Murder in Thailand: Kevin Maes Talks About His Book "Kingdom of Trials" [S8.E15]

To help us ring in 2018, we're bringing back a prior guest on his annual pilgrimage to Bangkok. Frank Smith from UC Berkeley teaches Khmer to children of Cambodian refugees. We caught up with him in person at Bangkok's Central World mall… before we got kicked out by security. Yes, again. Not just because one of us made a foot faux pas. What's it like for a Thai speaker who doesn't live in Thailand to plop back into Bangkok, suddenly surrounded by other Thai speakers? There are actually lot of ways to keep up with the evolving language, thanks to the pervasive nature of the internet. Or what's it like when your a young person, with parents speaking their native tongue and all your friends and the world around you speaking English? Frank faces that every day in the classroom, and shares some interesting tidbits from his students. Also, Frank reports the Bay area of California has a sizeable and well-knit Thai population, so we press him for some impressions (from the outside, obviously) on how that contingent live their lives abroad, which makes for a nice parallel for those expats like us living in Thailand. You'll also hear Frank bust some myths we've heard (and may be following) as we both struggle our way through learning Thai. And on Love, Loath, or Leave, we talk about not having easy access to clean drinking water. And by "easy", we mean getting it straight out of the tap. It's pretty obvious where we fall on this question, but your mileage may vary depending on where you are from. Thanks for listening. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter, or LINE.

4 Tammi 201835min

Before we start, we have to mention a recent news story from Bangkok, which is rather appropriate considering the topic of tonight's show. You may recall we discussed traffic on episode 2.27 -- Blood on the Highway: Thailand's Seven Deadly Days of Songkran. On that episode we mentioned that Thailand was the second-most deadly country in the world for road fatalities. Well, not anymore. We're number one! And that's a good way to set up the rest of the program, as it's all about an accident we (yes, both of us) were recently involved in. Explaining what happened is tricky, but it involved doubling-up on a motorbike taxi without helmets, a possibly illegal Uber driver, three different quasi-cops, a crazy chicken lady, and someone high up in the taxi mafia (Probably. Possibly. Actually, we have no idea who he was). It's a story you have to hear to understand, so listen up. We even stuck with the theme on Love, Loathe, or Leave! Someone told Thai drivers to turn on their hazard lights to signal intent to drive straight through an intersection. It's not hard to guess how we each feel about this reality of living in Bangkok. Thanks for listening. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter, or LINE. [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

19 Joulu 201732min

You can now follow to the Bangkok Podcast on Spotify! It's nearly Xmas, so we figured we'd might as well start getting into the spirit of things with a Xmas-themed show. Now those of you who are westerners understand just how important Xmas is in your home countries. In most places it's the BIG DADDY of holidays, the one that the entire year has been building up to. In fact it's so big that they even celebrate it in countries where, to be honest, it has no real business being celebrated. Like this one! Trouble is… we're not good experts on the topic. Evo's never experienced the holiday in Thailand, and Greg usually spends Christmas at work. So rather than being all bah humbug, we reached out to some Thai nationals to find out what they do, other than spend a bunch of money at the malls. For Love, Loathe, or Leave this week we take on the great toilet paper debate. Where do you sit (heh) on issue? Are you a flusher, or are you a trash bin user? And what if there isn't a bum gun in use? Our answers may surprise you. Or anger the public works people. Engage with us on Facebook, Twitter, or LINE, and support us on Patreon to keep the goodness coming!

12 Joulu 201730min

On this episode we get into a few vague, strange - and possibly even non-existent - rules that you may or may not bump up against in Thailand. From buying chainsaws to changing your name to flying helicopters to losing your &$%@#! "book bank" (known throughout the rest of the world as bank books), these are things that govern the nuances of every day life. Greg reads 'em off, Evo plays Devil's Advocate to try and discount them, and we land somewhere around the middle. Love, Loathe, or Leave Have you ever seen someone - usually a taxi driver - standing right out in the open answering the call of nature without a care in the world as to who sees him (or it?) Yeah, so have we! We Love Our Supporters! Join dozens of fine people who help keep the show free of annoying ads by supporting us on Patreon. You'll get exclusive bonus episodes, cool swag, and access to every show that the regular people get - a whole day early! Who doesn't want that? Want More Bangkok Podcast In Your Life? If it's your first time experiencing The Bangkok Podcast, you really should get our show downloading to your phone automatically every week. If you use iOS, it's a breeze to listen via Apple Podcasts. Android users are be able get the show any number of ways. And for bonus points, leave us a review on those platforms or however you listen to the show. We'd love to hear from you! You can add our official LINE account, comment on a post or send us a message via our Facebook page, tweet to us @bangkokpodcast, or simply via the contact form on our website. You may also be interested in Greg's tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness, and you can see way too much of Evo's face on Instagram. If you're really new, the Bangkok Podcast is co-hosted by Greg Jorgensen and Evo Terra. Together the have over 20 years expat experience in Bangkok, and are self-certified experts in living in the City of Angels. (Not Los Angeles. Thailand, silly!) [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

