Episodes - Page 3 | The Bangkok Podcast

Dec. 12, 2023

Childline Thailand: Tackling Abuse & Neglect, Offering Hope & Safety Part 2 [S6.E69]

This is Part 2 of Greg’s interview with Ilya Smirnoff of Childline Thailand. Ilya begins with the ‘timeline of a child,’ which is basically a roadmap of the rights and responsibilities of children as they age. It begins at b…

Dec. 5, 2023

Childline Thailand: Tackling Abuse & Neglect, Offering Hope & Safety [S6.E68]

Greg interviews Ilya Smirnoff, the director of , an NGO dedicated to the rights of children in Thailand. Ilya begins by explaining his early life as a monk, and how he eventually left the monkhood and began doing charity wor…

Nov. 28, 2023

Don’t Do These Things: How to Earn an Expat Demerit Badge [S6.E67]

In a follow-up to previous episodes on expat ‘Merit Badges,’ Greg and Ed discuss ‘DEmerit Badges,’ mistakes that long term expats make that they should NOT make. In other words, if you’ve lived in Thailand for a while, and y…

Nov. 21, 2023

Neo-Buddhism: How Thailand's Largest Religion Reacts to Change [S6.E66]

Greg interviews our old friend Phra Phandit, resident podcast expert on all things Buddhism and religion. This time the topic is ‘Neo-Buddhism’ or the way Buddhism has changed and adapted over time, in particular the way it …

Nov. 14, 2023

The Secret to Expat Happiness: Managing Your Expectations [S6.E65]

Greg and Ed discuss how to manage your expectations in Thailand as a strategy for surviving and thriving in the Land of Smiles, or indeed, as an expat anywhere outside of your comfort zone. Ed explains that in giving advice …

Nov. 7, 2023

Superstition, Religion and...Architecture? Thai Spiritual Permanence with Dr. Andrew Johnson Part 2 [S6.E64]

This is Part 2 of Greg’s interview with Andrew Johnson, cultural anthropologist extraordinaire and investigator of the extremely niche topic of the relationship between Thai supernatural beliefs and local architecture. Greg…

Oct. 31, 2023

Thai Superstition vs Western Skepticism: Building Bridges with Dr. Andrew Johnson Part 1 [S6.E63]

Part 1 of 2! Greg interviews author Andrew Johnson, a cultural anthropologist with an expertise in the supernatural beliefs of Thailand and how they interact with urban planning and architecture. First, Greg inquires about t…

Oct. 24, 2023

Can You Find Food That's Delicious AND Healthy at the Vegetarian Festival? [S6.E62]

Greg and Ed venture out into the real world to record the show on location to answer an age-old conundrum: Is it possible to find healthy, non-fried starch food at the famous vegetarian ‘Jay’ Festival in Thailand? The guys, …

Oct. 17, 2023

Thai Tourism: On Its Way to a Full Recovery - But Is That a Good Thing? [S6.E61]

Please help us by taking our first Bangkok Podcast listener survey! , it only takes a few minutes. Everyone who fills it out will get 50,000 baht!* Greg and Ed discuss the current state of Thai tourism and whether the recove…

Oct. 10, 2023

Greg Gets Schooled: Linguist Stu Jay Raj Critiques a Thai Conversation Part 2 [S6.E60]

Please help us by taking our first Bangkok Podcast listener survey! , it only takes a few minutes. Everyone who fills it out will get 50,000 baht!* This is the second part of Greg’s interview with resident Thai language expe…

Oct. 3, 2023

Greg Gets Schooled: Linguist Stu Jay Raj Critiques a Thai Conversation [S6.E59]

This week it’s Greg’s turn to feel the wrath/wisdom of our in-house Thai language guru, Stu Jay Raj. After Ed did it a , our listeners have been waiting for Greg to take the hot seat, so here it is. Greg recorded a short con…

Sept. 26, 2023

The Massive Bangkok Bomb that Didn’t Go Boom [S6.E58]

