Paradise Lost? Island Living in Thailand (2.47)

Today we compare living in Bangkok vs a tropical island paradise in Thailand. Also, we share how you can participate in our upcoming one year anniversary show, and give yet another reminder about the big Bangkok-wide I Love Podcasting In Bangkok event coming up August 30th, 2017.

Please forgive the sound of the rolling surf in the background during the interview with this week's guest. That’s just one bonus of living on an island in Thailand vs the big city of Bangkok: giving up the sounds of traffic for the sounds of the sea. Like many people, our guest this week - an old friend of Greg's named Tad - first discovered Thailand on a famous full moon party island. After stretching his vacation to two months, he went back to his native home in Los Angeles and started making plans for full-time living in his newfound paradise. A year later, he was back at the same spot, ready to do it again and forever. Stop me if you heard this one, but it wasn’t quite the same the second time around. Paradise, as it seems, can be lost.

“It’s like Groundhog Day, but with Red Bull and SangSom.” - Tad

Still convinced that island living was what he wanted, he packed up and moved to the barely-occupied Thai island Ko Lanta to try his hand at living pre-tourist wave. But that was a decade ago. Fast-forward to today for our episode topic: Expat living in Thailand away from the hustle-and-bustle of Bangkok, deep in paradise. Is it really all it’s cracked up to be? Can you really trust a “professional electrician” who wears flip flops on the job? And how often can you hit the waves when you’re running your dream business seven days a week? Tad brings a healthy dose of reality for those ready to follow their dreams. Listen in to get some pro tips. Oh, and to add a bit of color to the interview, here's a photo Greg took from Tad's pad on Lanta. No wonder you could hear waves in the background. Click to embiggen.

As mentioned on the episode, we're quickly approaching one year of doing the podcast, and for our 50th show we’ll be featuring questions submitted by our listeners, so get in touch via the links below! Also, if you haven't yet RSVP'd to the big I Love Podcasting In Bangkok meetup coming up on August 30th, please do so.

Love, Loathe, or Leave

While there are many cultural affections in Bangkok that stand out to North Americans, we’re covering the comb-over on this episode. You know, that thing that went out of style in the ‘60s and only adopted by old men who didn’t get the news? It’s categorically not out of style over here and is as commonplace as women carrying shoulder bags. Listen in to find out where our heads are on the issue. (Did you see what we did there?)

We Love Our Supporters!

This week, we’re thanking another of our supporters. This time, it’s Matthew “Cookies" Cramer. How did Matthew -- or just Cookies -- earn that title? You’ll have to listen to find out what story we have to tell. You can thank Cookies and dozens of other people who help us keep the show free of annoying ads and get access to bonus content, cool swag and more by supporting us on Patreon. You should join them!

Want More Bangkok Podcast In Your Life?

If it’s your first time experiencing The Bangkok Podcast, you really should get our show downloading to your phone automatically every week. If you use iOS, it’s a breeze to listen via Apple Podcasts. Android users are be able get the show any number of ways. And for bonus points, leave us a review on those platforms or however you listen to the show. We’d love to hear from you! You can add our official LINE account, comment on a post or send us a message via our Facebook page, tweet to us @bangkokpodcast, or simply via the contact form on our website. You may also be interested in Greg’s tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness, and you can see way too much of Evo’s face on Instagram. If you’re really new, the Bangkok Podcast is co-hosted by Greg Jorgensen and Evo Terra. Together the have over 20 years expat experience in Bangkok, and are self-certified experts in living in the City of Angels. (Not Los Angeles. Thailand, silly!) (Direct download .mp3)

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