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

On this episode of the Bangkok Podcast, we interview Ron Morris, the author of The Thai Book: A Field Guide to Thai Political Motivations. But before we get into that discussion, Greg goes into (thankfully minor) detail about his second experience with food poisoning after 16 years of eating street food. Given the size of Greg, it's safe to say he's an expert on street food. But despite eating his way through, under, around, and on top of Bangkok for his entire time here, he has only been sick from eating street food once. Until last week. There was no hospital visit or death bed vigils, but the crab curry he ate made sure he spent a "lot of time alone, in a small room," if you get the drift. Nothing to do with Thai food...it could happen anywhere. But still...you play with fire, you get burned. But our main topic today is miles away from street food yet still very much in the street. Ron Morris is an author and Thai political commentator who has been in Asia for decades. As the man behind 2Bangkok.com, he's built up a reputation as someone who calls it like it is, with a keen insight into the motivations and reasoning behind the often murky - even opaque - political machinations of Thailand's leaders. Evo's discussion with him is broken into "chapters" which Evo and Greg comment on, but they include topics such as: What Bangkok was like in the 1990s when Ron's first coup took place, the infamous Black May protest of 1992, which saw 52 deaths Why protests in Thailand are seen as a very last resort before it hits the fan, unlike in western countries where protest is a sign of a strong, stable democracy The concepts of "face" and "big man" and how they guide relationships, reactions, business, and politics Why it's impossible to graft the western ideas of liberal/conservative/libertarian etc onto Thai political parties Ron's comments on the current administration, and what they're doing that others have not. Love, Loathe, or Leave This week is more of a "Would You Rather", but Greg and Evo discuss transportation in the rainy season. Which do you prefer: having a car, deciding when/how/where you go, controlling your environment....and possibly getting stuck in traffic for 3 hours? Or would you rather be crushed into the BTS, fighting off commuters and splashes from the rain...but have a pretty good idea of when you'll get home? OR...how about just ignoring all of that and riding between the cars on a motorbike...but having to deal with wet shoes and rain gear? 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, either on the contact form on our website or through a comment or message on our Facebook page. You can Tweet to the show @bangkokpodcast or follow Greg's tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness. Evo chronicles his Bangkok adventures on Instagram from time to time, if that's your thing. And as mentioned, we now have a LINE account! Yep. Just for the Bangkok Podcast. Join us over there, too! See you next time on The Bangkok Podcast! (Direct download .mp3)

11 Heinä 201752min

This week we take a closer look at why Thailand's national dish -- pad thai -- isn't actually very representative of Thai food. But first, an innovative way to get out of a traffic ticket in Thailand when it happens to you. Evo tested. Evo approved. Before we get started with the meat of the show, we have to tell you the story of Evo getting ticketed for a traffic offense he really didn't commit. Which meant he lost his license and had to then go argue his case in person at some some tiny cop-shop in the far northwestern corner of Bangkok. And by "argue", we mean smile, stay friendly, and then don't go away until the police officer gets sick of the whole situation, leading him to tear up the ticket and hand over the license. (Note: The Bangkok Podcast does not endorse this behavior. Drive safely, please!) But that's not what we're talking about today. Instead, we're covering the classic, quintessential dish that everyone has to have when they visit Bangkok -- pad thai. Only... what if it's not all it's cracked up to be? To get to the bottom of this, Evo put on his investigative journalist hat once again and looked into the national -- or perhaps ultra-national -- dish of Thailand. Some fascinating things you'll learn about this dish when you listen to this episode of the Bangkok Podcast: It's not ancient and came about from a nation-wide competition It was designed to showcase Thailand's entrance to the western world It's either the most un-Thai Thai food or the most-representative-of-Thai-culture Thai food, depending on your perspective A dozen or so dishes that are much tastier (and spicier!) than pad thai (we recommend laab moo) The best Dairy Queen Blizzard you can't get in your home country How to make your grandmother shudder by putting sugar in her beef stew. Unless she's Thai. How two farang think you should apply the best spices from the kruang prung collection the next time you visit Thailand (or your local Thai food joint) The easiest way you can show your support for our show (and get cool stuff) via Patreon. Love, Loathe, or Leave Middle aged men in Thailand have a natural, built in air conditioner that the two of us really need to get behind. You might have heard of "buddha belly", but I don't think you mean the same thing. How do we feel about these large dudes and their makeshift midriff? Listen this episode and find out. 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, either on the contact form on our website or through a comment or message on our Facebook page. You can Tweet to the show @bangkokpodcast or follow Greg's tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness. Evo chronicles his Bangkok adventures on Instagram from time to time, if that's your thing. And as mentioned, we now have a LINE account! Yep. Just for the Bangkok Podcast. Join us over there, too! See you next time on The Bangkok Podcast! (Direct download .mp3)

