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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Sponsored Siam Paragon's 'The Luxury Watch Destination' presents exclusive showcase of luxury timepieces
Siam Paragon reaffirms its positioning as the "Luxury Watch Destination," Thailand’s epicentre of over 43 prestigious watch brands. This underscores the confidence of leading watch houses and Siam Paragon’s commitment to delivering world-class and unparalleled experiences to the customers continuously....
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Phuket Personality: Capturing the essence of life
PHUKET: Chusak Uthaipanumas is one of Thailand’s most celebrated photographers, having won over 500 awards and photographed the Thai Royal Family and former United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice – all out of his humble Phuket studio in Chalong. But for Chusak, photography is not about fame or money. “I got out of Bangkok and moved to Phuket 24…
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Phuket Delight: The scoop on ‘Pad Thai’ ice cream
PHUKET: If you fancy a scoop of Vienna with a Thai twist, there’s now a perfect little parlor for you in Patong – and they even serve a Pad Thai creation. Pad Thai, a dish of stir-fried rice noodles with eggs, tamarind juice, chilli pepper and any combination of bean sprouts, shrimp, chicken or tofu, is one of Thailand’s favorite…
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Phuket Reminder: It’s sink or swim for the leatherback
PHUKET: A dead 200-kilogram leatherback turtle washed up in Phuket earlier this month, adding to fears of the imminent extinction of the pacific subspecies. The male, which had not quite reached full maturity, ingested a plastic bag and died from intestinal blockage, an autopsy by the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) revealed. Sixty years ago, Phuket’s beaches were host to…
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Decoding Phuket’s Wat Chalong
PHUKET: Most people in Phuket have had a peek at Wat Chalong, but few know the temple was once the site of a rebellion and hosted one of the largest funerals in all of southern Thailand. Even deciphering the full meaning of the paintings, statues and different buildings can be tricky. But for Phuket expat Paul Whittall, who describes himself…
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PHUKET LIFESTYLE: ‘Phuket a diamond’ for rich jet owners
PHUKET: MJETS is in talks with Airports of Thailand (AOT) about building a private jet terminal at Phuket International Airport (PIA). The move comes on the back of the success of its first private jet terminal at Don Muang Airport in Bangkok, the company says. MJets Executive Chairman, Jaiyavat Navaraj, believes the company’s venture at PIA could put Phuket on…
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Phuket telephones: Phone booths dying but some to stay – for now
PHUKET: The last decade has seen rapid development in telecommunications technology, which has led to cheaper mobile phones and greatly reduced need for public land lines. Consequently many phone booths in Phuket, run by the TOT Public Company, have been removed. However, according to Chanwis Bunjongkarn, the TOT’s Senior Director for Phuket Customer Services, phone booths continue to provide an…
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PHUKET CHARITY: Blazing saddles, bangers and cash
PHUKET: Members of the Old Bangkok Bangers Rugby Club were in Phuket late last month after a mammoth cycle challenge in aid of a Phuket children’s charity. The eight fearless men set out from Bangkok on Valentines Day, and for five energy-sapping days labored on bicycles to reach Phuket in one piece – all in aid of raising 500,000 baht…
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Phuket’s little Bird on the water paddles her heart out
PHUKET: Rapturous applause and the roar of fog horns at Yacht Haven Marina signaled the end of 11-year-old Victoria Bird’s epic sea adventure – and a landmark moment in Phuket’s maritime history. Victoria, her Ironman athlete father Les, 59, and kayaking instructor Rob Ford paddled more than 120 kilometers around Phuket, completing the first recorded kayak circumnavigation of the island.…
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PHUKET FINE DINING: Beat the rush to Brush
PHUKET: Kalim Bay has developed into Phuket’s fine dining epicenter, where the island’s trendiest restaurants stretch from Baan Rim Pa to IndoChine, and include the White Box, Acqua and Lim’s – and now the stylish new five-star bistro Brush Restaurant & Lounge. Brush is the creation of Australian sculptor John Underwood, whose studio also created the award-winning interiors at Phuket’s…
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‘Brand Phuket’ boosted by northern resort alliance
PHUKET: Dissecting the term ‘destination marketing’ has proved an enlightening experience. Wikipedia describes it as: “A proactive, strategic, visitor-centered approach to the economic and cultural development of a location, which balances and integrates the interests of visitors, service providers, and the community.” Despite its wordiness, this pretty much sums up what destination marketing is all about. For those not in…
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Saving Phuket’s cultural heritage
