Episodes - Page 15 | The Bangkok Podcast

Nov. 27, 2018

Community, Philanthropy, and Condoms with Mechai Varivaidya - Part One [Season 3, Episode 36]

In Thailand, there are plenty of household names, but not many of them bring a smile and a twinkle to the eye the way that “Mechai” does. If you’re unfamiliar with Mechai Varivaidya, you’re missing out. Known as Mr. Condom, Mechai’s career...

Nov. 20, 2018

Bangkok History Highlight: The Blue Diamond Affair [Season 3, Episode 35]

Continuing our series on interesting episodes in Thai history, this episode focuses on the infamous Blue Diamond Affair, It all started when a Thai gardener named Kriangkrai Techamon, who was working in Saudi Arabia, decided to make off with $20...

Nov. 14, 2018

Insight Into Thailand's Burmese Refugees [Season 3, Episode 34]

Anyone familiar with Southeast Asia knows how complicated the issue of refugees is. Thailand, as the wealthiest country in the region, plays an important role in this. To gain some insight into things, Ed interviews Ploy Singthainiyom, an expert on...

Nov. 7, 2018

Nov 16 Meetup

Hey guys, Greg here. I know this will only be of interest to some of you, but a few listeners pointed out that on the most recent show about our favorite farang food joints in Bangok, we said the upcoming meetup was on the 10th of November. Well, yes...

Nov. 6, 2018

Our Favorite Farang Food Joints in Bangkok [Season 3, Episode 33]

This week is a special on-location show at a Pizza Company restaurant in a highly secret, undisclosed location (to ensure the BP hosts are not mobbed by adoring fans), where Greg and Ed kick things off by daring to try the new ‘durian pizza.’...

Oct. 30, 2018

A Look at Bangkok's Contemporary Art Scene [Season 3, Episode 32]

To get some insight into Bangkok’s art scene, Greg interviews Nim Niyomsin, an independent art curator. She gives her views on the ups and downs of being an artist in a culture that is widely known as extremely creative, but which lacks the support...

Oct. 23, 2018

Neighborhood Focus: Victory Monument [Season 3, Episode 31]

The Victory Monument area of Bangkok is unique in that it combines the old - the monument itself is of a Thai victory against the French in WWII - and the new - the skytrain and multiple modern condo developments. Greg uses the compass to circle...

Oct. 16, 2018

Expat Insights: Owning a Restaurant in Bangkok [Season 3, Episode 30]

A common dream for many expats in Thailand is to open their own bar or restaurant. Ed interviews Matthew Fischer, a local restaurateur and bar owner, who has successfully started two bars in Bangkok - Fatty’s on Rama IX, and the Fat Tap off of...

Oct. 9, 2018

Thai Ghost Stories: Myth and Terror [Season 3, Episode 29]

This week’s subject is the fascinating mythology of Thai ghosts, which, as anyone who has spent any time here knows, are a pretty big deal in Thai culture. In the west, ghosts and the supernatural are met with skepticism by most, so it’s easy to...

Oct. 2, 2018

Gay Rights in Thailand [Season 3, Episode 28]

Ed interviews Thanita ‘Ninar’ Wongprasert, a former UN employee and long time activist in the LGBTQI community in Thailand. Ninar talks about what it’s like to be gay in Thailand in general and points out that every individual’s experience is...

Sept. 25, 2018

Bangkok History Highlight: Phlaek Phibunsongkram [Season 3, Episode 27]

Greg and Ed try something new with the first in a series of episodes that look at interesting events in Bangkok’s history. For this one, they delve into one of Thailand’s most interesting personalities - Phlaek Phibunsongkram. Phlaek, or simply...

Sept. 18, 2018

Insight into Bangkok’s Mobile Street Vendors [Season 3, Episode 26]

Greg interviews Kisnaphol “Keng” Wattanawanyoo, an expert in the informal aspects of urban life, and in the case of Bangkok, the plethora of mobile street vendors. While Bangkok is in a rush to modernize and clean up its streets, the mobile vendor...

