Season 4 - Page 2 | The Bangkok Podcast

Sept. 15, 2020

An Economist Speaks: The Numbers on Thailand's COVID Economy [Season 4, Episode 48]

First, we want voicemails from our listeners! Become a friend on LINE (scan the QR Code below) and send us your thoughts, greetings, or an awesome joke. In a great show for economics nerds and anyone just interested in how the Thai economy is...

Sept. 8, 2020

Ten Laws Expats Should Understand in Thailand [Season 4, Episode 47]

After a brief intro explaining the podcast’s decision to accept advertising (within strict guidelines), Greg and Ed jump into a topic important to anyone travelling to Thailand: What are the most important Thai laws to know? Ed gives a quick...

Sept. 1, 2020

Jarrett Wrisley & Chalee Kader Discuss Bangkok's Restaurant Biz in the Time of Covid [Season 4, Episode 46]

Greg interviews Jarrett Wrisley and Chalee Kader, well-known and successful restaurateurs in Bangkok. After quick bios, they begin by dispelling some myths about the restaurant business and explaining some of the harsh realities of competing in a big...

Aug. 25, 2020

Bangkok’s Seven Deadly Sins: Lust [Season 4, Episode 45]

Greg and Ed continue their ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ series with LUST - yep, we go there. Well, figuratively, anyway. On the record, the guys don’t actually recommend that you visit any of the red light districts in Bangkok - there are so many more...

Aug. 18, 2020

Crossing Cultures: From Small-Town Thailand to the USA & Back Again [Season 4, Episode 44]

Ed interviews Putsawan ‘Poy’ Tipsakorn, a friend and former student of his who did an exchange year in the U.S. while in high school. Ed and Poy begin with her background in a small town in Nakhorn Ratchasima province and her conservative...

Aug. 11, 2020

Holding a Mirror Up to Thailand: Thisrupt's Voranai Vanijaka [Season 4, Episode 43]

This week Greg interviews Khun Voranai Vanijaka, a well-known Thai journalist, social commentator, and founder and editor-in-chief of , an English language website and social media enterprise that focuses on social and political issues in Thailand....

Aug. 4, 2020

A Quarantine Interview & Media Recommendations [Season 4, Episode 42]

After a very strange intro in which Greg extols the virtues of a , we get into the main episode, which comes in two parts. First, Greg interviews his friend Yining, who is just finishing a two week quarantine after returning to Thailand from...

July 28, 2020

Building a House in Thailand [Season 4, Episode 41]

Greg and Ed interview Florian, an old friend of Greg’s and coincidentally the occupant of Greg’s old apartment in Chinatown with a beautiful view of the Chao Phraya River. Florian is a man of many talents, but this interview focuses on his...

July 21, 2020

Bangkok's Seven Deadly Sins: Pride [Season 4, Episode 40]

In a new series cooked up by Greg’s evil brain, the guys explore Bangkok through the prism of the Seven Deadly Sins. Each of the seven shows (not in a row, thankfully) will see the guys pick one of the sins and discuss how it relates to their own...

July 14, 2020

Entrepreneur and TV Host Dan Fraser on Filming, Language, and Absorbing Thai Culture [Season 4, Episode 39]

This is Part 2 of Greg’s interview with Dan Fraser, an old friend, Thai TV star, and owner of adventure travel company Smiling Albino. Continuing their conversation, Dan talks about the challenges of transitioning from a business manager ‘control...

July 7, 2020

Entrepreneur and TV Host Dan Fraser on Filming, Language, and Absorbing Thai Culture [Season 4, Episode 38]

Greg interviews Renaissance-Expat Extraordinaire Dan Fraser, an old friend of both Greg and Ed and a former guest of the podcast in season 1. As both the star of a Thai TV show called ‘’ and the owner of , a high-end adventure travel company, Dan...

June 30, 2020

The Gun Show: How a Few Thai Cannons Helped Shape History [Season 4, Episode 37]

We return to our Thai history series with a fascinating look at the role that several Thai cannons played in some important historical events. First, with the help of a , Greg tells the story of some silver cannons gifted by King Narai of Siam...

