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

Author Patrick Winn discusses “Hello, Shadowlands”, his fantastic new book about Southeast Asia’s dangerous, disparate, and booming criminal underworld.

Google’s autofill feature is a great tool, so we typed in some half-finished searches into Google to see what other people were trying to learn about Thailand.

Many languages have died over the centuries - will it ever happen to Thai? Linguist Rikker Dockum joins the show to discuss his research in Burma and some interesting ways Thai has changed over the years.

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 https://www.patreon.com/bangkokpodcast

In our continuing series on Bangkok’s neighborhoods, we dive into Ari, where hipsters, hi-sos, and working-class Thais from all over come together to spice up one of Bangkok’s coolest places to live.

You may have heard about recent changes to the work permit laws here in Thailand - it’s big news! We welcome lawyer Jerrold Kippen, who gives us his take on just what it means for the average Joe working in Thailand.

Rail travel in Thailand is about to get a big shakeup with the introduction of new lines, upgrades of old lines, and a huge new train terminal. What does that mean for you, me, and the average citizen who relies on rail travel?

What do you do if the culture you grew up in isn’t your own - or even your parents’? You adapt, and become what’s known as a Third Culture Kid, or TCK. Ed interviews Mook Ishimura, a half-Thai, half-Japanese ‘third culture kid’ who has Thai citizenship but who grew up mostly in the United States and Indonesia.

Riding a bike in Bangkok doesn’t have to be as insane or unsafe as many think it is - in fact, it may just be the best way to see the city! Provided, of course, you take all the various equipment, health, and safety factors into account, which Greg and Ed discuss.

Long-time friend and show favorite Phra Pandit joins us to explain the history and complicated relationship that novices - the young boys in monk’s robes that you often see in temples - have to Buddhism and Thai culture at large.

Bangkok is a gigantic, sprawling metropolis, but it does contain dozens of uniquely cool neighborhoods, like Ekkamai, which is the topic of this week’s neighborhood focus.

In a culture where most people have seen ghosts, visit fortune tellers, and where questioning authority is kind of, sort of, not really cool, Greg and Ed discuss what it's like to teach critical thinking at a university level.

Living in a city like Bangkok is like diving under water - if you don’t learn to adapt, you probably won’t last too long. With that in mind, Greg and special guest host Scott Coates talk about the changes they’ve seen in themselves after living in Asia’s craziest city for a combined 35 years.

Overtourism is becoming a big problem in Bangkok, Thailand, and the rest of the world, but what’s the alternative? We sit down with Stuart from Travelfish.org to talk about why it’s such a complex topic, and try to hash out some solutions.

For a city the size of Bangkok, the live music scene isn’t awesome, but it’s still got extremely talented performers, a loyal fanbase, and great venues - if you know the best places to hit.