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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Retirees in Thailand are increasingly seeing the importance of health insurance in protecting their well-being during retirement. With insurance requirements for retirement visas and rising healthcare costs, many are moving away from short-term plans and choosing long-term coverage. Long-term health...
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Phuket Arts: Wolfe goes after blood
PHUKET: Tom Wolfe made his name with four collections of magazine stories published in rapid succession between 1965 and 1970 that chronicled the wild 1960s in hyperventilated prose, replete with ellipses, italics and… exclamation points! These grandiose ‘New Journalism’ stylistic tics have persisted throughout the decades. Wolfe is now 81. But give him credit for honest, dogged research. His book…
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Phuket Gardening: Gift-wrapped for gardeners
PHUKET: Garden tools. Ah…Hardly romantic, but, even at Christmas, likely to be appreciated by the hands-on horticulturalist. At the risk of sounding sexist, more for the men in your life. A simple choice would be a pair of secateurs. It doesn’t matter if the intended recipient has a pair – she can always keep another pair handy in the car.…
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Phuket Property Watch: Weary wayward night owls
PHUKET: My mother always said, “nothing good happens after midnight”. For travellers, the witching hours, between the dead of night and the dawn, are a subtle or shall we say ‘sublime’ last call. In past lives I’ve worked the night shift; as a bartender, blackjack dealer and hotel clerk. It’s a unique microcosm of the secret lives of strangers. I’m…
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Asia Superyacht Rendezvous sends sublime ripples through Phuket’s lifestyle scene
PHUKET: The first night of the Asia Superyacht Rendezvous 2012 kicked off yesterday evening at the Angsana Laguna Phuket resort on the shores of Bang Tao Bay, on Phuket’s west coast.The annual three-day superyacht extravaganza began with the formal welcoming of local and international sponsors, media and guests, as well as the captains and owners of all the magnificent participating…
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Phuket Arts: The story of a teenage refugee
PHUKET: When Chris Cleave’s second novel The Other Hand (Sceptre, London, 2009, 378pp) was first published in the UK, it sold a mere 3,000 copies in hardback. Word of mouth spread, however, and by the time the novel was published in the US it became the top New York Times best seller. I had never heard of it, but a…
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Phuket Food: Three steps from heaven
PHUKET: Trisara is a very imposing but undeniably beautiful resort: Set on 40 acres of hillside lushness on the northwestern coast of Phuket, every one if its pool villas afford gorgeous sea-and-sunset-views out to a mysterious looking rocky promontory in the Andaman Sea. The resort is the sort of place that celebrities come to and, well, disappear for a few…
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Phuket Explore: Blazing Saddles
PHUKET: Welcome to Blazing Saddles as we take you on one of Phuket’s most famous and favorite bike rides, down to the charming southernmost beach on the island’s west coast, to Nai Harn. It’s a bleary 6am start as you clamber into your Lycra biking attire, adjust the funny codpiece bulging at the front of your shorts and wheel your…
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Phuket Property Watch: Welcome to my nightmare
PHUKET: “I’m as mad as Hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore.” Remember that infamous Hollywood line? Network – Peter Finch going out in a blaze of glory for the entire world to see. In this case what’s driven me to the edge of madness? The place inhabited by bums in torn clothes, religious zealots and all manner…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Robin Gillow, the wandering artist
PHUKET: Robin Gillow’s paintings, now on display at Boathouse, remind the viewer of a disappearing style of country life found in Thailand.This talented South African began showing her drawings and paintings while still in school. She learned her craft while attending what’s now known as the National School of the Arts, in a program that included industrial design, sculpture, painting…
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Phuket Property: Lakeside living
PHUKET: The Lake House is a development of seven villas, located close to Laguna. Four of the villas are to be designed in a Thai-Balinese style and are ideal affordable homes for families. The villas will look out across a lake and come with a private swimming pool, jacuzzi, lush tropical gardens and an open sala entertainment area next to…
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Phuket Gardening: Marginal choices
PHUKET: There has been lots of hot air expended about marginals during the run-up to the American presidential election. In political terms, “marginals” are states where a few key votes may swing all the seats either in a Republican or Democratic direction. In the case of Florida, all 28 members elected to Congress. Marginals can be very important. In the…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Nothing but blue skies for Yaowawit School
PHUKET: Yaowawit School and Lodge is getting greener with a new solar PV field donated by solar solution and service provider Conergy, The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Thailand and freight-forwarding company Logwin Air + Ocean (Thailand) Ltd. The school celebrated the installation with a presentation to students, faculty and the community. “We were very happy when…
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Phuket Business: Thai property firms’performance up
BANGKOK: Recovering demand for home purchases in the third quarter boosted the financial results of most of Thailand’s top 10 listed property firms over the same quarter of last year. As a result, financial performance in the first nine months also improved, though some firms did report reductions in revenue and net profit in the first nine months. However, these…
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Phuket Diving: Exploring SSI
PHUKET: There are almost a hundred dive training agencies in the world. Over a dozen specialize in cave diving, even more in technical diving. However, the market is dominated by recreational dive training agencies. Even the second largest agency in the world is hardly more than a name to many divers on Phuket. Scuba Schools International (better known simply as…
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Phuket Books: An English literary institution
