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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Sponsored How one hospital visit in Thailand could cost more than your whole trip
Thailand is a favourite spot for travellers who want to enjoy more while spending less. From cheap street food to low-cost hotels and fun attractions, it’s easy to stretch your budget here. But there’s one thing many people don’t think...
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Phuket Health: What’s happening to all my power?
PHUKET: “I cannot sleep!” That is frequently what I hear in my consultations. Nearly all of us have experienced difficulty sleeping, be it falling asleep or other sleep worries such as frequent awakening, sleep apnea, nightmares, narcolepsy, sleep paralysis or even jet lag.Sleep is the sweet balm that soothes and restores us after a long day of work. It seems…
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Phuket People: Siriporn Tantipanyathep
PHUKET: The reception area of the Phuket Passport Office is teeming with people waiting to apply for their travel documents. Officers dressed smartly in Nyonya style – women in sarongs and Kebaya blouses and men wearing Batik print shirts – give an air of friendly efficiency.“It’s part of the governor’s initiative to promote local culture,” says Passport Chief Siriporn Tantipanyathep.…
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Boiling down a life of rice
PHUKET: It’s not easy to find staff for a boiled rice shop in Phuket Town. Sometimes new employees run away after just one day. It might have something to do with the starting time… 4am, or the regular days off… none. But Nalinee “Ann” Sukjaroen has been working at the Boiled Rice Shop on Dibuk Road for the past 25…
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Phuket Tech: What, exactly, is a Bitcoin? – Live Wire
PHUKET: In the past couple of week, three of my friends in Phuket – all of whom are reasonably savvy with their investments – have asked me about Bitcoin. There’s a lot of misinformation floating around, so I figured it’d be worthwhile to bring you all up to speed on the topic. I’ll get into the technical details momentarily, but…
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Phuket’s latest luxury resort
PHUKET: The island recently saw the opening of the new Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort. This 255-room beachfront property offers locally- sourced dining and the first club floor at Laguna Phuket, Bang Tao Beach. Flying in for the VIP gathering were members of the Kelley family, owners of the Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort, and senior corporate executives from Hawaii,…
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Property prices “under the gun’
PHUKET: I thought not once, but twice about putting the word gun into the title of this article, but why not? Live vicariously. Guns and real estate, now that’s an entirely different story altogether. Slowly stirring brown sugar into my inaugural morning café latte, the sound of small talk is in the air. Forget that toxic mock sweet stuff, I…
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On the menu: Trisara hosts Mozaic’s Chef James Ephraim
PHUKET: There have been some pretty spectacular sunsets in Phuket in recent weeks, or maybe I have just been fortunate enough to witness them from spectacular locations. The Trisara’s ‘Seafood’ restaurant is one of those places that reaffirm the reasons one has chosen to live on a tropical island. Another island that has glorious sunsets is Bali, and I am…
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Phuket Gardening: From fetid to fragrant
PHUKET: Shakespeare’s father, John, was fined for digging a “midden” in front of his neighbor’s house. Very unneighborly. Today the word has almost vanished from the English language as modern sanitation systems have replaced the foul cesspits of yesteryear. But make no mistake, a “midden” is neither pleasant to behold nor smell. Originally a hole in the ground, a dump…
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Phuket Health: When I’m 64
PHUKET: Early in the New Year I woke up to the stunning realization that “When I’m 64” wasn’t just the title of a Beatles hit, but in my case had become a statement of reality. In a lather of vitamin supplements and desperation I set out to discover whether there was in fact a Fountain of Youth in Phuket. In…
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Phuket Arts: The lion sleeps tonight
PHUKET: The cast and crew of the British International School (BIS) production of The Lion King which took place between April 1-3, probably had to catch up on some sleep, too. They earned it. For four months the whole school has been a hive of activity in anticipation of this, their largest production, and on the first night the full…
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Phuket Tech: Measuring (actual) internet speed – Live Wire
PHUKET: Over the years we’ve had a lot of ups and downs with the Phuket Internet Speed reporting site, phuketinternetspeed.com. We’ve gathered 30,000 speed tests from around the island, from almost 900 computer users, covering nearly 100 different internet packages. That makes Phuket Internet Speed, by far, as best I know, the largest community-based independent speed reporting site on the…
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Phuket Property: Resorts help water crisis
PHUKET: According to the World Travel and Tourism Council there are around 12.7 million hotel rooms around the world, and another 1.3 million are in development, half of them being built in the Middle East and Africa. Bottled water is as common a sight in hotel rooms as thin-screen televisions and mass-produced art. Given that hotels generally charge for bottled…
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Phuket Property Watch: Live by the sword, die by the sword
PHUKET: They came, they spent, they left. That pretty much sums up the great Russian tropical cold war of this the high tourism season. Over the past month or so I embarked on a research project to try to learn more about the surge of visitors from the former USSR to the island of Phuket. Not content to simply put…
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Phuket Gardening: Sol o sombra? A seat in the sun
PHUKET: If you go to the huge, intimidating amphitheater that is a Spanish bullring to witness a series of corridas, you may be asked at the ticket office if you want “sol” or “sombra?” And the reason? The seats in the shade (sombra) are more expensive, because there you are shielded from the fierce rays of the Iberian sun. “Sol…
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On the menu: Phuket’s Le Versace takes it to the next level
PHUKET: It is hot in Phuket at the moment, hot and dry, and the only relief comes when that scorching orb sinks below the horizon allowing for a slight drop in temperature. If you are fortunate, you may be able to enjoy that moment from a good vantage point. If you are very fortunate you will be watching the sunset…