4 Heinä 201729min

A listener suggestion drives this show as we talk about which smartphone apps we use to make living in Bangkok that much easier, on this extra-long episode of the Bangkok Podcast. Oh, and Evo is terrible at his job. But he's getting better, and it makes for a funny story. We launched our Patreon page last week, and it's working! People are supporting us! Not a huge number, but some. Which means you love it. Wanna help? We'd love it. We even recorded cool video for you. Actually, we had to re-record that video, as you'll hear later. But enough about us begging for money (but seriously, a buck or two each month goes a long way) and let's get on with the show proper, shall we? The topic of this week's episode was sent to us by listener Amy. She asked: "What apps do you use that are especially useful as expats in BKK? I'm visiting for the first time in 9 years (!!) next month and I know the city is going to be VERY different than when I lived there. Anything I can use to make it easier?" We thought it best to break the conversation into various app categories. And even though we're spoiling it here in our show notes, be sure to listen to the episode to hear why we recommend them, as well as a few tips and cautionary tales. Oh, and where possible, we'll link to the developer website to make this as applicable to everyone as possible. Getting around Bangkok Google Maps Uber Grab DLT Check-In (which, as you'll hear, has apparently stopped working) Getting food in Bangkok foodpanda Uber Eats Eatigo TripAdvisor Getting News about Bangkok (and back home) Google News Reddit Twitter Flipboard Communicating with others in Bangkok LINE Facebook Messenger WhatsApp Finding entertainment in Bangkok Apple Music Spotify Netflix imgur Thai Language Thai-English ThaiDict (aka Talking Thai) Special Use Express VPN XE Currency Currency Voice Map Got A Favorite App We Missed? This is the type of topic where we know we can't be right all the time, so help us out by adding your favorite app in the comments or through one of the many social media outlets listed below. Love, Loathe, or Leave We know it's incumbent upon us to to learn Thai, not the other way around. But still, it's a little off putting and jarring when "YOU! YOU! YOU!" is how someone here wants to get our attention. But do we hate it enough to make us want to leave? Probably not, but you should listen and see if you agree. 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, either on the contact form on our website or through a comment or message on our Facebook page. You can Tweet to the show @bangkokpodcast or follow Greg's tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness. Evo chronicles his Bangkok adventures on Instagram from time to time, if that's your thing. And as mentioned, we now have a LINE account! Yep. Just for the Bangkok Podcast. Join us over there, too! See you next time on The Bangkok Podcast! (Direct download .mp3)

