Avoiding the Newbie Drama: Are Long-Term Expats Just Lucky? [S8.E16]

Continuing with our Buddhism series, we welcome Phra Pandit, a Brit who has been a monk in Thailand for the past 20 years and is a noted lecturer on Buddhism, dhamma, and psychology. Desire - or the lack of it - is one of the key themes that the Buddha taught his followers. But as we find out in this very interesting discussion with Phra Pandit, it's not as easy as saying "I can do without those cool new pair of shoes." (Direct download .mp3) (Direct download .mp3) Since Evo is off galavanting around Europe, Greg talks to Pandit about what it means to have nothing, how it feels to want nothing, and why having or wanting nothing doesn't necessarily make you a better Buddhist than someone who has everything. Indeed, Greg poses a question - when someone has more money than they will ever use, things that are valuable to the 'average' person - like an iPhone - become almost meaningless. Since this person places no great value in craving the iPhone, or grief when he loses it - is that a similar state of mind as not desiring an iPhone? It's a great conversation about exactly what desire is - and how wanting something isn't always a bad thing. Phra Pandit also gives a shoutout to his friend Marisa Cranfill (a previous guest on the Bangkok Podcast), one of the foremost (non-Thai) experts on Thai spirit houses. She will be giving a seminar later this month about this topic, where you can finally learn the answers to the big questions: why is red Fanta left out more than other drinks? Why do zebras get left so often? Why are some houses supported by one pillar, and others four? Head to www.littlebang.org to read more about Marisa's speech on Saturday January 28th at the Rojana Center. And since this episode airs a few days before Chinese New Year, Greg - who lived in Yaowarat, Bangkok's Chinatown, for 4 years - gives his advice for really getting the most out of a visit to one of Bangkok's most interesting neighborhoods, and the center of the city's Chinese New Year celebrations. And just for an extra visual, here are the incense sticks that Greg talks about. Note the dudes on the bottom left for scale. You can also follow the Bangkok Podcast on Facebook, or Evo and Greg on Twitter.

23 Tammi 201732min

If you've lived any amount of time overseas and returned to your home country, you're likely familiar with reverse culture shock, the feeling that you just...somehow...don't quite fit in to your old life anymore. It's a disorienting feeling, and it affects everyone differently. Seeing as how Greg was back in Canada three months ago and Evo just returned from a trip to the USA, we thought'd we discuss this uniquely strange phenomenon, how it affected us, and how we deal with it. (Direct download .mp3) Greg recounts how the relationships with his friends have changed, details of "the most Canadian standoff ever", and how it's always the little things that trip you up - like the fact that people wear shoes inside the house, which really freaked him out. Evo mirrors this "little things" mantra, like the incredibly weird feeling of drinking water from a tap, and how much he forgot he loves listening to the radio...and how quickly he realized it actually sucks. We also do another round of Love, Loathe, Leave, and discuss - rather shamefully - how much joy Greg got from showing his visiting sister around Bangkok's shopping malls.

16 Tammi 201728min

Everyone loves Bangkok and it is indeed a great city. However, that's not to say everything is worth seeing or doing. For this show we each come up with two items, places, or pastimes that we tell visiting friends and family or even expats new to the city of Angels that they can go ahead and avoid without losing out on everything that Bangkok has to offer. (Direct download .mp3) (Direct download .mp3) Evo's finally back from his three week trip to America and mostly over his jet lag. At least to record another episode. Today we're talking about some things we think it's OK for you to to skip when you visit The Big Mango. Because there's simply too many things in Bangkok to take in in a single trip, so you won't have a lack of things to do. First up, Evo smashes the myth about getting smashed on cheap Thai beer. Because, shockingly, beer isn't inexpensive here in Thailand. You'll spend at least a buck -- IN A GROCERY STORE OR 7-11 -- per beer. That's a little more than you'll spend to buy crappy beer back in most Western nations. Which isn't cheap! (Though it is cheap in quality.) Second, Greg commits near sacrilege by suggesting that there are other historic temples and places to visit that are not The Grand Palace. Yes, it's a lovely place. Yes, it's filled with history. Yes, it's akin to Mecca for many Thais. But it's the giant mob of people -- tourists and Thais -- that sully the experience. If you don't mind standing in the heat (without umbrellas) for a few hours with a few thousand of your closest friends, go on with your bad self. Third, Evo suggests skipping ping-pong shows. It's arguably the worst of the publically available sexploitation offerings endemic to Bangkok. They aren't sexy (like, at all). They aren't fun for more than a handful of seconds. And they are a huge and expensive scam. And you will be poorer -- in pocketbook and in humanity -- after the experience. [shudder] Fourth, Bangkok is a hot-spot for networking events, especially among the expat community. And Greg hates them. The experience is always the same, which is less about meeting cool people and more paying to have people shove business cards in your hand for services you don't want or need. Granted, some people excel at networking events. But Greg finds something extra distasteful about the ones he's attended in Bangkok. We do make special allowances for cool events, like the Bangkok International Travel Group, Random Thainess, and Pecha Kucha Bangkok. Hrm. Maybe we should get the people who run those events on a future episode. Love, Loathe, or Leave? Exiting Thailand is a chore. Especially at the BKK airport. Why, oh why, is it so hard to get out of this country? Listen to the show to find out how Greg and Evo feel about the process (if you haven't guessed it already.) Want more? Drop us a line over at bangkokpodcast.com, or leave a review for us on iTunes or Google Play. You can even Tweet to the show @bangkok podcast or us personally at @bkkgreg or @evoterra. We'll see you next week on The Bangkok Podcast!

