Libsyn Directory

When Jaded Expats Wrongly Predict Thai Failures [S8.E4]

Release Date: 07/22/2025

Frenemies: The Long History Between Thailand & Cambodia [S8.E25]

The Bangkok Podcast

Greg and Ed discuss the long, strange and complex history between Thailand and Cambodia in an attempt to shed some light on the tragic current conflict. Greg begins with some early history. The majority of Southeast Asia was once part of the Khmer Empire based in Angkor. Eventually Thai kingdoms in Sukhothai and Ayutthaya achieved independence, but tension between the two powers was constant. In a complex maelstrom of alliance and conflict, each power borrowed, copied and outright stole selected cultural artifacts from each other, such that untangling the exact pedigree of multiple shared...

What Changes Would Greg Make if He Was in Charge of Bangkok? [S8.E24]

The Bangkok Podcast

On this show, Greg and Ed discuss what Greg would do if he was the boss man in charge of Thailand, echoing a similar show with Ed’s plans earlier in the year. (Check out Season 7, Episode 54 if you are curious.) Greg begins with an interesting but ambitious plan to establish bike lanes underneath the elevated portion of the BTS and MRT. Ed immediately welcomes the idea, but both recognize what a massive undertaking it would be. Currently there are long walkways under certain portions of the BTS, but there are miles upon miles of essentially unused ‘space’ underneath other portions that...

Don't forget the meetup!

The Bangkok Podcast

Saturday, Dec 6, 2025 at . Chec our for more details.

Making Bangkok Accessible for All: Khun Saba Keeps Fighting (Classic ReCast) [S8.E23]

The Bangkok Podcast

On this episode - a classic ReCast from season 3! - Greg interviews Khun Saba, a disabled rights activist in Bangkok. It’s a topic near and dear to the Bangkok Podcast, because we want everyone to enjoy Bangkok, which is very hard to do if you don’t have full mobility. Khun Saba explains that he became aware of the difficulty of moving around Thai cities, especially Bangkok, after he became disabled, and notes that while physical and structural issues are important, the key issue is really awareness. Simply put, if people blindly accept all the problems with transportation in Bangkok, then...

Former FBI Agent John Schachnovsky Talks Crime & Punishment in Thailand Part 2 [S8.E22]

The Bangkok Podcast

First off - if you’re in town, join our meetup: Saturday, December 6 at . Check our first before you come just to make sure there have been no last minute changes. In Part 2 of Greg and Ed’s interview with John Schachnovsky, the former head of the FBI in Thailand, the men continue discussing John’s varied responsibilities in the Land of Smiles, this time focusing on specific cases. John brings up the he played in the Asian Tsunami of 2004 and how the FBI used its technology to help identify myriad victims. John mentions that due to the close working relationship between the U.S. and...

Former FBI Agent John Schachnovsky Talks Crime & Punishment in Thailand [S8.E21]

The Bangkok Podcast

In part 1 of a two-part episode, Greg and Ed interview John Schachnovsky about his upcoming book “Beyond the Badge,” which recounts his experience as the head of the FBI in Thailand. John starts out explaining his early career with the FBI and his subsequent move to Bangkok. Greg and Ed ask about the exact role of the FBI oversees and John explains in detail. First, as a branch of the U.S. government, the FBI has no legal jurisdiction in Thailand and must work directly with the Thai government for everything they do. Second, the FBI’s role is entirely distinct from the CIA. The FBI does...

Road Blocks: The Big Issues That Thailand Needs to Solve [S8.E20]

The Bangkok Podcast

Greg and Ed discuss an article on Ajarn.com by Dr. Jesse Sessions called “” which discusses some of the bigger problems currently facing Thailand and how they might impact the country’s prosperity, competitiveness and social longevity. The guys walk through the issues one by one and give their take on its significance, The first issue is border security. Ed points out that Thailand actually has major security issues on the Burmese, Malaysian, and Cambodian borders, something that is easy to forget from the security of Bangkok. In fact several of the later issues tie in to this problem,...

Heritage & Culture: How Siri Sala Private Thai Villa Preserves the Past for the Future [S8.E19]

The Bangkok Podcast

There’s a lot of great buildings and great history that has been bulldozed over in Bangkok, so it’s nice when we see someone going the extra mile to actually preserve both an historic physical space as well as the stories and history behind it. On this show Greg interviews Art and Irma, owners of , located off of Charan Sanitwong Road, not far from where Ed lives. The couple begins with the story of how they discovered the property - at the time, an old family home that had fallen into disrepair - while on a boat ride down the Bangkok Noi Canal, and the various serendipitous events that...

Great Thailand Advice We Ignored…But Shouldn’t Have [S8.E18] (ReCast)

The Bangkok Podcast

As Thailand starts got back to bid-ness after COVID, there were a whole lot of n00bs coming in to tour, work and live. Most who have been here for a while already remember what an overwhelming experience Bangkok was in the early days, and how helpful it was to make a network of friends that you could turn to for advice. Of course, not all advice is great, especially when you’re talking with random people about how your new foreign home works. We think it’s fair to say that most advice you get is subjective and can probably be taken with a grain of salt, but some advice…some advice is...

Summing Up: Giving Bangkok's Ubiquitous Malls Some Slogans [S8.E17]

The Bangkok Podcast

This week Greg and Ed have a bit of fun revisiting an about what would be the best slogans for various malls around Bangkok. As most listeners know, Bangkok may very well be the capital city of malls and mall culture, and each mall seems to have its own identity. The guys walk through Greg’s somewhat salty slogans from ten years ago to see if they are still valid. Here are some representative examples: MBK - “Not even we know what stores lurk in our dark corners and forgotten depths.” Ed chuckles at the appropriateness of the slogan, given that MBK seems chock full of unexpected...

More Episodes

Greg and Ed discuss something that is more common than many people think: being wrong about expecting some Thai government project or initiative to fail. It’s pretty easy, as expats often fall into the rut of cynicism about the Thai government sticking to a plan and actually getting stuff done, but the truth is, Thailand sometimes gets stuff right!

Greg begins by bringing up Benjakitti Forest Park. It replaced the Thai Tobacco Monopoly, which occupied prime real estate between Sukhumvit and Rama IV for many years. When Greg heard it was going to be made into a giant public park, he was like, “Yeah right, it’s gonna get taken over by mall and condo developers,” but lo and behold, the majestic Forest Park is now there for Bangkokers to see and enjoy, and has been written about in publications around the world. Ed follows with something different: when he heard about the epic scale of the COVID vaccine rollout in Thailand, he thought it would be widely inefficient with day-long queues. In fact, it was shockingly professional, and he was in and out of there in 30 minutes!

Greg continues with a story about the eventual success of the Thai Elite Card, and Ed follows with a discussion of electronic banking in Thailand and the unexpected return of the Shinawatra clan to Thai politics.

Lesson learned: Don’t fall into the cynicism trap!

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