The Bangkok Podcast | Expat Life In Thailand Via Expats From Canada & America

Greg tells the true story of the ‘Samut Prakan Radiation Incident,’ which happened in Thailand in 2000. A piece of medical equipment that contained the highly radioactive isotope Cobalt 60 was improperly disposed of, and after a series of transactions ended up in the hands of everyday trash collectors. Unaware of its true nature, the men cut open the container with an acetylene torch, unwittingly releasing deadly radiation into the atmosphere.  Those involved soon started showing up at local clinics with strange burns and other mysterious symptoms. Thankfully, the doctors were on the ball, and soon realized they had a full-blown nuclear incident on their hands. After alerting authorities, the Thai Government office in charge of atomic safety jumped into high gear to stop things from going from bad to way, way worse. Greg and Ed dig into the significance of the incident and how it resulted in improved regulations, agreeing that even though lives were lost, Bangkok was very lucky to avoid a much broader tragedy

We’re happy to welcome to the show John Brown, the CEO of Agoda, one of the world’s largest online accommodation platforms. Headquartered in Singapore but with a large support office in Thailand, John explains how the company began and how it’s grown.  Greg and John also discuss what difficulties arise when trying to hire top-tier talent from around the world to come and work in Bangkok, a city not known as a hub of high-tech companies. How do they prove that the move is worth it, and what type of sales pitch on Bangkok do new staff get?  John also discusses how Bangkok’s vibrant local culture affects the culture of an office made up of many different nationalities, as well as the obvious question - what does Agoda do when things in Bangkok’s boisterous political arena go a bit sideways? How does this negative news affect tourism in Thailand, and what measures can companies like Agoda take to compensate?  As always, the podcast will continue to be 100% funded by listeners just like you who get some special sw

In a lighter episode after a few weeks of serious guests and topics, Greg and Ed trade ‘hard to believe that happened’ stories about living in Thailand. Ed begins with a call of nature nightmare that required an impromptu stop at Lumpini Police Station that ended with a terrified woman and a very relieved Ed in the female toilet. Greg follows with a cultural ‘no-no’ in one of the least expected places - a go-go bar - where he innocently used his foot to get the attention of one of the girls. After sitting in silence while the woman mercilessly tore strips off of him for what seemed like an eternity, Greg used the experience as a lesson for the tourists he was shepherding through the red light district. Ed next recounts an utterly bizarre experience that occurred when the Thai government had to verify his marriage during his residency application process. Two government officers came to Ed’s house on the weekend and interviewed him and his wife, which ended up with the couple posing in their bedroom for the ov

Director/producer Tom Waller has made a lot of films, but his latest movie might be his most important yet. The Cave tells the story of the rescue of the Wild Boars football team from a flooded cave in northern Thailand.  On a special extended show, Greg and Ed are happy to have Tom on the show, as well as two special guests, diver/actor Jim Warny, who helped rescue the boys and starred as himself in the film, and composer Olivier Lliboutry! Tom tells us how he walked the line when writing the script of telling a compelling story without being exploitative, filling his movie with non-actors, as well as his race against the clock to get something to market when others were working hard on their own projects about the same story. Tom also talks about the film industry in Thailand, and how projects like The Cave can serve as ambassadors of sorts for Thailand around the world. We’re also delighted to talk to Jim about his experience bringing the story to life, what is was like to go from regular dude to high-prof

A bit of news first - the Bangkok Podcast has LINE stickers! Go here to check them out and increase your expressiveness. Sadly, Thai-based users only. On this show, Greg introduces a fascinating question for expats: to what extent should they see themselves as ‘ambassadors’ who represent the country they come from - or indeed, expats in general? Ed opens a bit contrarian, arguing that expats only have a duty to obey the law and not act like jerks, the same as if they were at home. Greg counters that while that sounds good in theory, in fact locals will blame expats’ countries and cultures for expats’ individual misbehavior. This leads to a fascinating (if we do say so ourselves) back and forth from two long term expats on exactly what duty should guide expats while overseas. They boys also discuss a related but slightly different issue: to what extent should expats ‘do as the Thais do’? Do we have a duty to assimilate and ‘act Thai’? Your hosts discuss the minimum (taking shoes off, bowing, etc.) but also pos

