Partying Swiss-style in Bangkok: Ricola Rolls Out the Herb Carpet

As a blogger in Bangkok, sometimes you get invited to events that run the gamut from huge to intimate, celebratory to somber, memorable and forgettable. I rarely go to these, usually due to a combination of being lazy and busy (I'm complicated), but a few weeks ago I was invited to an event by a company that was both familiar - hearkening back to my childhood - and vague, in that it wasn't a company you'd expect to be throwing shindigs: Ricola.

2017-03-10T08:56:00+00:00Bangkok, Food, Fun Stuff, Thailand|0 Comments
Read More

Technology to the Rescue: Working With Thai Police to Save a Stranded Friend

When you come to Thailand on a vacation, you hope that your trip will be smooth sailing. No problems, no hiccups, no wrinkles...just your itinerary the way you planned it. That's usually what happens - but not always. A few weeks ago a visiting group of friends had what you'd call a problem...and a hiccup, and a wrinkle - all on the same night! Thankfully, with the help of modern technology - and especially a few friendly Thai policemen - we were able to rescue them from what could have been a very long and very bad night.

2017-01-15T14:42:05+00:00Asia, Holidays, Thailand, Transport, Travel, Video|10 Comments
Read More

The Bangkok Podcast is Back!

In May of 2010, my friend Tony Joh and I stuffed ourselves into a hot, tiny little room in the back of a friend's office, set up a few beat-up old microphones, and hit record on a laptop. It was the beginning of the Bangkok Podcast, and we had no idea if it would be successful or not, or if we'd even enjoy it or not. Luckily, it panned out, and over the next few years we did a weekly show that allowed us to meet monks, journalists, celebrities, politicians, and scholars, among others. It was great fun, but when Tony moved to Tokyo and I got busy with a new job and married life, we pulled the plug. However, as of November 2016, the Bangkok Podcast is BACK, BABY!

2016-12-05T11:27:03+00:00Audio, Bangkok, Technology, Thailand|8 Comments
Read More

What do you do with satang coins?

As a Canadian, I grew up getting used to throwing away money. Okay, not real money - pennies. In Canada GST is added to everything, so if a price tag says $2, the actual price will be like $2.28 (in Thailand, if the price tag says 143 baht, it's 143 baht). But the pennies that accumulate in the transaction were the bane of many Canadians' existence, piling up, filling pockets and jars, and generally being nearly useless (until they discontinued them in 2013). But that was nothing compared to the Thai equivalent - the dreaded satang coin.

2016-12-05T15:06:01+00:00Financial, Thailand|8 Comments
Read More

A Bangkok Field Trip: The Search for Captain Bush’s Grave

The Search for Captain Bush’s Grave started when my friend Andrew sent me an email asking if I knew anything about the old abandoned house that sat, forgotten and forlorn, across from the Sheraton Hotel. The house itself is gorgeous but decaying; it sits as if slumped in a beanbag chair, shutters falling off, paint peeling, bricks missing, weeds growing through every crevice. And the street that it sits on? Charoen Krung soi 30 – aka, Soi Captain Bush. […]

2016-11-20T14:41:46+00:00Asia, Bangkok, History, Religion, Thailand|7 Comments
Read More

My Childhood in Canada vs. My Son’s Childhood in Thailand

After living over 35% of my life in Thailand, I’m always reminded on my all-too-infrequent trips back to Canada how much I took for granted growing up. When I was a kid, I hated the town I lived in – “Ugh, I can’t wait to get out of this place!” we all used to say, like we were singing the chorus of a Springsteen song. But looking back with grace and age, it’s clear to me how idyllic my childhood really was – miles of green grass, flat sidewalks, bike lanes, and baseball diamonds. The bank tellers knew me […]

2016-11-20T14:41:28+00:00Bangkok, Culture, Kids, Thailand, Travel|12 Comments
Read More

You’ve Probably Bought Fake CDs But Have You Ever Eaten Counterfeit Food?

I’ll be the first to admit that in the past, from time to time, I have bought counterfeit things. You know, in moments of extreme weakness. Taken a shortcut to save a few bucks. Usually it was for things that were pretty low profile – DVDs (back when people still bought those), shoes, sunglasses, and the like. But as I got older, I started to appreciate that, generally, you get what you pay for. When it’s a DVD it’s not a huge deal, but when you start to realize that the world of counterfeits extends to more serious […]

2016-11-20T14:40:53+00:00Bangkok, Culture, Food, Health, Thailand|2 Comments
Read More

The One Constant About Having Kids in Thailand

If you haven’t picked up on it during previous posts, I’m the proud father of a beautiful, hilarious, mischievous, lovely little boy who just turned 1. I’ve written pages and pages privately about the experience thus far, but very little publicly. I wanted to reflect on one element of being a parent in Thailand that has never stopped making me laugh and/or frown in equal measure, and that is how Thais – most of the time females – react to kids. […]

2016-11-20T14:55:05+00:00Asia, Bangkok, Culture, Kids, Thailand|13 Comments
Read More

It’s surprisingly hard to spend a huge housing allowance in Bangkok

Finding a really sweet pad in Bangkok is a rite of passage for anyone new to the city, as well as a draining and sometimes mystifying quest for old hands. Where to look? How to look? By local standards, what’s considered big or small, a good deal or a bad deal? What should you look out for? How “native” do you want to go? We covered this a few years back in an episode of Bangkok Podcast, but it remains one of the biggest issues facing expats here today. But recently a friend emailed me some interesting problems […]

2016-11-20T14:59:24+00:00Bangkok, Culture, Thailand|0 Comments
Read More
Go to Top