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

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_3" layout="1_3" spacing="" center_content="no" hover_type="none" link="" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" border_size="0" border_color="" 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animation_direction="left" animation_speed="1.0" animation_offset=""]http://77.104.151.179/~bangkok9/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Apple-Button.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_separator style_type="none" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" sep_color="" top_margin="" bottom_margin="30px" border_size="" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center" /][fusion_imageframe image_id="4561" style_type="dropshadow" stylecolor="" hover_type="zoomin" bordersize="" bordercolor="" borderradius="" align="none" lightbox="no" gallery_id="" lightbox_image="" alt="" link="https://open.spotify.com/show/71nfvyqI6ytceVkSDaM1It?si=ZlcOmzvCTn6mKZfi7OCTkw" linktarget="_blank" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="fade" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="1.0" 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center_content="no" hover_type="none" link="" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" padding="" dimension_margin="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" last="no"][fusion_text] (Direct download .mp3) As Evo reflects on the 2.5 years spent in Thailand and as your co-host on the Bangkok Podcast, he's come to love a lot of things about living in Bangkok. Soon, he'll be repatriated to the recently-made-great-again America, and things just aren't going to be the same. In no particular order, here are 10 things Evo's going to miss about living in Bangkok: Amazing and immediate access to healthcare Not paying $65 or more for a massage No seasons or extreme weather Having cheat codes for bad traffic (see: motorbike) Seeing the Chao Phraya river every day A pleasant income tax experience Never moving furniture Ying, the greatest housekeeper ever. (Seriously, get in touch with Evo if you need a great and reliable housekeeper!) The Skytrain/BTS … and finally, spending time with you every week as the co-host of the Bangkok Podcast. You are awesome! He's also going to miss Love, Loathe, or Leave, his favorite segment of the show. Sticking with the love them, we're talking about Pocky sticks and all their sugary goodness. With that, Season Two of the Bangkok Podcast comes to a close. But don't fret! Greg and Ed will be back in just a few weeks with the Season Three. (And if you want to keep up with Evo after he's out of Bangkok, he podcasts with his lovely wife Sheila Dee. Add him to your podcatcher now!) As always, the podcast will continue to be 100% funded by listeners just like you who get some special swag from us. And we'll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share. [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

27 Feb 201838min

Though various types of pestilence plagued all of your hosts, two of of us managed to muster the necessary strength to record the episode this week. You're welcome. (Hi again, Ed!) We've a special guest on this week that anyone into in finance in Bangkok probably knows, Mr. Andrew Stotz, Ph.D. He's an award-winning equity analyst, the current President of the CFA Society Thailand, and the founder and CEO of A. Stotz Investment Research. Prior to that he spent 20 years working global investment banks in Asia, and has been a university lecturer in finance for more than two decades. Voted the #1 investor in Thailand by his peers several times over, he's also a co-founder of CoffeeWORKS Co. Ltd., Thailand's specialty coffee roaster. He and Greg chat about investing in Thailand at the lay-person level, since many of us aren't the most well-versed in financial options. And for Love, Loathe, or Leave, comes from listener Other Ed. He wants to know how we feel about ไม่เป็นไร. If you don't recognize the script, you've almost certainly heard it spoken if you've spent any time in Thailand and things haven't gone according plan. As always, the podcast will continue to be 100% funded by listeners just like you who get some special swag from us. And we'll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

20 Feb 201827min

Key links for this episode: Map of Thonburi On the first show in our new series that digs into some of Bangkok's better-known 'hoods, we ask: did you know that Bangkok (that is, Thailand's modern capital) is not the original Bangkok? Nope! The first Bangkok (that is, the new capital after Ayutthaya was thrashed by the Burmese) was a little town called Thonburi. But, that didn't last long. Another little village called Bangkok became the new, new capital and Thonburi became a sleepy suburb. But after only 236 years, Thonburi is about to step into the limelight in a big way. How, you ask? Malls! Trains! Hotels! Markets! Craft beer! And...cable cars? But before we get into that, we need to thank ErQing Hui, our latest patron at the show shoutout level (who we simply call EQ (because we're not that good with Chinese), as well as Han Choi, who became our 50th patron and will be rewarded with one (or more!) snazzy postcards. As always, the podcast will continue to be 100% funded by listeners just like you who get some special swag from us. And we'll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

13 Feb 201840min

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center_content="no" hover_type="none" link="" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" padding="" dimension_margin="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" last="no"][fusion_text] (Direct download .mp3) As you heard last week, Evo's time as co-host is coming to a close in a few short weeks. But as promised, we've already secured a new voice for season 3 of the Bangkok Podcast, and it's a voice you're already familiar with. Ed Knuth, a teacher at Thammasat University, guest hosted the Thai Smile episode a few weeks back, giving us one of our most popular recent episodes. So thanks to you, he'll soon be the regular voice behind the mic. The three of us gathered at Jack's bar on the banks of the beautiful, pristine Chao Phraya river in Bangkok to discuss how living in Thailand for long or short durations changes your perception. Is it easier to deal with "This Is Thailand" when the little peculiarities Thailand throws at you become just part of the scenery? Or is long term exposure bad for your mental health? Or perhaps it's a cycle, leading from love to loathe to just living? That sounds like a good segue to Love, Loath, or Leave, where we take on the Thai love for instant coffee. You'll have to listen to find out where we land, but it's unanimous! For those who haven't heard the news: Evo isn't sick, nor has he been targeted by immigration. He's going to be a grandfather in a few short months, so he and his wife have decided to prioritize grandparent-hood over expat life. But don't worry. He still has a few more episodes of the show to record before he takes off and we start up season three of the show. That third season, just like the second season, will continue to be 100% funded by listeners just like you who get some special swag from us. And we'll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share. [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

