The Meandering Pod

Cam, Dom, Bec and Lotta

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PLACES & TRAVEL
UPDATED WEEKLY

We are four travelling beans from Perth who have taken on the challenge (and adventure) of journeying from our isolated home to Europe by trail, rail and sail. Join us as we meander across Asia, exploring different continents, cultures and conversations – no flights, no rush.

3D AGO

TEA - everything you didn’t know with Tea Master Mabol

Sit down with a cuppa and prepare to have your socks blown off about the humble drink, tea. What is it? Where did it come from? When did the British start drinking teas? Join me as I take part in a tea ceremony with tea master Mabel in her home in Kunming, trying ripe Pu’er, Oolong and White Tea as we explore the historical and cultural force that is tea. Teas have inspired spirituality and purity, tea grounds and holds people, tea is everyone’s friend. But there is another side to tea too. Tea has been the catalyst to wars, slavery and incredible human cruelty. How can that be? I learnt so much in this conversation and hope you do too! Here is Mabol’s brand, where you can learn about tea and learn some Chinese too! https://www.discovercha.com/learn-chinese-with-mabol https://www.facebook.com/Mabol2DiscoverCha/ https://www.instagram.com/mabol_discover_cha/ https://www.youtube.com/@discovercha

47 min
FEB 11

AUSTRALIA - A Bin Dive into Australia’s Food Waste with Dom & Lotta

Join Dom and Lotta for this special bonus episode where they discuss bin diving, the Australian food system and its abundant food waste. This is a re-run of a radio show that they did for Lotta’s mums radio show Considering Earth, on Denmark Community Radio. Check out her shows here: https://www.denmarkfm.com.au/shows/considering-earth/

32 min
FEB 3

LAOS – The Most Bombed Country Per Capita In. World. History.

Laos has the unenviable title of being the most heavily bombed country per capita in the world. In this episode, we’ll be unpacking why, as well as the dangerous legacy of unexploded ordinances (UXOs) left in the lives of everyday Laotian people. Join Bec this week as she interviews two representatives from Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Bella and Ben, about the history, ramifications and ongoing work related to UXOs in Laos. The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) is a global humanitarian and advocacy organisation that finds, removes and destroys landmines, cluster munitions and unexploded bombs from places affected by conflict. MAG has been working in Laos since 1994 clearing unexploded bombs and providing explosive ordnance risk education, helping families safely farm, build, and live without fear. Our guests from MAG Laos: Mathida Khattiyavong (Ben), Communications OfficerIsabelle Urumath (Bella), Grants and Communications Manager Ways to support MAG Laos and stay engaged in their work: Website for donationsFacebook Instagram Vientiane Visitor CentreXieng Khouang Visitor Centre Sources for extra reading: Obama's 2016 remarks in Laos (mentioned during interview)Collateral Damage: The Legacy of the Secret War on Laos (peer-reviewed study from 2024 published in The Economic Journal)

27 min
JAN 28

LAOS - Damning the Mekong - a Discussion on Hydropower with Dom and Lotta

Damning the Mekong - Can we call hydropower clean energy? Whilst certainly renewable, hydropower can’t claim to have clean hands on the Mekong River, where it is causing widespread ecological and social damage, across many national borders. Despite the damning evidence and widespread impacts, many more dams are in the pipeline, and are getting constructed with enthusiasm from those who profit. Join Dom and Lotta as they discuss the many facets of hydropower, and explain how damming the river changes the hydrology, ecology, and geomorphology of the river, and how its impacting the millions who rely upon a healthy river. Sources: Basin-Wide Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Hydropower Production. Mekong River Commission. 2018 The Political Ecology of Large Hydropower Dams in the Mekong Basin: A Comprehensive Review. Carl Middleton. 2022 Impacts of Mainstream Hydropower Development on Fisheries and Human Nutrition in the Lower Mekong. Christopher D. Golden et al. 2019 Understanding the impact of hydropower developments in the context of upstream-downstream relations in the Mekong River basin, Claudia kuenzer et al. 2012 Various ways hydro are impacting the Mekong Delta: https://www.mekongeye.com/2022/02/11/floods-and-migrants-of-vietnams-mekong-delta-25-lessons-from-the-data Piece by the BBC recommended by Lotta: https://www.bbc.com/audio/play/p0gsp9q4

51 min
JAN 21

THAILAND - Coups, Conflict, Kings and [no] Colonisation, Cam’s brief history of Thai politics

Cam takes a meander through Thai political history, including how Thailand avoided colonisation, why they keep fighting with Cambodia and how they continue as a stable, prosperous country despite having a military coup roughly every eight years. Apologies for my pronunciation of Thai names.