This episode is the second half of our interview with Taopiphop Limjittrakorn, beer advocate and member of Thai Parliament from the Future Forward Party. Ed asks Tao about his decision to run for parliament and how his life has changed since taking his seat. Turns out that once Tao decided to run, he chose Bangkok Yai, a district in Bangkok that is traditionally a stronghold for the Democratic Party. With no experience and a low budget, Tao had to develop his own grassroots campaign strategy, His approach worked, and he won his district (where Ed happens to live) comfortably.  Tao also talks about how humble he felt taking his seat in Parliament and working with some old Thai politicians he heard of as a kid. He discusses his life as an MP, his workload, and how voting works in the Future Forward Party. But as Tao explains, his real interest is in promoting equality of opportunity in Thailand. All he really wants to do is have his own small brewery and bar. Is that too much to ask? Unfortunately, to make his

Greg and Ed are very happy to welcome to the podcast Taopiphop Limjitrikorn, a beer entrepreneur and current member of Thai parliament from the Future Forward Party.  In this first of a two-part interview, Greg and Tao discuss Tao’s background as a lawyer and how he transitioned from that into brewing his own beer, which - believe it or not, he got arrested for! Greg explains, with Tao’s help, that Thai law is shockingly unfair to small brewers, essentially making it impossible for anyone but larger corporations (or ultra-rich families) to make beer in the Kingdom. So then what’s up with Thai craft beer around Bangkok? Well, Tao explains that all (legal) Thai craft beer is actually made over the border in Cambodia and then imported into Thailand and subjected to heavy duties.   Coincidentally, Tao heard about a new political movement in Thailand made up largely of young people who wanted to move beyond the red-yellow divide of previous generations. This movement morphed into the Future Forward Party, and with

Greg and Ed discuss the absolutely EPIC beginning of season 4 of the Bangkok Podcast. Why start a new season? Well, it turns out that seasons 1 and 2 were in the 70ish episode range and 80 seemed a good round number. Plus, the guys were just ready for some changes! But first - a book giveaway! Listen in to learn how you can win a copy of Working in Thailand by our buddy Karsten, who co-authored. So, what are all these changes about, you ask? First, more content for our Patrons, especially photo and video content, including interviews with people like Taopiphop, a member of Thai Parliament.  Second, a cool new segment called ‘Token Thai,’ where a real live Thai person will talk to Greg and Ed about cross cultural issues, including questions that Thai people have about westerners. Third, a ‘resources’ section of the Bangkok Podcast web page that includes posts of useful information that our fans can easily access, such as basic Thai language, Thai culture, and the Bangkok transit system.  Listen in to hear abo

Big News: This show will be the final episode of Season 3! We figure 80 episodes is the right number given the length of previous seasons, so the Bangkok Podcast will be taking a week off next week before commencing Season 4, which will include a few interesting changes to the show. (Spoiler Alert: Ed is coming back, woo hoo!)  And a quick note - if you want to read the esoteric-yet-fascinating Harvard study on Bangkok’s khlongs that we talk about in the show, you can get it here. So in the last show of the season, the boys venture out to explore the ‘Phra Khanong’ area, which includes Sukhumvit Soi 71 (aka Soi Pridi Banomyong) and the area immediately around the Phra Khanong BTS station. Why Phra Khanong? Well, it turns out the area is in the news this week, as it was named the 12th coolest neighborhood in the world by Time Out Magazine! Greg and Ed were so surprised by the designation that they ran out, met up with a buddy who lives in the area, and checked it out. This episode is their report. Beginning a

Greg interviews Rex de Koening and Johanna de Koening Schaaij from New Counseling Service, who have been working as therapists in Thailand since 2001. Rex and Johanna begin by explaining that traditionally in Thailand there was no concept of mental health other than the idea that a person is either fine or crazy - nothing in between. Slowly this idea has been changing, however, sparked significantly by the tsunami crisis of 2004, which caused large scale trauma. Johanna notes that traditional sources of emotional support - the family, monks, and fortune tellers - are playing less of a role in modern Thai life, especially in Bangkok, where many people are working long hours, often estranged from their families or home towns.  Rex discusses his and Johanna’s deep understanding of Thai culture, which comes from their decades of experience treating Thais with a variety of mental health issues, from depression and anxiety to obsessive-compulsive disorder and ADHD. Johanna talks about the changing role of the famil

