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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Sponsored 5 hidden healthcare costs in Thailand and how to avoid them
Thailand's healthcare system is affordable and supported by the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme, offering essential services to most citizens. However, hidden healthcare costs can surprise patients and lead to unexpected expenses. These include specialist fees, insurance gaps, emergency services,...
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Phuket body transformation: Turning over a new leaf
PHUKET: It’s been four weeks since I signed up for the Thanyapura Total Body Transformation program – and I now feel better than I have in a long, long time. Long gone are the initial days, the days when I could barely make it through a training session. The change in this particular department is simply incredible. Not only can…
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Phuket Health: Steroids 101 – The good, the bad and the ugly
PHUKET: Steroids can be found and bought over the counter all over the place in Phuket. Most pharmacies stock them, and I have known some gyms to sell them as well. The term “steroid” is commonly – and mistakenly – used to describe any performance-enhancing drug. This simply is not accurate. Steroids are synthetic hormones. For example, diabetics that have…
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Going the distance for children in need
PHUKET: When I started writing the Blazing Saddles column two years ago, I had no idea of the eventful journey upon which it would take me. My two-wheeled companion has led me into many fascinating corners of the Andaman region; none more so than when I found myself a guest of Yaowawit School for underprivileged kids near the small town…
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Video Report: Phuket foodies are in for a treat at JW Marriott Gourmet Weekend
PHUKET: There is an ancient Thai tradition of allowing oneself one weekend of gluttony, hedonism and feasting in a year. Unfortunately, that actually isn’t true – no such tradition exists. But if it did, JW Marriott’s Gourmet Weekend, which will take place from November 14 to 16, would be the perfect opportunity to bring it to life. JW Marriott Phuket’s…
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A Phuket Shoppers’ Paradox – Discounts: Friend or foe?
PHUKET: My family grew up in the world of marketing. My dad was the president of a marketing subsidiary of Time Inc and my brother has, for many years, run Growth Engine, a successful creativity and innovation marketing consulting agency in the US. Although I’ve never been directly involved in marketing, I’ve always been interested in trying to understand what…
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Phuket Boating: Cruising like a missile
PHUKET: Range to target: under 3,500 nautical miles. ‘Aye aye, Sir,’ says your skipper and you’re underway. With a long-range cruising capability of 2,000nm at 11 knots, or 3,500nm at 8 knots, the Princess 88 Motor Yacht defines the luxury nautical version of the “great escape”. Having a non-stop range of more than 6,400km in a single trip – about…
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Chasing vampires, running from zombies at Thanyapura Neon Night Run
PHUKET: Nothing provides better motivation to run fast and far than a bunch of bloodthirsty zombies chasing you, does it? Those who showed up at Thanyapura on November 1, could check the effectiveness of this motivational technique for themselves. With a bunch of zombies as well as vampires, witches, ghosts and other creepy creatures hunting the sport center’s grounds, the…
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Firecrackers and fragrances: Brilliant colors and strong scents hold their own in any Phuket garden
PHUKET: One shrub I have consistently failed to mention in dispatches is the firecracker flower. In part, that omission relates to its tongue-twisting Latin name (crossandra infundibuliformis). However, the main reason is that not only is it absent from my garden, but I have rarely seen the shrub in Thailand. Despite its small stature (up to four feet) it’s a…
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Phuket Health: Is OJ a murderer?
