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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Phuket Property Watch: Samui staying strong
PHUKET: One of my favorite movies in recent memory has to be Up in the Air. Given a hectic travel schedule, it’s certainly a subject I can identify with. One of the classic scenes has to be George Clooney, jumping into line behind some people of Asian descent at the foreboding metal detector and commenting how they “travel light”. Profiling,…
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Phuket Property: The luxury of privacy
SUPERYACHTS, private planes, exclusive jewelry and privacy are just a few of life’s luxuries that people crave and strive for. Wait – privacy? Sadly, yes. It’s supply seems to be shrinking by the day, with the help of our friends from NSA, Google, Facebook and others. It might seem that the ship has sailed and not much can be done…
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Phuket Community: World-standard ISO safety practices to be applied at Nai Harn
PHUKET: The island’s grass-roots water safety initiative Safer Phuket recently announced its plan to certify Nai Harn Beach under an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard. “Phuket can be a lead location in establishing ISO beach standards, which would also make it the first place in the world to introduce these standards,” said Mr Duncan Stewart, managing director and co-founder…
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Phuket Travel: Escaping just got easier
PHUKET: There always comes a time when you need a time-out. An inaudible beckoning call comes out of the ether when the pressure and daily grind of work, home life and the day-to-day routine wear on you and you just have to escape. Escaping can be a chore in and of itself and you might find yourself in search of…
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Phuket TECH: The mirrorless revolution
PHUKET: Here in Thailand, which has earned itself the title of world “selfie” capital, pictures are important. Whether it’s locals snapping shots while out and about to upload to Facebook, tourists looking for that exotic portrait from their trip abroad or the pros clicking away to beef up their stock portfolio, cameras are everywhere, all the time. Although it might…
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Phuket Gardening: Climbing to new heights
PHUKET: A few columns back I threatened to return to the topic of easy-to-grow climbers. Some of the varieties mentioned then are indeed tough and resilient, but they are not natural vines inasmuch as they lack aids in the form of suckers, twining stems, modified leaves or tendrils to help them cling and ascend. That they are substantial and weighty…
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Phuket Property Watch: Lost in the belly of the beast
PHUKET: It’s never easy working off the heels of your feet. Take Usain Bolt for example, toe to heel in lightning millisecond perfection. Forward momentum and fly like the wind. These days, unfortunately, Thailand has missed the sprint session entirely and ended up dazed and confused like a skid-row drunk in a dumpster. Despite the sheer fact that I in…
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Phuket Property: An emerald on the isle
PHUKET: Located in the heart of the rapidly developing Phuket Central Business district, Emerald Central Condo has matched quality design with a prime location to create an excellent opportunity for investors and owner-occupiers alike. The developers behind Emerald Central, Phuket Future Development Co Ltd, say the project was created with the three guiding principals of “quality, design, and functionality”. Managing…
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Phuket Property: When privacy is paramount
PHUKET: The Onella Co Ltd has launched sales for Privé 49 low-density residence in central Phuket with superior hospitality services catering to executive urban lifestyles. Phuket-based developers The Onella Co launched the latest addition to central Phuket’s residential property market on Friday, February 7. Investors are being introduced to an innovative urban living concept featuring resort-style hospitality services and facilities…
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Dusit Thani Laguna appoints new GM
PHUKET: Denis J Thouvard was recently appointed as the new General Manager of Dusit Thani Laguna, a five-star luxury resort in Cherng Thalay. Mr Thouvard previously held the position of Area General Manager at the Centara Grand Beach Resort in Karon Beach, Phuket. Mr Thouvard brings to his new role over 20 years of experience in five-star hotels and resorts…
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One night (and day) in Bkk
PHUKET: Last week I walked through the streets of Bangkok with Jesus. As we all know, the original J-Man could walk on water, but Thailand’s man of the moment, Suthep Tuangsuban was able to deftly part his way through the horde of followers along the city’s posh Sukhumvit commercial district with what appeared to be divine skill.How did I come…
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Laguna holds 20th Phuket sea turtle release
PHUKET: “Sea turtle with fish net wounds saved on Phuket beach”, “Phuket sea turtle on the hook – saved”, “Six injured sea turtles beach in Phuket, Phang Nga in one day” – these are just few of many Phuket Gazette headlines chronicling the plight of the region’s sea turtles in the last couple of years. No wonder that five of…
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Phuket Book Review: The dystopia trilogy
PHUKET: Alice Munro and Margaret Atwood are the Ali and Frazier of Canada – the top two literary heavyweights. Munro is now champ, having recently scored the knockout punch of winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. The two writers could not be more different. The 82-year-old Munro writes only short stories, collected in 14 books. Eight years younger, Atwood is…
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Phuket Property Watch: The art of travel warfare
PHUKET: For those of you who are hopelessly optimistic and always looking for the bright side, even when caught in a monsoon, please move on to the next page of the newspaper. Better yet, find the nearest mirror and hone up on that hopeless one liner – “Have a nice day.” In this instance, my day has gone from bad…
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Phuket Environment: Young sea turtles released on a lifelong journey
PHUKET: Laguna Phuket marked its 20th anniversary of supporting sea turtle conservation programs by releasing 90 juvenile sea turtles into the Andaman Sea yesterday afternoon.The turtles were released at sunset into the warm waters of the Andaman Sea, on the Angsana Laguna Phuket beachfront, to begin their lifetime ocean odysseys. Over 500 donors and spectators were all smiles as they…