27 Kesä 201740min

Now that we're both legally licensed drivers in Thailand, we take a little extra time to tell you about the process we went through… and why not one bit of it actually prepared us for driving in Bangkok. Plus we'll share a new way you can show your support for our show. Because you love us! Before we get to driving in Thailand -- legally or otherwise -- we should talk about Patreon, a new way to let you, dear listener, help fund our efforts. If you're a fan of the show and want to show your appreciation, just go to Patreon.com/BangkokPodcast to make it happen. For just a buck a month (that's only ฿34), you help us out and get some cool stuff in return. Check it out. We'll love you forever! As a frequent listener of the Bangkok Podcast, you already know that Thailand is the second most dangerous country in the world to drive in - right behind Libya! - but despite that, both of us are licensed to drive. Evo just got his motorbike license last week, and Greg has had his automobile license for about a decade now. On this episode, we'll tell you in great comedic and exasperating detail the process that we went through to be legal drivers in Thailand. Spoiler alert: it's maddening. But funny! And a great example of "Thainess". Many (perhaps most) expats living in Bangkok don't even bother getting their licenses, opting instead to pass a few hundred baht to the cop when (not if) they are pulled over. But that seems to be changing, with a slew of new initiatives that are compelling cops all over Thailand to start cracking down on bad behavior, actually impounding bikes and issuing actual fines. If you think getting your license was a challenge in your own home country, you have to listen to this episode to see how it compares to Thailand. For fun, check out the test online and see how you fare. Keep your eyes out for tanks and race cars! And if you're also expat-ing in Bangkok and have gone through the pain, please share your experience with us in the comments, our social sites, or with your own network. (And use the #thaipod hashtag!) Did We Mention Patreon? If you love the show we produce every week, we'd love -- as in really, really appreciate -- your support. Patreon makes it very easy to support the creators you love (hey, that's us!) for just a buck or so a month. As an incentive, we've put in a few fun rewards in the mix, from bonus content to t-shirts to live events. Thanks in advance for your support. Just check out Patreon.com/bangkokpodcast to help us out. Love, Loathe, or Leave Are the girls on the BTS vampires or stoned? Probably neither, but the cheap colored contact lenses that are all the rage sure make them seem that way. Not that either of us have an issue with an effort to change your appearance or be unique (let your freak flag fly, people!), but this can't be healthy. And it can be a little terrifying. Surprise? We're not fans. How do you feel about it? Are you as creeped out as we are? 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, either on the contact form on our website or through a comment or message on our Facebook page. You can Tweet to the show @bangkokpodcast or follow Greg's tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness. Evo chronicles his Bangkok adventures on Instagram from time to time, if that's your thing. And as mentioned, we now have a LINE account! Yep. Just for the Bangkok Podcast. Join us over there, too! See you next time on The Bangkok Podcast! (Direct download .mp3)

20 Kesä 201739min

A Bangkok city planner helps bring some clarity to the ongoing (and confusing) development of Bangkok. But first, a very magical (and very Thai) cure for terrorism. All of that and more on this episode of the Bangkok Podcast. Remember the news from a few weeks ago when two journalists were arrested in Bangkok's airport because they were carrying body armor? While the the arrest captured everyone's attention, it's not the funniest part of the story. Greg happens to be friends with one of the journalists in question, and he related an unbelievable (unless you like in Thailand) alternate body armor solution offered by the Royal Thai Police. Ah, Thailand. But that's not what we're talking about today. Bangkok is a growing city. To the untrained eye (that's us) a lot of it looks like disorganized chaos, unrepentant disregard for historical properties, and unchecked sprawl -- vertically and horizontally. To get a better perspective, we invited Tao Rugkhapan to help us out. He's a lecturer at the School of Global Studies at Thammasat University and he used to work for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration as an urban planner. He also did his PhD work on Bangkok's preservation of Chinatown, an area of Bangkok we both love. Kuhn Tao helps us understand some of the finer points of Bangkok's urban development. Some of them are: Why density is so high around current and planned transit stations What sort of planning cycle Bangkok uses The problems current zoning restrictions face The friction between private property owners and historic preservation efforts Why Sathorn is no longer the financial district of Bangkok A couple of major overhauls to Bangkok that will (again) change the landscape The unwavering impact of gentrification on Bangkok's oldest communities A look at what the future might hold for Krung Thep In reality, we have a wet, crowded, and likely less historic city ahead of us. But it's not all bad news on the Bangkok-living front. While we can't predict the future with any accuracy, we certainly do seem to be living in interesting times, for whatever that's worth. New Things To Do! If you want to do something helpful to expose the world to Thai podcasting, would you mind sharing your favorite show (hopefully this one) with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, LINE, Instagram, or whatever and use the hashtag #thaipod. Unsure how far it'll go, but why not? Share your favorite show based in Thailand with the world using #thaipod. And if you've been looking for a universal way to review and rate this podcast -- heck, this specific episode if you like -- check out Podchaser and use the key "Bangkok" to get early access. Rate us (say nice things!) and any other show you listen to -- no matter what platform you use to listen to your podcasts. It's new and we're helping them out by sending our listeners their way. Try it out! Love, Loathe, or Leave Since the dawn of time (or at least public toilets), man (the gender, not the species) has had but a single refuge: The Men's Room. But that sacred ground isn't all that sacred in Thailand, where the cleaning staff is ever present and invariably female. Listen in to find out how we feel about this invasion of our only private time. Want more? 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, either on the contact form on our website or through a comment or message on our Facebook page. You can Tweet to the show @bangkokpodcast or follow Greg's tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness. Evo chronicles his Bangkok adventures on Instagram from time to time, if that's your thing. And as mentioned, we now have a LINE account! Yep. Just for the Bangkok Podcast. Join us over there, too! See you next time on The Bangkok Podcast! (Direct download .mp3)

