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.

  • Sponsored

    Best 5 things to do for a restorative break in Bangkok

    Living in a big city like Bangkok, most people find themselves caught up in the daily grind. However, a restorative break from it all is something everyone needs once in a while. Luckily, the city has plenty of options for...

  • A journey back to our old town

    A journey back to our old town

    PHUKET: One of my earliest memories of theater is the three-act play Our Town by Thornton Wilder. It’s simple, direct and economical in its depiction of life, love and death in a small town. One of the most notable facts about the play is how the author used metatheater. Metatheater is a technique often used in narrative forms, which can…

  • Phuket Gardening: Papering Over the Cracks – plants to cover the ground

    Phuket Gardening: Papering Over the Cracks – plants to cover the ground

    PHUKET: In my humble opinion, the two best ground cover plants are purple leaved spiderwort (tradescantia spathaceae) and purple heart or purple queen, now known botanically as setcreasea pallida. Naturally there are many other choices for the tropical gardener. For instance, I use pandanus pygmaeus as an edging plant: grass-like in appearance, it is very tough, grows in clumps and…

  • Put down your wallets Phuket, pick up functional training

    Put down your wallets Phuket, pick up functional training

    PHUKET: The Phuket fitness community has been buzzing about the new exercise trend functional training, also known by the name “integrated training”. Its popularity has skyrocketed due to the various benefits it offers – and it only requires two things: your body and a space in which to exercise. There is no room for excuses when integrated exercise is an…

  • Killing Phuket’s reefs one slice of bread at a time

    Killing Phuket’s reefs one slice of bread at a time

    PHUKET: Thousands of small sergeant-major fish frantically banqueting on sopping, wet slices of bread floating on the ocean surface is not an uncommon sight for tourists taking boat trips from Phuket to discover the wonders of the Andaman Sea. Everyday, hundreds of tour boats bring thousands of tourists to islands along the Andaman coast. Many of the boat operators, perhaps…

  • Getting them going: From a seed to a plant

    Getting them going: From a seed to a plant

    PHUKET: Recently, we considered propagation using cuttings taken from the parent plant (story here). A great method if it works. But some shrubs resolutely refuse to take root from pieces of stem immersed in potting mix. What then is the alternative? Seeds are the obvious answer: in fact, most gardeners would opt for seeds as their first choice. Simplicity itself……

  • Total body transformation at Thanyapura

    Total body transformation at Thanyapura

    PHUKET: Many have tried it, few have made it and all of them have proven the maxim – losing weight and getting in shape is no easy task. But, as with any difficult task, it’s easier if you have somebody to lean on. This is why Thanaypaura Phuket has extended a helping hand to all those people out there who…

  • Phuket Humor: Introducing Geckoman, Thailand’s newest superhero

    Phuket Humor: Introducing Geckoman, Thailand’s newest superhero

    PHUKET: Many years ago I invented a superhero for Thailand called Geckoman. He was modeled on Spider-Man, but with significant differences to make him more relevant to Thailand. Now I believe it’s time to resurrect and update him. The scenario: Nerdly young high-school student Worrawit Worrawitworraworrapong (nickname: “Worry”) has a problem. Skinny, frail, and undersized, he wears thick glasses, trips…

  • Phuket Humor: The robots are coming

    Phuket Humor: The robots are coming

    PHUKET: Robots are now writing newspaper stories. A “Quakebot” used by the Los Angeles Times recently wrote a report on an earthquake just by using information it picked up online.This suggests that human journalists may soon be replaced by robots. Alarmed at this prospect, I arranged to interview a prototype robot journalist. Our conversation went like this: Q: Is it…

  • Warning signals for Phuket’s unlicensed accommodation sector

    Warning signals for Phuket’s unlicensed accommodation sector

    PHUKET: Part of every real estate cycle across Asia since the early 1990s is the appearance of exotic property investment propositions. Imagine it’s Groundhog Day and the past is destined to replay, time and time again. We can always count the condominium hotel sector to surge as we crest a wave of undying consumer exuberance. Over the past few months…

  • Nailing down tummy troubles

    Nailing down tummy troubles

    PHUKET: A whopping 45 per cent of us believe we are allergic to basic foodstuffs such as wheat and dairy products – causing anything from bloating to insomnia, according to an article called “The Allergy Fraud” which was published in the UK’s Daily Mail. Another food item that many people believe wreaks havoc on their health is monosodium glutamate (MSG).…