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Phuket Humor: Introducing the Eezeewee
PHUKET: Some time ago, a company in South Africa invented a device designed to break down one of the last barriers between the sexes. The Eezeewee is billed as “a reusable device with a shaped plastic cup and a length of pipe” that enables women to urinate while standing. It is touted as “invaluable for women who are traveling, hiking,…
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Phuket Travel: Camp like a champ
PHUKET: In high season everyone is attempting the paradise-island cliche of beating the crowds. So standing on the beach front of Khao Lampi-Hat Thai Mueang National Park it’s time for an umbrella count. Nothing on the right, nothing on the left – that was easy enough. But perhaps it’s unfair to compare a pristine national park beach area with the…
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Video Report: A Phuket lesson in abstract love
PHUKET: As part of its Valentine’s Day celebrations, Jungceylon is staging a four-day exhibition by two renowned local artists.Watcharin Rodnit and Anuwat Sirirattanajitt have been friends for over ten year; in fact it was Anuwat who introduced Watcharin to Phuket a decade ago. Abstract art for the new year. Video: PGTVDespite their long friendship, this new exhibition – Duo Abstract…
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February 14: Phuket’s an island alight
PHUKET: February 14 – it’s that time of year again: a time to laugh and love for many, but certainly a time to live for all. That’s a cue to power down your tablets and smartphones, and slap on your mojo suits. This year, it’s not just Valentine’s Day we have to look forward to tomorrow, but two more important,…
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Urban lifestyle options dominate Phuket Real Estate Expo
PHUKET: The latest condos, compact houses and home building supplies catering to Phuket’s urban living trend have launched their new year promotions at the Phuket Real Estate Show 2014 held at Central Festival Phuket, which ends tomorrow, February 12.City dwellings dominated the rows of properties and products at the expo featuring affordable accommodation options under 2 million baht for young…
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Phuket Property Watch: Out of the room and into the fire
PHUKET: Did you get the memo? For god’s sake, why didn’t you just fall into line and do like everyone else does? Like it or not, hotel life can pretty much be summed up in these two sentences; Go to work, disconnect all logic and brainpower and just follow the leader like a xanaxed-out flock of sheep. A few days…
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Phuket Boats: Set a course for adventure aboard the Argo
PHUKET: With a crew of 26 university students, most who had never been aboard a yacht, the 112-foot schooner Argo sailed out of Yacht Haven Marina mid-last month, set on a course for adventure and education on the high seas. The Bangkok-built ship was launched in 2006 and was designed and commissioned to be the flagship for SeaMester, a unique…
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Phuket Old Town Festival begins today
PHUKET: The annual three-day Phuket Old Town Festival kicks off this evening with a parade to celebrate the unique culture of Phuket’s residents. With Queen Sirikit Park the heart of the festivities, events will be held along Thalang Road, Soi Rommanee and Krabi Road – the heart of the Phuket Old Town area. Tonight’s opening parade starts at 5pm at…
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Beatle Mania: Phuket, are you ready for tonight?
PHUKET: Preparations are complete for what looks set to be a fantastic show tonight and tomorrow night when the curtains open on the fabulous Beatles tribute band at 7pm, in the grand marquee at the Phuket Boat Lagoon. The seated tickets (1,500 baht) are completely sold out for both nights, and the lounge tickets for this Gazette Headline Event are…
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Bangkok Hospital Phuket making strides towards specialized health care
PHUKET: The Bangkok Phuket Colorectal Disease Institute officially opened to the public on January 9. Located on the third floor at Phuket’s Bangkok Hospital in Samkong, the institute specializes in the diagnoses and advanced treatment of a multitude of colorectal diseases including colon and prostate cancer.Founded and directed by Dr Art Hiranyakas, the institute offers patients state-of-the-art medical care by…
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Phuket Property: Living it up in the Ozone
PHUKET: According to chemistry and geology textbooks, “ozone” is a pale blue gas – an inorganic compound comprising three atoms of oxygen – which plays a crucial role in the earth’s stratosphere, absorbing much of the sun’s deadly radiation to make this planet habitable for humans. Perhaps this “life enabling” property is what developer Phuket Pro Property had in mind…
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Centara signs three new Krabi properties
PHUKET: Centara Hotels & Resorts is set to greatly expand its presence in the Southern Thailand province of Krabi following the signing of management contracts for three new properties within the same master development in Klong Muang, Krabi.The properties are Centara Pelican Bay Resort & Spa Krabi, Centara Pelican Bay Residence & Suites Krabi, and Centara Pelican Bay Villas Krabi.Perry…
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Phuket Property Watch: The Medium is the Message
PHUKET: A crash back in time in our memory machine today takes us back to the 1960s and the groundbreaking work of Marshall McLuhan. His forward looking views on the effects of popular mass culture continue to be relevant to this day, over half a century later. Little did readers of The Medium is the Message realize, that the speed…
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Blazing Saddles: Khao Lak Attack
PHUKET: Gadabout pedal-philes living in Phuket are continually in search of more benign, cyclist-friendly venues in which to enjoy their passion. Naturally enough, many such cycling getaways tend to be found across the Sarasin Bridge, which a waggish friend recently described as being “where Thailand really starts”. Almost as soon as you do cycle across those 1,500 meters of turquoise…
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Phuket Property Watch: Sitting on the outside looking in
PHUKET: Exclusive or inclusive? For the hospitality industry, the burning question about all-inclusive resorts is becoming a hot global topic once again. You need to go back no further than the dawn of the global financial crisis and the surge in the consumer class to test the theory of value added sales propositions. If you wind back the clock to…
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