The Bangkok Podcast

Greg and Ed open up a can of snakes (this is Thailand after all) and discuss whether Thailand is a 'woke-free' zone. The guys begin by realizing that the word 'woke' itself does not have a very clear meaning. Depending on who you are, 'woke' could mean a woman being paid the same as a man, being cool with varied genders, races, and religions, or someone who has taken victimhood to an extreme and b...

With interest in Thailand returning to pre-pandemic levels and the podcast getting an increasing number of emails asking for advice on living and working here, Greg interviews old acquaintance Amy Lefevre, a half-Thai British woman, on her unique career journey in Asia and what they've both learned about finding (and keeping!) a job in Bangkok.  The two begin with the importance of language skills...

Greg and Ed dive into the crowded App and Play stores to discuss the various phone apps that make living in Bangkok easier. Greg begins by giving props to our excellent listeners who submitted a whole bunch of recommendations - so much, in fact, that we simply weren't able to cover them all! Ed confesses that he relies primarily on Google Maps and Google Translate for countless day-to-day function...

Greg interviews James Fahn, the Executive Director of Internews' Earth Journalism Network. Greg begins by opening a discussion about James' book " A Land On Fire ," which was published in 2003, after James worked as the environmental editor at The Nation newspaper in Bangkok in the 1990s. James explains that at The Nation, he wrote extensively about environmental issues in Thailand and Southeast A...

Ed reminisces on 22 years in Thailand and tries to summarize exactly why he has decided to stay for so long. It's hard to sum up, of course, but Ed manages to come up with five positives and three negatives, and Greg helps to clarify things as he goes along.  On the positive side, Ed mentions Thailand's depth and variety, with many niches and subcultures that it would take a lifetime to explore. A...

Greg interviews Jyri Järviaho, Finland's Ambassador to Thailand. Although Greg makes a valiant attempt at pronouncing the Ambassador's name, the two begin by discussing the difficulty of Finnish, with the Ambassador explaining that it is a unique language that it is completely different from its neighbors, especially its western ones, such as Germany and Sweden. Next, the Ambassador recounts his d...

Greg and Ed discuss the fascinating topic of old Western pop songs that enjoy a shocking degree of popularity in Thailand. For those foreigners who have spent any amount of time in the Land of Smiles, there are just certain songs you are likely to hear over and over again in restaurants and bars. Why these particular songs? Well, the guys just don't know, but do their best to offer some theories....

Greg finishes up his interview with linguist and raconteur Stu Ja Raj . Stu begins with a classic: the super annoying fact that the Thai numbers 11 and 18 can be very difficult for foreigners to pronounce correctly. Stu explains in detail the small differences in tongue placement that make such a difference to Thai ears. This segues into a discussion of the ultra-common word 'kap khun kap' and how...

Greg interviews our old pal Stu Jay Raj - linguist, polyglot, and true Renaissance man. As you would expect, the topic is the Thai language and foreigners' struggle to learn it properly, but with a focus on the trouble you can get into if you don't understand how tones work.  Stu begins with an important point: the nature of English allows a fair amount of flexibility in pronunciation and accent w...

As is tradition, Greg and Ed spend the first episode of the brand new season 6 (!) looking back, looking forward, and discussing podcasting as a whole.  When Greg and Tony first started speaking into their panty hose-covered mics (seriously) in 2010 they had no idea they'd be laying the groundwork for such a long-running show. From the days of hauling gear to a rented room to record face to face,...

In the last episode of Season 5, Greg interviews Samaporn Teeravechyan, also known as Dr. Joy. Dr. Joy works at the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, essentially the arm of the Thai government that focuses on scientific research. She explains that her expertise is in virology, and that she received her Phd in the United States after moving around the world as a child. Curr...

Bangkok's a big city that's got her own rules. You can try to fight them, but in the end, in certain situations, no matter how much you beg and plead, Bangkok wins, and you lose. Greg and Ed discuss ten ways Bangkok can own you: frustrating 'gotchas' that are devilishly difficult to avoid. Even veterans of the city with tons of experience still sometimes forget the nuance or fail to think about th...