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Phuket Property: Sansiri housing project targets hi-end segment
PHUKET: Relieving anticipation in the single-house property market to the north of Phuket Town, Sansiri Pcl finally lifted the curtain on ‘Burasiri Koh Kaew’, the developer’s first up-market resort-style, detached housing development in Phuket. Valued at about one billion baht, the new development is superbly located in the Koh Kaew sub district, just opposite the British International School. The project…
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Phuket Property: CBRE achieves top-three ranking; In brief…
PHUKET: CBRE announced, on March 26, that the company has achieved top-three rankings in 25 categories across 13 countries in the Asia Pacific Property Awards in all real estate categories, in nearly every major market across the region from New Zealand to China. The Asia Pacific Property Awards are part of the long-established International Property Awards and its winners’ logo…
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Phuket Property: Shivalai shimmers above Kamala
PHUKET: The Shivalai Resort Condominiums and Private Luxury Pool Villas will be a new boutique development perched on a hillside overlooking Kamala and out to the sea. The eight stylish three-storey low rise condominium buildings will have only two units per floor and five luxurious private pool villas when construction is completed in 2014. The Phuket Gazette spoke to Jakkrit…
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Phuket Tech: Lock down your mobile devices
PHUKET: In New York City, the crime rate has been slowly, steadily decreasing every year for the past 15 years. Until last year. In 2012, there were 3,484 more major crimes reported than in 2011 – and 3,890 more thefts of iPhones and iPads. Stolen iPhones and iPads are reversing a long-standing decline in major crimes. The situation in Phuket…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Wake up and drop in
PHUKET: As the final hours of daylight waned in the sky, I pulled my rusty old BMW up to the ridge of a tin mine-turned-lake, home to Anthem Wake Park, across from Wat Manik in Cherng Talay. Pausing but for a moment to study the deep blue water, the lake was both tranquil and alive. However, this tranquil introduction was…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Miss Thailand World 2013
PHUKET: Twenty Miss Thailand World 2013 finalists recently spent three days promoting local tourism and preparing for the next phase of their competition at the Cape Panwa Hotel, Phuket. Kasemkij Hotels, which owns Cape Panwa, released a statement saying it was an honor to host the event and its activities that are designed to promote philanthropic endeavors, tourism and culture…
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Phuket Lifestyle: PIMEX is better than ever
PHUKET: The Phuket International Boat Show, fondly known by its acronym PIMEX, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year with a lineup of exhibitors, brands and products that are second to none, and which have made it Asia’s favorite maritime and lifestyle show. Phuket Governor, Maitri Inthusut, opened the event at the Royal Phuket Marina at 10:30am yesterday, and it…
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Phuket Diving: The short tale of longtails
PHUKET: The roar of a well-oiled second-hand car motor destroys any hope of silence, despite there not being a road or traversable land for kilometers around us. Originating in and still dominating the waterways of Southeast Asia, longtail boats are the most unique way to reach a dive site from Phuket and other Andaman areas. However, diving from a traditional…
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Phuket Gardening: Doctor’s delight – more cover-ups
PHUKET: This week opens the ‘last chance saloon’ door to a few more multicolored foliage shrubs. And in fact, two or three are consistent performers and might rightly feel miffed if not given a mention. Indeed one, sanchezia nobile, prompted an enthusiastic Floridian to write on the web as follows: “Does anybody know about this plant? I saw it here…
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Phuket Property: The Emerald Terrace stands out in Patong
PHUKET: The uniquely designed Emerald Terrace will cover 1.3 rai of land on a hillside in Patong. The 7-storey, low-rise condominium will have 133 units comprising 98 studios; 21 one-bedroom apartments – eight of which will have private rooftops – and six two-bedroom apartments with private roof tops. Owners can use the swimming pool or relax in the distinctive pod-shaped…
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Phuket Property Watch: Koh Samui puts on a game face
PHUKET: War is hell. While the opinion on developing tourism often ranges from heaven to hell or somewhere in-between those luxury hotel 400 thread count fine Egyptian bed sheets (as usual I can’t help but take a quick detour off into the realms of upscale bedding). Apparently there is an ongoing controversy over thread count linen and whether the claims…
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Princess Yachts prepare for Phuket’s international boat show
PHUKET: Boat Lagoon Yachting, the sole distributor of Princess Yachts SEA, is giving away a free yacht charter at the annual PIMEX boat show.Having served the boating community since 1995, the company is probably best known as the exclusive authorized dealer for prestigious Princess Yachts. Joining in the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Phuket International Marine Exhibition (PIMEX),…
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Phuket Property: More than half of Laguna Shores already reserved
PHUKET: Laguna Property, Phuket’s largest developer of high-quality resort residences, has started selling units in the third wing of its landmark Laguna Shores holiday apartment development. Almost 120 Laguna Shores units – more than 50 per cent of the total 229-unit building – have been reserved since its market debut on December 15, 2012. The stylish one- and two-bedroom apartments,…
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Phuket Gardening: Camouflaging and covering up
PHUKET: If you strolled round the average Phuket garden with the proud owner, he might be forgiven for protesting: “What, do you want yet more foliage plants!?” But remember that at this time of year, apparently evergreen trees and shrubs start to drop leaves in an attempt to conserve energy, and prevent excessive water loss through transpiration. Others simply give…
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Phuket International Boat Show to celebrate 10th Anniversary
PHUKET: Asia’s favorite boat show, the Phuket International Boat Show (PIMEX), celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year from 21 to 24 March at Royal Phuket Marina with a line-up of marine and lifestyle products second to none. Having grown from humble beginnings, PIMEX will host the region’s largest in-water display with a range of luxury power and sail boats ranging…
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