The Bangkok Podcast

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...

The topic is a bit morbid but these are strange times - Greg interviews polyglot and podcast favorite Stu Jay Raj on the roots of the Thai language as they pertain to pain and medicine. They begin trading stories over the fiendishly tricky (for Westerners anyway) pronunciation of the Thai language, and the often hilarious (and obscene) mistakes that can happen, with Stu explaining that (roughly) S...

Greg and Ed recorded a show that goes in-depth on Thailand's alcohol ban and whether or not it makes sense as a way to combat the coronavirus. What they did NOT count on was the ban being lifted 3 days AFTER they recorded the show! No worry - it's still a very relevant discussion.  First up, the boys try to give the ban the best spin possible - does it really help reduce irresponsible partying - s...

Greg interviews Phil Jablon, a true connoisseur of Southeast Asia's old movie theaters and author of the fantastic book Thailand's Movie Theaters: Relics, Ruins, and the Romance of Escape . As noted on the show, you can order from the Amazon link above, but if you would like a free vintage movie theater ticket as well, reach out to Phil on his Facebook page and order his book there. Phil grew up a...

This week is a dose of keeping it real: What are some common beliefs about Thailand that Greg and Ed just don't buy? Ed starts off with a fairly nuanced point: many people think of Thailand as a very religious country because of so many outward signs of Buddhist culture, whether it's temples, monks, or statues that Thais are very respectful of. However, Ed argues that in general Thais are not very...

First of all, a public service announcement: Our friend Adam is coordinating a project to get soap, disinfectant, and food to some of Bangkok's poorest communities. Just 300 THB provides supplies for a family of 4. We donated 2,000THB - can you match or or beat us? Head here for more info. As everyone is now dealing with isolation and minimalist living in a way they never had to before, Greg inter...

In their continuing effort to find something to talk about besides coronavirus, Greg and Ed decide to compare the current crisis to the past crises that they have lived through in their combined 38 years in Thailand. This is their first pandemic but they have survived coups, floods, assassinations, curfews, and violent protests that have shut down huge parts of the city. So how does today compare?...

Greg interviews Dr. Daniel Kertesz of the World Health Organization, to confirm, deny, or simply explain in better detail some of the information that's going around about the COVID-19 pandemic. It certainly is a strange time we're living in. Beginning with questions about herd immunity and information gathering, Daniel explains that above all, we must be humble given the lack of information we ha...

Taking a personal turn thanks to an idea from Wes, one of our patrons, Greg discusses his dating experiences in Thailand and what it's like to be married to a Thai woman. From early dating stories as a clueless n00b to strange stories of getting used to Thai culture Greg (and Ed!) both start off with a few funny stories Next, Greg tells the story of meeting and eventually marrying his wife. Their...

Thailand's food tastes have changed a lot since Greg and Ed first got here two decades ago, and in that time, things have gone international, yo! With this in mind, Greg interviews Nick Wattanavekin, who opened the first Tim Hortons, the iconic Canadian donut shop, in Thailand just a few short months ago. The journey from investment banker to restauranteur is a long one, but Nick explains how he t...

The big news of the day is of course the coronavirus, something Greg and Ed have talked about frequently on the bonus show, which goes to our patrons. But on this show, though, the guys dive right in and address the Thai government's bizarre and inconsistent public declarations about the virus and the government's policy towards it.  Ed does his best to recount the government's statements of the l...

Greg interviews Cod Satrusayang, editor-in-chief of ThaiEnquirer.com, one of Thailand's newest news sites. Cod explains that after a decade of experience in the foreign press in Thailand and abroad, he felt that Thailand's English-language press had been somewhat diluted by corporate meddling and special interests. What the country needed was true independent media from a Thai perspective.  Greg a...

People are often quick to call Thailand 'developing' or even 'third world' - but what do those terms even mean? We decided to find out.  Ed interviews Dan Honig, a professor of international development at Johns Hopkins University. After explaining Dan's unique educational background and world travels, the guys dig into some basic questions about the Thai economy. Right off the bat, Dan notes that...

You might be surprised to learn that two fellows as cool as Greg and Ed can be a bit nerdy, but it's true! So, in keeping with that theme, this week your hosts jump into a potpourri of Bangkok statistics. Do you know how many sqkm Bangkok is? Or how big Thailand's GDP is? Or how many airports or kilometers of rail track the kingdom has? In a wide-ranging discussion about the numbers that make up B...