Ed interviews Emily from Calgary, Canada, a unique 'expat' in Thailand if there ever was one. Emily was born 19 years ago in Nong Khai, Thailand, to a Canadian father and Thai mother, and spent the first years of her life as a look-kreung kid in Issaan. But her parents relocated to Calgary where she quickly assimilated and became a full-on Canadian. She went to grade school and high school there,...

In a new concept, Greg and Ed discuss various Bangkok 'Firsts' in an effort to improve their knowledge of the city's history and development. Loosely based on a trivia format the guys go back and forth asking each other about key milestones in Thai history, some quite significant, with others just quirky or interesting. Starting with shopping malls and bridges and moving on to airports and politic...

Greg interviews the Luxembourgian Ambassador to Thailand, Jean-Paul Senninger. As a diplomat with a long list of postings around the world, from his home base at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Washington, D.C., Spain, Turkey and finally Bangkok, where he is the chief diplomat for several Southeast Asian nations. Jean-Paul talks about the difficulty of juggling differences of developed countrie...

Greg and Ed discuss the recent decriminalization of cannabis in Thailand, the recent changes around town it's caused, and whether or not they think it will last.  First, Ed does a quick interview with our resident Weed Expert, Kitty Chopaka, who is both a 'ganjapreneur' and social activist. Kitty explains that the current situation is somewhat of a 'technical foul,' as the cannabis plant itself wa...

This is Part Two of Greg's recent interview with uber-expat Christopher G. Moore, author, raconteur, and general man-about-town. In true Renaissance guy fashion, the two men jump from topic to topic, each more interesting than the next. First, Greg asks Chris about how translations of his books are undertaken, and Chris tells a fascinating story of how the length of the translations of his novels...

Greg interviews Christopher G. Moore, long-time friend of the podcast and senior Bangkok expat, known for his extensive fiction and non-fiction writing as well as his legendary conversational skills. Chris begins by relating his recent short film project, a Bangkok noir featuring his most famous character, Vincent Calvino and what it takes to bring a fictional character to life in Bangkok, a city...

Greg and Ed pull together all their accumulated wisdom about Thai culture and society into six pithy theories to aid expats and tourists alike. Ed begins with his classic 'Universal Theory of Thailand," that everything good in the country comes from Thais being so nice, and that everything bad in the country ALSO comes from Thais being so nice. The guys discuss how true this is, before Greg drops...

Ed interviews Paul Spurrier , a British expat in Thailand who has been in the film industry his entire life. Paul begins at the beginning, how his first movie ever in a movie theater was "The Sound of Music," and it had such an impact on him that he decided to become an actor (at age 8!). After a prolific career as a child on stage and screen, including films with stars such as Richard Harris, Ric...

Ed leads a discussion and semi-rant about a persistent myth regarding the history of prostitution in Thailand that was recently perpetuated by a YouTube video by Thaiger . The myth goes like this: prostitution wasn't much of a thing in Thailand until the Vietnam War era, when the demand created by American GIs on rest and relaxation resulted in a booming sex industry.  Ugh. Where to start? Well, f...

Because the first show was so fun to do - and full of great listener-generated ideas! - Greg and Ed revisit the idea of expat 'merit badges,' a recognition of classic experiences in Thailand that indicate you are more than just a tourist. I mean, try to come to Thailand as a tourist and not eat bugs, that's easy-peasy! We're talking about real skills or achievements that show you've not only been...

Greg and Ed interview expat legend Chris Baker, co-author (along with his wife Pasuk Phongpaichit) of A History of Thailand , in addition to several other well-known books on Thailand. Greg and Ed gush over the fact they have both read Chris's most famous work, something that every serious expat needs to do at some point.  Chris begins by relating the lovely story of meeting his wife in England an...

It's Greg's turn for some reverse culture shock as he relates his return to Thailand from the Great White North of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Ed first notes the differences between his situation and Greg's: he still has family in Ohio, while Greg's family are no longer there. Plus, Ed's habits tend towards the international, such as Starbucks and Subway, so he can feel at home around the world.  Fo...

Anyone who has been to Thailand knows the old "Ohhh, the temple is closed today, why don't you come with me to this gem store?" Despite warnings in literally every bit of content about traveling to Thailand, thousands still fall prey to this scam every year. But why?? To answer this we are joined by Ding Xu, a PhD candidate in tourism at Australia's James Cook University . Ding's research goes dee...