PHUKET: Old Phuket Foundation President Kawee Tansukatanon spoke last week to the Phuket Gazette about preserving the resort island’s traditions, community values, and unique heritage. Reporter Janpen Upatising, herself a Phuket native, filed this report: Smartly dressed and upbeat, Kawee exhales and furls his lips in a smile as he recalls growing up in Phuket in the late 1960s. He…
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Phuket tourist trapped in a gutter
Phuket Island View: The following lament was filed at the Phuket Gazette office last week by Phuket tourist Hans Skarholm: This is our first visit to Phuket and I would like to report something that has happened to my wife. On Friday afternoon we came back to Karon Beach on a local bus from a visit to Phuket Town. When…
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Phuket paddling challenge: Birds ready to hit the water for ’round-the-island’ adventure
PHUKET: The countdown is on for the father-and-daughter team of Les and Victoria Bird whose epic quest to paddle more than 120 kilometers in a circumnavigation of Phuket starts this weekend. In the early hours of February 12, Ironman athlete Les, 59, and seven-time triathlon champion Victoria,11, will set out from Yacht Haven marina on the island’s northeast coast. They…
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Phuket loves sun, sea, surf and… Singto
PHUKET: Thailand’s indie music scene is ambiguous. That is to say, there doesn’t appear to be any defined ‘scene’ as such. On the surface, the country’s live musical experience is a stable diet of tone-deaf karaoke yodelers screeching out Lady Gaga’s latest hit, or over-excited Thai jam bands churning out the same old predictable covers at deafening decibels. But scratch…
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Phuket Property: Eight new projects approved
PHUKET: Construction of eight new property projects was approved at a meeting of a Phuket provincial committee on residential estate development last week. The meeting, held at the Phuket Land Office, was chaired by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha. All of the eight projects considered by the committee were approved, namely: 1. Jomthong Thalang, by Jomthong Property Co Ltd 2. Promphun…
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OLD PHUKET: Moseying on down to Phuket’s old quarter
PHUKET: It was the American philosopher Henry David Thoreau who once said, “A morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” With this in mind – and in light of Phuket Town’s recent bid for UN Heritage status – I forwent a line-in last Saturday morning in favor of making friends with my feet to go explore the old…
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Phuket Comedy club back for an encore
PHUKET: Following sell-out shows last year, the Phuket Punchline Comedy Club returns to the Holiday Inn Patong for its first show of 2011 on February 23. Three of the sharpest comedic minds on the UK comedy circuit will take to the stage. Among them is Nick Doody, rated as one of Britain’s most popular stand-up comedians. Nick has tickled funny…
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Phuket Bikers raise funds for Life Home Project
PHUKET: Phuket’s eight different motorcycle clubs came together at Nai Harn Lake last month to show off their big bikes, drink beer, sell the latest in biker fashion and, most importantly, to raise funds for the Life Home Project, Phuket’s shelter for women and children with HIV. “Super” Mark Johnson, founder of Phuket’s Bike Week, which draws thousands of biker…
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Finding a gem in Phuket’s neighbor Phang Nga
PHUKET: JUST an hour’s drive from Phuket there is a little-known gem called Raman Waterfall. The five-tier waterfall and its emerald pools can be found in Phang Nga, and is perfect for a day trip from Phuket. Raman National Park is home to the waterfall (Nam Tok Raman in Thai) and delivers tranquility, free-of-charge.The gardens, clean toilet facilities, simple tuck-shop…
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Phuket Mega-event: Bring on the Blues Rock Fest
PHUKET: The Phuket International Blues Rock Festival, now in its sixth year, will return to the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa in Karon from February 25-26. Curtis Salgado, one of the headline acts to play at the festival, has been nominated for the Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year award at the 2011 Blues Music Awards. The awards,…
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PHUKET NIPPLE ALERT: Staying abreast of nude on our beaches
PHUKET: NIPPLE-wielding beach lovers take note: You could find yourself spending a night in jail instead of getting that all-body tan if you break the law. Ignorance when it comes to nudism in Phuket, through my peepers, seems to be on the rise. Perked and sagging, jiggling and swinging – more and more Western boobs are turning heads on our…
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Phuket IT update: Tech Talk schedule for October
PHUKET: Software Park Phuket has announced the October schedule for its Tech Talk series of free computer and information technology seminars: October 7. “Google Application for an organization”, by Phikun Programming. Thai presentation with Thai slides, no translation. October 14. “Ubuntu: The operating system. Home user version”, by Prof Takeshi of Prince of Songkla University Phuket. English presentation with English…
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