The Bangkok Podcast | Conversations on Life in Thailand's Buzzing Capital

We chat with Dr. Peter Hufschmid-Hirschbuehl, president of the awesome National Museum Volunteers, the only place in Thailand where foreigners can be trained as tour guides. Want to learn more about Thai history and culture? This one’s for you.

The 21st century belongs to Big Brother...but is he bigger in Thailand? Greg and Ed discuss everything from gov’t surveillance to spam emails to neighborhood gossip to try and decide if we’re safe(r) from prying eyes in our adopted home than we are in our home countries.

Yes, it’s a bit morbid, but it’s topical! We talk with linguist Stu Jay Raj about how the Thai language describes pain, sickness & the body, where the root words come from, and even plenty of talk about gross things not fit for polite society!

Despite an end to the ban being announced the DAY AFTER this show was recorded, our discussion on the strategies, effectiveness, and fallout of a booze ban is still relevant! Especially considering that it could come back at any moment. But for now, cheers!

Greg interviews Phil Jablon about Thailand’s cinema history, and the details of how he researched his awesome book, Thailand’s Movie Theaters: Relics, Ruins, and the Romance of Escape.

This week Greg and Ed discuss some common beliefs about Thailand that they just don’t buy. From Buddhist ubiquity and constant smiles to sleazy nightlife and trash on every corner, Bangkok gets a bad rap for things that sometimes aren’t as bad as they’re made out to be.

Seeing as how most of us are living relatively isolated lives these days, we chat with our old friend Phra Pandit on what the day-to-day life of a monk is like, what happens if a monk wants to leave the order, and how temples have cliques and rivalries, just like the rest of us.

Living in a lockdown sucks, but any long-term expat in Bangkok has been through a few. How does this one compare to previous ones, and how do you keep everything in perspective when the rules for normalcy get binned like a bad batch of somtam?

In a conversation with Dr. Daniel Kertesz, WHO’s representative in Thailand, we discuss the COVID-19 situation, how we should react, what we’ll learn, and even some of the positives of coming through a major pandemic.

As everyone will be spending a lot of time inside over the next little while, Greg volunteers to talk about how he met his wife, what sacrifices need to be made in mixed-culture relationships, and advice for those wanting to settle down as a stranger in a strange land.

Opening a restaurant is hard. Opening one that few people recognise (despite being SUPER FAMOUS in Canada) is even harder. Nick Wattanavekin discusses the research, strategy, and coffee-fueled planning that went into bringing Tim Hortons to the Kingdom.

We usually stay away from current events shows, but the COVID-19 virus is too big to ignore. We discuss the latest, including the bizarre updates from the Thai authorities, and ponder what caused such a confusing mishmash of conflicting information.

We chat with Cod Satrusayang, editor-in-chief of the new news site ThaiEnquirer.com to discuss technology, media, politics, culture, and censorship, and how Thailand’s youth are standing up and taking charge.

People are often quick to call Thailand ‘developing’ or even ‘third world’ - but what do those terms mean? Compared to its neighbors, Thailand is really wealthy, so we asked an economist the $10,000 question - is Thailand actually a poor country?

Greg and Ed jump into a random list of statistics about Bangkok and Thailand. Sound boring? Think again, my friend! From the size of Bangkok, to how many km of rail line Thailand has, to discussions on provincial minimum wages and more, there’s a lot of info in these tiny numbers!