The Bangkok Podcast

The boys reenter the world of the Seven Deadly Sins with a discussion of 'Wrath' in Thai culture. What's the angle? Well, here is Ed's theory: every society has roughly the same amount of total anger, but in the West negative feelings are expressed in small amounts over time. However, in Thai culture, where there is pressure to always say 'mai pen rai,' negative emotions build up over time and com...

In this episode of Bangkok Podcast Metaphysics, Greg interviews our favorite guest, Phra Pandit, about notions of heaven and hell in Thai Buddhism. Phra Pandit begins by explaining the difference between reincarnation and rebirth. In Theravada Buddhism, there is not a belief in a constant, steady soul. Instead, life force, for lack of a better term, passes from one lifetime to another, like a flam...

In this episode, the guys debate the pros and cons of one of Thailand's most famous cultural pastimes. Despite being friends for going on 20 years now and agreeing on a lot of things, Greg and Ed do NOT agree on Thai Traditional Massage (TTM). Ed loves it, Greg...does not.  Ed argues that while TTM may not be for everyone, its unique mix of pain and pleasure are deeply relaxing and well worth it i...

If you've been in Bangkok for any length of time you've seen the 'healthy lifestyle'...uh...lifestyle...change a great deal. But why, how, and to what end? Greg interviews Jack Thomas, founder and CEO of BASE Fitness to chat about the evolution.  After several years of high-pressure sales and overly-packed gyms, the scene kind of imploded in the mid-2000s, led by one famous name that rose higher a...

Greg interviews David Robinson, co-founder of the Creative District Foundation, which promotes the mighty Chao Phraya River community for tourism and cultural purposes through the excellent website Bangkok River , which provides resources, history, and insight into the communities that line it. But before all this happened, David - a former resident of Sydney and London - felt the neighborhoods ar...

Greg and Ed return to their 'Neighborhood Focus' series with a review of the Chinatown-Talad Noi area of Bangkok, a neighborhood is near and dear to the boys' hearts, as Greg used to live there, and back in the day he introduced Ed to the area's many charms.  Greg begins with a mini-history of Chinatown and its many historic streets, most of which you can still walk on today. Ed summarizes Chinato...

Ooooh, topical! This week, Greg and Ed discuss the unique role of teachers in Thai society, where educators occupy a uniquely reverential role, often in stark contrast to western countries, where it is 'just another job.' Ed notes that the issue of how teachers are treated is near and dear to his heart, given that he has spent the last twenty years teaching Thai students. But Ed makes clear that (...

First, we want voicemails from our listeners! Become a friend on LINE (scan the QR Code below) and send us your thoughts, greetings, or an awesome joke.  In a great show for economics nerds and anyone just interested in how the Thai economy is faring, Dr. Jessica Vechbanyongratana returns to discuss the Thai economy during the pandemic and what - if anything - we can do to help the recovery. Spoil...

After a brief intro explaining the podcast's decision to accept advertising (within strict guidelines), Greg and Ed jump into a topic important to anyone travelling to Thailand: What are the most important Thai laws to know? Ed gives a quick lawyerly disclaimer: don't rely on this podcast to make important decisions, but instead just use it as a guideline to do your own research and talk to a real...

Greg interviews Jarrett Wrisley and Chalee Kader, well-known and successful restaurateurs in Bangkok. After quick bios, they begin by dispelling some myths about the restaurant business and explaining some of the harsh realities of competing in a big city such as Bangkok. Even during good times, it's a tough business, but during the COVID era it is nearly impossible. Greg and the guys discuss stra...

Greg and Ed continue their 'Seven Deadly Sins' series with LUST - yep, we go there. Well, figuratively, anyway. On the record, the guys don't actually recommend that you visit any of the red light districts in Bangkok - there are so many more interesting things to do in the city that aren't as...potentially icky. But let's be honest - they remain a huge draw, and if you live here long enough, you'...

Ed interviews Putsawan 'Poy' Tipsakorn, a friend and former student of his who did an exchange year in the U.S. while in high school. Ed and Poy begin with her background in a small town in Nakhorn Ratchasima province and her conservative all-girls school and how she got the idea to go to the States in the first place.  From there the story moves to upstate New York, where she met her host family...

