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 Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
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Phuket Gardening: Blooming plumerias
PHUKET: In an email both quirky and perceptive, a fellow contributor to the Phuket Gazette recently confessed to dealing with Phuket’s 35 degree heat by gardening at night, and thereby, and unsurprisingly, incurring the curiosity of his neighbors. Personally I haven’t tried it. But, I entirely concur with his subsequent reasoning that because the island’s soil is so difficult to…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Seven’s heaven for our Lady Pie
PHUKET: After last year’s successful involvement with the rugby world’s premier 7s tournament, Phuket’s Lady Pie can claim world renown and will once again fill more appreciative bellies with their themed and delicious fare at the 2012 event that starts tomorrow. Now in their sixth year of operation in Cherng Talay, Lady Pie owners Susan and Harry Usher are thrilled…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Kids are doing it for themselves
PHUKET: As part of its philosophy to teach young Thai students the importance of self-sufficiency and respect for the environment, the Yaowawit Boarding School and Lodge has developed a model agricultural project which demonstrates the fundamentals of independence for small farmers. Located in the middle of a Phang Nga jungle, far away from the glamor of international tourism or even…
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Phuket History: The slow road to Bangkok
PHUKET: Towards the end of the 18th century, trade and logistics was tough business. Phuket, or Junk Ceylon, during that time was rich in tin, a semi-precious metal that was highly sought after by European and Indian traders. Tin mining was therefore an important source of revenue for the island. Because tin mines in Junk Ceylon were considered government property,…
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Phuket Bike Week has come of age
PHUKET: There are places in the world where the roar of big bikes coming towards town spells trouble, but here in Phuket that sound heralds good news as it means that Big Bike Week is here again and that business is as booming as the engines. Heading into its 18th year, the event will take place between April 6 to…
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Phuket Books: The big picture of global horror
PHUKET: In libraries and book stores, not shelves but entire bookcases are devoted to World War II and the American Civil War. Therefore, a one volume history of each fills a crying need. The American Civil War has Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson. Now World War II has Inferno (Alfred A Knopf, New York, 2011, 729pp) by…
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Phuket Gardening: Location is everything
PHUKET: One of the first things to consider when creating a new garden or re-vamping an old one, is to work out which plants do well in your locale. There are more micro-climates around than we realize – even in Phuket. So it’s a good idea to do some homework in your area and discover which garden plants are successful…
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Phuket celebrates St Patrick’s Day
PHUKET: Let the celebrations begin! It’s that time of year again when the shy and solemn Irish expats around the world awake from obscurity to throw off the shackles of sobriety and enjoy a pint or two.Yes, it’s Saint Patrick’s Day on March 17, and not only a day, but a whole weekend is available to indulge in all things…
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Phuket Gardening: What’s in a potted palm?
PHUKET: A few weeks ago I had occasion to visit a friend staying at the Evason Resort in Rawai. There is an impressive drive to be negotiated before you reach your destination, a route dominated by over-arching palms that have obviously been there for some time probably installed at the same time as the hotel itself. What made this roadside…
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Phuket Books: Fact, fiction and historical novels
PHUKET: If you describe anything as “the worst thing that can happen,” it probably isn’t. But one of the worst things that can happen to an historical novelist is to have someone creep up with a smirk on his face, and say that you got a fact wrong. For me, it’s worse than being told the novel is useless. I’ve…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Extraordinary Vset
PHUKET: Ask any smattering of food lovers what the great world cuisines are and the same old raspberries will turn up time after time: French, Italian, Japanese and even Thai, but generally speaking, the National Cuisine that more than often ends up in the culinary equivalent of the odd-sock drawer will be that of the Philippines. Okay, the Philippines do…
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Phuket lifestyle: Lions Club of Phuket Pearl to present ‘A Ray of Hope’
PHUKET: The Lions Club of Phuket Pearl probably support a wider number of local charities than anyone else. Founded in 1991, the original members were women who called themselves the Lionesses of Phuket until they received permission from the International Lions Club that they too could be Lions. Now they have invited men to join them. “We formed the Lions…
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Phuket Reminder: Family Rally to aid marine life conservation
PHUKET: Kriengsak Jarunonwiwai at Phuket Butterfly Garden & Insect World on Saturday, reminded everyone that the Family Rally to save the marine environment is still on for April 1. The Family Rally is a joint project supported by local government and private organizations that aims to return clownfish, seahorses and sea turtles to Phuket’s coastal waters. For more details and…
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Start your engines, the Phuket Invitational Car Rally is ready for road
PHUKET: Automotive tune ups underway, participants in the Phuket Invitational Car Rally are revving up for Sunday’s tour of the island which at the checkered flag will determine a top team of navigators, timekeepers and drivers. On Sunday March 11, this unique treasure hunt will start out from Chalong Pier Beer Garden at 10am. However, registration will begin at 9am…
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Phuket lifestyle: Keeping an ‘i’ on the prize
PHUKET: The requirements for getting hired as a foreign teacher in Thailand are incredibly low. Degrees and TEFL certificates are bandied about but not truly required in many schools. With Thailand’s low standards come low salaries, lower expectations and the profession’s ugly stereotype: the backpacker teacher. Typically transient, the backpacker uses his or her classroom as a means to a…
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Phuket property: The hotel owners’ great debate: Is it better to buy or to build?
