Episodes

Greg interviews Phra Pandit about Buddhist monks and politics. Greg begins by framing the issue around the recent tumultuous nature of politics around the world. Could Buddhist calmness provide an answer? Well, Phra Pandit begins by making clear that under the rules of the Sangha as interpreted in Thailand, monks are definitely not permitted to become politicians or really work for the government in any capacity. In fact, Thai monks in general are not supposed to even express opinions about poli...

Bangkok’s a big city that’s got her own rules. You can try to fight them, but in the end, in certain situations, no matter how much you beg and plead, Bangkok wins, and you lose. Greg and Ed discuss ten ways Bangkok can own you: frustrating ‘gotchas’ that are devilishly difficult to avoid. Even veterans of the city with tons of experience still sometimes forget the nuance or fail to think about the what-ifs and end up standing there like a fool, muttering under their breath. This still definite...

Greg and Ed jump on the bandwagon and discuss the recent trend of images of ‘action figures’ generated by AI. ChatGPT especially seems quite good at creating semblances of plastic blister packs filled with dolls and accessories that might go along with them. Hence, the guys take a look at 9 different images based on Thai stereotypes before offering images of their own action figures, which AI helpfully created for them. Figures include such classic stereotypes as a ‘Pattaya Old Boy,’ a Content ...

Greg and Ed discuss some interesting expats they have met over the years - both good and bad - and what lessons they have managed to glean from them. Thailand is a bit of a strange stew of expats; with many different types of people coming together in a foreign land, you are apt to meet and/or befriend people in Thailand that you never would back home. The results can be positive or negative, but either way, there can be lessons to be learned. Greg begins with an anecdote he’s mentioned on the ...

Greg and Ed address the unavoidable topic du jour: the earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28 that was felt all the way to Bangkok. Greg begins by pointing out that even though much ink and many words have already been spilled on the topic, listeners may be concerned about traveling to Bangkok now or the safety of Bangkok’s buildings in general. They guys decide to do their civic duty and chime in. First, they relate their personal stories - Ed was at home first thought he was getting dizzy...

With the big holiday nearly here, Greg and Ed reminisce about their various Songkran experiences over the years. Ed notes that last year was a breakthrough year: he actually went out and ‘threw water’ for the first time in many years and had a blast. Greg points out that it’s pretty common for expats to love Songkran at first, but then quickly switch to avoiding the raucous celebrations for many years. Greg has found special Songkran celebrations specifically designed to be kid-friendly, which h...

A fabulous re-cast episode from season 3! Sooner or later, we all spend some time in the hospital, so Greg and Ed riff on their myriad experiences in Bangkok hospitals over the years. But before we get into that, we should note - due to Thailand’s strict defamation laws, some of the places we talk about will remain nameless. But with that out of the way, we can say that Thailand in general has pretty good medical care, and it is standard advice for travelers in neighboring countries to get ove...

Greg and Ed discuss the massive influx of Russians (and some Ukrainians) into Thailand, particularly the island of Phuket. Numerous stories have been written in the last year about the unusually high number of long-stay tourists and expats who appear to be escaping the conflict in Europe, some even calling the trend an ‘invasion’. No doubt the sunny climes, pleasant smiles, and great food of Thailand provide a tempting alternative for those who have the means to make the journey. Ed begins by n...

Greg interviews Tim Swainson and his team at creative agency about their Thai-centric board game, ‘Bangkok Pains.’ The show begins with introductions from the creative team at Invisible Ink, and Tim then gets into explaining the game. The first...

Following a great suggestion from listener Kelly, Greg and Ed discuss the ‘expat bubble,’ the tendency for expats (and tourists) to primarily spend time with foreigners, rather than experience the same Bangkok that the majority of Thais are experiencing. Kelly noted that on her recent solo travels in Bangkok, she often found truly Thai markets that were very cheap with delicious food but also that she was the only Westerner there. Certain other cheap food courts, such as those in Big C, would ha...

We recount the fascinating story of George DuPont, the only Thai person who fought in the American Civil War. The first record of George in the U.S. is in 1859, but almost nothing is known of how or why he ended up in the United States. We know that in 1862 he volunteered for a New Jersey regiment to fight for the North in the American Civil War. Shockingly, he fought in and survived the battles of Antietam, Chancellorville, and Gettysburg, three of the bloodiest battles of the war. He was event...

Greg questions Ed about his main job - teaching ‘American Studies’ to Thai college students. Effectively, Ed’s job and his side gig (the podcast) are opposites of each other, given that he is attempting to explain Thai society and culture to foreigners on the podcast. Ed begins with America 101 - basic lessons about the U.S. that every Thai person should know, especially before traveling there. First, the U.S. is physically a VERY big country, but also quite diverse. The Northeast is quite diff...