13 Kesä 201732min

Live from Bangkok's Chinatown, it's Sunday night! Well, at least it was when we grabbed our mics, left the cozy comforts of our condos and recorded a live episode of the show from the streets of Chinatown to get to the bottom of this reported "War" on Bangkok's street food. We'll tell you what we discovered on episode 2.35 of the Bangkok Podcast. For the better part of the year, news reports, blogs, and pundits the world over have been raising the warning flags of an active war on Bangkok's street food scene. Whether highlighting the plight of the vendors who rely on the revenue to survive, lamenting the loss of an inexpensive source of food for the working class, or pointing out the irony of Bangkok's reputation as a top street food destination; all of the reports have a common thread: Street food in Bangkok is doomed. But is it really? To find out, we visited Yaoworat Road in Chinatown, visiting one of Greg's favorite noodle shops (incongruously positioned inside an opera house/second-run cinema/gay pickup joint) to see just how far reaching these new government mandates really were. Listen to find out what changes we noticed, what actions we think are still likely to come, and what doom-and-gloom predictions likely won't come to bear. Without giving too much away, we'll just tell you that we're declaring the war on street food non-existent. But please bear in mind that we are not investigative journalists. Our observations are based on this single trip and casual visits to street vendors in this immediate area. It could be worse elsewhere, but it sure looks like street food in Bangkok isn't in immediate peril. Love, Loathe, or Leave As you've heard us talk about before, there are plenty of green spaces in the heart of the Bangkok metroplex, but occasionally, you can find a large stretch of beautiful, untouched, pristine lawn just begging for a blanket and a picnic. But invariably, those areas come with large KEEP OFF THE GRASS signs. Listen in to find out if we loathe it or if it's something we hate some much we're ready to leave the Kingdom over. Want more? 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, either on the contact form on our website or through a comment or message on our Facebook page. You can Tweet to the show @bangkokpodcast or follow Greg's tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness. Evo chronicles his Bangkok adventures on Instagram from time to time, if that's your thing. And as mentioned, we now have a LINE account! Yep. Just for the Bangkok Podcast. Join us over there, too! See you next time on The Bangkok Podcast! (Direct download .mp3)

6 Kesä 201718min

One of Thailand's most persistent pests - the beautiful but invasive water hyacinth - is once again clogging Bangkok's waterways. And while Evo didn't die on a motorbike just yet, a friend of his is in the hospital after his scooter accident. Maybe he's rethinking his chosen mode of transport? Motorbike accidents happen. Though this is Thailand, and Thailand holds the ignominious title of deadliest place to ride a motorbike. Last week the inevitable happened to a fellow expat here in Bangkok, though thankfully on a low-speed collision. Will it impact Evo's decision to ride? You'll have to listen to find out. But really, that's not what we're here to talk about. The Chao Phraya these days is a little more green than usual. Which sounds good, until you realize the green is from huge, floating islands of plant matter. It happens every year, and we've always wondered what it is. Evo took it upon himself to dig deep and has learned a few things about phak tob java, or water hyacinth as it's commonly known, or Eichhornia crassipes as it's known to botanists. Here are few of the things you'll learn when you listen to this week's episode The royal connection for how the invasive species from South America to Indonesia and finally Thailand The immediate nuisance the plant causes for those who make their living on the river How the plant contributes to Bangkok's flooding, which arrived a bit early this year A bunch of management techniques that don't work, and only one that does Some good news about how the plant can be used to clean the water, as a textile source, as biomass to generate fuel, and possibly a foodstuff But some bad news about the plant's propensity to kill fish and incubate mosquitos A comical tale of how three -- or possibly four -- different government agencies are passing the buck as they say "not my problem" Finally, when you fully understand the complexity of the problem, you'll see why water hyacinth is the perfect metaphor for Bangkok's bureaucracy. That was meant to be funny, but... Love, Loathe, or Leave If you've only uttered "Hey Dude, where's my car" when referencing a cult-classic from the turn of the century, you haven't left your car -- or your motorbike -- in a parking lot in Bangkok. It's a little maddening. The only good news is that your bike probably isn't stolen. Probably. Listen in to find out how we feel about this totally alien concept to us two expats who've been trained to set the parking brake and -- obviously -- take the keys. But it's not like that stops people from moving your ride. Want more? 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, either on the contact form on our website or through a comment or message on our Facebook page. You can Tweet to the show @bangkokpodcast or follow Greg's tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness. Evo chronicles his Bangkok adventures on Instagram from time to time, if that's your thing. And as mentioned, we now have a LINE account! Yep. Just for the Bangkok Podcast. Join us over there, too! See you next time on The Bangkok Podcast! (Direct download .mp3)

