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

On the second part of our interview with talk show host and all around cool dude Woody Malintachinda, we learn a bit more about Woody's job and some of the crazy stories that come from being on TV. From being told he's "nobody" by American celebrity handlers to dealing with self-censorship to what he thinks of Twitter and his fans (even when they criticize him), it's a fascinting peek into one of the most well-known (and certainly most energetic) Thai TV personalities around. Greg also talks about a book that he's reading that takes place in Bangkok 300 years in the future, and how its plot is taken from some of problems that we have to deal with in Bangkok today.

On the first part of a special two-part episode, we are very pleased to welcome one of Thailand's top talk show personalities, Woody Milintachinda. As host and producer of 'Woody Kerd Ma Kui' (Born to Talk), Woody is well known to Thais all over the country for his unique style of interviewing everyone from supermodels to fortune tellers to politicians. Sometimes controversial but always interesting, Woody joins Bangkok Podcast to talk about his childhood in the US and Switzerland, the positive and negative aspects of being a high-profile TV star, and how he hides his mid-afternoon naps from his staff. In addition, Greg talks about his New Year's Eve party, and Tony goes into detail about his recent trip to Japan, explaining just how different Tokyo is to Bangkok, and how Tokyo would likely simply stop working if a bit of Bangkok's chaotic nature were introduced into the mix.

For the last show of 2010, Tony and Greg decided to learn a little about more about how each of them views their adopted city. To that end, each of them came up with five questions about life in Bangkok without telling the other what they were; improvisational podcasting at its finest! What did Greg ask Tony? What did Tony ask Greg? The answers are all in episode #33 of Bangkok Podcast. They also talk about Tony's upcoming trip to Japan, and how Christmas is celebrated in Bangkok... or rather, how it's not celebrated. Happy New Year and thanks for making our first year a huge success! 

While our regular Thai language Jedi Rikker takes a well-deserved break, we're joined today by Hamish Chalmers, another noted Thai speaker, blogger, Tweeter and all-around nice guy. As a teacher at a well-regarded international school, Hamish has some unique insights into how students of languages (Thai or otherwise) learn, what methodologies work best, and how teachers can shape their lessons to suit each students' particular needs. Hamish also tells us how he learned Thai through pure stubbornness, how he hopes people use his website, and how much he loves Japanese pears. In addition, Tony and Greg talk about last night's Bangkok Podcast Christmas party, and want to give a BIG thanks to Dani and Martin for helping us with registration, as well as a wonderful, awesome gift that they gave us that makes all this podcasting rigmarole worth it.

On this episode we disucss the much-hated, much-maligned visa run, the process of renewing your visa by traveling outside of the country that you live in. Most anyone who lives in Thailand has experienced this process, and Tony and Greg go over the who, what, why, and how of the whole process, drawing on personal experience to try and answer a few questions: is it better to do on your own or use a service? Can you send your passport with an agency and stay at home? How do you deal with border bribery, and which border crossing is the best? Also, Tony - in the name of research - has used three of the most popular visa run services and gives us a rundown of the pros and cons of each one. Who has the best lunch? Who has the friendliest staff? And most importantly, which ones use a big bus, and which ones use tiny vans? Greg also tells us about his recent trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia, and we discuss how Twitter came to the aid of our friend, adventure-seeker @Vaitor, when he found himself in a Thai hospital and ne

Ask anyone in the world what they see when they think of Thailand, and chances are that one of those things will be monks. They are a part of life here - wandering the streets early in the morning, shopping at markets, riding the skytrain - but for most foreigners, they remain somewhat mysterious and at a distance. To change those perceptions, Bangkok Podcast is very happy to welcome Phra Pandit, a Brit who was ordained as a monk in 1996 and is now a very visible part of Bangkok's Buddhist community. We ask Phra Pandit all the nitty gritty about being a monk: why are the robes orange? What time do you wake up? What does your family think? And what's the deal with meditation? He gives us a very unique and interesting insight into a side of life that most of us will never see, including details on his blog and Facebook group. Look for Phra Pandit on future shows, as he will return to further school us in the many interesting aspects of Buddhism. Tony and Greg also take a cue from some listener mail and discuss

On this show we're again joined by Thai language Jedi Rikker Dockum who goes through the calendar with us looking at the Thai holidays. It can be confusing sometimes keeping them all straight, because while many western holidays have made it to Bangkok - Christmas, Halloween, Valentine's Day, etc - there are also the Thai holidays to keep track of - Songkran, Macha Bucha, and Father's, Mother's and Children's day, among others. So how are the western ones celebrated, what is a Macha Bucha, and what exactly does Songkran have to do with the moon?  We also give some more details on the BANGKOK PODCAST CHRISTMAS PARTY! As it is the season of giving, we are asking everyone who attends to donate any unused items they may have lying around the house - from cups to clothes to toiletries. Bangkok Podcast will collect them at the Christmas party and donate them to the Second Chance Foundation, a charity that ensures that used items get distributed to the residents of Bangkok's sprawling Khlong Toey slum. We are joined

