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 How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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6 ways to avoid being defrauded in a property investment
By Desmond Hughes As today’s local Phuket property news is soured by the story of a development ‘scheme’ resulting in losses for investors and third parties, the perception of real estate may be besmirched with negativity, all the while honest families who have elected to take their own risk on the market by developing their land banks, working with architects,…
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70 per cent of Thais wear Buddhist amulets
There’s never been any evidence that they work as lucky charms but most Thais purchase and wear them, whether for faith, protection, luck or as gift, they’re ubiquitous in Thailand. More than 70 per cent of Thais wear Buddha amulets, according to a Suan Dusit Poll. The most popular amulets are those bearing the likeness of the monks Luang Pu…
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Hua Hin’s Centara Grand Beach Resort make it into list of best heritage hotels
Creaky wooden floors, teak antiques, afternoon tea, marble staircases. There’s just something magical about a hotel with some history. From Yangon to Hong Kong, many of Asia’s most beautiful heritage hotels emerged during the 19th and early 20th centuries. And one of them is in Hua Hin. TTR Weekly reports that one of Thailand’s iconic and historical hotels, Centara Grand Beach…
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NokScoot adds Bangkok to Osaka flights
NokScoot is launching another service with a four-flights-a-week schedule between Bangkok and Osaka, Japan. The announcement follows the start of the airline’s Bangkok to Tokyo service which started in June. The low-cost international carrier is launching the service to Kansai Airport on October 28. Kansai Airport, closed until today following storms which damaged the land-bridge from the mainland to the…
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‘2,215’ – this year’s ‘must see’ documentary
PHOTO: The Nation From the outset, I can’t recommend this wonderful documentary more highly. It was inspiring, highly entertaining and a beautifully crafted, intimate insight into, as he describes himself, a normal Thai person doing something extraordinary. Artiwara ‘Toon’ Kongmalai, a huge popular rockstar in Thailand, decided to raise money for struggling public hospitals in the Land of Smiles. He…
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Habitat Group launch Walden Sukhumvit 39
ADVERTISEMENT Following the success of Walden Asoke launched in March this year, and now 90% sold, the Habitat Group is launching its second city centre luxury low rise condominium under the Walden brand – Walden Sukhumvit 39. Developed under the concept of “Low Rise, High Living”, the 950 million baht development embraces nature in its design. With end-users and investors…
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Hilton Phuket Arcadia announces new Commercial Director
Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa today announced the appointment of Ranjeet Viswanathan as Commercial Director. Ranjeet most recently served as Director of Sales and Marketing at the Anantara Mai Khao, Phuket. Commenting on his appointment, Ranjeet said, “I am excited to be joining the Hilton family once again and am looking forward to working with the strong commercial team…
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Thai sailors to compete in the Para World Sailing Champs in US
Thailand are sending sailors to the Para World Sailing Championships for the first time with Suraphong Chitkhong and Paisal Pa-teh, both from Pattaya, heading to Sheboygan in the USA to take part in a pre-event sailing clinic followed by the World Championships from September 18-22. Peter Jacops, Founder of Disabled Sailing Thailand says that this is a very special moment…
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A Mandarin for Phuket
PHOTO: The Mandarin Hotel Sanya Island One of Asia, and the globes, leading luxury hotel brands, Mandarin Oriental has inked a deal for a Phuket property. Mandarin Oriental, Phuket will be located on one of the undeveloped beachfront sites still to be found on ‘Millionaire’s Mile’ on the west coast of Phuket island. It will occupy 9.5 hectares of land in…
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Saving Phi Phi from its own popularity
PHOTOS: Singha Estate and Marine Discovery Centre Maya Bay is poised to re-open to tourists at the end of this month, albeit in a much better ‘controlled’ system which will limit the number of tourists visiting the famous Bay. There will be no accommodation following the Maya Bay make-over, staying overnight remains prohibited. Maya Bay is the star attraction at Koh…
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Thailand’s winners in the Conde Nast Traveller awards
PHOTO: Conde Nast Thailand has been voted the world’s Best Country for People by readers of Conde Nast Traveller magazine in the 2018 Readers’ Travel Awards. Thailand was voted into third spot in the ‘Best Country’ category behind European winners Italy and Greece. But Thailand scored Number One in the ‘Best Country For People‘ category. But the Conde Nast love continues…
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Thai pull direct Phuket to Hong Kong flights
PHOTO: Planespotters.net Thai Airways are cancelling the popular direct Phuket to Hong Kong (HKT-HKG) flights from October 28. Any existing bookings beyond this date will be funneled through Bangkok (BKK) instead. Despite the tortured English in the advisory, the Thai national airline is informing all existing bookings of the cancellation of the direct flights and re-routing. A few emails to…
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Find your dream property in Thailand
… or list your property for free. property.thethaiger.com is a true one-stop-shop when you’re looking to sell or buy property in all Thailand’s hot real estate spots. Paul Trayman, Chief Operating Officer, says property.thethaiger.com provides unique, comprehensive information about up to 40,000 properties around Thailand. “We provide all details on every project and unit available for sale in Thailand (within…
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‘Boss’ is off the front page of Interpol – the search for the fugitive Red Bull heir
by The Nation Weekend The Interpol website’s removal of its red notice against Thai fugitive Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, involved in a 2012 hit-and-run road incident in which a Bangkok policeman died, will negatively affect an international effort to bring him to justice. This claim from a senior Thai prosecutor. While the Interpol matter is directly handled by the Royal Thai…
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Mong Thongdee approaches the citizenship finish line
Good news for Thailand’s favourite paper plane flyer. The stateless paper-folding airplane competition champion, Mong Thongdee, has applied for Thai nationality. The process is expected to take three weeks. It’s only taken a decade since he first promised citizenship as a result of him representing the country in international paper-plane contests in Japan. The 21 year old stateless man, Mong…