  • Phuket Boating: Ao Po Grand Marina goes large

    Phuket Boating: Ao Po Grand Marina goes large

    PHUKET’S Ao Po Grand Marina, which opened as the island’s latest high-end addition to the marina scene in 2008, has undergone a major upgrade to allow a growing fleet of luxury yachts to take advantage of the east coast haven. The expansion of the marina now allows 220 boats in the water, explained Marina Manager Derrick van Deventer “We can…

  • Video Report: Blue World – Sharing moments with Phuket’s wild dolphins

    Video Report: Blue World – Sharing moments with Phuket’s wild dolphins

    PHUKET: As Sea Shepherd and marine conservationists around the world prepare to battle the opening of the Nemo dolphinarium in Phuket, Capt Mike Fallows of Blue World Safaris continues to take hundreds of tourists to see a pod of these vastly intelligent marine mammals in the wild. About 30 minutes after the captain’s safety briefing – including sea sickness tablets…

  • For the love of latex: A glimpse into Phuket’s role in Thailand’s rubber industry

    For the love of latex: A glimpse into Phuket’s role in Thailand’s rubber industry

    PHUKET: Visitors to Phuket are often perplexed by the many things going on around them. Following a recent visit to a working rubber plantation and whirlwind tour of the world’s largest rubber factory, many of the questions I had been accumulating over the years, regarding the omnipresent farms blanketing Southern Thailand, were answered. A number of useful innovations were spawned…

  • A centuries old mystery unearthed

    A centuries old mystery unearthed

    PHUKET: In May of this year an unbelievable discovery was made in a palm plantation in Khao Chaison, a district within Phatthalung province. Wee Thapsaeng, the owner of a 7-rai plot of land was using his tractor to plow the land, in order to prepare it for growing palm trees. What emerged, however, was not just mud and earthworms, as…

  • DJ Kimball Collins at XANA beach club

    DJ Kimball Collins at XANA beach club

    DJ Kimball Collins, a true pioneer of the American electronic music scene, who keeps traveling the world electrifying crowds and staying true to breaking underground house music for the past 25 years will perform at XANA beach club this coming Saturday August 23, during the Chandon Summer Limited Edition 2014 launch party. DJ Kimball was one of the first American…

  • Thai tourists take to Japan

    Thai tourists take to Japan

    PHUKET: Mist is covering Mount Yotei like a soft white blanket as I sit in the train station waiting for the 15:15 local to Otaru. Despite being school holidays, and prime-time summer, the weather is decidedly wet. Travel by railway in the country is always one of my guilty pleasures despite this being a business trip. Sitting at the North…

  • The future of printed books in the digital age

    The future of printed books in the digital age

    PHUKET: Early in 2003, I took my camera for servicing. While collecting it, I suggested to the old man who ran the shop that my camera would soon be obsolete, and that the future would be digital.“Oh, film won’t ever be replaced,” he said confidently. He went into a learned explanation of how 35mm film had an assured future, and…

  • Phuket Fitness: Walking – the body’s superpower

    Phuket Fitness: Walking – the body’s superpower

    PHUKET: The act of walking is so simple; it is something that we do every day, without even thinking about it. It is one simple act that, if taken advantage of, can reap a huge amount of health benefits. Our bodies are complex, yet finely tuned, machines that can burn calories and fat even when we do something as easy…

  • Army stormed Phuket before coup, for diving

    Army stormed Phuket before coup, for diving

    PHUKET: Months before General Prayuth Chan-ocha stepped in with the Army’s coup to wrestle some semblance of order back to Thailand, a group of military officers from throughout the nation stormed Phuket. But they didn’t come for the taxi mafia, tuk-tuk cartels, illegal workers or even the land encroachers – they came for the diving. Standing pool-side amid an air…

  • Lose weight by keeping hormones happy

    Lose weight by keeping hormones happy

    PHUKET: I was relaxing in a sauna recently and happened to overhear a conversation going on between two people behind me. A woman was talking about her new calorie-controlled diet. She started describing her great-tasting breakfast of natural, whole grain muesli, yogurt and sliced banana with a little bit of cinnamon on top. After a while, though, she started to…

