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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Saphan Hin green upgrades and Old Phuket Town cabling goes underground
Phuket’s Mayor plans to make Saphan Hin Park the ‘lungs of Phuket’ and to put all the electric cables for the whole Phuket Old Town area underground. “Saphan Hin Park is a seaside public park that now needs renovation as it has been decayed because of the content exposure to salt water and the sea air damaging the stone retaining…
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New ‘smart visa’. No work permit, annual reporting.
We’ve just had the announcement of the new ten year ‘Geeza Visa’, the long-term ‘retirement’ visa. Now the Thai Cabinet has just announced plans for a new ‘Smart Visa’. Under the new Smart Visa, people can stay in Thailand, along with their spouse and children if applicable, for up to four years. The big change here is that you won’t…
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Vaping could get you ten years in a Thai prison
Vaping, the popular alternative to smoking cigarettes, might be OK where you come from, but in Thailand sucking on your favourite ‘vape’, or even bringing them into the country, could put put you in a Thai prison for ten years. It’s not a new law, with the import of electronic cigarettes and shisha being banned back in October 2014, but…
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Ten year ‘Geeza Visa’ now available for Retirees in Thailand.
The 10-year visa for foreign retirees is now available at an Immigration office near you. Despite the top Immigration officer’s announcement today many offices are unaware of the change and new availability of the 10 year visa option. Lt. Gen. Natthathorn Prohsunthorn says the new visa comes in two installments, each lasting five years. Foreigners from 14 countries who meet…
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From Russia with Love. Russian buyers on the rebound.
From Russia with Love might is a James Bond 007 thriller but it has also been a mantra for island developers as the past nine months has seen a strong uptick in demand in Phuket real estate by Russian buyers. According to the recently released Phuket Russian Tourism Market report, over 51% of Russian travelers to Thailand come to Phuket.…
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Do we need a new airport at Phang Nga?
As Thailand’s Phang Nga Province recorded a record high of nearly 4.5 million visitors in 2016, the lack of a gateway airport is looking to be a key stumbling block, according to a new report by consulting group C9 Hotelworks. Annual arrivals growth has slowed since 2014, but the compound annual growth rate for the five years ending 2016 remains…
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Phuket Report Card August 2017
Story from c9hotelworks.com Phuket’s Provincial government is undertaking a large-scale initiative to tackle the problem of unlicensed hotels. Since the campaign started, a total of 1,007 hotels have now applied for official operating licenses with just six approved to date. The main challenges for the process are the strict regulations associated with the Building Control and Hotel Acts. Provincial Hall…
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Charging ahead. Electric car charging stations coming to Thailand.
The Thailand chapters of four industrial companies are pooling their resources to work towards public charging stations for the next generation of electric cars in the country. Greenlots, BMW Group Thailand, Polytechnology and the Central Group are set to launch ‘Charge Now’ in Thailand which they claim is already the world’s largest network of charging stations for electric and hybrid…
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Malaysia considers restricting foreign property purchases
A hot topic over the past month has been the Malaysian government’s review and possible increase of the set minimum of investment in property by foreign buyers.Currently the level for the most part is RM1 million (approximately USD225,000), The trigger of the issue has been the weakening Malaysian currency, the ringgit, which has been on the slide for a continued…
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Congratulations Mareeya Poonlertlarp, our new Miss Thailand 2017
25 year old Mareeya Poonlertlarp is a half-Thai, half-Swedish model, and has been crowned Miss Thailand Universe 2017 at Siam Paragon Hall in Bangkok. Marayee is 183cm tall, a postgraduate in marketing from the Stockholm Business School and claims to be fluent in four languages – Thai, Swedish, English and Mandarin. She has won one million baht, a diamond tiara…
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Island hopping in The Philippines
I’m never at my best at 5 o’clock in the morning. But here I am, bumping along the streets of Dumaguete in the Philippines, clinging to the seat of an open-sided bus as the sun tries to poke up over the houses and shops flashing by. Why? I’ve been promised leaping dolphins and a community on stilts in the sea.…
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Smart solar roofs. Is this the start of free electricity?
