The Bangkok Podcast Greg Jorgensen & Ed Knuth

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.

Greg and Ed interview their old friend Stuart of Travelfish, master of all things travel and tourism in Southeast Asia. Greg begins by reading a quote from an article on the weird duality of tourism: by sacralizing a location, tourism results in its ‘desecration by footprints.’ Stuart gives his take and undoubtedly agrees that this is generally true, hence his take on ‘environmental tourism,’ or tourism that is very conscious of its effect on the locations it promotes. He explains that the cons of tourism for locals (such as crime, drugs, environmental damage, etc.) can often outweigh the pros of increased income. 
The guys then discuss the overall effect of the COVID pandemic that more or less shut down tourism around the world. Stuart notes that he had hoped that the shutdown, which resulted in the rebirth and reconstruction of some areas hit hard by high volume tourism, would lead to an increased awareness of the damage and perhaps a new policy upon re-opening. Unfortunately, most countries, including Thailand, have reverted to a ‘growth at all costs’ approach in an effort to get back to pre-pandemic visitor numbers. Stuart laments this outcome in great (and grave) detail. 
The old friends continue with other tourism related issues, such as the growth of ‘secondary tourism,’ or alternative destinations off the beaten path. Stuart notes that this was actually MORE common in the early days of tourism in Thailand, when backpackers would essentially wander the whole country. Alas, over the years, a small number of destinations became so popular that alternative destinations fell by the wayside. Stuart sees glimmers of hope that if the Thai government won’t limit overall tourism numbers, at least they will try to spread the tourists to more locations which could of course limit some of the negative effects of overtourism.
Tune in next week for Part 2 of our interview with Stuart MacDonald. 
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.

In a twist on our history episodes, Greg and Ed revisit the devastating tsunami of 2004. Greg begins with a thorough summary of the event, which begins with an absolutely massive earthquake off the coast of Sumatra that caused a rift and shift on the ocean, creating immense waves that would affect multiple continents. Reverberations were felt as far away as the state of Oklahoma. The devastating results eventually took the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Southeast Asia. 
Greg and Ed recount their memories. In Greg’s case, he had just flown out of Thailand to Amsterdam and learned of the tsunami after he touched down. He relates how he was glued to the TV and as the horrific death toll numbers climbed and climbed. For Ed, he was in Bangkok and actually tried to go to work the morning of the event, only to find that his office had been closed due to a countrywide shutdown. He did manage to feel an aftershock while in his office tower though. The guys discuss the total shock felt by the entire country of Thailand, and all the positive vibes that the Thai people gave to all the foreigners affected by the tragic act of nature. 
Greg then talks with listener Hugh Van Es , who has written a short book about his devastating search for a friend lost in the waves called Hell in Paradise. His first-person account of Phuket after the disaster is a sobering account of just how big an event it was, and how - even 20 years later - it seems that everyone knows someone who was affected.
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 Greg and Ed’s interview with Ron Weaver, otherwise known as ‘AmericanThaiGuy’ on social media. Ron begins Part 2 by directly addressing his experience as a black man in Thailand. He carefully explains his preference for living in Thailand over living in the U.S., explaining that although Thai people typically don’t prefer darker skin, their approach to the preference is indirect rather than confrontational. He argues that Buddhist culture truly tends to focus on whether a person is good or bad and mostly he feels judged by that, rather than the color of his skin. In short, in the States Ron feels that in certain places he might have to fear being physically assaulted, but in Thailand he simply never has to worry about that. 
Greg and Ed trade stories about the VERY minor examples they have of being treated differently as white guys in Thailand, and the guys discuss the valuable lesson this may impart. Ron then also elaborates on the general Asian preference for lighter skin, and he distinguishes this from true racism by pointing out this may simply be an effect of capitalism. Simply put, companies trying to make money amplify a preference and make it salient in the culture simply for the profit motive. Many Asians who pursue the preference do so innocently merely as the product of their society and the concordant effect of marketing in it. 
The three expat veterans continue with a discussion of ‘wokeness’ in Thai society and the role that economic inequality plays in the evaluation of race. Listen in for a truly unique take on being an expat in Thailand! 
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 interview Ron Weaver, aka ‘AmericanThaiGuy,’ on his life as an expat in Thailand as well as his excellent Thai language skills. Ron begins by waxing rhapsodically about his first visits to Thailand, when he fell in love with the weather, the food, the nice people, and shockingly, the women. Although he loved the country, communication was so frustrating that he vowed to learn the language. But unlike 95% of expats who make that vow, he actually did. 
The guys trade language learning stories and agree that necessity is the key motivational factor: if you feel as if you don’t HAVE TO learn the language, you probably won’t. Ron was able to put himself into the mindset that he HAD TO speak Thai if he was going to survive in Thailand and that allowed him to put in a good five years of work to get fluent.
Ron discusses various Thai learning strategies and explains his rise on social media as an explainer of Thai culture and language to foreigners. An excerpt from Ron’s popular Instagram channel demonstrates his unique teaching style, in which he often role plays more than one character in humorous situations. In addition to teaching the quirks of Thai, he also has his own podcast, unique in the whole country, in which foreigners speak to each other exclusively in Thai. 
Tune in next week when Ron delves deep into his experiences as an African-American in a country infamous for its preference for light skin tones. 
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.