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

Thanks to a suggestion from a listener Greg and Ed discuss the fascinating topic of games that are common - if not unique - to Thailand. Both guys have some familiarity with some games played in public such as ‘takraw,’ but many of the others are part of this strange world called ‘Thai culture’ that the guys apparently don’t actually know that well. Greg begins with a children’s game in which one child sings a song while counting by syllable on another child’s hand.  When the singer stops on a finger, that finger is taken out of the game.  The child with the last finger in is the winner.  Greg even plays a cute clip of a video of the game.   Next, Greg explains a Thai game very similar to the Western game of ‘jacks,’ which although relatively unplayed by children back home, still lives on in a Thai derivative.  The boys then go deep into the Thai version of chess, called makruk (หมากรุก), which utilizes the same board and pieces but with modifying moving rules for each piece. This game is a quite famous pasti