In a return to our Thai history series, Greg tells the story of a massive truck bomb in Bangkok - that never exploded. In March of 1994, a U-Haul-style truck pulled out of the parking lot of Central Chidlom department store …

Sept. 19, 2023

What You Need to Know About Writing a Will in Thailand [S6.E57]

Greg interviews our senior legal correspondent Dave Lawrence from Pegleg Legal about a very important but often put off issue: getting a will in Thailand. Dave begins by discussing general concerns that might apply in any ju…

Sept. 12, 2023

Greg vs Ed vs You: The Great Bangkok Podcast Trivia Episode [S6.E56]

This week Greg and Ed take a page from a regular segment on the bonus show and challenge each other with some trivia questions, spanning Thai history, geography, religion, pop culture, and language. The guys begin by tradin…

Sept. 5, 2023

Unpacking the Rewards of Meditation Retreats with Phra Pandit [S6.E55]

Ed interviews recurring guest of the show Phra Pandit on meditation retreats. This is Part Two of a two part series; Part One is a basic introduction to meditation. The discussion begins with Phra Pandit giving some very sol…

Aug. 29, 2023

Sticker Shock! Listeners Clue us in on Bangkok's Price Swings [S6.E54]

In this show Greg and Ed respond to the opinions of our, ahem, massive group of followers on LINE about prices in Thailand: specifically both what is cheaper than you would expect and what is more expensive than you would ex…

Aug. 22, 2023

Linguist Rikker Dockum on the Royal Society's Thai Language Oversight [S6.E53]

Greg interviews old friend of the podcast , Thai language expert extraordinaire about the , an organization dedicated to overseeing, promoting and regulating the Thai language. Rikker begins by explaining that he actually wr…

Aug. 15, 2023

Greg & Ed Return to Thailand With a Few Thoughts on Travel [S6.E52]

The guys trade stories about their recent trips, Greg to Canada and Ed to Singapore. Ed begins with a few observations about the island nation. First, Singapore lived up to its reputation of being clean and orderly. Everythi…

Aug. 1, 2023

Democracy in Asia: Its History, Variants and Purpose with Ajarn Ployjai Pintobtang, Part 2 [S6.E51]

This is part two of a two-part interview with Khun Ployjai Pintobtang, a lecturer in history at Chiang Mai University, about the history of democracy in Thailand and Asia. The discussion picks up where it left off, on the pa…

July 25, 2023

Democracy in Asia: Its History, Variants and Purpose with Ajarn Ployjai Pintobtang, Part 1 [S6.E50]

This is Part One of a two-part interview with Khun Ployjai Pintobtang, a lecturer in history at Chiang Mai University, about the history of democracy in Thailand and Asia. Ed begins by asking A. Ploy her take on an old trope…

July 18, 2023

What Age is the Best Age to Relocate to Thailand? [S6.E49]

Greg and Ed debate the pros and cons of coming to Thailand at different ages, with the obvious caveat that there’s no right answer that applies to every person and that no matter when you come to the Land of Smiles, you can …

July 11, 2023

An Intro to Meditation and How it Works with Phra Pandit [S6.E48]

Ed interviews our favorite expert on Buddhism, Phra Pandit. This time the focus is on meditation, exactly what it is, and what role it plays in the Buddhist religion as a whole. Phra Pandit begins with explaining the basic d…

July 4, 2023

The Where, Why & How Much of Choosing the Right Hospital [S6.E47]

Greg and Ed discuss an important conundrum facing expats and tourists in Thailand: When sick or injured, should you go to a private Thai hospital or a public one? The difference in cost is substantial, typically somewhere be…

June 27, 2023

Legal Talk: What to do if You Get Stopped by the Thai Police [S6.E46]

Greg interviews resident legal expert Dave Lawrence about the ins and outs of interacting with police officers in Bangkok. The guys begin by going over the various options for run-ins with the boys in brown in Bangkok, which…