed Massage Therapist and National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) certified Personal Exercise Trainer, with some 25 years experience in the chiropractic profession.…
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Phuket History: Early Portuguese forays into Siam
PHUKET: The Portuguese were the first European power to arrive in the Far-East and established a diplomatic relationship with Thailand, which at that time was known as the Kingdom of Siam. Portuguese diplomatic missions arrived in Siam in the early 16th Century. During that period the Kingdom’s capital and center of authority was based in the ancient city of Ayutthaya.…
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Phuket Life: A botanical cornucopia – Gardening
PHUKET: I have just paid my first visit to the Phuket Botanic Garden. It is a relatively new enterprise, and in the way of novel horticultural enterprises, I did not expect to discover an extensive, superabundant or mature garden. Wrong on all counts. When I emerged two hours later, I felt overwhelmed by the sheer scope and size of the…
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Phuket Tech: New-look Flickr gives users a terabyte of media storage
PHUKET: Popular photo sharing service Flickr recently revamped its website interface and Android app with a new photocentric layout. Perhaps the biggest change aimed at luring more people to their service is the increase of its online storage space to one terabyte per user. The new layout fills the screen with photographs using a black background and minimizing empty space.…
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In focus: Staying safe at Phuket’s beaches
PHUKET: With the return of the annual southwest monsoon conditions, Phuket’s popular tourist beaches are at their most dangerous. Members of the fledgeling Phuket Livesaving club have once again warned tourists and locals to be vigilant about swimming safety. Lifeguards last year saved 333 swimmers. Video: PGTV Rip currents and powerful waves can easliy catch novice swimmers unaware, and even…
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Phuket Health: Damage in a glass
PHUKET: Newspaper articles often extol the potential health benefits of so-called moderate drinking, but while very small amounts can have some minimally beneficial effects, alcohol is a substance that does far more damage than good. For example, alcohol consumption can induce up to 60 diseases; is the third leading lifestyle-related cause of death; and, in the USA alone, is responsible…
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Phuket Life: Smooth sailing on the USS Nimitz [VIDEO]
PHUKET: For anyone interested in military aviation, a chance to board the US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz is the opportunity of a lifetime – and a group of lucky Phuket reporters were invited aboard the mammoth floating airfield soon after it anchored off Cape Panwa recently. The Nimitz Strike Group includes the USS Princeton missile cruiser and nine flight squadrons.…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Rice – a whole grain of truth
PHUKET: Rice is the staple food of the Thai diet and one that is consumed in great quantities. From breakfast to dinner, and sometimes well into the night, no Thai meal is ever complete without rice. Nothing beats a bowl of freshly cooked, aromatic Jasmine rice. Considered by Thais the king of all rice, its perfume is redolent of the…
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Taking the long-term view for Phuket’s property market
PHUKET: I figured I might as well go ahead and embarrass myself right out of the gates by making a bold prediction about where Phuket’s property market is headed. Unfortunately for you, my prediction is probably much longer term than you might be hoping to hear. It is based on a few simple principles, and I dare say that if…
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Phuket Explore: A canter around Lanta – Blazing Saddles
PHUKET: Koh Lanta is about a four-hour drive south of the Sarasin Bridge and has been described by many as ‘paradise postponed’. The reason is that access to this lovely island is constrained by the need to cross two small pieces of sea by two extremely slow and decrepit vehicular ferries, which can take up to two hours to negotiate,…
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Phuket Gardening: “B’ is for bloomin’ beauties
PHUKET: Well not all bloomin’ beauties. Take bamboo or bambusa for example, it does produce a blossom; after all, flowers are a necessary prelude to the more important business of procreation by seed dispersal. However, bamboo isn’t cultivated for its flowers, but for entirely different reasons. It is grown to create the ramrod-straight canes used commercially in scaffolding, or for…
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Phuket History: Recalling a Thai-Malaysian legacy
PHUKET: One of the most famous historical figures in the history of Phuket and this region, is the late Khaw Sim Bee Na Ranong, better known on Phuket as Praya Rassada. He was the high commissioner of Phuket and the Southwestern region of Siam from 1900 to 1913. He was assassinated 100 years ago in May, 1913. To commemorate his…
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Phuket to host Asian animation summit
