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 Where to shop for sports gear at Jungceylon Phuket
Phuket might be known for its beaches and nightlife, but the island also has a thriving fitness culture. From Muay Thai gyms to beach runs at sunrise, staying active is part of daily life for many who live here (as...
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Bidding for Phuket Town’s Thavorn Grand hotel, soapy massage closes tomorrow
PHUKET: The bidding deadline for Phuket Town’s iconic Thavorn Grand Plaza Hotel and adjoining facilities will close tomorrow at 4pm.A spokesperson from Star Asset Management Ltd told the Phuket Gazette that closed bidding starts at 415 million baht.The package for sale is for the 17-storey, 154-room hotel, its attached grand ballroom, car park and the adjoining “soapy” massage parlor in…
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Phuket health: Signs you can’t afford to ignore
PHUKET: We tend to think that if it doesn’t hurt it must be fine, but ignoring irregular eye symptoms is a big mistake. Why? Because there are no pain receptors in the eye, so if you’re seeing things but feel no pain it doesn’t mean you’re okay. Today, we will talk about “floaters and flashing”. These two are important warning…
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Phuket property: Asia’s big two markets mature
PHUKET: Talk about “dream island destinations” in Asia and without a doubt Phuket and Bali rule the numbers game in terms of popularity. If talk turns to resort real estate both are heavyweight contenders in the title fight. Round after round, punches or blows only end with the ringing of a bell. Practically speaking, when it comes to the life…
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Phuket Property: Mövenpick celebrates; Budget brand takes on Asia
PHUKET: It was recently announced that Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts plan 11 new hotel projects across nine countries bringing the company’s total number of operating and planned hotels worldwide to 100. The new hotels are in France, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Thailand. The upscale company of Swiss heritage now has 69 hotels in operation and 31…
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Phuket Gazette’s weekly horoscope by Isla Star
AQUARIUS (January 21-February 19): Opportunities could be missed in the heat of the moment this week. Aquarians who aren’t on the ball are likely to miss out to others with keener attitudes. The stars suggest that you need to focus more strongly this is not an auspicious time for multitasking. The stars advise keeping negative thoughts to yourself as speaking…
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AMCHAM to stage Design Evolution workshop
PHUKET: Two leading home and building designers in Asia will head the Design Evolution workshop being held by the Phuket Chapter of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) at Royal Phuket Marina on March 9. Phuket has long been hailed as the birthplace of the tropical island villa getaway in Asia. Follow the amazing journey that started at the Amanpuri…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Jan Sylan as described by an officer and a gentleman
PHUKET: Captain James Forrest is a significant character in Phuket’s history as he was one of the few English naval captains who visited the island during the 18th century. His travel accounts are useful because they vividly depict the geography of the island, the abundance of resources, trade and how the inhabitants of the island lived during that period. Capt…
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Phuket Comedy: Who’s this Andy Smart anyway?
PHUKET: Phuket Gazette: Where and when were you born? Andy Smart: I was born in Portsmouth in a nursing home that is now appropriately a Casino, in 1959. PG:Any amusing tales from your childhood and/or school days? AS: I drowned when I was 7 in the Basingstoke canal, and was clinically dead for about 2 and a half minutes. Luckily…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Bangers cyclists will change lives forever
PHUKET: The kitbags are being put together and include Vaseline, talcum powder, bandages and ibuprofen for swollen muscles. Yes, it’s time again for those hardy cyclists of the Bangers On Bikes Charity Bike Ride to furiously pedal from the capital of Thailand to the island province of Phuket. The charity event was conceived three years ago by members of the…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Funk it up at the 2012 Mango House Festival
PHUKET: The Absolut Mango House Festival 2012 organizers have announced their entertainment lineup for South Thailand’s premiere house music event on March 7, 8 and 9 at the Mango House Bar and Restaurant in Lanta Old Town, Koh Lanta. The house music festival is a popular event at the island’s annual cultural extravaganza, the Lanta Lanta Festival. Back by popular…
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Phuket Valentine’s Day
History is unclear on whether any of The Beatles had journeyed to Phuket before they wrote their 1964 smash hit with its charmingly quaint lyrics…”Money Can’t Buy Me Love.” Clearly the lyricist Paul McCartney had never had the pleasure of a wander down Soi Bangla around midnight on almost any evening. Had he done so, he would have certainly witnessed…
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Phuket Books: Searching to do the right thing
PHUKET: At the age of 70, Russell Banks has written 14 novels. I’ve read two, The Book of Jamaica and Continental Drift which work out moral quandaries found on the border between a white working class hero from New England and the exotic world of the Caribbean. His latest novel, Lost Memory of Skin ( Ecco, 432 pages), takes place…
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Phuket Property: Sale and purchase agreements – what is important to know?