PHUKET: Do you like to start the day here on our tropical island paradise with a glass of orange juice? Before you reach for a glass, here is some food for thought. New research contends that a glass of fruit juice increases the core blood pressure. Oh, and yes, it makes you fat. Researchers from Swinburne University in Australia recently…
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Video report: Phuket realtors align strategy with market slowdown
Among the seminar’s speakers were representatives of respectable developers such as Sansiri and The Mall Group’s Supaluck Umpujh. PHUKET: Realtors throughout Phuket are re-aligning their strategies to counter the slowdown in market activity this year, which has been attributed to saturation. Thanusak Phungdet, president of the Phuket Real Estate Association (PREA), revealed the news after the PREA property seminar in…
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The Mall Group forges ahead with B20bn baht Phuket project [video]
Phuket Today talks with the Mall Group’s Vice-Chairwoman Supaluck Umpujh. PHUKET: Not concerned about the current economic slowdown and full of hope about the changes that Phuket is undergoing, the Mall Group will drive forward with its plan to invest as much as 20 billion baht in a new, multi-purpose retail and entertainment center in Phuket. Speaking during a recent…
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Diving: Phuket’s Loy Krathong from below the surface
PHUKET: HIGH season officially got underway for divers two weeks ago with parties at AquaMaster and Dive Supply, but the real party this week is more of a cultural thing – Loy Krathong. Having always been a strong supporter of night dives, which I fully understand are most instructors’ nemesis, it appears that Loy Krathong could offer a truly unique…
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Phuket Carnival Jazz Night concert on Patong Beach tonight
PHUKET: Jazz fans are in for a treat tonight, despite Phuket’s wet weather, with a free Jazz Night concert held as part of the Patong Carnival, which began on Saturday. The concert includes local greats the Jun Abe Band, Jazz Shop Funk Addict, Manila Machine, Neung Jakkawai Band and Siam Cubano Band. Vichart Jirathiyut, managing director of event organizer Hitman…
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The Lodge at BB Phuket adjusts to a changing market
PHUKET: It was one year ago when property guru Bill Barnett wrote in the Phuket Tattler, “Foreign buyers have returned to the island in big numbers and what is motivating them is not luxury pool villas but investment-oriented condominium and apartment properties that are hotel managed”. Yet, a lot has happened over the past 12 months and investors, aiming to…
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Absolute World names new head of real estate
PHUKET: Absolute World Group has announced the appointment of Stuart Coakley as director of the group’s real estate division. Based at the property developer’s Thailand headquarters in Phuket, Mr Coakley is tasked with overseeing the group’s real estate division and growing future real estate strategy for the mixed-use resort developers and fractional and vacation ownership pioneers. Mr Coakley has experience…
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Etihad Airways commences daily non-stop flights to Phuket
PHUKET: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has commenced daily non-stop flights between Abu Dhabi and Phuket, the airline’s second destination in Thailand. The inaugural flight – EY430 – departed Abu Dhabi International Airport at 8:40am local time on Sunday, October 26, and touched down at 6:00pm the same day at Phuket International Airport, where it…
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Indigo Pearl Phuket cashes in on big-spending tourists
PHUKET: Indigo Pearl Phuket has added unique products, developed sales channels and worked with quality agents, as part of its strategy to capture the high-spending travel market. The hotel is the flagship property of the long-established, Phuket-based hospitality firm, Pearl Group. Wichit Na-Ranong, owner of the hotel, said that since the group rebranded from Pearl Hotel at Nai Yang Beach…
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Sheraton to be new Emerald in Phuket luxury hotel market
PHUKET: Emerald Phuket Development, confident that the luxury property market on the island isn’t saturated, is bringing the Sheraton brand back to the province after a three-year hiatus. “The Sheraton brand has one of the best distribution systems and traveller loyalty programs. It is returning to Phuket with a firm vision to take its rightful place in Phuket’s competitive luxury…
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Phuket body transformation: And so it begins
PHUKET: Moving to Phuket has taken its toll on my weight and health. Almost 10 kilograms is what I have gained since I moved to the island a little over one year ago. How come? There are a number of reasons for this mishap. The love of Thai food It doesn’t take a nutritionist to figure out that stuffing yourself…