Greg and Ed dive into the flooding crisis in Thailand. (Get it?) Ed begins with some sobering statistics on the recent spate of floods that have affected 34 provinces, including Bangkok, which kicks off some not-so-nostalgic discussions about previous Bangkok flood stories, from wading down the soi in flip flops or simply being trapped at home on an ‘island’ until the water subsides. Granted, considering the flooding issues that some people have dealt with, this is small potatoes.    But have things gotten worse? The guys admit they lack the expertise to know for sure, but it does seem that the annual problem of flooding hasn’t gotten any better, even though the rainy season is largely predictable. Adding to the gloomy situation are Bangkok’s precarious position at near sea level and the rising oceans due to climate change. The boys end with a somewhat desperate hope that the Thai government has a team of world class experts working on a master plan to save our beloved city. Does it? Greg and Ed don’t know, b

Greg interviews Palm, a professional translator of English to Thai, but in a very specific context: subtitles for film and television. Palm begins by explaining that she literally learned English by being a couch potato and watching a lot of Western TV shows and movies, surviving by figuring out the subtitles word by word. This led naturally to an interest in doing it for a living, and lo and behold, her dream came to when she got a job translating for MTV Thailand. Eventually, this led to translating for a major video distribution company (which shall remain anonymous).  Greg quizzes Palm on the difficulties of her job and how she can possibly find Thai equivalents for all the weird expressions and slang in English. Palm notes that this in fact makes her job fun, as she often has to do research to first make sure she has the proper understanding in her own head before she can determine the best Thai equivalent. Unsurprisingly, curse words are quite difficult, and Greg and Palm discuss some rude expressions a

Greg and Ed discuss one of their old stomping grounds - Sukhumvit Soi 11, perhaps the most famous destination on Sukhumvit that doesn’t involve a red light district! Beginning with stories of their early days on the soi, when it was primarily known as home to swanky Q Bar and Bed Supperclub, it’s gone through several iterations since then. Indeed, Greg notes that it always seems to be going through a transition, and not just construction-wise. The identity of the soi also seems to change over time and the hi-so feel of old Soi 11 was replaced by more of a sports bar, burger joint, live music, and tourist vibe.  The boys discuss their ‘research trip’ to Soi 11, where they discovered that it is yet again undergoing massive renovation, with large swathes of the soi actually inaccessible due to construction. However, there are still multiple excellent restaurants and pubs along the way - The Australian, the rebuilt Hemingway’s, Limoncello, and Daniel Thaiger. Listen as Greg and Ed discuss why they think each plac

Readers of the Bangkok Post will need no introduction to this week’s guest. Roger Crutchley - or Old Crutch, as he’s known - arrived in Bangkok in 1969 by accident, never intending to stay. Yet here we are, 50 years later, and after a multi-decade career at the Bangkok Post and adventures too numerous to count, he sits down to riff on the past 5 decades in Thailand. From bullet-riddled visa runs to Cambodia, to Vietnam-era beer bars on Phetchburi Road, to Thai protests and coups, Roger has seen it all, reporting on it in the pages of the Bangkok Post, which was first printed in the same year Roger was born. We also discuss his new book, The Long Winding Road to Nakhon Nowhere, which recounts some of his misadventures, and provides some great insight into why Bangkok was, is, and probably will always be, such a fascinating city. As always, the podcast will continue to be 100% funded by listeners just like you who get some special swag from us. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so

Sooner or later, we all spend some time in the hospital, so Greg and Ed riff on their myriad experiences in Bangkok hospitals over the years. But before we get into that, we should note - due to Thailand’s strict defamation laws, some of the places we talk about will remain nameless.  But with that out of the way, we can say that Thailand in general has pretty good medical care, and it is standard advice for travelers in neighboring countries to get over the border into Thailand if they have any medical problems. But, as Ed notes, Thailand does not have very good legal protections against medical malpractice: if a doctor makes a mistake, don’t expect significant financial compensation from the Thai justice system. Greg and Ed then trade anecdotes about their own experiences in the Thai medical system, each with some good and bad things to say. Ed’s life has been literally saved by competent doctors; Greg passed himself off as a Jedi in lieu of a real religion; both have been saved a ton of grief by getting a