Living overseas can often caust a bit of separation anxiety. You miss your family, you miss your friends, and pretty soon work, social life and time zones get in your way. As little as 5 or 6 years ago you were pretty limited to email, but over the past half-decade, the tools and technology available to expats for staying in touch with your peeps back home has exploded. In this episode, Tony and Greg chew the fat on which methods they use to stay in touch with their families around the world, and how these various methods can serve not only as a powerful took to keep you from getting lonely, but also a powerful tool to keep you close to your culture, as well as help you integrate further into your adopted society. From videoclips of newborns sent from cellphone to cellphone to funerals that are live-streamed around the world, current technology is something that can be used to make your life overseas richer and more rewarding than ever before.

On this week's show, continue our interview with Mr. Jerry Hopkins. You may not know his name right away but Jerry is a legend in the music and publishing industries. Before he retired to Thailand, Jerry was a journalist - and not just any journalist - a Rock n' Roll Journalist! As a former editor of Rolling Stone Magazine (when it was just a wee start-up trying to sell ads), Jerry got to know some of the biggest up-and-coming names in rock n' roll, from Jimi Hendrix to The Doors to Elvis Presley. It was through these friendships that Jerry was able to write several of the most influential rock biographies in history, most notably the seminal work on The Doors 'No One Here Gets Out Alive', which was TWICE a New York Times best seller, and was used extensively by Oliver Stone when he made The Doors. In the second part of our interview, Jerry talks about his adventures with everyone from Yoko Ono to Raquel Welch, the future of journalism, why he chose Thailand to retire in, and gives some advice to any budding

  If you like real music then you are in for a treat with this weeks guest as we're very lucky to interview Mr. Jerry Hopkins. You may not know his name right away but Jerry is a legend in the music and publishing industries. Before he retired to Thailand, Jerry was a journalist - and not just any journalist - a Rock n' Roll Journalist! As a former editor of Rolling Stone Magazine (when it was just a wee start-up trying to sell ads), Jerry got to know some of the biggest names in rock n' roll, from Jimi Hendrix to The Doors to Elvis Presley. It was through these friendships that Jerry was able to write several of the most influential rock biographies in history, most notably his seminal work on The Doors 'No One Here Gets Out Alive', which was TWICE a New York Times best seller, and was used extensively by Oliver Stone on his movie about The Doors. In the first part of our interview, Jerry talks about his days following bands around, how music culture now is different from music culture then, and shares a few

For the final show of October, we invited some friends of Bangkok Podcast down to the Bangkok Podcast Intergallactic HQ to join us in a creepy crawly Halloween-themed episode - eating bugs! Insects have long been a part of the Thai diet, especially in the northern Isaan region, and while a good number of Thais in Bangkok don't indulge, many still do and you can often see bug vendors plying their wares in various locations around the city. We assembled 9 big bags full of creepy-crawlies: red ants, giant grasshoppers, pregnant crickets, swolen grubs, deep-fried frogs and stir-fried bamboo worms, all delicacies in their own way. Tony and Greg were the first to indulge, but we soon had our intrepid group of friends digging in with us and crunching loudly away.  We go over what each type of bug looks like, tastes like, and talk about how the same horrified looks that we were giving these things are also applied by many Thais at some of the snacks that we foreigners consider quite delicious.

In our continuing series on the mysteries of the Thai language, linguistic lion tamer Rikker Dockum talks about the complexities of the vowels. With around 33 (depending on who you ask) vowel sounds, which can come before, after, above, below, or around the consonant that they modify, it's no wonder that Tony and Greg (and many others) are left scratching their heads. We also announce a special episode of Bangkok Podcast on October 30 - the last one for our Halloween month - where you - yes, you! - can come down the BP Intergalactic HQ to see us record an episode, and take part in a creepy crawly event that's part of Thai culture, but something that often causes many foreigners to break out in a sweat.

Bangkok is a big and fast-paced city, and you need a significant amount of street smarts to avoid the many pitfalls that are present. One thing that many people find - despite the well-publicized 'Land of Smiles' image - is that Thailand has jerks and scam artists just like any other city around the world. Often these hosers weave incredibly intricate and cunning schemes to get some money out of unwitting tourists; the variety is incredible and people often lose anywhere from hundreds of baht to thousands of dollars. In this episode, Greg and Tony talk about some of the more common scams they've heard of and/or experienced, and share a few inside tips on what to look for, how to react, what to avoid, and - most importantly - what to do if you somehow find yourself a victim. Greg and Tony also wax lyrical about the delightfully cool weather this week; talk about a great giveaway from one of our former guests; and Tony gives everyone a pro tip on avoiding the rain.

