Episodes - Page 8 | The Bangkok Podcast

Oct. 18, 2022

Cause & Effect: The Thailand Clean Air Network Talks Health and Poison Air [S6.E11]

Greg interviews Khun Weena from the , a guest who previously appeared on Episode 66 of Season 4, when Thailand was in the middle of a crazy air pollution crisis. Since then K. Weena and her organization have been hard at work preparing reports for the...

Oct. 11, 2022

Is Thailand a Woke-Free Zone? [S6.E10]

Greg and Ed open up a can of snakes (this is Thailand after all) and discuss whether Thailand is a ‘woke-free’ zone. The guys begin by realizing that the word ‘woke’ itself does not have a very clear meaning. Depending on who...

Oct. 4, 2022

Amy Lefevre Joins to Talk Careers, Cliques and Finding Your Level in Bangkok [S6.E9]

With interest in Thailand returning to pre-pandemic levels and the podcast getting an increasing number of emails asking for advice on living and working here, Greg interviews old acquaintance Amy Lefevre, a half-Thai British...

Sept. 27, 2022

The Best Apps for Making Life in Thailand Fun and (Dare We Say It) Easy [S6.E8]

Greg and Ed dive into the crowded App and Play stores to discuss the various phone apps that make living in Bangkok easier. Greg begins by giving props to our excellent listeners who submitted a whole bunch of recommendations...

Sept. 20, 2022

Environmental Journalist James Fahn Updates His Outlook on Thailand’s Eco-Efforts [S6.E7]

Greg interviews James Fahn, the Executive Director of Internews’ Earth Journalism Network. Greg begins by opening a discussion about James’ book “ A Land On Fire ,” which was published in 2003, after James worked as the envir...

Sept. 13, 2022

22 Years Later: Ed Boils Bangkok Down to 5 Reasons He Stays [S6.E6]

Ed reminisces on 22 years in Thailand and tries to summarize exactly why he has decided to stay for so long. It’s hard to sum up, of course, but Ed manages to come up with five positives and three negatives, and Greg helps to...

Sept. 6, 2022

Finnish Ambassador Jyri Järviaho on Diplomatic History, Economic Trade & Vodka [S6.E5]

Greg interviews Jyri Järviaho, Finland’s Ambassador to Thailand. Although Greg makes a valiant attempt at pronouncing the Ambassador’s name, the two begin by discussing the difficulty of Finnish, with the Ambassador explainin...

Aug. 30, 2022

The Mystery of Old Western Songs in Thailand That Won’t Die [S6.E4]

Greg and Ed discuss the fascinating topic of old Western pop songs that enjoy a shocking degree of popularity in Thailand. For those foreigners who have spent any amount of time in the Land of Smiles, there are just certain s...

Aug. 23, 2022

Stu Jay Raj on Cursing, Dirty Talk & the Importance of Tones Part 2 [S6.E3]

Greg finishes up his interview with linguist and raconteur . Stu begins with a classic: the super annoying fact that the Thai numbers 11 and 18 can be very difficult for foreigners to pronounce correctly. Stu explains in detail the small differences...

Aug. 16, 2022

Stu Jay Raj on Cursing, Dirty Talk & the Importance of Tones [S6.E2]

Greg interviews our old pal Stu Jay Raj - linguist, polyglot, and true Renaissance man. As you would expect, the topic is the Thai language and foreigners’ struggle to learn it properly, but with a focus on the trouble you ca...

Aug. 9, 2022

Coming Up On Season 6...! [S6.E1]

As is tradition, Greg and Ed spend the first episode of the brand new season 6 (!) looking back, looking forward, and discussing podcasting as a whole. When Greg and Tony first started speaking into their panty hose-covered m...

July 26, 2022

A Virologist Talks Vaccine Research & Thailand's Scientific Street Cred [S5.E71]

In the last episode of Season 5, Greg interviews Samaporn Teeravechyan, also known as Dr. Joy. Dr. Joy works at the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, essentially the arm of the Thai government that fo...

July 19, 2022

Gotcha! Ten Situations When the Score is Bangkok 1, You 0 [S5.E70]

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 y...

July 12, 2022

The Million Baht Kid: Returning to Thailand After Growing Up Abroad [S5.E69]

Ed interviews Emily from Calgary, Canada, a unique ‘expat’ in Thailand if there ever was one. Emily was born 19 years ago in Nong Khai, Thailand, to a Canadian father and Thai mother, and spent the first years of her life as ...

July 5, 2022

Fun AND Educational? Some Notable Bangkok Firsts [S5.E68]

In a new concept, Greg and Ed discuss various Bangkok ‘Firsts’ in an effort to improve their knowledge of the city’s history and development. Loosely based on a trivia format the guys go back and forth asking each other about...

June 28, 2022

Luxembourg Ambassador Jean-Paul Senninger Talks Diplomacy & Cultural Identity [S5.E67]

Greg interviews the Luxembourgian Ambassador to Thailand, Jean-Paul Senninger. As a diplomat with a long list of postings around the world, from his home base at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Washington, D.C., Spain, Tur...

June 21, 2022

Pot Luck Surprise! The Highs and Lows of Weed in Thailand [S5.E66]

Greg and Ed discuss the recent decriminalization of cannabis in Thailand, the recent changes around town it’s caused, and whether or not they think it will last. First, Ed does a quick interview with our resident Weed Expert,...

June 14, 2022

From Toothbrushes to Curses: Storytime With Christopher G. Moore [S5.E65]

This is Part Two of Greg’s recent interview with uber-expat Christopher G. Moore, author, raconteur, and general man-about-town. In true Renaissance guy fashion, the two men jump from topic to topic, each more interesting tha...

June 7, 2022

From Page to Screen: Christopher G. Moore on Hard-Boiled Bangkok [S5.E64]

Greg interviews Christopher G. Moore, long-time friend of the podcast and senior Bangkok expat, known for his extensive fiction and non-fiction writing as well as his legendary conversational skills. Chris begins by relating ...

May 31, 2022

Understanding Thailand: Some Rules of Thumb That Explain a Lot [S5.E63]

Greg and Ed pull together all their accumulated wisdom about Thai culture and society into six pithy theories to aid expats and tourists alike. Ed begins with his classic ‘Universal Theory of Thailand,” that everything good i...

May 24, 2022

Seeing Thailand Through Film: Director Paul Spurrier [S5.E62]

Ed interviews , a British expat in Thailand who has been in the film industry his entire life. Paul begins at the beginning, how his first movie ever in a movie theater was “The Sound of Music,” and it had such an impact on him that he decided to...

May 17, 2022

Busting Some Myths About Prostitution in Thailand [S5.E61]

Ed leads a discussion and semi-rant about a persistent myth regarding the history of prostitution in Thailand that was recently perpetuated by a YouTube video by Thaiger . The myth goes like this: prostitution wasn’t much of ...

May 10, 2022

Achievement Unlocked! Even More Expat Merit Badges [S5.E60]

Because the first show was so fun to do - and full of great listener-generated ideas! - Greg and Ed revisit the idea of expat ‘merit badges,’ a recognition of classic experiences in Thailand that indicate you are more than ju...

May 3, 2022

Author Chris Baker Discusses Thai History, Culture & Conflict [S5.E59]

Greg and Ed interview expat legend Chris Baker, co-author (along with his wife Pasuk Phongpaichit) of , in addition to several other well-known books on Thailand. Greg and Ed gush over the fact they have both read Chris’s most famous work, something...