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

Bangkok is a sprawling, steamy city of roughly 8 million that can give any other metropolis a run for its money. Naturally, crime and violence are a reality of everyday life, although not on the same scale as other notorious places like Rio de Janeiro, New York or Johannesburg. Despite this, one of the most common questions we get is: is Bangkok safe?  The short answer to this question is: yes, Bangkok overall is a very safe city. However, living here does require a certain amount of street smarts and a bit of knowledge about how things in Thailand work if you're to navigate successfully around the odd pitfall. On this episode, Tony and Greg talk about their experiences trying to avoid crime and violence, give a few sage tips on what to do if something does go awry, and share a few of their personal encounters with the ugly side of living in a huge city. Tony also vents about Google's dominance over online advertising, and Greg talks about his trip on the new Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link (SARL) and ponders

As an editor at the Bangkok Post, one of the Kingdom's English-language daily newspapers, Voranai Vanijaka is afforded an opportunity to have his voice heard, discussed and argued about that few of use ever have. As a journalist, his job is to look at the world through a long lens and comment on what he sees. However, in a country like Thailand - where long-held perceptions are hard to change and powerful personalities enjoy the stability of the status quo, turning that lens inward can often cause a bit of... uneasiness. Khun Voranai joins us to talk about the somewhat controversial nature of his writing, and especially about a recent article he wrote, 'Amart and Prai', which challenged the long-established class structure that governs Thai societal interactions.  Tony also talks about why his trip to Japan was postponed, and Greg rattles on about another one of his bike rides, this time to the village of Baan Bat, where the locals work to preserve their unique art of beautiful, hand-made copper bowls.

Ahh, summer time. When everyone heads down to the beach to get that wonderful golden tan that makes you look like a Hollywood star. Except in Asia, where perceptions of skin tone often run counter to what they do in the west. Over here, pasty, white skin is much more desirable and has come to denote affluence, wealth and success.  In This episode of Bangkok Podcast, Anthony and Greg discuss how Thais shun dark skin and yearn for white skin, how beauty products and advertising try to promote the message that you'll only find love and success if you're pasty, and what effect it has on the psyche of someone growing up with a dark complexion. Anthony also gives us the lowdown on his visit to a part of Bangkok that most western expats never see - the cloistered Japanese nightclub scene.

In this episode we ask Rikker to walk us through the different ways to address people in Thai, from the polite, to the familiar, to the not recommended. Not all of the terms are direct nouns, and many can be quite creative – for instance, the word to refer to yourself in front of a judge is to essentially insult yourself, thereby elevating the judge to a higher position! Greg also recounts the time he referred to an older person by the right word but with the wrong tone, with unhappy results.

Being a journalist in the 21st century isn't easy. The industry that has essentially functioned the same since it started centuries ago is undergoing massive changes. In fact, in another ten years, journalists and the journalism industry as we know it might not even exist. But thankfully there are still plenty of good journo's out there, and one of them is the Global Post's Patrick Winn, who has written about everything from ghost festivals to redshirt riots to eating dog. On this podcast, we chat with Patrick about what challenges he faces as his industry changes around him, and what dangers come with being a journalist in Thailand - someone whose job it is to write about topics that some people would prefer to keep quiet.

Thanks to all who came to the Bangkok Podcast launch party at Bistro 33! It was a great success and we truly enjoyed seeing old and new faces and making new friends. On this episode of the podcast, Tony and Greg talk about the party and how it's the first step into building a community based on none of the boring ol' cliches that Bangkok is known for - girls, bars, and booze. We also talk about how important it is to have these little outlets - parties, networking events, meetings, and such - because no matter how a foreigner fits into Thai culture, you always need the psychological pick-me-up of having a connection to your own culture. Be it a Seinfeld joke or finding a kindred spirit in deciphering the mysteries of Thailand, having a network of like-minded folks - Thai and foreigner alike - can really make you feel like part of a team. We would also like to thank all of you who brought donations of unused clothing to the party, and Smiling Albino for making sure it gets to the people who can use it most.

Traveling is never as easy as they make it look on television travel shows. What many people forget is that an entire production team has been hard at work for weeks before the host ever shows up. As they say, the devil's in the details, and no one knows more about the details of travel than Smiling Albino. For the past ten years, Smiling Albino, founded by Canadians Scott Coates and Daniel Fraser, has been offering unique, custom-built adventures throughout Thailand for anyone who likes to avoid the package feel of package tours. Over the past few years, their success has seen their trips expand into Nepal, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, with more destinations on the horizon. In this episode, Tony and Greg talk with Scott about the nuances of travel, the work that goes into planning a trip, and the difference between Japanese and Thai taxi drivers.

