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 Living on a budget in Thailand? Here’s how to stay healthy without breaking the bank
Thailand is a popular place for people who want to enjoy a good life at a lower cost or even on a budget. Many expats, retirees, and digital nomads choose to live here because daily expenses are cheaper than in...
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Property Watch: Impact of weather on the property market
PHUKET: A lot is said about the negatives and positives of the business and economics of the Phuket property market, but it seems that less is said about the realities of the weather here on our green and often wet island, and how that impacts on property. What is said is often encapsulated in a sugar-coated cloud of positivity –…
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Profile: Rich Cramp – Keeping our beaches clean
PHUKET: Rich Cramp is the Phuket organizer of Trash Hero, an organization dedicated to solving the global garbage problem. He has a degree in English Literature and currently teaches at HeadStart International School in Phuket. He spent part of his childhood in Thailand, before moving to Hong Kong, then Taiwan and finally settling in England. “I moved back to Thailand…
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Gardening: A flowery conundrum
PHUKET: A good friend of mine once had a roof garden in Phuket, with trellises completely covered in a vigorous climber replete with lush green foliage and masses of golden trumpet-shaped flowers. The growth was so dense that it was home to at least thirty pairs of nesting sun-birds. Its name? That’s easy. Knowledgeable gardeners among you will be saying:…
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Blazing Saddles: The bias against e-bikes
PHUKET: Like many cycling enthusiasts, I have long held a prejudice against electric bicycles. Somehow the whole idea of adding a motor of any kind into the primal equation of man, muscle and machine seemed just plain wrong and indeed a bit akin to cheating. Surely the whole concept of the bicycle is of a wonderful enhancement of man’s ability…
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Profile: Sebastien Tronchet – No stranger to the land of smiles
PHUKET: Hailing from Marseille, France, 38-year-old Sebastien Tronchet is the General Manager of the Grand Mercure Phuket Patong. He is no stranger to the land of smiles; he took his chances in Thailand 15 years ago and never looked back. His only regret is that he didn’t take the leap 10 years before he did. With a bachelor’s degree in…
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Across the Land: In the Departure lounge to Damascus
PHUKET: On the 16th of September, Phuket officially opened the much anticipated and delayed new Phuket International terminal. The terminal is expected to accommodate up to 5 million international passengers a year while, the old terminal will accommodate 7.5 million domestic passengers. Firsthand experience arriving at the new international terminal two days after the official opening left me a little…
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Looking back: Crisis at the Front Palace
PHUKET: Toward the end of the year 1874, Siam was heading for a crisis that threatened to plunge the kingdom into civil war. The roots of this crisis dated back several years when King Chulalongkorn’s father, King Mongkut, proclaimed his brother as ‘second king’, with rank and title equal to that of his own. King Mongkut’s brother became known as…
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Excuse Buster: Unclogging your body’s blocked pipes
PHUKET: “Don’t put paper down the toilet or the pipes will get blocked and it will get messy and costly.” This was one of the first messages from our first landlord upon arrival in Thailand. Not a good situation for the body either – also messy and costly on our health. So how often should you have a number two?…
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Regional tourism growth dominated by Chinese
PHUKET: Continuing growth in the region’s tourism industry is being driven mainly by China, according to the latest CBRE ‘Hotel Megatrends’ viewpoint report, released in September. The total number of Chinese outbound tourists rose by 10 per cent year-on-year to 128 million in 2015, while spending grew by 26 per cent over the same period to reach US$292 billion. China…
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Profile: Edwin Wiek and his love for animals
PHUKET: Edwin Wiek, 50, is the founder and director of Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand (WFFT). WFFT is based in Petchaburi and Laos, but Edwin has been involved in several animal rescue cases in Phuket. The latest case is that of Milo, an orangutan that was freed from the Phuket zoo and found abandoned in a forest. In 2008, Edwin…
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Thailand’s largest property portal
property.thethaiger.com is Thailand’s largest property portal, in six languages, covering the Kingdom’s hot property areas, mainly in Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai and Hua Hin. The real estate market in Thailand, with all its bumps along the way, has proven itself to be robust with genuine growth over the past 20 years, especially in the main property markets…
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By The Book: Opportunities abound as island grows
PHUKET: Anyone living in or visiting Phuket will notice the amount of construction work going on around the island. From property development to schools, hospitals, marinas and roads – all types of infrastructure on the island are undergoing development. For several years now Phuket’s residents have grown used to the traffic diversions around the construction of Phuket’s underpasses at Darasamut,…
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Law, Life and Society: Understanding the Thai concept of dowry
PHUKET: A misunderstanding of a Thai marriage custom nearly broke up the relationship between two of my clients. I represented an American in his application for a fiance visa for his Thai fiance. After successfully obtaining the visa, the Thai fiance requested 200,000 baht for her family before going to the United States to get married. The American became outraged…
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Diving: Mermaids spotted off Phuket
PHUKET: There are real mermaids out there. It’s a profession that some freedivers have found themselves slipping into. Phuket-based PADI scuba diving instructor Kate Gray, who was crowned Miss Germany 2010, made a big splash here a couple of years ago as ‘Mermaid Kat’ and opened Phuket’s Mermaid Kat Academy in 2012.“I first started ‘mermaiding’ as a hobby but it…
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Southeast Asia’a climbing capital