June 23, 2020

Jobs, Wages and Napoleon Dynamite: The Hard Data on Thailand’s Economy [Season 4, Episode 36]

It’s an extra-long show this week as Greg interviews Jessica Vechbanyongratana, a professor at the faculty of Economics at Chulalongkorn University, about the numbers that make up Thailand’s economy. Beginning with Thailand’s notable jump...

June 16, 2020

How Thailand Changed Our Views on Fake Stuff [Season 4, Episode 35]

Inspired by a , the topic is counterfeit goods. Most people are aware that all types of counterfeit goods are available for sale in Thailand, whether it is watches, handbags, DVDs, or software. Greg and Ed trade stories about how Thailand...

June 9, 2020

The Thai Foreign Ministry & Public Communication During COVID-19 [Season 4, Episode 34]

Greg interviews Khun Natapanu Nopakun, the Deputy Spokesperson for the . You’ve probably seen him on TV - he’s the guy who gives English language updates of what’s going on with the Thai government, and especially the coronavirus...

June 2, 2020

Lockdown: A Few Small Upsides to a BIG Downside [Season 4, Episode 33]

When you are a kid, you are taught to look on the bright side of everything. In that spirit, Greg and Ed search for any possible positives in their lives as a result of the lockdown (which, generally speaking, SUCKS). Ed begins by noting that his...

May 26, 2020

Up Close & Personal With Thai Culture: The National Museum Volunteers [Season 4, Episode 32]

You know how foreigners aren’t allowed to be tour guides in Thailand? Well guess what - there’s an interesting little loophole to that, and it’s a great opportunity to get to know Thai culture in a very real way. Greg interviews Dr. Peter...

May 19, 2020

Big Brother Says Hi: Do You Have More or Less Privacy in Thailand Than at Home? [Season 4, Episode 31]

Greg and Ed tackle the complex question of privacy in Thailand, especially as it compares to privacy back home. But there are lots of types of privacy, so what do we mean? Firstly, as an expat, you live in a kind of bubble of privacy anyway - often...

May 12, 2020

Pain, Disease & Illness: The (Thai) Language of Medicine with Stu Jay Raj [Season 4, Episode 30]

The topic is a bit morbid but these are strange times - Greg interviews polyglot and podcast favorite on the roots of the Thai language as they pertain to pain and medicine. They begin trading stories over the fiendishly tricky (for Westerners...

May 5, 2020

Thailand’s Booze Ban: Good Strategy or Pointless Folly? [Season 4, Episode 29]

Greg and Ed recorded a show that goes in-depth on Thailand’s alcohol ban and whether or not it makes sense as a way to combat the coronavirus. What they did NOT count on was the ban being lifted 3 days AFTER they recorded the show! No worry - it’s...

April 28, 2020

Author Phil Jablon on the Disappearing Legacy of Thai Cinemas [Season 4, Episode 28]

Greg interviews Phil Jablon, a true connoisseur of Southeast Asia’s old movie theaters and author of the fantastic book . As noted on the show, you can order from the Amazon link above, but if you would like a free vintage movie theater ticket as...

April 21, 2020

We Discuss: Myths and Misconceptions About Bangkok [Season 4, Episode 27]

This week is a dose of keeping it real: What are some common beliefs about Thailand that Greg and Ed just don’t buy? Ed starts off with a fairly nuanced point: many people think of Thailand as a very religious country because of so many outward...

April 14, 2020

Pious Isolation? The Day-to-Day Life of a Thai Monk [Season 4, Episode 26]

First of all, a public service announcement: Our friend Adam is coordinating a project to get soap, disinfectant, and food to some of Bangkok’s poorest communities. Just 300 THB provides supplies for a family of 4. We donated 2,000THB - can you...

April 8, 2020

Lockdown! How Does This One Compare to Others? [Season 4, Episode 25]

In their continuing effort to find something to talk about besides coronavirus, Greg and Ed decide to compare the current crisis to the past crises that they have lived through in their combined 38 years in Thailand. This is their first pandemic but...