  • Phuket Boating: Pershing the limits [VIDEO] | Thaiger

    Phuket Boating: Pershing the limits [VIDEO]

    PHUKET: If boating enthusiasts know one thing, they know there is cruising in style, and then there is Pershing. The range of high-end yachts from Italian boatbuilder Ferretti, from the baby 50.1 to the silver bullet 115ft, deliver exactly what is expected of a yacht dubbed the “Lamborghini of the sea”. Hand-stitched leather interior by Poltrona Frau, the exclusive leather…

  • Local filmmaker to tell the story of life after the tsunami

    Local filmmaker to tell the story of life after the tsunami

    PHUKET: On December 26, 2004 the Boxing Day earthquake and subsequent tsunami in the Indian Ocean wreaked havoc on 14 coastal countries and took the lives of more than 230,000 people. The global community reached out, donating over US$14 billion to provide humanitarian aid to the affected communities. Over the years, memorials have been dedicated, orphanages sprouted up to help…

  • The delicate process of starting plants from seed

    The delicate process of starting plants from seed

    PHUKET: Just over a year ago, part of this column was about cultivating your own flowers. Time to go into a bit more detail. The easiest way to grow plants for your garden is to use seeds. They can be obtained from large supermarkets such as Tesco, a few garden centers, or from specialist retail outlets. One of these shops…

  • Platinum preparing for first IPO | Thaiger

    Platinum preparing for first IPO

    PHUKET: Platinum Group, a leading operator of malls including Platinum Fashion Mall, is preparing to launch an initial public offering at the end of this year or beginning of next year. Maybank Kim Eng Securities, the financial adviser, is in the process of filing the IPO plan with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The group has 2.8 billion baht of…

  • Property Watch: To be, or not too be, that is the question

    Property Watch: To be, or not too be, that is the question

    PHUKET: Whenever a property column starts out with Billy Shakes and the talk turns to slings and arrows, you’d best buckle up the seat belts. Yes, we are again turning our eyes to Phuket real estate after an extended hiatus into the arcane and zig-zag run for the goal posts. Sadly, like Brazil, there is always hope in another four…

  • Excuse Buster: Work it for me, baby

    Excuse Buster: Work it for me, baby

    PHUKET: More than 70 per cent of people who exercise regularly are not getting the results they want, the International Health and Fitness Association (IDEA) has discovered. Out of the 25 per cent of those who are getting results, 90 per cent are working with a personal trainer, reported IDEA. Personal trainers get results; everyone can benefit from the one-on-one…

  • Trend Micro builds safer mobile gaming experience for consumers in Thailand | Thaiger

    Trend Micro builds safer mobile gaming experience for consumers in Thailand

    PHUKET: Trend Micro announced in a press statement that it is introducing the first-of-its kind Dr. Safety mobile security app, together with game developers in an effort to create a world safer for mobile gaming. First launched in Taiwan, the app is now available in the rest of Asia Pacific. It features six secure game technologies including a security certified…

  • Between a rock and a hard place: planning a rockery.

    Between a rock and a hard place: planning a rockery.

    WHEN I was knee high to a grasshopper, the expression ”between the devil and the deep blue sea” meant you were stuck in a hopeless, no-win situation. Nowadays the American adage “between a rock and a hard place” is more likely to be used to convey the same dilemma. But rocks are not always linked to intractable situations: gardeners for…

  • Pop star Tata ties knot with long-time sweetheart in Phuket

    Pop star Tata ties knot with long-time sweetheart in Phuket

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pop star Tata ties knot with long-time sweetheart in Phuket The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Amita Tata Young, a much-loved Thai-American pop star, wed Chatadul “Mor” Seenapongpipit in a private ceremony on the beach in Phuket yesterday. Businessman Chatadul reportedly proposed to her on May…

  • Japanese brunch a reminder of why we love Phuket

    Japanese brunch a reminder of why we love Phuket

    If you moved to Phuket to escape the hustle and bustle of big city life, it might be a short while before you start regretting your move. At times, Phuket seems as bad as any urban center, with all its traffic jams, road works and condominiums popping up everywhere. Add the millions of tourists visiting the island each year and…