6 Feb 201827min

Key links for this episode: Nomadic Matt Plume App Our patrons know a secret. You can know it, too. One of the OG travel bloggers, Matt Kepnes, AKA Nomadic Matt, joins the program with all kinds of stories, tips, and reflections on travel on his site NomadicMatt.com. He even has a NYTimes best-selling book on how to travel the world on a budget! He's a hard guy to pin down, but he recently came through town on his way to New Zealand, and he very kindly let Greg to discuss an important question: Why do people (him included!) keep coming back to Bangkok? Speaking of catching up with friends, but on a much sadder note… the Bangkok expat community is a little smaller and sadder, with the recent passing of Eric Seldin. He was funny, warm, entertaining, and wise, and always had a good story to tell from his decades of working around Asia. In his memory, go spend some quality time with those you love but haven't caught up with recently, OK? You are flat out not going to like this week's Love, Loathe, or Leave. And not just because of the topic -- Bangkok's insidious air pollution that's just getting worse. No, it's one of our answers. Sorry in advance. :( And before we go: Remember that we're 100% funded by our supporters, who get some special swag from us. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter, or LINE with comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

30 Jan 201838min

Support us and get cool stuff! The thought of spending a few days on an island in Thailand sounds about as close to paradise as a westerner can get: blue water, white sand, the works! But the reality of it is a little different than the picture in your mind, and you might want to adjust your expectations a bit when visiting an island in Thailand. And speaking of Thailand as a great vacation destination, we really do want to meet you when you come through Bangkok. Please reach out and we'll see if we can get our schedules to align so we can grab a beer, coffee, or even a meal together. We love it! Of course, we love the listeners who support us with a small financial contribution most of all. People like Jeremy Winterson, an actual race car driver and illegal taxi driver. (One of those statements is true). If you want to get the show early, get some cool swag, and even have Greg come up with fantastical tales of your life, support us if you can! And on Love, Loathe, or Leave: long-time expats who still can't pronounce Pattaya correctly. Don't sound like a noob, please? Thanks for listening. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter, or LINE with your qwaments, kestians, or whatever you want to share.

23 Jan 201829min

Key links for this episode: Sign the Change.org petition to put the pressure on 7-11 Donate to support the fight against plastic waste in Thailand Greenpeace's position on Thailand's plastic problem Support the Bangkok Podcast on Patreon Yes, there are too many plastic bags floating -- literally -- around Bangkok. But rather than you listen to just more expat bitching, we brought on a local Thai person who's doing more than just bitching about the problem. Joey Liptapanlop is roping in his fellow citizens to start a grassroots movement aimed at… 7-11? Did you know that Thailand is the 6th worst plastic polluter in the world? That's thanks to the 1.03 million metric tons of plastic Thais release into the water. Joey and his crew want to do something about that, and this seems like the generation to (finally) get it done. This is something we can get behind. Slacktivists can join the almost 25,0000 people who have signed the Change.org petition to put the pressure on 7-11. There's also a Weeboon page to support the efforts of plastic pollution with small donations, currently getting close to ฿100,000. #deathbyplastic We're staying controversial with the Love, Loathe, or Leave segment of the show, this time taking on "White Privilege". Clearly, the two of us are the beneficiaries of such a reality. But how do we feel about it? How do you feel about it? Listen to what we have to say and let us know in the comments. Special thanks to Mr. Woolibeans -- no, that's not his real name, and that makes for an interesting story -- for his support of the Bangkok. Join him and the other ~50 people who support us on Patreon. You'll get bonus content, the regular show early, and feel good about yourself. And help us keep the show going strong!. Thanks for listening. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter, or LINE with your questions, comments, or whatever you want to share.

16 Jan 201832min

Key links for this episode: Support us on Patreon to get the show early You've probably heard of "the Thai smile", or know that Thailand is referred to as "the Land of Smiles". Both of those phrases are well-earned, but that whole smiling thing is more than something done just in the hospitality space. For many Thais, smiling in a situation is a default reaction, even when the experience they are smiling at is a negative one. Like when a dog almost eats a small child and the owner's reaction is to smile it off. Oh, and that's not a hypothetical. It happened to Greg's kid. Or when a Thai driver almost hits a pedestrian and just smiles and waves. Also not hypothetical, as our special guest Ed Knuth (filling in for Evo Terra this week) will tell you. But what looks like a blow-off really isn't. It's a cultural difference, and those of us who've been here a while learn to self-correct our immediate emotional response when we encounter the Thai smile. Or at least, we try to. It's hard to break those old social contracts in favor or new ones. Is smiling at everything just another example of Thais being nice, often to a fault? Is it about saving face or avoiding confrontation? Or just the ramifications of a successful ad campaign? Greg and Ed will share more than a few of their thoughts and experiences gathered over the collective 33 years they've lived in Thailand. Speaking of living here for a long time, how do you feel about the "unboxing" that takes in the store when you buy damn near anything with an electrical plug in Thailand? Is that something you love, loath… or do you hate it so much you're ready to leave Thailand? Listen in to find out how we feel, and share your thoughts with us. Special thanks to Paul Johnston, who's deep love of Meatloaf led him to a life of … tires? OK. Paul and the other ~50 people who support us on Patreon -- is getting this show early. You can, too. Thanks for listening. Say nice things to Ed about his guest appearance, and hit us up on Facebook, Twitter, or LINE with your questions, comments, or whatever you want to share.

9 Jan 201826min