The Bangkok Podcast

Have you ever walked down the street and wondered what's up with those dollhouses on pillars that seem to be outside every building? Many have, and this is why we're happy to have Marisa Cranfill on this episode, who is one of Thailand's foremost (non-Thai) experts on Thai spirit houses. Despite Tony's mysterious mic problems, we talk to Marisa about what exactly these houses mean and where they c...

We're very happy to welcome back Phra Pandit, the British-born monk who joins us to talk about everything from Buddhist canon to nuclear power. Today, Phra Pandit talks with us about how Buddhism views science. Is it as hostile as some other religions often see it, or is it more of a peaceful co-existence? Are there areas which conflict with The Buddha's teachings, or does Buddhism take every new...

The image of a beautiful Thai women is one that is known throughout the world; however, only slightly less well known is the image of a beautiful Thai women who was born a man. Call them what you willl - transexual, transgender, ladyboy, katoey - their place in Thai culture goes back thousands of years, but despite the history, and despite Thailand being very accepting of them, it's not always an...

On today's episode we're joined by Brett Whiteside, one of the few foreigners in Thailand who teach Thai. Brett's road from wide-eyed tourist to competent speaker, translator, consultant and tutor is unique in that the only person he had help him was himself. Brett tells us the methods he learned to drill the new language into his head, from returning to the same restaurant over and over again, to...

On this episode of Bangkok Podcast, we are very happy to welcome back Voranai Vanijaka, a columnist for the Bangkok Post whose articles focus on many of the most important issues facing Thai society today - politics, class struggle, stereotypes, corruption, and more. His writing is read by many who appreciate his no-nonsense style of facing problems head on and exploring some ugly truths; coincide...

On this week's episode of Bangkok Podcast, we are very happy to be joined by Ms. Kristie Kenney, the American Ambassador to Thailand. Formerly Ambassador to both Ecuadaor and the Philippines, she is a career diplomat with a deep understanding of geopolitics, history, and diplomacy, and is also the first female ambassador to the Land of Smiles. Kristie talks to Tony and Greg about a variety of topi...

Thailand is a country that offers foreign film productions everything they need - amazing locations, skillful crew, talented actors and more. With foreign film productions come big money and jobs, so it's no wonder that the Thai government is pushing the country as a movie industry hub, but if you want to film here - who do you call? You call Chris Lowenstein, this week's guest. As one of the owne...

In our continuing series on learning Thai, we're joined by Dan Fraser - co-founder of Smiling Albino adventure travel company, film actor, television host, and of course, speaker of Thai. Dan gives us a very funny and insightful overview of the Thai language - how he learned it, how it's helped him, and the nuances and cultural queues that it takes its structure from. Dan tells us a few of his int...

In our continuing Buddhist series, we sit down with Robin Moore, who spent over a decade as a monk in both the UK and Thailand, but eventually left the monkhood and rejoined lay-life. He tells us about his interesting journey, from being drawn to Buddhism as a teenager, to going on alms rounds in the UK (and trying to make it not look like begging), to why his mother cried when he joined the monkh...

If you've found yourself out at a club at any time during the last 5 or 6 years in Bangkok, chances are you're familiar with DJ Octo. As one of the best known and most popular DJ's in town, he spins at hot venues like Q Bar and Bed Supperclub, and collaborates with a wide network of musicians, videographers, performers and artists to keep Bangkok's party crowds going late into the night. But just...

In today's digital world, the requirements for being a travel writer are pretty minimal: do you have a computer? Have you travelled? Bam! Travel writer. But a few decades ago, being a travel writer was something rare; an exotic, sometimes dangerous job that took you into the dark, unexplored corners of the world on adventures of all kinds. On this episode of Bangkok Podcast, we welcome Joe Cumming...

ZOOM! That was the sound of a whole year going by!  It was in May 2010 that Tony and Greg put up the first episode of the Bangkok Podcast, and it's been a fun, interesting (and sometimes frustrating) year. This episode marks the 50th weekly show for the Bangkok Podcast, and to celebrate we thought'd we take a look back at the topics we've covered in the past 50 weeks by updating you on what our pa...