PHUKET: Contrary to popular belief, Phuket is not the place to be for rock climbing. The island’s jungled interior peaks rise in an almost Appalachian profile, with relatively tame gradients to their summits. For all the international hulaballoo it receives, Phuket is almost a complete contrast to neighboring Krabi Province, whose limestone columns rise vertically out of impenetrable jungle and…
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Profile: Sirirat Rattanasuanjig – it’s all on the cards
Fortune teller Sirirat Rattanasuanjig, or ‘Adina’ as she is better known, had a near-death experience when she was a child. She was a bystander as a couple were quarreling. One of them had a knife which ended up embedded in her chest. She was rushed to the hospital and nearly died from her injury, but eventually pulled through. The near-death…
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Phuket public health system goes digital
PHUKET: With the aim of utilizing IT and innovation to improve the healthcare sector, and public healthcare services in particular, the Software Industry Promotion Agency (SIPA) linked hands with the National Electronic and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) to develop the Personal Health Record (PHR) system. The system has initially been launched at government hospitals in five provinces, including Phuket, Nakhon…
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Advice for first time triathletes
PHUKET: While the trend in sports and fitness is on the rise in Phuket, many people are still struggling to be fit. The Phuket Gazette caught up with Pruth Kulprasit, a first time triathlete in Phuket, to get some fitness tips for beginners. “I first started cycling in order to lose weight. About a year and a half ago, I…
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On Deck: Stewards of the future
PHUKET: Phuket’s low season, in my opinion, is the best time to be on the island. Sure there’s rain – and lots of it – but it’s warm, and in between the rainstorms there are some glorious days only the tropics can deliver. It’s also a great time to go sailing. The odd shower won’t put off any serious sailor…
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Property Watch: High hopes for smart moves
PHUKET: It is great to note that Phuket has the watchful eye and support of our PM General Prayuth with his visit for the opening ceremony of the new terminal at Phuket International Airport and the speech on ‘Phuket Smart City’ and ‘Startup Paradise’. Although Phuket has been experiencing growing pains from development, the island needs to develop to sustain…
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Gardening: Annuals and perennials
PHUKET: Some bedding flowers can be cultivated as annuals or perennials. It all depends on such imponderables as the climate or the whim of the gardener. Take begonias. They will not tolerate frost, so in temperate zones, if you intend to keep them for more than one season, they need to be brought indoors during the cold weather. For this…
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Sansiri brings new homes at Saransiri Koh Kaew
PHUKET: Residential property developer Sansiri recently launched the second phase of their latest Phuket development, Saransiri Koh Kaew. It follows the sale of all units in the first phase of the project. Located on 50 rai in Koh Kaew next to the British International School, the new neighborhood features a total of 202 two-storey detached houses, ranging in sizes of…
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Excuse Buster: Choose salad dressings with care
PHUKET: First rule of nutrition, as well as weight loss, is to choose real food that is minimally processed. Often real foods (except those naturally preserved) have a short shelf life. In the past, I have spoken of the potential health dangers of transfats, vegetable oils, MSG, sugar – especially high fructose corn syrup – additives, colorings, preservatives and so…
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Getting value out of waste
PHUKET: On an island like Phuket, with millions of visitors, expats and locals coming and going every year, one of the major problems we are left dealing with is pollution. Environmentalists cry about our bleeding oceans, but no one seems to pay much heed. Perhaps it’s time we change our approach to this issue by incorporating this mentality in our…
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Profile: Naphatwong Niyomadul – entrepreneur, connoisseur and philanthropist
PHUKET: Bangkokian Naphatwong Niyomadul holds the prestigious title of Owner’s Representative at Centara Blue Marine Resort & Spa Phuket, operated by Patong Cliff View Co Ltd. Well, you could say he is entitled to it and has a vested interest in the resort, which his family established in 2002. At age 36 years, Mr Naphatwong already has a wealth of…
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Looking Back: Two brothers contend for the throne
PHUKET: In the year 1851, when King Rama III died, Siamese nobles, led by Chaophraya Srisuriyawongse, supported Prince Mongkut and invited him to leave the monkhood to claim the throne. It was during this period that Siamese politics took an unusual turn. King Mongkut had a brother, Prince Chuthamani. When Mongkut became king, he elevated Prince Chuthamani to the rank…
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Across the land: Age of the robotic butler
PHUKET: Robot butlers could soon be seen in modern homes. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly building an artificial intelligence system to operate and control his entire home, and the system will apparently be ready to perform a demo in the very near future. When we think of butlers, we usually envisage a man traditionally dressed in a white-wing collar…
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On Deck: A look inside the Royal Pavilion
PHUKET: I recently attended the National Science and Technology Fair in Bangkok at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani. The attraction for me was a Royal Pavilion that included boats made by His Majesty the King of Thailand. Many will know that His Majesty has built a number of boats in his time. Twenty-five to be precise, all dinghies. His first was…
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CPN invests B20bn into new Central Phuket
PHUKET: Central Pattana PCL (CPN) recently confirmed long-awaited expansion plans for Phuket, announcing a 20 billion baht investment to build a second mega complex opposite Central Festival Phuket shopping mall. The new world class mega project in Phuket, to be named Central Phuket, is part of a 60 billion baht plan to develop and renovate 10 shopping centers nationwide between…
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Keep It Green: The cost of cutting trees
PHUKET: I live in Saiyuan in the south of Phuket. Every day for years and years, I have taken pleasure from the presence of a magnificent forest tree, probably a dipterocarp, high above the road and providing an arching green canopy to drive under on my way home. Inspiring… but in the blink of an eye, this tree, maybe 100…
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