10 Tammi 201728min

Happy New Year everyone! The turning over of the calendar is traditionally a time to look forward and hope that the next year will be better than the last one. 2017 will be a big year in Thailand - HM King Rama X will steer the country forward, the push to change elements of Thailand's important Buddhist sangha is gathering steam, and an election might happen. (Direct download .mp3) Why is that such a big deal? Well, because despite outward appearances and contrary to what a lot of people probably think, Thailand is a military dictatorship. Okay, dictatorship might be a strong word, but the fact of the matter is that the Land of Smiles and one of the world's busiest tourist destinations has been under military control since the most recent coup of 2014. So if an election happens this year, it will be a big deal. So, seeing as Thailand has had 19 attempted and successful coups in the last century or so, we thought we'd look back and discuss what it's like to actually live through one in the hopes that we won't have to live another one. From the first message on his phone warning that a military takeover is underway to the time he made a panicked phone call to a friend to ask them what's going on, Greg has seen 2 coups in his time in-country. He and Evo discuss what it's actually like to know that a big change is happening while at the same time hoping that no one starts shooting, and how an actual coup - at least the past 2 in Thailand - are much different than what you learn about in high school.

2 Tammi 201727min

We're super happy to welcome back a popular guest from season 1 of the Bangkok Podcast - our veritable friend Phra Pandit. As a long-time monk in Thailand and noted lecturer on dhamma, Buddhism, meditation, and deep thought, Pandit is a great source if insight and information. (Direct download .mp3) On this show we (well, Greg, as Evo is traveling) will talk with Pandit about what happens when a particular Buddhist temple becomes really big. So big, in fact, that the government wants to shut it down. In this case it's the Dhammakaya temple, which has millions of devotees all over Thailand and is led by a rather controversial monk. As of the date of this post, police have been camped outside the temple for several weeks as deadline after deadline for the surrender of the head monk have come and gone and nothing's happened. It's kind of like the world's most boring standoff...but something's got to give eventually. Pandit gets into some details on the political machinations behind the target on the temple's back, as well as why the stakes are so high for the temple's head abbot, the magic ingredient that lets a temple go from being popular to a nationwide social phenomenon - and just how many people does Dhammakaya's 'flying saucer' meditation area hold, anyway? (Hint: a lot. Check out the picture of the saucer area below). Don't forget to leave a comment or tweet to us – @BkkGreg or @EvoTerra!

26 Joulu 201631min

It's that time of year again in Thailand - the holidays season! Did you notice the extra 's' there? It was intentional, because December is one of the most holiday-heavy months in the whole year. Not only do you have Father's Day and Constitution Day, but you also have Christmas - or at least the most intense commercial aspects of it. That rolls right into the (western) New Year, which rolls into the (Chinese) New Year, and a few weeks after that we roll right into (Thai) New Year. (Direct download .mp3) Evo and Greg discuss what it's like living in a Buddhist country that celebrates - with almost equal gusto - holidays imported from different countries, cultures, and religions, and what it's like spending time at the shopping malls, which heavily, heavily promote everyone's favorite part of Christmas - buying stuff. And that's all. Holidays on Christmas Day? You must be mad! It's a regular work day, son. And speaking of sons, Greg also ponders whether or not it's worth the trouble lying tointroducing his son to the concept of Santa, his magical reindeer, and his circumnavigation of the globe in a single night - especially since Santa, as far as most Thais are concerned, is nothing more than a cheesy Ronald McDonald-like cartoon designed to sell toys. Well actually...they're not far off. We also discuss Bangkok's air quality. A recent Al Jazeera story said it was better that many major European cities...but Evo looked around (including on the World Air Quality Index) and thinks there's something fishy about the claim. Don't forget to leave a comment or tweet to us - @BkkGreg or @EvoTerra!