PHUKET: A property buyer or seller scrutinizing sales documentation may wonder what provisions should be part of a sales contract. A sales agreement typically starts with a description of the parties who wish to enter into the agreement supported by passport copies or company documentation providing full details of the parties. A preamble or recitals may follow setting forth specific…
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Phuket Property Watch: There’s no such thing as an easy A
PHUKET: I am often reminded by a chain of long suffering editors at the Phuket Gazette that my beat is property, tourism and leisure. Do I stray? Yes, like a punch drunk lunatic, wired on rapid fire staccato sentences. Some of it makes sense. Other times, it even makes me look into the mirror and pose the question – what…
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Phuket Gardening: Reading palms again
PHUKET: I recently came across a letter in which the writer lamented the absence of palms on Phuket’s beaches. Not like the Caribbean, he declared. While this observation is more or less true, there are a few sprouting improbably from the sand dunes at secluded spots around the island. And anyway, there are plenty of alternative trees: avenues of casuarinas…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Love on a wing and a prayer
PHUKET: Finnish daredevil Jari ‘Birdman’ Kuosma will hurtle from the skies of Phuket into the waiting arms of his betrothed on Februay 25. Jari ‘The Birdman’ Kuosma is Phuket’s own adventure action hero. He is known around the world for his sky diving talents and breathtaking exploits. From his home country, Finland, to South America to Africa to California and…
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Phuket Gardening: Totally tropical Phuket pineapple
PHUKET: My local plant nursery has hundreds of colorful bromeliads hanging in small pots, the profusion of which is unusual since they are not that common in Phuket gardens. One bromeliad that is exceedingly plentiful on the island is the pineapple. Normally grown solely for eating, its broad, spiky rosette of waxy, strap-like leaves set atop the characteristic oval fruit,…
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Phuket Property: Bangkok developers expand upcountry
PHUKET: Hit hard by high waters and high competition, many developers in the property market of Bangkok and its suburbs are now expanding their portfolios to include more upcountry projects. Real estate markets that stand to gain the most from such a trend include Phuket, Pattaya, Chon Buri, Hua Hin, Khao Yai and Chiang Mai. Leading property firms investing in…
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Phuket Property Watch: The art of changing places; tax hoopla; more foreign banks?
PHUKET: Sometimes more is more. At the other end of the universe less can also be more. Sounds confusing? It’s not really. Take the recent repositioning of the upscale hotel Indigo Pearl into an all villa and suite property as a prime example. Working with legendary designer Bill Bensley, an estimated 1.2 billion baht has been invested in the extreme…
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Samui hideaway secret unveiled
PHUKET: Ready to lift the veil on Koh Samui’s “best-kept secret”, the boutique Akaryn Samui is set to welcome its first guests next month. As the fourth and latest venture by Thailand hospitality pioneer Anchalika Kijkanakorn, the Akaryn Samui looks to redefine the boutique resort experience. The largely undiscovered, Hanuman Bay is a pristine crescent cove with a 500-meter powder…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Keeping your dog fit
PHUKET: Exercising your dog on a daily basis is essential. The best exercise channels the activity of both mind and body and for that, you need to take your dog out for a walk. Lack of proper exercise can lead to obesity, poor muscle tone, heart ailments and a host of emotional and behavioral problems. Take your dog different places…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Lights, camera, action – online teaching its rewards and risks
PHUKET: Before the internet, teachers were limited to face-to-face learning and eventually correspondence courses. But with innovation comes progress and now many web-based agents are helping connect teachers with students around the globe. Matthew Nobel was a former expat in Thailand before moving back to the States to complete his master’s in education. Upon his return, Nobel turned to Skype…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Finn dining in Chalong
PHUKET: If anyone ever asked you, “Fancy a Flatty at Skiffer?” you would be forgiven for not knowing what they meant but after one visit to the trendy Skiffer restaurant in Chalong Bay you would likely answer in the affirmative as flatties are delicious. Having lived in Phuket for years I must have passed near this place hundreds of times…
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Phuket Books: The all-American horror tale of a tough childhood
PHUKET: In 1989, Tobias Wolfe published his block-breaking memoir This Boy’s Life, later made into a movie with Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio. Tobias Wolfe was the mentor of Mary Karr who published her own masterpiece memoir in 1995: The Liar’s Club. These two books about hard-scrabble childhoods marked the emergence of a new literary era and unleashed a floodgate…
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Phuket Lifestyle: What’s so funny, wee man?
In the run up to The Phuket Punchline Comedy Club’s February 29 ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’ show, the Gazette asks each of the comedians about themselves. This week its the diminutive Ian Coppinger. Phuket Gazette: Where and when were you born? Ian Coppinger: I was born in Dublin in 1970. I was actually born in my parents house, my…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Dream of it and they will come
PHUKET: When was the last time you were laying on Nai Harn Beach daydreaming, “Ooh, I could really do with a grilled chicken quesadilla washed down with a pumpkin iced latte”? Granted, it may not have been recently, but the next time you do, you can have exactly that and much more without even seeking a restaurant, it will come…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Day of the kiddies
PHUKET: Children are our future as the song tells us and to prepare them for the waiting world of adulthood we endeavor to provide a wealth of learning experiences that are an important tool for their development. National Children’s Day in Thailand was celebrated on January 14 and many places marked this special occasion with events filled with fun activities.…
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Phuket’s Playground of comedy
PHUKET: Utterly uproarious and mind-bendingly brilliant is the usual hilarious result when a group of talented comedians improvise a sketch based on a random scenario pieced together by a willing audience. Phuket has its willing audience and this month the Punchline Comedy Club provides the comedic talent when they present their biggest show yet – the live stage show of…
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Phuket Books: Fair game in the Windy City
PHUKET: Thomas Pynchon’s epic 1000-page novel Against the Day opens with a boy’s adventure tale: the arrival of the Chums of Chance aboard their airship at the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. In The Devil in the White City (Vintage Books, New York, 2004, 447pp), Erik Larson describes just such a dirigible arriving at the Fair at the climax of…
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Phuket Gardening: Dangers in the Garden of Eden
PHUKET: Everyone knows that some plants are poisonous, and we gardeners in Phuket know that Thailand has more than its fair share. In truth, the Kingdom also has more than its fair share of edible species – as this column has frequently documented. Although you are hardly likely to attempt to eat any part of the following toxic plants, do…
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