We've done a fair number of shows so far about learning Thai, but one of the most fundamental questions has yet to be discussed - is learning Thai actually hard, or do we foreigners just make it seem that way?  We're joined once again by our Thai language Jedi Rikker Dockum as he talks about the particulars of the Thai language, how the human brain processes it, and some of the roadblocks that we...

In most western cultures, moving out of your parent's place and into your own life is considered a rite of adulthood and one which many are eager to do as soon as possible, but in Thailand things work differently. It's very common for people to live at home until they are married - often into their 30's - live with their spouse, and then have their parents move in with them when they reach retirem...

On this episode of Bangkok Podcast, we sit down with Andrew Clark, co-owner and co-founder of QBar, Bangkok's hippest, coolest night club. Besides being a superb and friendly chap, Andrew talks to us about the humble beginnings of QBar, and what it takes to stay at the front of the line in an indusrty that's notorious for big openings and quick closures. He also gives us the lowdown on playing by...

Joined once again by the Thai language Jedi Rikker, he schools Greg and Tony on a few Thai phrases that have no direct translation into English. What exactly does 'Mai Pen Rai' mean, and why is more than just a phrase? How do you tell someone 'Greng Jai' without leading to a Marx Brothers-style contest on who wants to disturb the other person the least? We also go off on a few tangents that includ...

In the wake of the terrible tragedy in Japan, we are extremely pleased to have with us on this show Phra Pandit, the British-born monk who first came on our show in episode 30. On this show, Greg and Tony ask Phra Pandit to give his views on how such a tragedy can affect people, and how religion - and Buddhism in particular - can either become the one things that helps people get through such a ha...

The amount of foreigners who try to write a book about their craaaazy adventures in Thailand is only slightly larger than the amount who try to write hard-boiled fiction based in Bangkok, but among this group Christopher G. Moore stands out. Not only has his career as a writer thrived, but his 12-title Vincent Calvino series will soon be getting the big-time Hollywood treatment. Greg and Tony talk...

When you first come to Bangkok, everything is new and strange. Nothing makes sense, and even a trip to the corner store can be an adventure. But after a while, these things fade, and pretty soon, the things that made your eyes bug out when you first arrived become old hat and - dare I say - boring. That's why we wanted to talk to Megan Kobzej, a new transplant to Bangkok with a very entertaining b...

On this episode, we talk with Khun Bee, owner of Bangkok Matching, Bangkok's #1 premium marriage matchmaking service. It's a very different ball of wax from a simple dating site, and in a very interesting conversation, Khun Bee tells us how she got the idea for her business, some of the (often unrealistic) expectations her clients have, and a few of the surprising problems she encounters on a day-...

Continuing with our month of loooooove, this episode of Bangkok Podcast deals with the risks and rewards of online dating. Only ten years ago, meeting someone online was considered a bit of a nerdy way to find a mate, but today, it's almost considered strange to meet people in real life. Add to that the stereotypes and gossip of finding love in Thailand, and it can quickly become a bit complicated...

Argh! Yet another wacky cable problem has made Greg and Tony's voices sound weird and echoey, but never fear! Our esteemed guest's voice came through loud and clear. On this episode - the second of four in our Valentine's-themed month of February - we are joied by Kaewmala, author of the fun, sexy, and educational book 'Thai Sex Talk'. She is also a noted commentator on social issues, prolific blo...

To start off our month of luuuve, Bangkok Podcast will be talking about the who, why, how and how much of Thai weddings. Despite some strange microphone issues in this episode, we are joined by Jason and Nim, two friends of Greg's who got married last year. They join us to discuss what their wedding was like, which ceremonial and traditional aspects it included, how it differes from western weddin...

It's a strata of expat life that few of us have to deal with on anything more than an administrative level, but the particulars of how two countries interract and overlap is a complicated Venn diagram that needs to be carefully controlled. On this episode, Tony and Greg are honoured to be joined by Ron Hoffmann, Canadian Ambassador to Thailand. We talk about a whole range of subjects - what his da...

(Direct download .mp3) We are lucky to be joined by another farang Thai speaker for our Thai language series , Adam Bradshaw . Adam has a large online following who enjoy watching his energetic and easy to understand YouTube videos where he explains the more commonly heard English phrases to his Thai audience. Things like "What's up?" and the difference between "Up the street" and "Down the street...