Sept. 11, 2018

Permanent Residency in Thailand: Worth It? [Season 3, Episode 25]

Greg and Ed jump into the tricky issue of whether it is worth it for expats to gain permanent residency status in Thailand, also known as PR. It’s a good topic, because while Greg is still a stateless savage, Ed actually does have PR. So what is PR?...

Sept. 4, 2018

Author Patrick Winn on Organized Crime in Southeast Asia [Season 3, Episode 24]

The podcast is very pleased to welcome back journalist , who previously appeared on the show in its very early days - , to be precise. Patrick recently authored a book called “Hello Shadowlands: Inside the Meth Fiefdoms, Rebel Hideouts, and...

Aug. 28, 2018

What Are People Asking Google About Thailand? [Season 3, Episode 23]

Google searches have become a treasure trove of information on modern cultures, and something that everyone from students to seniors use to find information. One interesting feature is Google’s autocomplete, which makes guesses on what you’re...

Aug. 21, 2018

Endangered Languages & Evolving Thai with Linguist Rikker Dockum [Season 3, Episode 22]

What if you got into a time machine and jumped forward a few hundred years, only to discover when you arrived that no one spoke your language anymore? It’s happened plenty of times (not the time machine thing, but languages dying out), so we...

Aug. 17, 2018

Jobs You Can’t Do, and Drugs You Can (Maybe) [Bonus 21]

Just for a bit of fun, we're releasing this week's bonus episode for all our listeners! Patrons of the Bangkok Podcast get the regular show + a bonus show every week. To learn more, go to Greg and Ed - still trying to digest the news from last...

Aug. 14, 2018

Neighborhood Focus - Ari [Season 3, Episode 21]

Another in our continuing series on Bangkok’s coolest and most notable places to live or visit! This week we focus on the Ari neighborhood, which roughly surrounds the Ari BTS station. Greg recounts the four years he lived in the neighborhood and...

Aug. 7, 2018

Thai Work Permits: What Just Changed? [Season 3, Episode 20]

If you’ve even a passing interest in living in Thailand, you’ve likely heard of the recent changes to the Kingdom’s work permit laws - the legal requirements of being employed here there are written in stone which, it turns out, are not written...

July 31, 2018

Trainspotting: The Past, Present & Future of Rail Travel in Thailand [Season 3, Episode 19]

This week your intrepid hosts discuss all manner of rail travel in Bangkok and beyond, and the role that the train system plays in Thai society. For most foreigners rail is a convenient alternative, but for many Thais (and others throughout the...

July 24, 2018

Unique Perspectives: Thailand's Third Culture Kids [Season 3, Episode 18]

What do you do if the culture you grew up in isn’t your own - or even your parents’? You adapt, dammit, and become what’s known as a , or TCK, if you’re cool. Ed interviews his recently graduated student Mook Ishimura, a half-Thai,...

July 17, 2018

The Risks and Rewards of Biking in Bangkok [Season 3, Episode 17]

On this episode, Master Yoda Biker Greg counsels young padawan Ed in the ways of biking in Bangkok, focusing either on the casual rider looking for some exercise or adventure, the commuter looking for a way through Bangkok’s notoriously bad traffic...

July 10, 2018

Talking With Phra Pandit: What's Up With Buddhist Novices? [Season 3, Episode 16]

Have you ever seen those little kids walking around a temple dressed as monks? Well guess what - they ARE monks! Sort of. Mostly. Well, probably more than you are, anyway. Definitely more than we are. On this episode, Greg talks to perennial BP...

July 3, 2018

Neighborhood Focus: Ekkamai [Season 3, Episode 15]

As all expats know, Bangkok is a gigantic, sprawling metropolis, but it does contain dozens of identifiable neighborhoods, each with its own personality, vibe, and reasons to go (or not to go) for a visit. On this show, the guys dive into the Ekkamai...