PHUKET: Organizers of the second annual Asian Animation Summit (AAS) have announced that the 2013 event will take place in Phuket from December 9-11, following the Asia Television Forum. A five-star resort and spa on Karon Beach, to be announced, will host the summit, which seeks to promote co-production and co-financing of animation projects. The AAS is an annual event…
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Phuket Property Watch: Beach blanket bingo at Bongo
PHUKET: I can hear the distant pounding of bongos in the night. Of course, once you get passed 50, there is the sudden moment of terror and then the notion your heart is going to thump, thump, thump you right into the afterlife. Are there bongos in heaven or hell? But no, it’s definitely bongo madness out there somewhere in…
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Phuket Property: Secure your home by phone
PHUKET: For many property owners in Phuket, security is a constant concern. If you are heading overseas or off-island for travel or business, there was previously no way to monitor your property while you were away. To increase their home security and personal convenience, many people are now turning to the increasingly affordable home automation and security products that have…
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New On On cherishes old memories
PHUKET: The On On Hotel on Phang Nga Road in Phuket Town is now a place you could recommend to your mother. Gone are the cars parked in the atrium, the scary hallways, the worn-out bedrooms whose appearance in the film ‘The Beach’ made it the world’s most famous dive and a magnet for backpackers. The renovation of the hotel,…
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Phuket Health and Fitness: Learn to feel good
PHUKET: Recently the island hosted the second Rawai-Nai Harn Health and Wellness Festival during which a gathering of highly qualified practitioners led various sessions designed to help us all lead healthier, happier, more well-balanced lives. Phuket is certainly privileged in having so many of these heath practitioners living and working here, but their presence begs the question: “Why choose Phuket…
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Phuket Gardening: ABC of plants – “A’ is also for almond
PHUKET: A couple of recent inquiries reminded me of another omission in my opening sorties on the subject of ‘A’ plants. Chris Sieber wrote to ask how he could find a source book where he could “find plant names in English, Latin and Thai.” And on the subject of almonds, he added: “About three years ago I brought three green…
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Fearless forecast for Phuket hotels; Branded residences capture investors’ interest
PHUKET: We are still less than five months into the Year of the Water Snake and as I sit at my desk on a rainy Sunday, my mood turns aquatic. I grind out any thoughts of the past, like stubbing out a spent cigarette with a worn heel of a scuffed pair of working shoes. Not content with only a…
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Phuket Property: A vision for Vista
PHUKET: Situated on a hill among lush landscape overlooking Nai Thon beach, Vista del Mar is an exclusive villa development bordered by landscaped tropical gardens. The recently launched second phase of the development will consist of four smaller villas – 300 square meters, compared to the larger 420 to 700 sqm first phase villas – complete with infinity swimming pools…
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Collaboration key element for Phuket’s Design and Decoration Exhibition
PHUKET: AAA Exhibition & Training Co Ltd, in collaboration with the Phuket Chamber of Commerce and Thailand Variety Construction Magazine, are ready to stage the inaugural Phuket Design and Decoration Exhibition. The event will take place in the Grand Ballroom on the 2nd floor of the Royal Phuket City Hotel (click here for map), from May 30 to June 2,…
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GiVE back!
PHUKET: IT’S not only about rapid off-plan sell-outs for Sansiri Pcl; the real estate market leader is also known for setting the bar high in the realm of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Complementing the success of its Iodine Please and Sansiri Academy projects over the past few years, the property firm has raised the CSR standard yet again, setting a…
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Phuket Food: Discover the delights of durian
PHUKET: The ineffable flavor of the durian has been a source of intense debate among locals and visitors to Southeast Asia for centuries. There have been countless attempts at describing the fruit’s pungent smell and unique taste; it has been likened to roast almonds, rotten onions, old gym socks and even turpentine. While everyone has a different way of describing…
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Airborne Virus spreads science across the globe
While many visitors arrived at Phuket International Airport in the run-up to last month’s Songkran Festival, a French couple, whose microlight aircraft landed there on April 11 for safety reasons, raised more than a few eyebrows at the busy facility. Stephen Fein reports:PHUKET: The couple, 31-year-old Adrien Normier and his fiancée Clementine Bacri, 28, are on an around-the-world journey of…
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