Season 5 - Page 2 | The Bangkok Podcast

Feb. 8, 2022

Great Thailand Advice We Ignored…But Shouldn’t Have [S5.E47]

When you first get to Thailand you meet a lot of people who give you a lot of advice. Most of it is forgettable, some is great, and all of it easy to ignore. Greg and Ed look back on some tips they got that they regret not following up on.

Feb. 1, 2022

George Dupont: The Only Thai to Fight in the US Civil War [S5.E46]

We recount the fascinating story of George DuPont, the only Thai person who fought in the American Civil War. The first record of George in the U.S. is in 1859, but almost nothing is known of how or why he ended up in the United States. We know that...

Jan. 25, 2022

Is Thailand Really LGBTQ Friendly? It’s Complicated [S5.E45]

Greg interviews Benjamin Lord, an American who moved to Asia straight out of college at NYU. He is on the show to discuss life as a gay man in Thailand. After spending several years in Vietnam, where the pressure to hide his status was suffocating, he...

Jan. 18, 2022

Ed's Big List: 10 Differences Between the US and Thailand [S5.E44]

With Ed being stuck in the US, he relates ten experiences he has had during his stay in Ohio that he doesn’t think he would ever have in Thailand, introducing them with his characteristic wit and charm. (Ed wrote this). From overly aggressive nazi...

Jan. 11, 2022

Anger, Anxiety & Death: How Buddhism Deals with the Big Issues [S5.E43]

Greg interviews Phra Pandit, the resident Bangkok Podcast expert on all things Buddhism, about negative emotions such as anxiety and anger and how Buddhism deals with them. Displaying his deep knowledge of Western psychology, Phra Pandit begins first...

Jan. 4, 2022

The Bangkok Podcast Covid Christmas Clusterf#@k Extravaganza [S5.E42]

It’s a COVID Christmas Craptacular! The guys discuss all the ways that COVID has made the holiday season difficult for expats and travelers to Thailand. To start things off, Greg plays a quick conversation with podcast supporter Ash, who is now more...

Dec. 21, 2021

Riding the Rails: Catching up with Bangkok’s New Train Lines [S5.E41]

When Greg and guest-host Scott moved here at the turn of the century, Bangkok had about 22km of train lines (not counting the SRT diesel trains). Now there are 210km in operation with a further 250km under construction. That’s huge! But it presents...

Dec. 14, 2021

The Times They Are a-Changing: Thailand’s Demographic Shift [S5.E40]

The show welcomes back Dr. Jessica Vechbanyongratana, an economist at Chulalongkorn University, to discuss the cold, hard data on Thailand’s demographics. It sounds vague and geeky at first, but the more you look into it, the more you realize...

Dec. 7, 2021

Bangkok's Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony [S5.E39]

Greg and Ed finish up the Seven Deadly Sins series with a discussion of ‘gluttony’ in the context of Bangkok - in this case, wanting to eat the largest quantity of food for the least amount of money. While we all know that Bangkok is one of the...

Nov. 30, 2021

Tech, Trade & Bridges with Belgian Ambassador Sibille de Cartier [S5.E38]

Greg interviews Belgian Ambassador to Thailand, Madam Sybille de Cartier, formerly Ambassador to Egypt and Sudan, with plenty of diplomatic experience in other posts around the world. She discusses the long history that Belgium and Thailand...

Nov. 23, 2021

Alcohol: Thailand’s Favorite Boogeyman [S5.E37]

In a very topical show Greg and Ed discuss the role that alcohol plays in Thai culture. For a country that seems to love restricting alcohol consumption, be it for religious holidays or even election days, Thails love to drink (the most in SEA,...

Nov. 16, 2021

The Changing Role of the Foreign Teacher in Thailand [S5.E36]

Nov. 9, 2021

Hassles and Hope: Thailand’s Big Reopening [S5.E35]

The boys address the big story of the day: Thailand’s long-delayed reopening to tourists, at least from certain low-risk countries. Ed begins by recounting the current (at the time of the show) rules for tourists: COVID medical insurance, a negative...

Nov. 2, 2021

What’s the Deal with Solar Power in Thailand? [S5.E34]

Greg interviews Tristan Knowles, an Australian expat in Thailand working for the Asian Development Bank, specializing in infrastructure finance in the Mekong region, including alternative energy such as solar power. Greg begins by asking the...

Oct. 26, 2021

Thailand in Movies & TV vs. Thailand in Real Life [S5.E33]

On today’s show Greg and Ed address a pretty simple question: When you see Bangkok in movies and in series, are you actually seeing an accurate portrayal of the way Bangkok REALLY is? The guys decide that the short answer is probably not (certainly...

Oct. 19, 2021

From Coffee to Conflict: Kenyan Ambassador Lindsay Kiptiness [S5.E32]

Greg interviews Lindsay Kiptiness, the Kenyan Ambassador to Thailand. Ambassador Kiptiness begins by introducing himself and explains his responsibilities as ambassador to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Burma. He explains his unfortunate...

Oct. 12, 2021

Dungeons & Dragons & Bangkok: An Alignment Chart for the City [S5.E31]

Greg and Ed confess to their past as Dungeons and Dragons-loving young geeks. Who would have thought? The boys take inspiration from Greg’s where he applied D&D’s famous moral alignment chart to Bangkok. Moving through the list, Ed provides...

Oct. 5, 2021

Building a Thai YouTube Channel for Kids Into a Family Business [S5.E30]

On this episode Greg chats with his buddy Jesse Davis. You might not know Jesse’s name, but if you have kids, chances are they know his daughter. About four years ago Jesse and his daughter started , a YouTube channel aimed at kids where...

Sept. 28, 2021

Expat Merit Badges: How Many Do You Have? [S5.E29]

Sept. 21, 2021

Accents, Dialects and Stereotypes with Stu Jay Raj [S5.E28]

Greg interviews returning guest Stu Jay Raj - polyglot, expert language teacher and man about town. Greg begins by asking Stu about his recent series of videos analyzing the second language capabilities of various celebrities, including Jon Cena and...

Sept. 14, 2021

This is Thailand With Scott & Trevor from Talk Travel Asia [S5.E27]

Greg and Ed sit down with old friends and travel experts Trevor Ranges and Scott Coates of the podcast. The guys run through a whole range of questions: How do you first come to Thailand? How did you meet each other? How do you...

Sept. 7, 2021

Bangkok's Seven Deadly Sins: Envy [S5.E26]

Continuing the series on the 7 Deadly Sins, Greg and Ed address the envious Envy. Of course, we love Bangkok, but no place is perfect - so, what are some things in other countries that we are envious of from our perch here? Greg begins by looking over...

Aug. 31, 2021

Golfasian’s Mark Siegel Talks Fees, Tees & Thai Golf Holidays [S5.E25]

Greg interviews Mark Siegel, the director of , one of Asia’s largest golf tour operators. Greg opens with the caveat that neither he nor Ed are golfers and leaves it up to Mark to do his best to sell us on a golf holiday in the Land of Smiles. ...

Aug. 24, 2021

A Few Surprising Details About Raising a Kid in Bangkok [S5.E24]

In this episode, Greg fills us in on all the special concerns of being a parent in Bangkok. As if being a parent on its own didn’t have enough surprises, it turns out there are several things to keep in mind if you are expecting or even just...