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Phuket Health: Get the skinny on fats
PHUKET: Recently, the Public Health Ministry published a report warning of the dangers of heart disease, claiming that six Thais succumb to it every hour. Similarly, a World Health Organization (WHO) report proclaimed heart disease as the leading cause of premature death in Thailand. A diet of high-fat foods has often been named as the culprit for the spike in…
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Boating: Asia Superyacht Rendezvous to float in fine fettle on Phuket waters
PHUKET: The exquisite waters of the Andaman Sea surrounding Phuket will once again usher in stunning superyachts from Asia and around the world at the 14th annual Asia Superyacht Rendezvous from December 16-18. The largest gathering of boat and motor superyachts in Asia, the Rendezvous will soon welcome some of the world’s most captivating vessels, which can also be seen…
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Fiction from Phuket’s Olde Curmudgeon: Geckoman Triumphant
(Synopsis: Nerdy high school student Worrawit Worrawitworraworrapong (“Worry”) is in love with head cheerleader Titiporn Hubbahubbakul (“Titi”), but is competing for her favors with chief athlete Spermsak Bongkalot (“Stud”). Worry’s secret identity is Geckoman, the hero of this epic; Stud’s is Cockroachman, the villain. Both have learned that leading terrorist Omar al-Moron (“Som-O”) is holed up at the Bedbugs Galore…
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Phuket Health: Cracking the Crossfit code
PHUKET: With Crossfit becoming more and more popular worldwide, I am often faced with the questions: Is Crossfit good, or is it bad? Have I done it? Would I recommend it? In short, I think it’s both good and bad. Yes, I have done it and still do. And yes, I would recommend it, but not to everyone. So what…
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Property Update: Urban-style condo launched in the heart of Phuket
PHUKET: Location, location, location is every property expert’s mantra, and Sansiri knows it well. They prove it with their latest Phuket project – THE BASE, located in the very heart of the island. Situated on five rai of land on the bypass road, THE BASE Uptown is in the middle of Phuket’s retail action, just a stone’s throw away from…
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Shaking off the crime beat with a Phuket spa treatment
PHUKET: As a hard news reporter, who witnesses the dirty side of Phuket daily, a good massage and spa treatment is essential after a week on the beat. A spa is the one place where everyone, including me, can escape the stress of the outside world and enjoy an hour or two of being under the spell of a masseuse…
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Reaching the end of an era as Bill Barnett’s Property Watch column comes to an end
PHUKET: The older I get, the more the concept of time simply seems to accelerate at a fast and furious pace. Does all that caffeine I’m drinking bring me closer to the end of days, or did someone mysteriously pump up the pace? Over the past seven and a half years I have written this property column, I’ve witnessed the…
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High fructose corn syrup and its effects on health
PHUKET: I moved out of Perth some 20-odd years ago, and apart from short stints back in my hometown I haven’t spent much time there since. Every time I do return though, it is incredible to see the changes the town has undergone, like the ever-increasing pace of life and city growth. Apparently, these changes are nothing compared to Phuket.…
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Phuket’s pedaling pioneer
PHUKET: Martin Brot, the owner of Siam Bike Tours, is an extraordinary man. He is undoubtedly one of the pioneers of long-distance recreational cycling in Thailand, and his company has built an international reputation which lures hundreds of cyclists to Thailand and Phuket, every year. Meeting Martin is a joy in itself… he’s a vital, energetic ball of wiry fitness…
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Best Western Patong – quality and affordability reunited
PHUKET: It’s easy to spend big bucks in Phuket. Those who arrive to the island with the popular misconception that “Thailand is cheap” might be sorely disappointed when faced with local prices. They can be easier to swallow when you get what you pay for, such is the case of many high-end resorts and restaurants. Less so, though, when the…
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Boating: Multihulls move on up in Phuket
PHUKET: Anyone paying attention to the number of entries in Phuket Raceweek or the King’s Cup Regatta in recent years could not have failed to notice the continually rising number of catamarans entered in the events. Cats and other multihulls are on the rise in the Andaman, and Phuket has become their haven. “They excel in so many areas,” explains…
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