18 Joulu 201625min

At the risk of offending some 70 million Thais, we're looking at the religious, spiritual, and magical thinking endemic to Thailand. At least from the point of view of a couple of skeptical, non-religious Westerners. Buddhism isn't the official religion of Thailand. But the overwhelming majority of people are Buddhist. Still, what you think of as Buddhism may not match up to the reality of the world. This is Theravada Buddhism that draws heavily on Hinduism and has more than a dash of animism mixed in. That makes things rather interesting. (Direct download .mp3) One thing Westerners often comment on is all the shrine-like dollhouses at every condo, office building, and house around the city. Those are called "spirit houses" and they are meant to be a home for… well, spirits. If you want the full details, check out our interview with Marisa Cranfill, an expert on the topic of spirit houses in Thailand. Have you noticed the (mostly) guys all blinged out with heavy necklaces sporting a variety of "charms". Those are amulets, and they are believed to either attract good tidings (e.g. wealth) or offer protection from oddly specific maladies. It's like taking the lucky rabbit's foot and Ash Wednesday and cranking them up to eleven.And if not on their person, a lot of Thais let protections/powers like that get under their skin. Literally. Thailand is famous for the magical sak yant tattoo, and the annual highlight for sak yant aficionados is the Sak Yant Tattoo Festival in Wat Bang Phra, just north of Bangkok. No, it's not your typical tattoo festival. Picture thousands of Pentecostals in the throws of speaking in tongues, but ambulatory and hell-bent on rushing toward the stage, regardless if you're directly in their path or not. It's the most intense, odd thing Evo's experience during his time in Thailand. But we draw the line at the recent craze of Luuk Thep dolls. Clearly, these people haven't seen Child's Play. Chucky needs a date, I think. We wrap the show with another installation of Love, Loathe, or Leave. Today's topics: saluting security guards and sharing the sidewalk with motorcycles. If you're a fellow Bangkokian, you likely have intimate experience with these two items. Drop us a line and tell us what you think. Or if you've an opinion or observation on local superstitions, tell us about it. Go to bangkokpodcast.com and leave a comment. Or you can Tweet to us at @bkkgreg or @evoterra. See you next week on The Bangkok Podcast!

12 Joulu 201634min

When it comes to characters, Bangkok has them in droves - people who have been places, eaten things, talked to people, and lived adventures that would make your mother put her hand to her mouth and proclaim, "Oh my" with a frightened little squeak. On this episode of the Bangkok Podcast we're happy to have one of these epic characters on the show with us - Mr Alan Platt, who, as it happens, has just released a book about his adventures entitled Foreign Fool. (Direct download .mp3) Now I know what you're thinking, and it's the same thing we think when we hear self-published book by a farang in Bangkok, and that is, "Oh, yes, another one for the dusty back section of Asia Books, along with all the stories about hard-boiled detectives, heart-of-gold prostitutes, and love gone bad." But no - that's not what this book is about at all. In fact, take it from me (Greg), who has read the book - this is one hell of a fun read, and is actually - get this - really well written. From Saigon to Bangkok to Panama to London to Honolulu, Foreign Fool tells of, as Alan puts it, the bumbling misadventures of a doofus. I'll just let the first two paragraphs of the first chapter say it themselves: In Saigon, many years after the war was over, long after the city was declared safe for tourists and when even the hookers were becoming almost discreet, I was kidnapped. That does sound a bit dramatic, I admit. Technically, it was more an abduction. But however one puts it, any mention of that sort of thing floods the mind with images of some poor guy being jumped by thugs, bundled into the trunk of a car and splattered across the tabloids with a screech of tires and the burning of rubber. None of that happened to me. I was kidnapped on a bicycle. Alan discusses how he went from sunning his broke ass on a Los Angeles beach to the top of the New York ad world, how the book took shape, and a few of the stories - both in the book and not - that keep him looking ahead to the next trip. Visit the book's website at ForeignFool.com Buy Foreign Fool on Amazon.

4 Joulu 201631min