5 Joulu 201737min

RSVP to the I Love Podcasting In Bangkok meetup on Nov 29, 2017! Patrons get early access and exclusive bonus content. Today's focus is on Korea's influence on Bangkok. Ted Ahn, an expat and ex-power plant manager from Korea, is actively working to bring about change in Bangkok's local Thai craft beer industry. Ted is the owner of Changwon Express, and Evo sat down with him at his newest location on the top floor of Flow House. A few key bits from the episode: Ted estimates that around 90% of his customer base is all local Thai people. He reserves at least 20 taps for the exclusive support of Thai craft beer. His genius idea of catering to Thai girls with Korean food to in turn attract the Thai guys. What influence Brooklyn Brewery played into his efforts of making and supporting local brewers and local beer drinkers. His challenges and successes finding and training local staff to work behind the bar. He designed his own two-row tap system that separates the liquid from the head to create the best pour in Bangkok, a popular design in Korea. Ted's plans to build a local brew pub with satellite locations, branches, to get around Thailand's restrictive (draconian?) brewing laws in a totally legit fashion that would enable legal, local Thai craft beer… finally! What a huge pain in the ass it is to brew "local" beer in another country (which is why Ted wants to break out of that!) Ted's thoughts on Thai local breweries (all contract brewing in other countries) growing from 3 - 20 in a couple years, and how that would change if only the laws would change. (Though he's not waiting!) Love, Loathe, Or Leave? Listener Ryan asked us to watch this video of the Asian koel, or Eudynamys scolopaceus, and comment on its song. Greg loves its call. Evo wishes he had his shotgun. Engage with us on Facebook, Twitter, or LINE.

28 Marras 201734min

RSVP to the big I Love Podcasting In Bangkok meetup #2 on Nov 29th! We're working hard on the special gifts that supporters at the Gift Box level are going to receive… and they are hand-made pieces of awesome. Yeah, we're teasing a bit, but these are going to be quite cool mementos and tokens of our appreciation. (If you want one, get signed up!) This topic stems from a discussion the two of us were having while we were stuck in the back of an Uber on the way to find our Patreon gifts, and that discussion was: How much does living overseas change you as a person? Evo's lived deep in the "travel blogger" world where there the transformative power of travel is common theme, and that if you take a 6-month sabbatical, gap year, or whatever... you'll come back a changed person. But from his perspective, it's all crap. Greg experience is quite difference, having personally been transformed by one fateful trip to Thailand (oddly enough.) And more recently, he's noticing just how divergent his views are from those of his lifelong friends who never left their hometown. Not sure where you stand on the issue? Do you think living overseas really does change you? Or does living overseas appeal to a certain type of person that doesn't need to be changed? Listen in and see which one of us you side with at the end. (And yes, we're still friends!) Love, Loathe, or Leave No one likes cars that double-park. But on Bangkok's BTS, you'll see people "double parked", trying to squeeze on before… well, us! And that doesn't make us very happy, which sort of spoils this segment for you as we both LOATHE it! Except for one of us at one specific We Love Our Supporters! Especially Mos Miner. He's one of our favorite patrons, and today you'll hear about his odd connection to a harbor town far, far away. It's a story that is quite literally out of this world. You should thank Mos and dozens of other people who help keep the show free of annoying by supporting us on Patreon. Mos and others also get exclusive bonus content, like the full episode about the unreliability of Thai Post and tearing down buildings because a street is too narrow. You aren't getting the full Bangkok Podcast experience unless you become a patron, so… do it? Want More Bangkok Podcast In Your Life? If it's your first time experiencing The Bangkok Podcast, you really should get our show downloading to your phone automatically every week. If you use iOS, it's a breeze to listen via Apple Podcasts. Android users are be able get the show any number of ways. And for bonus points, leave us a review on those platforms or however you listen to the show. We'd love to hear from you! You can add our official LINE account, comment on a post or send us a message via our Facebook page, tweet to us @bangkokpodcast, or simply via the contact form on our website. You may also be interested in Greg's tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness, and you can see way too much of Evo's face on Instagram. If you're really new, the Bangkok Podcast is co-hosted by Greg Jorgensen and Evo Terra. Together the have over 20 years expat experience in Bangkok, and are self-certified experts in living in the City of Angels. (Not Los Angeles. Thailand, silly!)

