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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Phuket Property: Vocation students to fill service vacancies
PHUKET: Shortages of skilled personnel in Phuket’s hospitality and service sectors look to be reduced with increased collaboration between key operators and the island’s biggest, yet underutilized supplier of human resources. Six major hotels, along with two food and beverage operators on February 7 signed bilateral agreements with the Phuket Vocational College to cooperate in jointly managing students’ vocational education.…
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Phuket Property: Sale and purchase agreements – what is important to know?
PHUKET: A property buyer or seller scrutinizing sales documentation may wonder what provisions should be part of a sales contract. A sales agreement typically starts with a description of the parties who wish to enter into the agreement supported by passport copies or company documentation providing full details of the parties. A preamble or recitals may follow setting forth specific…
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Phuket Property Watch: There’s no such thing as an easy A
PHUKET: I am often reminded by a chain of long suffering editors at the Phuket Gazette that my beat is property, tourism and leisure. Do I stray? Yes, like a punch drunk lunatic, wired on rapid fire staccato sentences. Some of it makes sense. Other times, it even makes me look into the mirror and pose the question – what…
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Phuket Gardening: Reading palms again
PHUKET: I recently came across a letter in which the writer lamented the absence of palms on Phuket’s beaches. Not like the Caribbean, he declared. While this observation is more or less true, there are a few sprouting improbably from the sand dunes at secluded spots around the island. And anyway, there are plenty of alternative trees: avenues of casuarinas…
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Phuket Gazette: Your horoscope by Isla Star
AQUARIUS (January 21-February 19): A talk with a close friend can mark the end of a story for Aquarians this week, but it will be important to accept that some things cannot be changed. Business should boom during the remainder of February for those who have been chasing up old contacts. If your birthday is in the week ahead, look…
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Phuket Gardening: Totally tropical Phuket pineapple
PHUKET: My local plant nursery has hundreds of colorful bromeliads hanging in small pots, the profusion of which is unusual since they are not that common in Phuket gardens. One bromeliad that is exceedingly plentiful on the island is the pineapple. Normally grown solely for eating, its broad, spiky rosette of waxy, strap-like leaves set atop the characteristic oval fruit,…
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Phuket Property: Bangkok developers expand upcountry
PHUKET: Hit hard by high waters and high competition, many developers in the property market of Bangkok and its suburbs are now expanding their portfolios to include more upcountry projects. Real estate markets that stand to gain the most from such a trend include Phuket, Pattaya, Chon Buri, Hua Hin, Khao Yai and Chiang Mai. Leading property firms investing in…
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Phuket Property Watch: The art of changing places; tax hoopla; more foreign banks?
PHUKET: Sometimes more is more. At the other end of the universe less can also be more. Sounds confusing? It’s not really. Take the recent repositioning of the upscale hotel Indigo Pearl into an all villa and suite property as a prime example. Working with legendary designer Bill Bensley, an estimated 1.2 billion baht has been invested in the extreme…
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Phuket Lifestyle: BIS kids get the blues
PHUKET: Music fans are in for a treat at this year’s Phuket International Blues Rock Festival as the main act is none other than Chris Thomas King who has sold more records, and appeared in more successful movies, than any other blues artist this century. Seeing him perform live is one thing, but imagine being able to get “up close…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Keeping your dog fit
PHUKET: Exercising your dog on a daily basis is essential. The best exercise channels the activity of both mind and body and for that, you need to take your dog out for a walk. Lack of proper exercise can lead to obesity, poor muscle tone, heart ailments and a host of emotional and behavioral problems. Take your dog different places…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Lights, camera, action – online teaching its rewards and risks
PHUKET: Before the internet, teachers were limited to face-to-face learning and eventually correspondence courses. But with innovation comes progress and now many web-based agents are helping connect teachers with students around the globe. Matthew Nobel was a former expat in Thailand before moving back to the States to complete his master’s in education. Upon his return, Nobel turned to Skype…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Finn dining in Chalong
PHUKET: If anyone ever asked you, “Fancy a Flatty at Skiffer?” you would be forgiven for not knowing what they meant but after one visit to the trendy Skiffer restaurant in Chalong Bay you would likely answer in the affirmative as flatties are delicious. Having lived in Phuket for years I must have passed near this place hundreds of times…
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Restoring the historical buildings of Phuket Town
PHUKET: Premises such as the Standard Chartered Bank and the police station in Phuket Town will soon be restored to former glory. It’s always interesting meeting with Pranee Sakulpipatana, who works to ensure that local people learn and celebrate their heritage. She comes from a Chinese/Thai family who were originally merchants on Thalang Road, Phuket City’s “Road of Culture”. Pranee…
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Phuket Lifestyle: What’s so funny, wee man?
