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 Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
-
The day of the dahlia
PHUKET: Thais are seriously superstitious. There are lucky days when big decisions must be made and unlucky days when everything must be put on hold. Lotteries are a national obsession. Ghostly presences haunt every soap opera, bringing misfortune to those who fall foul of them. Good or bad karma is part and parcel of daily experience. There are, predictably, a…
-
Angel’s Trumpets: Alluring but…
PHUKET: While perusing old photographs of Chiang Mai, I came across some views of Doi Inthanan. This mountain, at 2,564 meters, is not only the highest in Thailand, but boasts some spectacular montane forests and flowers. At the summit, the twin Chedis appear to float, disembodied, in swirling mists that are more reminiscent of a Scottish “haar” than a tropical…
-
![Sansiri launches Child-Friendly Space in Phuket [Video] | Thaiger](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0naHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmcnIHZpZXdCb3g9JzAgMCAxNDcgMjIwJz48L3N2Zz4=)
Sansiri launches Child-Friendly Space in Phuket [Video]
PHUKET: Living up to the standards set by it’s own Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program “Sansiri Social Change”, which aims to help support and improve children’s lives, Sansiri launched its new Child-Friendly Space in Mai Khao to provide education in a safe environment for the children of construction workers. The project, located near the construction site of Baan Mai Khao…
-
French naval traditions meet Italian design in the Monte Carlo 76
PHUKET: There are hundreds of boats docked at marinas in Phuket, some big and some small, some flashy and some more subdued. But if you find yourself walking down one of the piers and come across a Monte Carlo yacht, you’re guaranteed to stop and stare… And start dreaming. There is something about those curves, the sophisticated lines. They exude…
-
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
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
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…
-
International Diploma of Sustainable Development to revolutionize Phuket education
PHUKET: A new International Diploma of Sustainable Development course being established by Prince of Songkla University (Phuket Campus) is the beginning of an education revolution in Phuket. “Transforming the educational paradigm to provide a rich and vibrant education” is the goal of the new Andaman International College of Arts and Sciences to be opened in 2015, which was announced by…
-
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: 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: 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…
-
Never a dull moment in the ‘comfortably numb’ zone
PHUKET: Adrenalin junkies simply never tire of flirting with disaster. Take those storm-chasing fanatics you see on reality television as they lean into the wind trying to catch a glimpse of the eye of a hurricane: Just one wrong step and they’re toast, along with their entire crew. Recently, I’ve taken to travelling to India again after a long break.…
-
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’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
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…
-
Local art on show this week at Central Festival
PHUKET: The ground floor of Central Festival Phuket has been transformed into a gallery featuring diverse collections of paintings by local artists. If you’re looking for an original and unique piece of art to decorate your space, come and meet the artists, watch them work and peruse the sketches, oils and watercolors of beautiful landscapes, traditional scenes captured on canvas,…
-
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, 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
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…
-
Property Watch: These are a few of my favorite things
HAVE you ever heard music ringing in your ears or else started humming to yourself in a hotel room? You have indeed stumbled as an extra onto the movie Sound of Music. Not. But hotels that provide an emotional uplift from design, art or creative energy can be a source of inspiration for even the most road hardened traveller. What’s…
-
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
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
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…
-
Worldwide survey takes a look at fashion, fears and preferred activities at the beach
PHUKET: Expedia.com, one of the world’s largest full-service online travel sites, recently released the results of the 2014 Expedia Flip Flop Report, an annual study of behavior and preferences among beachgoers in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia/New Zealand. The study examines the most prevalent joys and anxieties among beachgoers worldwide, including comfort with public nudity, opinions of…
-
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
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
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…
-
Chasing Hooters: One man’s obsession with the global restaurant chain (video)
PHUKET: Some people don’t need any reason to travel. They just pack their bags and hit the road. Wanderlust, they call it. But for most of us, there has to be a reason behind the journey. Be it business people who travel for the money, holiday makers who travel to have a break, or pilgrims who travel for their souls.…
-
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
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…
![Sansiri launches Child-Friendly Space in Phuket [Video] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/8_2014910143142453_uXgKchgOopoORWpoEpyWrYnZbGZnzGpSJFrPFQkP_jpeg.jpeg)
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.