Thai Life
Discover the latest regional stories and happenings in Thailand with The Thaiger, your source of credible, informative, and reliable updates. Stay informed about important local events, political happenings, social issues, cultural highlights, and entertainment stories, all curated to ensure you never miss out on what’s happening in the Land of Smiles. Our journalists will keep you informed with all the essential Thai life updates and allows you to connect with the community and experience Thailand like a local.
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Phuket’s property of tomorrow
PHUKET: The year 2014 saw a number of new property developments – most noticeably condominiums – emerge on the Phuket map, fundamentally changing the Phuket landscape. To find out what tomorrow holds for the island’s property market, the Phuket Gazette‘s Maciek Klimowicz talked to Uthai Uthaisangsuk, senior executive vice president of Business Development and Project Development Division at Sansiri, one…
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Gardening: Yes, we have bananas
PHUKET: I was talking recently with an English lady visiting Phuket about gardening, and the subject of bananas came up. “Do you know”, she enthused, “that banana skins put around the roots of rose bushes promote better growth?” “No,” I replied in surprise. But then I wouldn’t have known that, since bananas were like gold dust in my childhood, and…
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Mind Matters: Solution to island woes – re-brand Phuket
PHUKET: Marlboro has been the world’s number one cigarette brand since 1972. It is larger than its next three competitors combined and, in the United States, it is the number one cigarette brand in every state and the number one cigarette brand for men and women across all adult age groups. In 2009, Marlboro’s share was larger than the next…
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Exciting new genre of art debuts in Phuket tomorrow night
PHUKET: Well known local artist Rose Maitland Smith will be on hand to open her new art exhibition tomorrow night, January 17. About 20 of her unique, striking and colorful paintings have arrived at the Boathouse by Montara on Kata Beach and will remain on show there until mid-March. Rose, who exudes in person the same energy and optimism that…
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Boating: New E-Visa on arrival for superyachts to Andamans
PHUKET: The Indian government has launched e-visas to enter the country at any of nine airports, a move that has been welcomed for facilitating visitors wanting to join their superyachts at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. “Visa on Arrival Facility is now available at nine airports in India for those planning or those interested in cruising the highly intriguing superyacht…
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Gardening: Citrus celebrities – limeys and limes
PHUKET: No discussion of the kingdom’s leading fruits would be complete without looking at the citrus family, which plays such an important role in Thai cooking. I recall that in England more years ago than I care to remember, bright-yellow, oval lemons were treasured objects. Cut open and squeezed over sugar, they were used for Shrove Tuesday pancakes, or added…
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Looking back: Skulduggery in Ayutthaya
PHUKET: After Sukhothai, Ayutthaya was the second capital city of the Siamese Kingdom, founded in 1350. King Prasat Thong, who reigned from 1629 to 1656, was the founder of a new dynasty during the heydays of Ayutthaya. His father, Okya Sri Thammathirat, was King Songtham’s maternal uncle. King Prasat Thong himself held the title of Okya Sri Vorawong, a position…
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Excuse Buster: Man versus machine
PHUKET: Walk into any gym and you’ll find a mix of machine weights and free weights. Less than five years ago, the fitness industry was loving machine weights, boasting how good they were for building size and strength. This has its truths, but after a while people have started to realize the lack of movement and mobility they had with…
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Phuket Pads: A hint of Europe in the South
PHUKET: Most villas available on the island are either in Thai or Balinese style and as the Thais say, “Same, same!” But this unusual and well-designed property stands out from the crowd with its European design. One of the main attractions is that it is a perfect family home in which to entertain and comes with great amenities. The house…
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Environment: Piscine pollution – killing fields
PHUKET: Some time ago a friend rang to say that the beach at Kata was littered with dead fish – mostly of an emerald green color. My guess was that they were reef-dwelling parrot fish and out of curiosity, I decided to venture down to Nai Harn Beach. A scene of carnage awaited me; there were hundreds of very dead…
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Island Fever: Hey you, get off my cloud
PHUKET: Over the years, old Mick and Keef have amazingly managed to somehow keep the rolling thunder of Rock ‘n’ Roll headed on the upward curve. Sure, it’s been a bit of a zig-zag at times, but still they remain intact. In a manner of speaking that is. I’d of course have a hard time naming a post-1990s Stones tune,…
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The Santa Clause: Many happy rental returns
PHUKET; What did Santa Claus bring you via your property investment this Christmas? Was it 5% guaranteed net rental return on your property investment? 6%? 7%? A 60:40 or a 50:50 split of all expenses and rental returns after expenses? Looking at the wide mix of so-called guaranteed returns promised in property ads, online and on billboards in Phuket, it…
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Phuket Aviation: Hold your horses – flying car media frenzy is premature
PHUKET: There has been a great deal of buzz in the global aviation industry this month over the recent unveiling of the AeroMobil 3.0, hailed by many as a great leap forward in the race to create the world’s first practical, mass-produced “flying car”. The concept of flying cars has certainly been around for a long time – almost as…
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Across the Land: Building a sustainable home in Phuket
PHUKET: Chatting with a local architect who has designed and built homes in Phuket for the past 15 years prompted me to investigate sustainable materials used in home building. The architect had mentioned that current-day building materials have less maintenance issues and are more durable. Sure, the materials are more expensive, but in the long run they save the owner…
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Briefcases for backpacks: One couple’s story of trading a life of work for a life of travel