There’s always plenty of sun here in Phuket, even in the wet season and particularly in the dry season. For owners of villas and condominiums the changes in weather signal a sharp escalation of electric bills which continue to be one of the leading costs of living in paradise. One new innovation that has caught my eye is the new…
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Mixing drinking with Facebook
A recent statement by Pol Gen Verachai Songmetta and its subsequent reporting by Thai Rath and the Bangkok Post has created an uproar. The police officer stated that anyone posting photos of alcohol on social media could face legal action resulting in a maximum fine of 50,000 baht. Some people joked that they deleted half of their facebook photos after…
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Hooper Trips Asia – Inle Lake Sunset
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette has been a rock and a large part of documenting the island’s news and culture for many years. I have been an avid reader since the day I arrived in Phuket 13 years ago. I am so honored to have finally been a tiny part of it as it takes it’s final bow. So many of…
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Hooper Trips Asia: Inle Lake Boys
Life on Inle Lake flows on as if unaware of the modern world that is slowly encroaching upon it. The traditions are simple and honest. Hard working people and tight knit communities and families. Inle Lake is special. As I slowly puttered up the lake side in my long tail boat, I happened upon these two boys in absolute concentration.…
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Hooper Trips Asia: Tennger Farmer
The Tengger Hill People of East Java, Indonesia are a strong, proud people rich in culture and full of life. Their livelihood is dependent on the volcano Mt Bromo that dominates their landscape. It brings them the fertile soil from which they so proudly grow their beautiful, giant vegetables. Their homes are perched precariously on the cliffs of the Bromo…
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Excuse Buster: Importance of protein in our daily diets
PHUKET: I recently consulted with a client who was preparing for a triathlon here. It was clear from his lab results and symptoms (poor recovery and fatigue) that his protein consumption was too low. When we analyzed his daily protein amount, it was only about 50gs per day, when it was clear based on his weight and training routine that…
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Property Watch: Welcome to Phuket’s Darwinian season
PHUKET: I love nature, the environment, and all it has to offer. However, I know that my shark fin soup eating ways aren’t popular, and my Darwinistic sympathies applied to nature will be mocked on social media as simplistic and outdated. However, Darwin’s Theory and Phuket are linked. Phuket has it’s own environments – natural and economic, and these environments…
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Hooper Trips Asia: Mt Bromo Sunrise
As I sat in the darkness of the chilly pre-dawn morning, I just had a feeling that this day would be a special one. I had woken up groggily at 3:00am to start the long journey to this viewpoint that overlooks the incredible active volcano Mt Bromo in East Java, Indonesia. While sitting patiently waiting for the sun to shed…
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Profile: Georges Ciret – Tales from the wine cellar
PHUKET: Georges Ciret is currently the Wine Director at Mom Tri’s Villa Royale in Phuket. With more than 40 years of experience in wine making and hospitality, he brings unique skills to the craft that few others could boast of. “We have a big collection at Villa Royale, with more than 300 labels from all over the world. We always…
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Hooper Trips Asia: Inle Lake Boy, Inle Lake, Myanmar
Life on Inle Lake hasn’t changed much in the last 150 years. It is an idyllic place in this modern world where life is far less complicated. It is not an easy life by any means; hard manual labor is commonplace, but the slow paced, easy going nature of the people is a treasure. Here a young village boy toils…
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Hooper Trips Asia: Pao Village Girls, Inle Lake, Myanmar
On the banks of the idyllic Inle Lake in Central Myanmar, the shores teem with life. Tribes from all over the region come down from surrounding villages to trade goods, fish, play, and of course gossip. These girls were deep into their stories as I happened upon them laughing on the Lake’s shore. The fantastic, rich colors of their headdress…
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By the Book: Property market ripe for a rebound
PHUKET: Timing in life is everything but timing markets is always difficult. Buy low and sell high is easier said than done. At the top of the market is when most are buying, media news is positive and the consensus is cheery, while at the bottom people are fearful the market will go lower still. For some time now many…
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Footloose: Exploring the wonders of Racha Noi
PHUKET: Racha Noi Island is located some 20 kilometers off the southern tip of Phuket. Unlike its big brother Racha Yai, Racha Noi is much smaller, more secluded and less frequented than Racha Yai. Construction is forbidden so it leaves Racha Noi with no hotels or accommodation. The island is covered in dense tropical jungle and is uninhabited by people.…
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Hooper Trips Asia: Novice Monks walking morning alms
PHUKET: To visit Bagan in Central Myanmar is to walk through a portal back in time. Life meanders at a much slower cadence here and it’s simple beauty can’t help but soak into your bones. For over 2,500 years the tradition of Buddhist monks walking morning alms has been rooted here. It’s a glimpse into the very fabric of Burmese…
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Excuse Buster: Health benefits of raw, natural cacao
PHUKET: “Basic science has demonstrated quite convincingly that dark chocolate, particularly with a cocoa content of at least 70%, reduces oxidative stress and improves vascular and platelet function,” commented Frank Ruschitzka, professor of cardiology and Director of Heart Failure/Transplantation at the University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. Who doesn’t love consuming chocolate in one form or another? However, one question I often…
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Property Watch: The island that never gives up
PHUKET: Phuket is an island in which the motto “Never Give Up”, rings true. At one time, t-shirts and souvenirs could be seen listing the issues that businesses in Phuket had faced year after year, and yet through the human trait of perseverance and resilience, Phuket and its people carried on. So far as property investment is concerned, the same…
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Profile: Aaron Hooper – Striving for the joy of pure creation
PHUKET: Aaron Hooper is an award-winning chef, originally from the US. Having moved to Thailand and worked in the restaurant business for nearly 15 years in Phuket and Bangkok, he has recently refocused his interest toward writing and photography. Aaron was an English major in college, where he also studied photography. Choosing then to take a sabbatical, he travelled around…
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Infinity Condominium launches new project in Bang Tao
PHUKET: Infinity Condominium held the grand opening of its seven-storey condo project in Bang Tao late last month. The project will comprise of 78 units ranging from 59 square meters to 60.6sqm and include one bedroom, two bedroom, and two bedroom deluxe condominiums. “Construction will start by end of the year and is expected to be completed in two years.…
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Profile: Mexican Ambassador Jaime Nualart meets with the Gazette team
PHUKET: Jaime Nualart is currently the Ambassador of Mexico to Thailand. Born in Mexico City in 1952, Amb Nualart remembers his childhood with fondness. “I went to a good school and was among the top three students in my class. I had good friends, but I was also very shy. That is perhaps the reason my mother decided to enroll…
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