30 Touko 201726min

On this episode we get into one of Thailand's most contentious topics - double pricing. But first we talk about selfies in a ball pit and a hidden hipster hangout. Just down the road for us on our side of the river is a hidden hipster hideout in Bangkok called called The Jam Factory. And by "hidden", we mean new to Evo. Because it's pretty well known by everyone other than him. Also Greg visits Central Embassy and attempts to lose his child in a giant plastic bubble bath filled with selfie takers. But as interesting as both of those topics sound, neither are what we're talking about today. Let's just get this out of the way: We think double pricing sucks. Thailand is notorious for pricing things like museums, national parks, landmarks, and other civic works differently depending on where a visitor was born. Foreigners -- we stand out a bit -- pay an inflated price, where Thai nationals pay much, much less. Sometimes Thai nationals pay nothing at all. As representatives of the foreigners overcharged, we don't like it. But we try to understand the rationale for it on this week's episode and present their side. We're not sure we did a good job. But here are the excuses main arguments most often offered to justify dual pricing in Thailand: Foreign workers make more money than Thais, so they can afford it. Tourists don't pay Thailand taxes to support those civic works. (Note: both of us pay taxes in Thailand) It's a nationalistic benefit reserved for Thai citizens. All of those are valid concerns. However, we're not buying it. Listen in to learn how we carefully (and hopefully respectfully) dismantle each of those excuses arguments. And though we try very hard not to push our own agenda on our adopted country, here's what we think could be the consequences if the dual pricing issue isn't addressed (which it hasn't been for decades, we get it.) It may be seen as racist to a world becoming more and more aware and intolerant of racism. It's a deterrent to tourism as it has been to other countries that have done stupid things in the name of squeezing out a few bucks from hapless tourists. It's a constant PR black eye that will cause (and perhaps is causing) people to seek out their SE Asian vacation/expat home in other neighboring countries. Now, hopefully we didn't go overboard on complaining. It's not what we set out to do. And if you have a different opinion, we invite you to leave a comment below or on our social channels. Let's keep the conversation going. One great way is our new LINE account, just for the Bangkok Podcast. Hey, we're in Thailand, and LINE is huge here. So of course we have a LINE account. Follow along and talk to us there, too! Love, Loathe, or Leave Almost half a year ago, we talked about Bangkok's "saluting security guards" in an early LLoL segment. But Greg forgot something key to the conversation that Gregory Hines would be proud of. Listen in to find out why we're being so mysterious, and whether or not this clicks for us. (Heh.) Want more? 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, either on the contact form on our website or through a comment or message on our Facebook page. You can Tweet to the show @bangkokpodcast or follow Greg's tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness. Evo chronicles his Bangkok adventures on Instagram from time to time, if that's your thing. And as mentioned, we now have a LINE account! Yep. Just for the Bangkok Podcast. Join us over there, too! See you next time on The Bangkok Podcast!

23 Touko 201728min