PHUKET: The Man Booker Prize is a big thing for the Brits. The Americans used to have the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction till that turned insufferably stodgy and was eclipsed by the National Book Award. But it still does not compare to the Man Booker. A great deal of fanfare goes into announcing the long list of candidates, then the…
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Phuket Gardening: Floaters and Stalkers
PHUKET: As readers of last week’s column will have noted, there are, in essence, two kinds of aquatic plants: first, those that produce erect stems and flowers that keep only their roots in the watery element; and second, those with leaves and flowers that float, either with their foundations embedded in mud at the bottom, or, as in the case…
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On The Menu: Very Versace
PHUKET: Versace is a name synonymous with quality and style and so it is with Le Versace restaurant lounge bar, which is perched high on the northern hills above Patong. This brand new venue officially opens next month, offering not only fine dining, but one of finest views of Patong available. Its not often I get to feel like a…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Giving thanks to the goddess of water
PHUKET: Thailand is beginning preparations for Loy Krathong tomorrow, one of the most colorful Thai festivals. It is a time to give thanks to the goddess of water and seek forgiveness for past misdeeds. The festival always occurs on the evening of the full moon of the 12th Thai lunar month which this year falls on November 28. Loy literally…
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Phuket Pets: The power of your pet’s senses
PHUKET: Dogs inherited keen senses from their wolf ancestors, and its these attributes that enable them to play such a massive role in our lives. With their phenomenal sense of smell, dogs are being used to sniff out illegal narcotics, explosives – even pirate DVDs. Their sight and hearing capabilities help to assist the blind or deaf live more independent…
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Phuket Opinion: Disabled fighting for equal opportunities
PHUKET: Nalinee Boonthawadchai, 42, has lived in Phuket since 1990. She has an accounting degree from Phuket Rajabhat University and a second degree in broadcasting.A serious road accident in 1985 robbed her of her left arm. Five years later she lost both legs in another road incident. She now works at the Phuket Provincial Employment Office and in her spare…
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Phuket Property Watch: Finding the center of gravity
PHUKET: When I was in school, science classes usually just elicited a big yawn and most likely you’d find me ditching the enforced boredom for a smoke out back of the gym. Be it biology, physics or even branching out to those other affiliated headaches like algebra, calculus. My short breaks became afternoon off’s. Ferris Bueller only dabbled in this…
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Phuket Property: B1bn condominium in a prime location
PHUKET: The recently founded, Bangkok-based Able Asset developer group has announced plans to launch a billion baht, low-rise condominium project on a centrally-located parcel of prime Phuket real estate. Touted to be the biggest project of its kind on the island, the ‘Centrio’ condo will be developed on a plot that spans some 2,100 square meters, just opposite Central Festival…
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Phuket Books: A head-spinning adventure
PHUKET: So far, Colin Cotterill has written seven novels in the Dr Seri Series, which tell of the misadventures of the National Coroner of Laos who emerges from thirty years in the jungle with the Pathet Lao after their victory in 1975. Now he’s has switched to a new Jimm Juree series in modern day Thailand. Jimm Juree is a…
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Phuket Gardening: Ecstatic aquatic
PHUKET: When I first came to Phuket, it was well nigh impossible to find ceramic pots that were completely waterproof. Indeed, I recall filling the drainage holes in glazed pots with cement in order to prevent leakage. I was reminded of this recently by Richard, a fellow Englishman, who is marketing a range of giant ceramic pots, so large that…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Life Home Project preps for World AIDS Day
PHUKET: At the British International School (BIS), CAS students are making Christmas cards for Life Home Project, a Phuket-based charity that cares for mothers and children affected by HIV/ AIDS. CAS stands for ‘Creativity, Action, Service’ and is an integral part of the school’s IB program as CAS student Visnu Khanijou explained: “We are making the cards to help raise…
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Phuket Lifestyle: SKÃ…L members give up their shirts for charity
PHUKET: Phuket’s Skål club is planning some playful revelations at their gala charity fundraiser on Saturday, December 8, at Bliss Beach Club on Bang Tao beach. The Full Monty is the name of the event and yes, it means that some of the island’s most attractive hotel managers will be taking it all off to benefit both the club’s scholarship…
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Phuket Property Watch: The secret lives of wallflowers
PHUKET: A few days ago I fell off a cliff. Never mind the ominous sounding fiscal cliff that is now the global buzzword as we move into Obama Part 2. Hopefully the Pres can keep on walking the tightrope as he has deftly done for the past three years. Apparently Teflon doesn’t tarnish. My perilous downfall was much more surprising,…
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Phuket Property: Kata Rocks gets new “Sky Villa’
PHUKET: Kata Rocks’ first “Sky Villa” comes with sleek louvres and tinted glass panels that wrap around a clean, modern “Ocean Loft” design. The Sky Villas range from one to four bedroom units. Located on Phuket’s west coast, Kata Rocks is a stunning collection of 34 luxurious oceanfront Sky Villas designed by architect Adrian McCarroll. The villas nestle within the…
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Phuket Diving: Dive Bunny takes plunge
PHUKET: A lion fish is out in the open just over the sands of Kata Beach, but before a photo can be taken there is a sudden commotion. Dive instructor ‘Scuba Nick’, eyes wide-open, rips off his mask and reaches for his student’s regulator. Ex-British military, Nick is a big guy, with big hands going for the second stage of…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Watching the birds disappear
PHUKET: As we left Chao Fah Road and turned onto a dirt path, a truck carrying sand drove past, bobbing under its own heavy weight as it negotiated muddy potholes, made as a result of the recent heavy rainfall.“This sand is ‘pillaged’ from the lagoons around here,” says my nature photographer friend Rat, emphasizing the word ‘pillage’.We are here to…
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