Episodes

Jan. 8, 2019

Yoga, Spirituality, and Meditation in Thailand with Marisa Cranfill [Season 3, Episode 41]

Ed welcomes back Marisa Cranfill, who was a guest on , where she educated Greg and Tony with her deep knowledge on . This time Marisa - a long-time Bangkok resident and noted expert in various styles of yoga and meditation - tells her story of...
Dec. 25, 2018

MAQE COO Drew Kamthong Talks Tech, Design & Management in Bangkok [Season 3, Episode 40]

This week Greg interviews Drew Kamthong of MAQE, a digital consultancy that started as a web design firm that has transformed into a full blown consulting agency for a myriad of digital solutions. Drew talks about some of the challenges companies face...
Dec. 18, 2018

Merry Christmas from the 'Kok! [Season 3, Episode 39]

It’s the annual Bangkok Podcast Christmas Blowout, with free gifts to all of our listeners! Well, that’s a complete lie, actually. But it IS Christmas, which means the boys feel compelled to discuss what it’s like to spend Christmas in Bangkok....
Dec. 11, 2018

The Expat Hassle of Keeping Old Friendships Alive [Season 3, Episode 38]

This week the guys address a common concern of long term expats: how best to keep in touch with family and friends back home. That is...if you want to. We’re lucky that modern technology such as Facebook and Skype make it technologically easy to...
Dec. 4, 2018

Community, Philanthropy, and Condoms with Mechai Varivaidya - Part Two [Season 3, Episode 37]

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. 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...