27 min
JAN 14

THAILAND AND ELSEWHERE - Floods, the future and us, with Lotta and Dom

Join Lotta and Dom as they dive deep into the floodwaters that hit South East Asia last year - and swim through the nuanced and shocking currents of human’s relationships with floods from the past into the future. We also do a bit of a nerd out about the climate - if you’ve decided to skip that section, jump to 13:25! Some papers , books and other resources I recommend checking out if you’re curious! https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-021-00199-z - the article which links ENSO to climate change In Praise of Floods by James C. Scott - a different view of rivers, that tries to decenter humans within the river ecosystem https://coastal.climatecentral.org/map/9/105.8996/20.8793/?theme=sea_level_rise&map_type=year&basemap=roadmap&contiguous=true&elevation_model=best_available&forecast_year=2050&pathway=ssp3rcp70&percentile=p50&refresh=true&return_level=return_level_1&rl_model=coast_rp&slr_model=ipcc_2021_med - a map with projected sea level rises worldwide. Interactive, fun and sobering Amphibious Anthropologies, Living in Wet Environments - a super cool collection of writings of people living in changing wet environments I’m dying to read! https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20181129-the-underground-cathedral-protecting-tokyo-from-floods - Tokyo’s flood cathedral

39 min
JAN 6

THAILAND - A Breath of Fresh Blair

What a spicy group episode! Spanning two birthdays, Christmas and the lovely addition of our friend Blair for three weeks of adventure. Join us as we take overnight trains, learn how to make papaya salad for Bec’s birthday, push bikes up endless and steep hills, learn a couple of words of Karen and embark on our (long) path to enlightenment with the help of Buddhist teachings. We also have a shallow dive for you on the mysteries and subterfuge of the Golden Triangle - the Special Economic Zone where China, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet. This episode is a bit different as logistics and fun got in the way of a fully fledged episode - but worry not! There is enough to make you gasp, laugh and cringe, nonetheless. As we explore different forms of travel and slightly different itineraries, you can expect some changes in the group episodes this year, we’ll take it as it comes! Deep dives will still be going strong as we obsess about random topics in each country we visit. Book recommendations for this episode: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (megaaaa classicccc that Dom and Blair were obsessing over) On the Shadow Tracks: A Journey Through Occupied Myanmar by Clare Hammond (fantastic journalism and insight into Myanmar you didn’t know you needed) Juice by Tim Winton (recommended before, recommended again no that Dom has finished it: get on it beans) Thanks for listening! Subscribe, share, like… all that jazz. Love you guys!

47 min
12/22/2025

MALAYSIA – Can Palm Oil Ever Be Sustainable?

Over our travels we have crossed one of the heartland countries for the controversial palm oil industry – Malaysia. In today's deep dive, Bec and Lotta discuss the environmental and ethical issues levelled at Big Oil Palm, trying to answer the question of whether palm oil can ever be a truly sustainable product. We also have the privilege of hearing from renowned Malaysian economist Jomo Kwame Sundaram on this episode. Bec interviews him about the colonial roots of the rubber and oil palm industries. Enjoy listening! Full bio for Professor Jomo: Jomo Kwame Sundaram is a Research Adviser, Khazanah Research Institute, Fellow, Academy of Science, Malaysia, and Emeritus Professor, University of Malaya. He was UN Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, Assistant Director General, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Founder-Chair, International Development Economics Associates (IDEAs) and President, Malaysian Social Science Association. Jomo has authored and edited over a hundred books, written many academic papers and media articles, besides translating 12 volumes. He has received the 2007 Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought, several honorary doctorates and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) Award in Social Sciences for 2026. Important links: Sites of Displacement photo essay by Australian academic Christine Horn

48 min

We are four travelling beans from Perth who have taken on the challenge (and adventure) of journeying from our isolated home to Europe by trail, rail and sail. Join us as we meander across Asia, exploring different continents, cultures and conversations – no flights, no rush.

Creator

Cam, Dom, Bec and Lotta
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

24
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© Cam, Dom, Bec and Lotta
Show Website

The Meandering Pod