In the run up to The Phuket Punchline Comedy Club’s February 29 ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’ show, the Gazette asks each of the comedians about themselves. This week its the diminutive Ian Coppinger. Phuket Gazette: Where and when were you born? Ian Coppinger: I was born in Dublin in 1970. I was actually born in my parents house, my…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Dream of it and they will come
PHUKET: When was the last time you were laying on Nai Harn Beach daydreaming, “Ooh, I could really do with a grilled chicken quesadilla washed down with a pumpkin iced latte”? Granted, it may not have been recently, but the next time you do, you can have exactly that and much more without even seeking a restaurant, it will come…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Day of the kiddies
PHUKET: Children are our future as the song tells us and to prepare them for the waiting world of adulthood we endeavor to provide a wealth of learning experiences that are an important tool for their development. National Children’s Day in Thailand was celebrated on January 14 and many places marked this special occasion with events filled with fun activities.…
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Phuket Fashion: Distress that dress
PHUKET: When most of us think about good fashion one word comes to mind: quality. Well-made, classic pieces will always stay in our wardrobes longer, withstanding the test of time. But when it comes to some fashion trends, the emphasis away from impeccable craftsmanship might surprise you. Distressed clothing is nothing new; we’ve all had our share of ripped jeans,…
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Phuket Books: Fair game in the Windy City
PHUKET: Thomas Pynchon’s epic 1000-page novel Against the Day opens with a boy’s adventure tale: the arrival of the Chums of Chance aboard their airship at the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. In The Devil in the White City (Vintage Books, New York, 2004, 447pp), Erik Larson describes just such a dirigible arriving at the Fair at the climax of…
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Phuket Gardening: Dangers in the Garden of Eden
PHUKET: Everyone knows that some plants are poisonous, and we gardeners in Phuket know that Thailand has more than its fair share. In truth, the Kingdom also has more than its fair share of edible species – as this column has frequently documented. Although you are hardly likely to attempt to eat any part of the following toxic plants, do…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Classical music hits high note in Phuket
PHUKET: There is good news for those who appreciate European classical music: Mom Luang Tri Devakul is again welcoming Phuket residents and visitors to his luxury estate at Villa Royale tonight for an evening of music and fine dining. Mom Tri has long supported the arts on the island with his Baan Kata Artsfest, a celebration of music, art and…
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Phuket Lifestyle: BAKE brings uniquely Thai handcrafted coffee to Phuket
PHUKET: Since opening two years ago, BAKE by Twinpalms has become a go-to spot for Phuket island residents and visitors who love a selection of freshly baked goods, sandwiches, salads, chocolates, desserts, juice, smoothies, coffees and teas. They have now announced the addition of another sensory delight to their repertoire of premium baked goods with their new coffee roasting and…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Vladi good fish at Palau
PHUKET: There’s a brand-new, gorgeous-looking, blue-and-white seafood outlet down in Nai Harn Village called Palau Fish. It turns out that the restaurant is named after a Pacific island some 800km east of the Philippines, one of the world’s youngest states. Pub quiz aficionados take note… Palau is way over the top, design wise, with billowing white curtains complementing its peripheral…
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Phuket Property: Organic resort nets new awards
PHUKET: Accolades continue to pour down on Thanyamundra, the unique five-star organic resort perched upon the fringes of Thailand’s most ancient rainforest. Thanyamundra has been elevated to the elite ranks of hotels and resorts included on DestinAsian magazine’s prestigious Luxe List, just weeks after being voted by agoda.com as one of Asia’s Top Three Eco-Boutiques. Agoda also honored the resort…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Count Snape gets his teeth into opera
PHUKET: Dressed in a flowing black cape, a certain Mr Snape mingled with the New Year crowds in Patong on New Year’s Eve, but Andrew Snape has no relation to the character in Harry Potter. Yes, they are both teachers, wear black capes and have English accents. But “Count Snape”, as Andrew calls himself when dressed as a vampire, performs…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Bottom time is now family time
PHUKET: Everyone can learn to dive, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Diving is like everything worth doing, there are obstacles to overcome. Sometimes those obstacles are mental, sometimes they are physical and sometimes they are both. For Emil Engahl aged 10 it was no different. For years Emil has been coming to Phuket with his parents Mette and Lars…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Enter the dragon
PHUKET: Just when you thought all the festivities linked to the New Year were over, here they come again in the guise of Chinese New Year with celebrations to go on for 15 days. Today we enter the 4,709th Chinese year and the “Year of the Dragon”, according to the Chinese zodiac. Chinese New Year, the most important of all…
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Phuket Property Briefs: Kata Group; Banyan Tree; Thai Smiles
Kata Group opens Khao Lak Resort in NovemberA new Greater Phuket resort called The Sands Khao Lak By Katathani will open this coming November. Katathani Resorts have a well known flagship property on Phuket’s west coast and the upscale villa resort The Shore at Kata Noi. Francois Huet leaves Banyan TreeOne of the island’s best known hotel faces, Francois Huet,…
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Phuket Property: Sansiri set to invest heavily this year
PHUKET: Residential developer Sansiri has earmarked 24 billion baht to launch 44 projects worth 46bn baht this year and to buy land for more projects next year. “This year we will expand our products to cover all market segments, including units priced lower than 2 million baht and over 10 million baht. This will stress our number one quality brand…
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Phuket’s Simon Star Cabaret opens with a flourish
PHUKET: Simon Star Cabaret, Phuket’s third ladyboy extravaganza, opened with two performances and a lavish feast at the Phuket Orchid Gardens & Thai Village, behind Phuket Rajabhat University in Rassada. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha presided over the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which was also attended by Phuket MP Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr and other dignitaries. They were joined by Phuket Simon Cabaret chairperson Wirat…
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Phuket events / What’s on
A weekly digest of important events to be enjoyed in Phuket over the coming days, plus many more can be view here. New Year on January 23. The Cove Restaurant Take part in the festive celebration for prosperity, happiness and fortune. Enjoy our special Chinese buffet dinner with a great variety of delicacies such as whole suckling pig, Peking duck,…
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