Greg talks to Hassan Ghiassi, the creator and organizer of Aristotle’s Cafe, a Bangkok group that focuses on meetups that involve discussions and debates on questions voted on by the participants themselves.  Firstly, Aristotle’s Cafe is a format, and the location is not fixed. At the beginning of each meetup, the attendees submit questions and then vote on what to discuss. But does the same format work equally well in different cities and cultures? Greg raises issues from his own experience about difficult people dominating discussions, as well as cultural issues involving Thai people supposedly being ‘shy.’ Have now worry, Hassan says, his long experience running the ‘cafe’ in several different countries have shown him that most participants - including Thais - often shed their reluctance to express opinions in the right environment.  But AC isn’t just for youngins! Hassan says that the group gets all types - older farangs yearning for English language contacts, Thais wanting to improve their English, and p

First up - apologies for Greg’s bad audio on this episode! Small technical problem, and it sounds like he’s talking on a phone from Peru. Luckily, Ed does most of the talking! Speaking of Ed, he recently returned from 4 days in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, his first-ever visit. The city’s going through somewhat of a renaissance of late, with plenty of discussion online about PP vs BKK. So what’s Ed’s verdict? As a matter of course, Greg introduces the subject by urging listeners to learn about Cambodia’s tragic history and to take that into account when evaluating its level of development. With that in mind, Ed notes that in many ways, it’s not fair to compare Phnom Penh to Bangkok, and a fairer comparison would be to Chiang Mai. Still, many expats are considering is an alternative to Thailand for various reasons. Next, Ed also points out that there are many factors at play and there’s no truly objective way to judge the cities. What works for one expat may not work for another, so this represents only Ed’s point of

With the iminent opening of the MRT Blue Line extension, we sit down with Don Siridhara, a lecturer and transportation planning engineer, to geek out over Bangkok’s expanding rail network. But first - you might want to consult this handy Google Map that Greg made as you listen that shows all future rail lines. It’s our first interactive show! Don discusses why Bangkok’s first train line only opened in 1999, why it’s taken so long to get up to speed, the challenges of grafting a modern rail system on top of a 250-year old road network, what’s happening with the Taksin Bridge rail expansion, and why simply “adding more trains” to solve congestion isn’t as easy as it sounds. We also discuss the story behind Bangkok’s two ‘ghost stations’, the holdup with the long-promised one-ticket system, the new Bang Sue rail terminal, and how maybe, just maybe, the old old rail depot along Phectchaburi Road will be turned into a sweet new park. As always, the podcast will continue to be 100% funded by listeners just like yo

Greg and Ed address an important but tricky question: Why do expats leave Thailand? How do you know when the right time to leave is? The boys ponder the various reasons why to find out what’s more common - work or family issues, personal problems with fitting in, or more Thai-centric problems such as just plain growing tired of Bangkok, Thai culture, or the confusing politics. Greg recounts several expat families who have left due to the expense of international schools for their kids, while Ed points out that that certain expats seem on a very specific timetable due to the length of a posting, either at a private company or NGO. And as evidenced in our two-part expat women dating show, many foreign women leave due to lack of dating opportunities.  Then Ed runs through some specific cases of his friends: one left due to a relationship ending, another due to visa issues, but a third did leave after being harassed by Thai cops and getting frustrated with the Thai political situation. All in all, it does seem th

First - don’t forget our meetup on 27 July at Smalls. Get more info here. And also don’t forget that both Greg AND Ed will be speaking at Bombyx on 26 July. Get more info here. Okay, on this episode Greg interviews Khun Saba, a disabled rights activist in Bangkok. It’s a topic near and dear to the Bangkok Podcast, because we want everyone to enjoy Bangkok, which is very hard to do if you don’t have full mobility. Khun Saba explains that he became aware of the difficulty of moving around Thai cities, especially Bangkok, after he became disabled, and notes that while physical and structural issues are important, the key issue is really awareness. Simply put, if people blindly accept all the problems with transportation in Bangkok, then of course they will never be solved.  Greg asks Khun Saba about a notorious incident in which he broke a pane of glass when he couldn’t use the elevator at Asoke BTS Station. The circumstances were unusual and need to be fully listened to to be understood, but the incident highli