PHUKET: Decisions, decisions. Our lives often revolve around them like a lotus in a whirlpool. In through the ‘out’ door and out through the ‘in’. Or just ‘smash and grab’ like some random jewelry heist. But wait, we have a topic, and rolling into 2012 it has never been more relevant. Hotels coming into the market place in Phuket have…
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Phuket lifestyle: Making a dog’s dinner of it
PHUKET: A while back I wrote an article on the benefits of a raw diet for your dogs and while the debate still rages among veterinarians, food manufacturers and the dogs themselves – I thought I’d leave that to one side and focus on some of the dog foods now available here in Phuket. The variety of commercial dog foods…
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Phuket lifestyle: Breaking the school barrier
PHUKET: Seven intrepid stand-up paddlers will take to their boards on March 13 to navigate the 90 miles around Phuket over five days. The circumnavigation of Phuket is to raise funds to build a school for impoverished children in the Rassada Port area, on the east side of Phuket Town. The port area is well known as one of the…
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Phuket lifestyle: Diving without water
PHUKET: Divers take water for granted, be it mucky water, cold water, beautiful Phuket water or even pool water. We presume there will be water when we dive. So my last dive, a “dry” dive at 18 meters in a sub-aquatic safety services (SSS) recompression chamber, was a novelty. Recompression chambers, also known as hyperbaric chambers, have been used to…
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The Absolut Mango House Festival 2012 kicks off today
PHUKET: The Absolut Mango House Festival 2012 kicks off today at 3pm with the ‘Sushi Lounge Party’ hosted by DJ Colin Edwards. Colin is internationally known for his voice and immensely popular Funk It Up radio syndication show and his signature ‘soulful style’. Colin will be joined by DJ Nutrip and celebrity Japanese chef Massa, for a saucy afternoon of…
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Phuket gardening: Vistas of paradise
PHUKET: It is always a great pleasure to be invited to a Phuket home, and to be asked for advice about aspects of the garden. This week’s visit proved predictably pleasurable and the upshot, hardly surprising – was a decision to write about the experience. The original intention had been to advise about pot plants but, as often happens on…
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Twinpalms designer Martin Palleros to join Phuket American Chamber of Commerce workshop
PHUKET: Noted designer of the Twinpalms resort, Martin Palleros, will be joining the panel of international designers speaking at the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) “Phuket Design Evolution” workshop at Royal Phuket Marina on Friday night (March 9). Mr Palleros is also renowned for his work on Baan Yamu and the ultra-residence Villa Mayavee on Kamala’s Millionaires’ Mile. Overseas, Mr…
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Phuket lifestyle: The art of life
PHUKET: A Frenchman who enjoys wine and rugby is nothing unusual, but a former international player launching his own award winning wines on Phuket is certainly worth our attention. Gérard Bertrand was born into wine and rugby and has excelled at both. Capped twice for France against Italy and Russia as a strapping loose forward, he also led the Paris-based…
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Patong readies for the Phuket Punchline
PHUKET: We’ve heard they’ve been scoffing our food, drinking our beer and eying up the women. Those dastardly comedians from the Whose Line Is It Anyway show have been seen floating around Phuket already, apparently “warming up” for their side-splitting show at the Holiday Inn tonight. That’s right folks, The Phuket Punchline Comedy Club’s exclusive and uncensored mirth-filled menagerie of…
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Phuket property briefs: Hotel search engine; SALA group; APEC
PHUKET: In an effort to keep revenue streams out of the hands of OTA’s (online travel agents), six major hotel chains have invested in a new hotel search engine called Room Key. Joining in on the consortium are InterContinental, Hyatt, Marriott, Wyndham, Hilton and Choice. Technology for the system came via a third party acquisition of ‘helicopter’. Room Key DNA…
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Phuket property: New residential market demand is generated by wealthy Asians
PHUKET: Demand in Phuket’s residential and property markets is growing among wealthy Asian “tourists”, leading property consultancy Knight Frank Thailand has reported. Knight Frank’s latest research was conducted following the Airport Authority of Thailand report that Phuket International Airport had welcomed 20% more passengers in 2011.Statistics showed that 4.2 million arrivals had been counted at the airport last year, compared…
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Phuket gardening: Brimming with bromeliads
PHUKET: Most people in Europe encounter their first bromeliad, without ever realizing its collective name as a fruit that tastes deliciously different, and can be eaten fresh or canned. But the pineapple is only one member, and indeed the only edible member, of a family of plants that comprises more than 3,000 varieties. Among bromeliads grown solely for their good…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Go with the flow
PHUKET: One of the many perks of dressing in a sheer fabric, like silk chiffon, is the versatility of the material. This free-flowing style is destined to become a staple for every fashion-forward female in Phuket this year, as it can be dressed up or down depending on your wants and taste. Don a short version as a cover-up at…
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Phuket Blues Festival and Blue Sky Air Show set to play to large crowds this weekend
PHUKET: Only hours away, this year’s Phuket International Blues Rock Festival is set to bring the canvas roof down at its new venue in the Festival Marquee at the Laguna Beach Resort’s Y-Junction. It is the place to be today and tomorrow for a sublime celebration of blues rock music with some of the finest musicians ever to appear on…
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Phuket development funds continue to pour in: Tanan Tanphaibul
PHUKET: Bangkok based developers will pump as much as 30 billion baht into the local economy this year, the head of Phuket Real Estate Association (P-REA) has said. Demand for reasonably-priced homes and condominiums is luring many investors to Phuket, P-REA President Tanan Tanphaibul said at a recent press conference to announce the group’s “Phuket Life & Drive 2012” exhibition,…
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