Merry Christmas From Bangkok! (2.11)

Merry Christmas From Bangkok! (2.11)

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!

Episoder(562)

Bangkok Podcast 50: Our 50th show!

Bangkok Podcast 50: Our 50th show!

ZOOM! That was the sound of a whole year going by!  It was in May 2010 that Tony and Greg put up the first episode of the Bangkok Podcast, and it's been a fun, interesting (and sometimes frustrating) ...

24 Apr 20111h

Bangkok Podcast 49: Is Learning Thai Hard?

Bangkok Podcast 49: Is Learning Thai Hard?

We've done a fair number of shows so far about learning Thai, but one of the most fundamental questions has yet to be discussed - is learning Thai actually hard, or do we foreigners just make it seem ...

15 Apr 201141min

Bangkok Podcast 48: Moving Away From Thailand

Bangkok Podcast 48: Moving Away From Thailand

In most western cultures, moving out of your parent's place and into your own life is considered a rite of adulthood and one which many are eager to do as soon as possible, but in Thailand things work...

10 Apr 201149min

Bangkok Podcast 47: Q-Bar Andrew

Bangkok Podcast 47: Q-Bar Andrew

On this episode of Bangkok Podcast, we sit down with Andrew Clark, co-owner and co-founder of QBar, Bangkok's hippest, coolest night club. Besides being a superb and friendly chap, Andrew talks to us ...

3 Apr 201144min

Bangkok Podcast 46: Untranslatables

Bangkok Podcast 46: Untranslatables

Joined once again by the Thai language Jedi Rikker, he schools Greg and Tony on a few Thai phrases that have no direct translation into English. What exactly does 'Mai Pen Rai' mean, and why is more t...

27 Mar 201141min

Bangkok Podcast 45: Phra Pandit II

Bangkok Podcast 45: Phra Pandit II

In the wake of the terrible tragedy in Japan, we are extremely pleased to have with us on this show Phra Pandit, the British-born monk who first came on our show in episode 30. On this show, Greg and ...

20 Mar 201153min

Bangkok Podcast 44: Christopher G. Moore

Bangkok Podcast 44: Christopher G. Moore

The amount of foreigners who try to write a book about their craaaazy adventures in Thailand is only slightly larger than the amount who try to write hard-boiled fiction based in Bangkok, but among th...

13 Mar 20110s

Bangkok Podcast 43: Bangkok Reality Smackdown

Bangkok Podcast 43: Bangkok Reality Smackdown

When you first come to Bangkok, everything is new and strange. Nothing makes sense, and even a trip to the corner store can be an adventure. But after a while, these things fade, and pretty soon, the ...

6 Mar 201144min

Populært innen Samfunn

rss-spartsklubben
giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
konspirasjonspodden
aftenpodden-usa
rss-nesten-hele-uka-med-lepperod
popradet
rss-henlagt-andy-larsgaard
wolfgang-wee-uncut
grenselos
min-barneoppdragelse
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
synnve-og-vanessa
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
fladseth
alt-fortalt
frokostshowet-pa-p5
198-land-med-einar-trnquist
rss-lilli-isabelle