PHUKET: In the words of Mark Twain: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” This advice resonated quite well with my wife, Farideh,…
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Seven Seas Condo: Phuket’s downtown island luxury
PHUKET: Seven Seas Condo, a plush new resort-style condominium project, is about to shoot up in the heart of Phuket Town. The 2.5-billion baht Seven Seas Phuket project is located on Hongyok-Uthit Road, near Bangkok Hospital Phuket, and consists of four, eight-story buildings with a total of 975 units – all surrounded by views of Phuket’s lush, green hills. Developed…
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Give me a virgin, please
PHUKET: Excessive drinking is a natural disaster waiting to happen. Where else will you run into earthquakes, mudslides, hurricanes and flaming volcanoes all in the same place except on a cocktail list? What else except booze causes otherwise stationary and benign items such as trees, power poles, telephone kiosks and the occasional parked police car to suddenly wrap around the…
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Excuse Busters: Drink cheats for New Year
PHUKET: I am mainly talking alcohol this week, because I honestly think that soft drinks are such a poor cheat option. By that I mean compared to alcohol, soft drinks give low rewards on a social level for high sacrifices of a physiological level because of the amount of sugar or artificial sweeteners which are in fact toxins. What about…
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Phuket Gardening: Egging you on… eggplants and aubergines
PHUKET: We expats think we are familiar with aubergines. You know, the large glossy purple ones which look for all the world as though they have been coated with varnish. But Thailand has so many more varieties, collectively called brinjal, all of them edible and all capable of being cultivated in your kitchen garden. But let’s start with what we…
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Food: A perfect square for meals
PHUKET: For some, a day without street food is a day wasted, but for others, a real meal is one served up by a celebrity chef in a posh restaurant. And then there are the rest of us – not extreme in our choices – who enjoy good food, drinks and company. For us moderates, Karon Beach Square offers a…
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Phuket Pads: Beverly Hills of Thailand hidden in Nai Harn
PHUKET: The exclusive, very private and tranquil Baan Bua estate of over 60 rai is one of the best-kept secrets in Phuket. It could be described as the Beverly Hills of Thailand – hidden in Nai Harn, in the very south of the island, sheltered and surrounded by the hills on three sides with lakes and its own water supply.…
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Regent Bangtao targets Phuket holiday rentals
PHUKET: Expats in Phuket live in a tropical paradise, yet many work full time. Holidaymakers surround them while they divide their time between home and the office. Phuket can be a strange place to live – not to call it schizophrenic – but this dual character of island life comes with a distinct benefit, and The Regent Bang Tao is…
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Island Fever: The Bumpy Road To Mandalay
PHUKET: It’s impossible to travel to Myanmar and not wax lyrically about days long past. Just think of the storied nostalgia of Rudyard Kipling, George Orwell, Norman Lewis and Pablo Neruda, who transport their readers magically through time and space. This piece is set firmly in the present, so let’s focus on the emerging free market of 2014. Hitting the…
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Gardening: Phuket’s tasty roselle
PHUKET: I recently launched a series intended to cover fruits, vegetables and herbs that, like the hoary old advertisement for a famous dark stout, “look good, taste good and do you good.” Thailand is a huge repository of such goodies. And since we are on the topic of liquid refreshment, I am kicking off today’s offering with a member of…
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Environment: Oceans plagued by 5.25tn pieces of plastic
PHUKET: If you have been to a Phuket beach or beneath the Andaman Sea’s surface, you’ll know that discarded plastics are constantly present. Hardly a month goes by without a dive company, resort or local “green” group calling on volunteers to bag beach rubbish. Some groups, such as Clean The Beach Boot Camp, have regular campaigns to rid the beach…
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Thinking Green: I’m dreaming of an environmental Christmas
PHUKET: Only a few weeks ago, I appreciated the message on the front doors of Jungceylon which promoted “Zero Bags, Zero Waste”. “How commendable that action was taking place to help reduce the amount of waste that we have in our community,” I thought. Yes, it was only a promotion, but at least it promoted a good cause. Now with…
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Phuket artist highlights the evolution of fusion
PHUKET: Kathy Manthei Coulson arrived to Phuket in 1999. She has built her life on the island as an art teacher and a volunteer organizer for the Life Home Project, and has produced a significant body of visual art during the past 15 years. Her show at Villa Royale Gallery, which will be on display until mid-February 2015 (click here),…
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On Your Mind: Tackling Phuket corruption
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette recently reported that the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) Phuket office called on resident expats to report cases of corruption involving local government officials. Tawichat Nillikan, an NACC representative, told the Gazette that many foreigners had been victims of corruption, and that by opening a Phuket office last year to investigate complaints, the government was “showing the…
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Phuket Renaissance, giving peace a chance
PHUKET: Situated in Mai Khao, the Renaissance Phuket Resort and Spa is surrounded on all sides by the pristine nature of northern Phuket, “the island’s hidden gem”, explains Goetz Bauer, who joined the resort as general manager in April 2013. Designed by P49 Deesign Associates, considered to be one of Thailand’s foremost interior design practices, the hotel has been carefully…
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Boating: Phuket inspires whole new breed of luxury RIBs
PHUKET: Phuket has inspired a new ride on the waves. It’s rigid, it’s inflatable… and it’s a boat. The new 13m tender by Acronautic is ready to ensure that every superyacht sojourn starts and finishes in luxury. The first of its kind is about to be built in the UK under the project name Thetis, with a design conceptualized by…
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