In the second of our ongoing Thai language series, we continue talking to 'Thai Language Jedi' Rikker Dockum about the complexities of the Thai language. In this episode, we jump onto the much-discussed tone system of Thai, and why foreigners have such a hard time wrapping their head around it while our Thai friends are wondering what the big deal is. Greg and Tony also each share a story or two about how the tones and Romanization aspect of Thai have gotten them into hot water a few times.

When people hear 'Bangkok' they usually think of either red light districts or traffic jams. Well, because they are such good boys, Tony and Greg don't have much experience with the former, but plenty of experience with the latter, and that's what they'll be talking about today. From haggling with tuk-tuk drivers, paying traffic fines for motorcycle taxis or trying to avoid eye infections on the Klong Saen Saeb canal boat, we'll discuss all the modes of transport in this sprawling city, how they fit together, and how to get the most of out of using them.

For our second interview, we are very happy to be joined by Jodi Ettenberg - lawyer, world traveler, riot survivor, political commentator, and fan of all things related to chowing down. Those of you in Bangkok have probably met Jodi, and if not you've likely read her tweets on Twitter, viewed her pictures on travel blogs and news sites, seen her speak about Bangkok's recent political troubles on various television stations, or read her Legal Nomads blog, where she chronicles her adventures over the past 2 years as she's traveled the world. We sit down with Jodi to hear about her trip, what it's like being a solo female traveler in the wide world, and why she left a lucrative career in New York to take third-world buses with chickens, visit refugees in prison, and get crapped on by birds the world over.

In this episode of the Bangkok Podcast, we discuss something that many foreigners living here have a hard time wrapping their heads around - Thai television shows. From dramatically-enhanced soap operas to variety shows with singing, dancing Nazis, to the brilliance of funny television commercials, the range of options for the average viewer are pretty broad. But what can we learn about Thai society from watching these little diversions? Will sitting through a cat-fight between a rich bitch socialate and a put-upon Cinderella give you an insight into why they have to slap and scream so much? And more importantly - do you care?

One of the problems with living in Thailand is that it’s so easy to get by without being very skilled in the Thai language, a mistake that many expats make. To provide some inspiration, we are very happy to be talking to Rikker Dockum, a researcher and Thai language scholar, who will be joining us every month on the Bangkok Podcast. Rather than standard ‘word of the day’ type lessons, Rikker will be chatting with us about the mysteries of the Thai language, tips for learning it, secrets to using it, and his experiences navigating a culture where fluency by a foreigner in the local language will likely be met with wide-eyed stares of anyone you meet. On this first episode, Rikker tells us what methods helped him most as he learned Thai, how it's helped him adapt, and a few funny stories about the reactions he's received. 

Rarely does someone move to Bangkok with a full support network of friends ready to help them out; more often than not, the first few weeks or months are a bit of a struggle as you figure out how the city works. For this episode of Bangkok Podcast, Anthony and Greg dish out some advice for anyone thinking of moving here, or even for people that have lived here for a while but haven't yet settled fully into their groove. From joining the right networking events to knowing where in the city to live to avoiding the red light districts, they go over a few things that they wish they had known, but instead had to learn through cold, hard experience, with many a night spent wondering if we made the right decision to come here. 

After a tumultuous week that saw many deaths and widespread arson and rioting in Bangkok, we discuss the fallout from the army’s breakup of the redshirt protest site and what it means to Bangkok and the rest of Thailand. We also talk about how most of Bangkok continues as normal, even as a temporary curfew puts a major dent in Bangkok’s nightlife. In addition, we are very happy to be joined by Prae Sunantaraks – nicknamed Fluke – who was born with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative retinal disease that is slowly robbing her of her sight. She shares with us the details of The Little Light Project – a charity she started for blind children – and helps us understand how she remains so positive and upbeat even as her world becomes darker and darker – an outlook that many in Bangkok can appreciate these days. She also lets us in on the biggest mystery of all – how a visually-impaired person navigates the treacherous Bangkok sidewalks!

In the first edition of our weekly podcast, we discuss the major issue at the moment – the ongoing redshirt protests and the continuing efforts by the military to end them. We also touch on the causes of the conflict, and then discuss what we think are some great resources for keeping on top of new developments in one of the biggest crises to hit Thailand in a very long time.