The Bangkok Podcast6 Nov 2016

Bangkok's Shaky Infrastructure That Won't Quit (2.2)

Hey, you're still here! How awesome is that? Welcome to the 2nd episode. Today, we're talking infrastructure. No, wait! Before you decide to skip the episode, this isn't an episode filled with mechanical engineering terms. Have you met us?

(Direct download .mp3)

The Big Mango is… big. Big city with huge skyscrapers and sprawling concrete to help accommodate the millions of people that live in and visit Bangkok. This is the City of Angels, the second largest city in SE Asia. We're sorry if that damaged your idyllic notion of rice paddies and floating markets. Thailand has them. Bangkok metro? Not so much. Here we have the Mahanakon Tower - some call it the Jenga or Tetris Building -- the fourth tallest building in SE Asia. We're looking forward to the grand opening, because that rooftop bar is going to rather swank. But Bangkok isn't stopping there. There are loads of new buildings, both giant and strange, that will continue to give Bangkok it's own special character. Just one more reason we both love living in this crazy town. We have world class shopping centers, with more on the way. Traffic sucks. Just plan on that when you visit. The good news is the BTS or MRT work pretty good. And if all else fails, jump on a mototaxi. They flow through bad traffic like water. But we're getting new lines. Greg made a nifty map to show where some of them will be. Will they all connect? If history is any judge, probably not. Ah, Bangkok. Of course, all that new development has to happen somewhere, and often that means old structures -- sometimes interesting and historic -- are knocked out of the way. Progress? Or a loss of culture? We'll offer our opinions on the topic of how the changing landscape impacts these two expats. And we'd love to hear what you think! Also, The Windup Girl is a good future-of-Thailand book. Will Bangkok look just like that in 200 years? Eh, probably not. But scifi really doesn't predict the future as much as it portrays the present. So if you want a fantastical look at what we're talking about, download the book.

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