This week Greg interviews Khun Voranai Vanijaka, a well-known Thai journalist, social commentator, and founder and editor-in-chief of Thisrupt.co , an English language website and social media enterprise that focuses on social and political issues in Thailand. Khun Voranai explains his unique background as a Thai man who grew up in Austin, TX, and also that Thisrupt is currently self-funded by him...

After a very strange intro in which Greg extols the virtues of a mind-numbingly happy Finnish folk tune , we get into the main episode, which comes in two parts. First, Greg interviews his friend Yining, who is just finishing a two week quarantine after returning to Thailand from Singapore. She explains the quarantine process in Bangkok, her COVID test (which came back negative, as expected), her...

Greg and Ed interview Florian, an old friend of Greg's and coincidentally the occupant of Greg's old apartment in Chinatown with a beautiful view of the Chao Phraya River.   Florian is a man of many talents, but this interview focuses on his multi-year project to build a modern house in the jungles of Mae Hong Son province, in northwestern Thailand.    Many expats dream of building a house in Thai...

In a new series cooked up by Greg's evil brain, the guys explore Bangkok through the prism of the Seven Deadly Sins. Each of the seven shows (not in a row, thankfully) will see the guys pick one of the sins and discuss how it relates to their own experience in Bangkok.  Starting with the Sin of Pride, Greg and Ed each come up with a few things that make them proud to call Bangkok home. From histor...

This is Part 2 of Greg's interview with Dan Fraser, an old friend, Thai TV star, and owner of adventure travel company Smiling Albino. Continuing their conversation, Dan talks about the challenges of transitioning from a business manager 'control freak' (his words) to a TV entertainer whose role is mostly to be the goofy foreigner having crazy experiences in Thailand. The key is finding his inner...

Greg interviews Renaissance-Expat Extraordinaire Dan Fraser, an old friend of both Greg and Ed and a former guest of the podcast in season 1. As both the star of a Thai TV show called ' Long Ruk Yim ' and the owner of Smiling Albino , a high-end adventure travel company, Dan is afforded some really unique opportunities for understanding Thai culture, and seeing things from the inside. Among the to...

We return to our Thai history series with a fascinating look at the role that several Thai cannons played in some important historical events.  First, with the help of a cool blog on Thai history from our friend Ken Lohatepanont , Greg tells the story of some silver cannons gifted by King Narai of Siam to Louis XIV of France. It turns out that during the world-changing storming of the Bastille in...

It's an extra-long show this week as Greg interviews Jessica Vechbanyongratana , a professor at the faculty of Economics at Chulalongkorn University, about the numbers that make up Thailand's economy.  Beginning with Thailand's notable jump up the list of countries with the biggest inequality gap, Jessica explains the methodologies and data that led to the change - although as she mentions, depend...

Inspired by a great post on a Thisrupt , the topic is counterfeit goods. Most people are aware that all types of counterfeit goods are available for sale in Thailand, whether it is watches, handbags, DVDs, or software.  Greg and Ed trade stories about how Thailand allowed them to embrace counterfeit culture in their early days of living in Thailand, simply because it was so cheap, so readily avail...

Greg interviews Khun Natapanu Nopakun, the Deputy Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs . You've probably seen him on TV - he's the guy who gives English language updates of what's going on with the Thai government, and especially the coronavirus situation.  Khun Natapanu begins by explaining exactly what his job is - giving info on foreign affairs to both foreigners and Thais in Englis...

When you are a kid, you are taught to look on the bright side of everything. In that spirit, Greg and Ed search for any possible positives in their lives as a result of the lockdown (which, generally speaking, SUCKS). Ed begins by noting that his relative lack of social life has given him more freedom to experiment with his diet, which consequently resulted in him losing 5 kilos. Greg notes that t...

You know how foreigners aren't allowed to be tour guides in Thailand? Well guess what - there's an interesting little loophole to that, and it's a great opportunity to get to know Thai culture in a very real way. Greg interviews Dr. Peter Hufschmid-Hirschbuehl (hereinafter referred to as 'Dr. Peter' for obvious reasons), the President of the National Museum Volunteers , the only museum that allows...

Greg and Ed tackle the complex question of privacy in Thailand, especially as it compares to privacy back home. But there are lots of types of privacy, so what do we mean? Firstly, as an expat, you live in a kind of bubble of privacy anyway - often left alone and largely cut off from the Thai-language media, which only increases the sense of privacy. Second, Thai culture is famously indirect, with...