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Responsible property purchases – do your homework and seek a second opinion
Many times prospective buyers of property in Thailand search online for legal information in regards to their purchase. They soon discover that online legal advice varies depending on the law office, lawyer or advisor providing the information. In some cases advice is given which recommends that to secure an investment in property a Thai company should be incorporated to hold…
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Meet Kluay Hom, Krabi’s friendly neighborhood boar
A domesticated boar in Krabi is the luckiest boar in the world! The year old boar’s favourite food is fruit (watching the waistline!) especially bananas. He takes a bath every day before going to bed. The friendly wild boar lives at a house in Lam Thap, Krabi with 40 year old Napapat Khaoluan and his family. The boar weighs about…
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SHOW DC to host “Dance Battle Revolution 2018”
Dance competition with three categories – B-Boy, Hip Hop and Cover Dance. Prizes worth more than 100,000 baht. SHOW DC invites dance lovers from all over Thailand to showcase their dancing talent at “Dance Battle Revolution 2018”. An all-new dance competition hosted by SHOW DC, it’s open for three dance styles – B-Boy, Hip Hop and Cover Dance. Dancers will have…
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Sakchai completes his mission to visit Doi Inthanon with his partner’s ashes
The man who headed out on an epic journey of 1,500 kilometers to fulfill a promise to take his girlfriend to Thailand’s highest mountain 18 months ago, has run into beaurocrats in Chiang Mai. The man headed out from Trang in March 2017 with his partner’s ashes. Along the way he befriended a kitten and two stray dogs who have…
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The rise of the mixed use retail development
As our lifeststyles continue to change and morph along with technological and social evolution, so too our living spaces and the locations we choose to live. Behavioural changes among urbanites have led to the rise of mixed-use projects in Southeast Asian countries, according to property experts. Christian Olofsson, shopping centre & mixed-use director of IKEA/Southeast Asia, told The Nation that…
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Mourning man walks 1,533 kilometres to Doi Inthanon with girlfriend’s ashes
A man has spent more than a year walking from Trang in the south to Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s tallest mountain in Chiang Mai – an epic journey of 1,533 kilometres – to spread the ashes of his girlfriend. By yesterday afternoon (Wednesday), 39 year old Sakchai Suphanmart, from Udon Thani, had reached the San Patong district of Chiang Mai. He…
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Centipedes “if you aggravate them they will bite”
In the wake of the death of the woman on Tuesday following a centipede bite on Sunday, we’re tried to find more concrete information about centipedes. Finding specific information about these creatures is little difficult so we share some links to kick off your research. An article from the Pattaya Unlimited blog warns that there are some centipedes that have…
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From tropical paradise to busy urban island – Phuket
By Bill Barnett Phuket’s tourists, expats and property buyers are finding new reasons to head to the Pearl of the Andaman. They’re now spending more time and money seeking out alternative activities in areas other than the famed west-coast beaches. A report says that the island is transforming into a more well-rounded destination as visitors and new residents takes advantage…
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Hands-on schooling setting an example in Chiang Mai
by Chularat Saengpassa PHOTO: Padungkiat Jaiwong, far left, and fellow barbers of the “HK Barber” salon at Wat Huai Kaew School in Chiang Mai’s Mae On district show off their haircutting equipment. “Take me to your heart, Take me to your soul. Give me your hand before I’m old, Show me what love is, haven’t got a clue, Show me…
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A very Asian tale “Crazy Rich Asians” opens
“The last high-profile Hollywood film with an all-Asian cast was The Joy Luck Club released in 1993.” By The Star, Asia News Network, Kuala Lumpur It was a sweltering night in Singapore and the production of Crazy Rich Asians was in the last leg of filming. Director Jon M. Chu was sweating buckets and it’s not entirely because of the humid weather. Chu, who has worked on…
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Fern helps her mum sell food in Krabi. She also speaks four languages fluently.
PHOTO: A five year old Thai girl, who can speak three foreign languages, helps her mother to sell food along the beach in Krabi. A young beach vendor who sells food along Klong Heng Beach in Krabi, is carrying two baskets with fruits and snacks. She can speak Thai but also Chinese, English and Bahasa Malay languages. She is seen…
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Central Phuket opens on September 10
The new Central Phuket is set to open its doors on September 10. The announcement was made at Centara Grand Beach Resort, also owned by the Central Pattana Group. The concept of the new shopping centre, twice as big as the current Central Festival, is ‘The World Comes To Play’. The new complex will feature 20 of the world’s biggest…
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Observations of a working expat couple, and their 9.5 kilogram cat ‘George’
All expats have a story of how they ended up in the Land of Smiles. Few are just ‘I got a job here’. It usually happens the other way around where people visit Thailand and find a reason to stay. John Read, writing for the Financial Times, and his husband German, have lived and worked in many of the world’s…
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Awaken life’s potential at Santosa Detox & Wellness Center
Located in the jungle-clad hills above Kata Beach on the Southwest Coast of Phuket, Santosa Detox & Wellness Center is a tropical retreat specialising in detox & wellness programs. If you are looking for an authentic detox experience with a personal touch, Santosa is the best choice. The dedicated staff at Santosa work with guests at their own pace to…
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The world’s riskiest place to visit, if you’re British
PHOTO: worldatlas.com If you’re British, where in the world is the riskiest place for you to visit? New research by Endsleigh Insurance Services has unveiled the world’s riskiest holiday destinations. Thailand has been found to be the world’s riskiest holiday destination for British tourists, according to a new report. The report looked at data from 2017, ranking countries on where the most…
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