21 Marras 201739min

RSVP to the big I Love Podcasting In Bangkok meetup #2 on Nov 29th! How will you celebrate the season this year? No, we're not talking about Christmas. We're talking about the Thai government's annual shopping stimulus program, this time called "Shop For The Nation" for 2017. It started on Saturday, November the 11th, and it runs through December the 3rd. We'll cover this program in detail (and maybe poke just a wee bit of fun at it) as we give you all the details so you can get up to ฿15,000 off your taxable income next year. Yes, Bangkok expats pay taxes. At least our two families pay taxes. We're not talking to you freeloaders out there. Get a job.Sticking with the shopping theme, every expat eventually starts assimilating into the culture. You have to buy stuff in your new country, and your own personal history influences the things you buy. Some of your everyday purchases will seem odd to any of your friends and family back home. And some things you hunt down to buy locally would make some of your natural born citizen neighbors wonder just why the heck anyone would want that. We put our own purchases to the test, discussing the most and the least Thai things the each of us has purchased while we've lived here, and exactly what our friends -- both local and back home -- probably think about those purchases. Ane we'll even give you the answers: The most Thai things we own are a Buddha shelf and Thai pillows, and the least Thai things we own are licorice and a top sheet. If those answers make no sense, give the show a listen as we good-naturedly (?) poke each other for our answers. Love, Loathe, or Leave If you think our choices of products in this episode stink, just shove a stick of camphor up your nose. That's the plastic tube or tub you see people sniffing as you go about your day in Thailand. What's that all about? Why do they do it? And what do we think about it? Listen in and find out. We Love Our Supporters! Before we recorded this episode, we recorded an entire episode about Evo's recent trip to Indonesia and just why he might be slurring his words tonight. You can get that full episode when you join dozens of other people who help us keep the show free of annoying by supporting us on Patreon. Today, you'll hear about one of our favorite patrons, Sion, and his amazing career as a nude model. Come to think if it, he'll probably be amazed by the story too. Want More Bangkok Podcast In Your Life? If it's your first time experiencing The Bangkok Podcast, you really should get our show downloading to your phone automatically every week. If you use iOS, it's a breeze to listen via Apple Podcasts. Android users are be able get the show any number of ways. And for bonus points, leave us a review on those platforms or however you listen to the show. We'd love to hear from you! You can add our official LINE account, comment on a post or send us a message via our Facebook page, tweet to us @bangkokpodcast, or simply via the contact form on our website. You may also be interested in Greg's tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness, and you can see way too much of Evo's face on Instagram. If you're really new, the Bangkok Podcast is co-hosted by Greg Jorgensen and Evo Terra. Together the have over 20 years expat experience in Bangkok, and are self-certified experts in living in the City of Angels. (Not Los Angeles. Thailand, silly!)

14 Marras 201731min

We know that Bangkok's expat community is much more diverse than a Canadian and an American can hope to represent. So this week, we reached out to the wider community and asked a simple question: Where do you go in Bangkok when you want a taste of your own country? Before we get into that, though, Greg regales us with his story about being summoned by Frank Lam, the founder of Foodland grocery stores (and the excellent Took Lae Dee food counters inside), who wanted to say thanks to Greg for including Took Lae Dee on his list of 50 Reasons Why Bangkok is the Best City in the World. Turns out Frank was the type of legendary character that you can only meet on a random Bangkok night, and Greg explains why. But back to the main topic of where to find a taste of home in Bangkok. Listen in to get these great insights from local expats: Hidden Hungarian hangouts Which restaurants Kuwaitis frequent for great middle eastern food Where a Spaniard suggests you go for amazing cheese, cold cuts, and olive oil Why Poles are jonesing for homemade pierogi and sauerkraut Places in Thailand Australians avoid to avoid more Australians Which soi off Sukhumvit is perfect for Germans who have a hankering for Schweinshaxe and Rotkohl The one spot that Singaporeans/Malaysians say you don't want to miss Spots in Bangkok where Norwegians and other Scandinavians hang out other than IKEA A local church in Sala Daeng where Italians can feel like at home Why Russians day-trip out of Bangkok to get their homeland fix in Pattaya Why an Indian-descent Thai national asked an American to cook Thanksgiving dinner, paying him in quality craft beer from Bootleg Brothers Brewing Love, Loathe, or Leave We need to talk about privilege, Bangkok. It's humiliating, it's unfair, and it perpetuates stereotypes. Of course, we're talking about the special parking spaces for supercars and superbikes in Bangkok. Those of us that don't drive a Lamborghini or some 3000cc crotch-rocket are mad as hell, and we're not going to take it any more! We Love Our Supporters! Before we recorded this episode, we recorded an entire episode about Evo's recent trip to Indonesia and just why he might be slurring his words tonight. You can get that full episode when you join dozens of other people who help us keep the show free of annoying by supporting us on Patreon. Today, you'll hear about one of our favorite patrons, Ciaran Faulkner, and his amazing life-changing -- or at least name-changing -- story. Want More Bangkok Podcast In Your Life? If it's your first time experiencing The Bangkok Podcast, you really should get our show downloading to your phone automatically every week. If you use iOS, it's a breeze to listen via Apple Podcasts. Android users are be able get the show any number of ways. And for bonus points, leave us a review on those platforms or however you listen to the show. We'd love to hear from you! You can add our official LINE account, comment on a post or send us a message via our Facebook page, tweet to us @bangkokpodcast, or simply via the contact form on our website. You may also be interested in Greg's tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness, and you can see way too much of Evo's face on Instagram. If you're really new, the Bangkok Podcast is co-hosted by Greg Jorgensen and Evo Terra. Together the have over 20 years expat experience in Bangkok, and are self-certified experts in living in the City of Angels. (Not Los Angeles. Thailand, silly!)

7 Marras 201733min