Season 3

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 …

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 …

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...

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...

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 …

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 …

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, …

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...

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 …

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 - …

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 …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

In a culture where most people have seen ghosts, visit fortune tellers, and where questioning authority is kind of, sort of, not really cool, critical thinking may seem like a foreign concept. However, we happen to have an expert on …

Something a little different this week - a host swap! Greg is joined by co-host Scott Coates, one of his oldest friends in Thailand. Scott co-hosts the podcast with Trevor Ranges, and, if you head over there, you will be …

From a cute lil’ gazebo on the rooftop of a newly-renovated hotel in Chinatown, Greg, Ed, and Stuart from Travelfish.org jump into the complex issue of “overtourism” in Thailand. Beginning with a definition of the term (roughly when the number...

We start off with some good news! Throwing back to episode 2.18 and guest Sawang Srisom, a disabled rights activist, Greg is happy to report that the city just gave a huge chunk of change to to the BTS so …

Greg welcomes former co-host Evo Terra back to the podcast after his repatriation to the good old U.S.A. Evo describes his new life in Phoenix and his many adjustments, including trying to drive on the right (that is, not left) …

Episode links: My interview with the guys at This Strange Life podcast Bangkok may be great for the childless among us, but what about those expats who want to raise a family here? As a married guy without kids, Ed …

Key links for this show: Hey, do you know the difference between ใ and ไ? What about เ and แ? Well, we sort of do, but you know who really does? This week’s guest, Stu Jay Raj. What started as …

Greg and Ed have each been in Thailand for more than 15 years, and along the way have done a lot of things right - but also a lot of things wrong. So in the spirit of the almighty do-over, …

Join Greg and frequent guest and Buddhist monk Phra Pandit for an engaging discussion of the mysteries of Thai funerals, what they mean and don’t mean, how they differ from funerals in the West, and why they are a far …

Continuing with a series started in season 2 on some of Bangkok’s more interesting neighborhoods, the boys discuss one of their favorites: Banglamphu. But before they can chat about that, exactly what is Banglamphu? It’s not an official district,...

Useful links: We’re happy to have Pailin Chongchitnant as our guest this week, creator and host of , a popular YouTube channel based in Vancouver, Canada that shows people how to cook delicious Thai food recipes in their kitchens. A …

Ahhh, Songkran, a waterfight so insane that people in other countries know all about it. Love it or hate it, it’s THE holiday on the Thai calendar, and unless you’ve got a (probably damp) ticket in your (probably damp) little …

Going vegetarian in Bangkok has always struck Greg as somewhat of an inconvenience - I mean, how many vegetarian street food stalls do you know? But guess who’s been on a full-on vegan diet for the past year? That’s right, …

Welcome back! For the first show of season 3, Greg introduces you to the new co-host of the Bangkok Podcast, Ed “The Truth” Knuth. Together they have a combined 35 years in the Big Mango, so they reminisce a bit …