Greg and Ed discuss various aspects of Bangkok that they believe are either overrated or underrated. The guys start with things that they believe get too many props. Greg mentions the Grand Palace and the Damnoen Saduak floating market that tend to be too touristy and overcrowded, but that there are unsung superior alternatives where tourists could better spend their time. Ed counters with Thai customer service, which he credits for being genuinely warm but which he believes is often unprofessio...

Continuing the exploration of some of the unexpectedly progressive moves that Thailand makes from time to time, Greg interviews his friend Jacob, an American, and his husband Geng, a Thai, about their marriage in Thailand as two men and their efforts to build a family through surrogacy. The couple begins by relating how they met and began dating, and Jacob adds that even at that stage he was looking into becoming a single father through some type of surrogacy. Luckily Geng was on board, and they...

Greg interviews the fascinating Wichit Saiklao, godfather of craft beer in Thailand and founder of , with podcast friend Scott Coates sitting in for fun. Khun Chit relates how he first learned about homebrewing while living in the States, and...

Greg and Ed engage in a bit of fantasy as Ed imagines what he would do if he were the Prime Minister (or maybe more accurately, dictator) of Thailand. Ed begins with the caveat that he can only see the world through his own eyes, so his dream policies probably will not align with the average Thai person or maybe even most foreigners. Ed presents a total of ten changes he would make to the country if he could, and Greg gives wise counsel for each proposal. In no particular order, Ed suggests bui...

Greg interviews our new friend Jannik Hiller about his experience as an exchange student in Thailand. Jannik explains that while a university student, he decided he wanted to do an exchange year in a country completely different from his native Germany, so he settled on Thailand, despite never having been here before. Greg wonders about the quality of education in Thailand versus Germany, and Jannik explains that he was willing to sacrifice some academic quality just for the experience of trave...

Greg and Ed ring in 2025 with a difficult look back at their New Year’s Resolutions from 2024. They recognize the obvious: if you don’t keep your resolutions, you only have yourself to blame. But they try to answer the interesting question of whether Bangkok itself might make keeping certain resolutions more difficult. Ed begins with a confession that he mostly failed in his efforts to improve his Thai. His plan was to study a well-regarded PDF of common Thai expressions, and while he did succe...

In a year-end wrap up, Greg and Ed discuss their favorite shows of the year and some plans for the podcast in 2025. Ed begins by waxing rhapsodic over his early year interview with David Cluck, Hollywood assistant director who has been based in Bangkok for the last 10 years or so (S7, Ep. 6-7). The flow of the interview was aided by the fact that David and Ed are friends, but Ed points out that it’s rare to sit down with a friend and discuss their career in depth. As a film nerd, Ed (and Greg) e...

Greg and Ed tackle the age-old question for expats living in Thailand: Should I buy or rent a condo or house? The boys begin by making clear there is not one simple answer to this question, and it depends a LOT on a person’s particular circumstances, such as budget, length of stay, and investment expectations. Nevertheless, there are general questions that everyone should consider when making this decision. Hat tip to a video that ThailandBound posted for providing the brainstorming. The guys g...

Greg interviews writer and filmmaker James Newman, a long-time expat in Thailand who recently made a documentary film about our beloved city of Bangkok. James starts out explaining his background in London as an insurance executive, his subsequent departure to Thailand, and his career as a writer during the e-book boom of the naughts. Around 2017 he transitioned to filmmaking and made a successful short film called ‘Crazy Medicine,’ directed by friend of the podcast Richie Moore. But today’s sh...

In a first, the Bangkok Podcast turns its focus on itself as Greg and Ed explain the process by which they create two shows almost every week of the year. The boys begin discussing their approach to brainstorming topics for new shows. Given that the podcast has been around for more than 10 years and there are more than 700 back episodes in total, coming up with fresh ideas is not easy. So the guys tend to mine their personal experiences, the lives of their friends, evergreen news stories that hi...

In a first for the podcast, the boys decide to review a part of the Bangkok Podcast website - the relatively new for Season 4 ‘Resources’ section. A few weeks back we posted a page called ‘Some Thoughts on Thai Culture,’ and it elicited some responses from friends of the podcast, so we decided to dig into it. We don’t want to rehash what’s already there, so if you haven’t read it yet, mosey on over and check it out. In brief, the page lists 5 key characteristics of Thai culture: 1) Respect for ...

Greg interviews our senior legal correspondent Dave Lawrence on the status of marriage equality in Thailand. Listeners may remember that the Thai parliament passed a same-sex marriage bill last year, and it has jumped through a few more hoops and is ALMOST in effect. Dave explains that on January 22, 2025, should be the magic date when marriage between two adults of either gender should be 100% legal and legit. The guys run through a bunch of different topics, ranging from the history of marria...