The Bangkok Podcast Greg Jorgensen & Ed Knuth

Greg and Ed revisit the 2006 coup in Thailand and reminisce about the oddness but also impactfulness of the experience. Ed begins with a quick recap of the career of Thaksin Shinawatra, the billionaire business tycoon who swept to power (democratically) in 2000 on a promise to fix the Thai economy which was still reeling from the 1997 financial crisis. He did in fact manage to stabilize the economy and easily won re-election in 2004. Although controversies did mar his terms, his ability to repay loans to the World Bank and IMF lent him significant credibility. 
However, in 2006, a constitutional crisis ensued in parliament, and eventually, while Thaksin was away in New York giving a speech to the United Nations, the military seized control of the government. Ed relates his utter shock at waking up to headlines of “COUP D’ETAT,” and Greg talks about the strange expectation of tanks rolling through the streets and whether or not it was even going to be safe going outside. Alas, the coup was real but also almost entirely peaceful, with soldiers manning the streets accepting flowers and taking selfies with pedestrians.
The guys wonder at the difference between pre-coup Thailand and post-coup Thailand, the relative peace beforehand and the almost constant political drama since. In their time in Thailand, the guys can’t think of another single event that changed life in the Land of Smiles as much as the 2006 coup. 
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Greg interviews Clif from BangkokBeerGuide.com about the ever evolving craft beer scene in Thailand. Cliff begins with the basic premise for the website and related social media: to act as a guide for locals and visitors to all the beer drinking opportunities in Bangkok, especially craft beers made by locals. The guys then review the famously restrictive Thai laws governing beer and alcohol in general, such as the prohibition on purchasing alcohol from 2 pm to 5 pm in the afternoon, and high minimum requirement for brewing beer that effectively shuts out all but the largest companies. 
Clif then digs deep to explain his love of beer as an act of creativity of the brewmaster but at the same time a “common man’s” drink. Hence, Cliff’s desire to promote local craft beer as a way to connect with small-scale Thai brewers. Unfortunately, Thai laws, supported by powerful forces best not discussed, make it harder for Thai ‘little guys’ to get into the business of making beer. Greg and Cliff express hope that beer champion Taophipop wins his epic battle to reform Thai beer laws. 
The guys continue discussing various venues about town, how the scene has changed over time, and Cliff’s philosophy for the website. Listen in for a great overview of the Thai craft beer scene circa 2024.
Don’t forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

Greg and Ed try a new type of show in which they troll their memories for extreme experiences, something that expats in Thailand seem to have a lot of. Greg begins with his scariest experience in Thailand. As a relative noobie, he engaged the services of a shady visa firm and was later called out on it by the Canadian Embassy. At the time, he didn’t know if a heavy fine, deportation, or even jail was in order, but luckily he got away with a much smaller punishment. Ed follows with a different type of scare, when his then fiancee was in a horrible motorbike accident, and he didn’t know the extent of her injuries. They were severe, but luckily not life threatening or disfiguring.
Greg follows with his lowest point ever as an expat, when he lost his job in Bangkok just one week after his grandfather passed away. Ed then relates his weirdest memory ever as an expat, when government officials showed up at his house to verify that he was really married to his wife. Not only did the officials ask to see Ed and his wife’s bedroom closets, they also asked the couple to lie in bed next to each other, fully clothed, but holding hands! So strange! But it happened. 
Last, Greg tells his most extreme, throw caution to the wind story: when he was getting married, he at first was pinching pennies, worried about saving money for the future, but eventually he just realized, !#@% it! You only get married once and after splurging and having a great wedding, he realized it was worth it. Ed then tells of his wildest night in Thailand, which involved an outing on Koh Samed that turned violent and required a hasty retreat in the wee hours of the morning to find a safe place from local thugs. 
Don’t forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

Greg interviews Dr. Soraj Hongladarom on the intersection of AI, ethics, and Buddhism. Dr. Soraj begins by discussing his background in the study of philosophy in the U.S., in particular early modern Western philosophy. After returning to Thailand, he transitioned to the study of the philosophy of technology and science, which today of course, means AI. Dr. Soraj explains that different cultures certainly have different approaches to some ethical issues, and he is currently interested in how Buddhist thought might apply to the growing concerns over the use of artificial intelligence. 
Today, there is a ‘global conversation’ about AI, and although people might agree about some general ethical guidelines to apply to AI (that it be the truth for example), there are still many concerns over issues such as privacy and AI usurping people’s jobs, to name a few. Greg asks how Thais might see ethics differently from Westerners, and Dr. Soraj explains that he actually teaches Western ethics to Thai students and finds that initially they have problems appreciating concepts such as equality and the rule of law. However, eventually they come around to the Western perspective.
Listen in as the two delve into more interesting twists and turns in the fascinating intersection between ethics, AI, and Buddhist culture. 
Don’t forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

If math can be used to solve everything from the orbits of galaxies to the swirl in a snail’s shell, then surely it can be applied to Bangkok to shed some light on the chaos?
In a fun show, Greg presents certain semi-mathematical ‘equations’ to help us all understand Bangkok a bit better. While not scientific in the strictest, these rules of thumb may help you navigate the chaos of the Big Mango with a little more confidence. 
First, the guys discuss all the variables that affect traffic travel times in Bangkok. The season, school status, your destination, public holidays, and time of day (among others), all seem to matter. For noobs these factors can be tough to string together, but for experienced expats it becomes a must. Next, Greg brings up the truism that often we are forced to choose between transportation that is fast, cheap, or comfortable; two out of three seems the best you can do. For example, motorbikes are fast and cheap, but certainly not comfortable (or safe for that matter). 
Greg and Ed continue with great advice on the relationship between flips flops and quality vacations, gatorade availability in the city, whether to walk or run in the rain, and a great shortcut to determining the quality of a hotel by friend of the podcast Dan Fraser. 
Don’t forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

This is Part 2 of our interview with Stuart MacDonald, Asian tourism expert and founder of TravelFish.org, arguably the best single resource for traveling in Southeast Asia. In this half of the interview, Greg, Ed and Stu revisit the tricky topic of ‘overtourism,’ an issue which attempts to find a balance between economic revenue from tourism, which in theory is good for local economies, and damage to the environment, which of course can in the long run make things worse for local people. Stu gives his take on how to find the right balance.
The old friends then address the perennial (and perplexing) obsession with ‘high-quality tourists’ by the Thai government. Stu gives new insights on the problem of ‘leakage’ (which is almost as gross as it sounds) - revenue from tourism that ‘leaks’ out of the local economy and into foreign investors and companies. It turns out that higher end tourism results in more of this drain, with a lower percentage of revenue actually making into the hands of local people. Backpackers for the win!
Last, the guys discuss the (green) elephant in the room: the decriminalization of cannabis in Thailand and the likely effect it will have on Thai tourism. Stu discusses the likely possibility that more tourists will flock to the Kingdom to experience the new freedom to indulge, but also points out the oversaturation of the market that can turn people off, whether it’s tourists or locals themselves. 
Tune in to hear a true expert’s insights, rather than two random guys yammering! :) 
Don’t forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.