Season 5

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 focuses on scientific...

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 …

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 …

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 …

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, Turkey and finally Bangkok,...

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, Kitty Chopaka,...

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 than the next. First, Greg...

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 his recent short film...

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 in the country comes...

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 …

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

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 …

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 …

It’s Greg’s turn for some reverse culture shock as he relates his return to Thailand from the Great White North of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Ed first notes the differences between his situation and Greg’s: he still has family in Ohio, …

Anyone who has been to Thailand knows the old “Ohhh, the temple is closed today, why don’t you come with me to this gem store?” Despite warnings in literally every bit of content about traveling to Thailand, thousands still fall …

Thanks to a suggestion from a listener Greg and Ed discuss the fascinating topic of games that are common - if not unique - to Thailand. Both guys have some familiarity with some games played in public such as ‘takraw,’ …

Greg interviews our old friend and recurring guest Phra Pandit, about public speaking as a Buddhist monk. Beginning with some public speaking basics, such as the three things that really matter when you give a speech: what you have to …

In the wake of the - which saw Thailand drop by quite a few spots - Greg and Ed jump into the fascinating topic of the happiness of Thailand compared to other countries. How can you possibly measure something like …

Greg interviews , an adventurous photographer best known for his beautiful photos of dilapidated buildings and abandoned places. Dax begins by explaining that he was a very late starter to photography, getting a DSLR for the first time in 2015. …

Greg and Ed tackle the uncomfortable topic of self-censorship in Thailand, especially as it pertains to the podcast itself, and the churning, roiling issue of what you can say, when, and how, which seem to be in the news every …

Greg and Ed consider the tricky question of Thailand’s role in the global order. Sparked by a question from one of his students about what Thailand’s response to the war in Ukraine should be, Ed realized that he’s never really …

Greg interviews ‘Bangkok Pat,’ whose uncover the hidden layers of this fascinating city. Pat begins with a bit of personal background, growing up in the UK with a Thai mother, and eventually losing touch with that part of his history....

Greg and Ed discuss the significance of the recent decision by the Thai parliament to accept a change to the official English name of Bangkok that was proposed by the Royal Society of Thailand. Initially, it was announced as a …

One of the great things about Thai culture is the many facets that make up the whole. One of them is the Indian community, and Greg is happy to welcome Ram Sachdev, a first generation Thai-Indian and founder of , …

When you first get to Thailand you meet a lot of people who give you a lot of advice. Most of it is forgettable, some is great, and all of it easy to ignore. Greg and Ed look back on …

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 …

Greg interviews Benjamin Lord, an American who moved to Asia straight out of college at NYU. He is on the show to discuss life as a gay man in Thailand. After spending several years in Vietnam, where the pressure to …

With Ed being stuck in the US, he relates ten experiences he has had during his stay in Ohio that he doesn’t think he would ever have in Thailand, introducing them with his characteristic wit and charm. (Ed wrote this). …

Greg interviews Phra Pandit, the resident Bangkok Podcast expert on all things Buddhism, about negative emotions such as anxiety and anger and how Buddhism deals with them. Displaying his deep knowledge of Western psychology, Phra Pandit begins first...

It’s a COVID Christmas Craptacular! The guys discuss all the ways that COVID has made the holiday season difficult for expats and travelers to Thailand. To start things off, Greg plays a quick conversation with podcast supporter Ash, who is …

When Greg and guest-host Scott moved here at the turn of the century, Bangkok had about 22km of train lines (not counting the SRT diesel trains). Now there are 210km in operation with a further 250km under construction. That’s huge! …

The show welcomes back Dr. Jessica Vechbanyongratana, an economist at Chulalongkorn University, to discuss the cold, hard data on Thailand’s demographics. It sounds vague and geeky at first, but the more you look into it, the more you realize...

Greg and Ed finish up the Seven Deadly Sins series with a discussion of ‘gluttony’ in the context of Bangkok - in this case, wanting to eat the largest quantity of food for the least amount of money. While we …

Greg interviews Belgian Ambassador to Thailand, Madam Sybille de Cartier, formerly Ambassador to Egypt and Sudan, with plenty of diplomatic experience in other posts around the world. She discusses the long history that Belgium and Thailand...

In a very topical show Greg and Ed discuss the role that alcohol plays in Thai culture. For a country that seems to love restricting alcohol consumption, be it for religious holidays or even election days, Thails love to drink …

The boys address the big story of the day: Thailand’s long-delayed reopening to tourists, at least from certain low-risk countries. Ed begins by recounting the current (at the time of the show) rules for tourists: COVID medical insurance, a negative...

Greg interviews Tristan Knowles, an Australian expat in Thailand working for the Asian Development Bank, specializing in infrastructure finance in the Mekong region, including alternative energy such as solar power. Greg begins by asking the...

On today’s show Greg and Ed address a pretty simple question: When you see Bangkok in movies and in series, are you actually seeing an accurate portrayal of the way Bangkok REALLY is? The guys decide that the short answer …

Greg interviews Lindsay Kiptiness, the Kenyan Ambassador to Thailand. Ambassador Kiptiness begins by introducing himself and explains his responsibilities as ambassador to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Burma. He explains his unfortunate...

Greg and Ed confess to their past as Dungeons and Dragons-loving young geeks. Who would have thought? The boys take inspiration from Greg’s where he applied D&D’s famous moral alignment chart to Bangkok. Moving through the list, Ed provides...

On this episode Greg chats with his buddy Jesse Davis. You might not know Jesse’s name, but if you have kids, chances are they know his daughter. About four years ago Jesse and his daughter started , a YouTube channel …

Greg interviews returning guest Stu Jay Raj - polyglot, expert language teacher and man about town. Greg begins by asking Stu about his recent series of videos analyzing the second language capabilities of various celebrities, including Jon Cena and...

Greg and Ed sit down with old friends and travel experts Trevor Ranges and Scott Coates of the podcast. The guys run through a whole range of questions: How do you first come to Thailand? How did you meet each …

Continuing the series on the 7 Deadly Sins, Greg and Ed address the envious Envy. Of course, we love Bangkok, but no place is perfect - so, what are some things in other countries that we are envious of from …

Greg interviews Mark Siegel, the director of , one of Asia’s largest golf tour operators. Greg opens with the caveat that neither he nor Ed are golfers and leaves it up to Mark to do his best to sell us …

In this episode, Greg fills us in on all the special concerns of being a parent in Bangkok. As if being a parent on its own didn’t have enough surprises, it turns out there are several things to keep in …

Greg interviews Kru Nan from the “You Too Can Learn Thai” podcast. Greg begins with the theory of the ‘critical period,’ that the human brain is primed to learn languages early in life but not later. Kru Nan notes that …

Greg and Ed discuss some negative expat stereotypes - roughly the person you (probably) don’t want to become while living in Thailand...at least forever. We all fall prey to stereotypes sometimes - they have to come from somewhere - but …