Bangkok is a city of many vices and more than a few temptations. If you're not careful, it can be frighteningly easy to let these things go from a sometime-hobby to a full-blown addiction, and the end result is usually not pretty. But every once in a while you hear a story about someone who sank to the bottom and then, against all odds, pulled themsevles back up. Continuing our Halloween theme in the guise of discussing inner demons, our guest today is author Paul Garrigan. His book 'Dead Drunk' recounts his harrowing tale of alcoholism that saw him travel the world trying to escape a problem that was part of who he was. It was only in Thailand, near the end of his rope, that Paul ended up at Wat Thamkrabok, whose well known detox program showed him the way out of the darkness. Paul gives a very personal, open book account of the challenges he faced, and what it was like when he finally emerged clean and sober on the other side. Greg and Tony also welcome guest Scotty "Hockey" Murray, one of the organizers of

For many westerners, fortune tellers - more often referred to as psychics - are generally seen as dwelling in the fringes of legitimacy. However, 'mor doo' ('seeing doctors') in Thailand play a much larger role. From Prime Ministers to street sweepers, seeing a fortune teller is something that many Thais do regularly and with quite a bit of conviction, and as any long-term expat can tell you, making fun of their craft or trying to disprove a session with a cold dose of reality will only earn you scorn. In the first Halloween themed episode, Tony and Greg take a visit to a fortune teller to see what it's all about. Greg consults a tarot card deck, while Tony gets his palms read, and both are subjected to the power of the crystal pendulum. What did the fortune teller say? Is the future so bright they need to wear shades? Greg and Tony also get off on a tangent discussing scams of the heart, armed thugs taking over a part of the airport (again!), and how to know you've been in Thailand too long.

Joined once again by Bangkok Podcasts's Thai language guru Rikker, we get into the very unique way that Thais tell time. For instance, in Thai the day is divided into four sections: morning, afternoon, evening, and then after midnight. At the change to each section, the time is 'reset', so for instance, 8pm wouldn't be 8pm, but rather 2 o'clock, or 2 hours after 6pm. It's a system that has confused many a foreigner who is told to meet someone at a time that makes no sense - "Meet me for dinner at 2 o'clock!" Rikker breaks these zones down for us, and explains a bit of the linguistic gymnastics that go along with assiging names to the times of day. Tony also tells us how is mobile phone bills have (hopefully) been sorted out after the phone company somehow calculated that he was spending 8 hours a day, every day, online with his phone.

It's no secret that the Thai education system is in need of an overhaul. Everyone from government ministers to concerned parents regularly voice their opinions in the press, and there is a real concern that the Thailand's education system is being passed by its regional neighbours. One way a concerned parent can ensure your child has an international-level education in Thailand is to enroll them in an international school. However, many parents find that the cost of tuition is often outrageously high - many thousands of dollars per child per year, or more. So what are the options? Is there any way around this? And what does it mean for a parent living here who may not have the necessary resources? Greg also talks about his recent trip to Europe and a big development for him there, which leads to a discussion about European history vs Thai history, the nuances of driving in Europe, and the trust you must have in your GPS system while navigating unfamiliar roads. We also thank loyal listener Jamie Milkovich for

With the legendary beauty of Thai women and Bangkok’s shadowy red light districts, Thailand is a well-known destination for men who like to act like they wished they could when they were teenagers, but what about the foreign women that live in the Land of Smiles? The reality is that there are many farang ladies in Thailand who are smart, successful, and beautiful, but who are totally ignored by the male population. It may sounds like a silly little problem but not having access to a successful relationship can lead to a bigger problem that is common in Thailand and that is loneliness. We talk with Kaila Krayewski, a writer, blogger and traveler, about her travel experiences in S.E. Asia and her impressions of being a foreign woman in Thailand’s dating scene, and the effect that the relative dearth of options can have on a person’s enjoyment of living here. Greg and Tony also take a moment to thank the guys who gave Bangkok Podcast it’s look and sound – Marc Griesinger, who created our logo, and Alec Harrison,

Landing in Bangkok,  finding a job and fitting into a new life isn't easy, but finding the right apartment is often the most challenging thing to do. With a city as big as Bangkok, it can be a confusing, frustrating and tiring experience. On this episode, Tony and Greg talk about the nuances of finding the right apartment and the shortcuts they've taken in the past to explore the housing market and what it offers. They also give a few tips on what to look for on your search, as many of the 'little details' of renting here are not the same as they are in your home country. Tony also talks about his continuing lucky streak with taxi drivers and the money they keep returning to him, while Greg remembers a particular ride when a taxi driver thought a tip that was 110% of the fare seemed appropriate.

In this episode Rikker elightens us on what it's like to raise a child in a bilingual country and household. Seeing that Tony and Greg have exactly 0 children each, Rikker - as a father of two - is much more qualified to tell us about what teaching methods work best, how a child percieves language, and the fears that any parent has when trying to teach their child the skills that will help them in life. Greg also vents about an injustice toward a Thai garbage collector, and Tony talks about his video project with Prae 'Fluke' Sunantaraks (who you may remember as our first guest), which may see them chosen to attend the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.