Bangkok

Tweeting from @Bangkoking

When Twitter started to gain popularity about 5 years ago I thought it was the dumbest thing I’d ever heard. Who can get a good idea across in 140 characters? Why do I care what one-line thoughts people have? But far be it from me to resist a trend, I eventually tried it out and immediately became a huge convert. Not only has it opened up an entirely new way of learning and communicating with everyone from my upstairs neighbor to my sister who lives in an area in Canada so remote even the Inuit think she’s nuts, […]

Greg2016-11-17T15:47:57+00:00Bangkok, Technology|0 Comments

Spending Time in a Salt Cave

Every so often my dear ol' wife will come across an online coupon for a meal or a movie or a store that we check out. This has gotten a lot more prevelant with the rise of Groupon and, especially in Thailand, Ensogo. She recently came across a deal on something called a salt cave - indeed, it's name is Salt Cave. Bangkok is a city with no lack of trendy, often goofy fads, fashions and manias, and I figured this was one of them. Go and sit in a room full of salt...sure, why not, it'll be a laugh. But I did a bit of research online and, whaddya know, it's an actual thing! So, putting my cynicism aside, we went to the Salt Cave to sit and breathe the salty air.

Greg2016-11-17T15:47:59+00:00Bangkok, Health|0 Comments

Texting With a Scam Artist

The oft-discussed topic of scam artists in Bangkok is a touchy subject. Convincing unsuspecting foreigners that their chosen temple/museum/attraction is closed and shoehorning them into a finely-tuned scam that's designed to part them from their money is big business. Despite promises of crackdowns, the scams still exist in large numbers, but it never ceases to amaze me just how many foreigners fall for these scams. I guess a large part of it is that you're in a strange city, disoriented, maybe a bit lost, hungry, thirsty, whatever, and a friendly voice is always a good thing, right? Still, I often wonder what would happen without the smiling face, so just for fun I made a little phone text experiment here that mimics how a typical scam plays out and the answers that one should give.

Greg2016-11-17T15:47:59+00:00Bangkok, Technology, Tips on Visiting|0 Comments

My PechaKucha Speech

On July 9, I was honored to be invited to speak at the all new PechaKucha Bangkok. Yeah, I know, I think it's a weird name too, but it's a pretty cool concept. Basically, it started in Japan as a forum for designers and creative people to get together and share their ideas and concepts. About 8 people get up and present something, and each of them has to get their idea across using only 20 PowerPoint slides, each one for exactly 20 seconds. It's a great format for a presentation, because every speaker has exactly the same amount of time, and it encourages presenters to be quick and punchy in their presentation style. A few weeks ago I was asked to present, so I chose my favorite hobby (besides nerding out online) - riding my bike in Bangkok.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:00+00:00Bangkok, Biking, Video|0 Comments

Dangerous Crowds on the BTS

Another day, another rush hour. I use the BTS every day to get to and from work, and many more times throughout the week to visit friends, move across town and even take my bike from point A to a little bit closer to point B where the bike ride will start. I'd say about 98% of the time the ride is pleasant, fast and hassle free. Yeah, it can be crowded, but what major city doesn't have a crowded mass transit system? Tokyo's is arguably the best in the world, and their train cars are busting at the seams. However, there comes a point when the issue of safety starts to creep into boring ol' issues like crowding and late trains, and Bangkok's BTS is now seeing that more and more often. Steps are being taken to address the safety issue, but will it be enough?

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:00+00:00Bangkok, Transport|8 Comments

The Return of Bangkok Podcast!

My friend Tony and I had a lot of fun doing the Bangkok Podcast, but as I've written here before, it was a surprising amount of work to put together a weekly 1-hour show. Scheduling guests, booking studio time, lugging equimpment around, editing...it took its toll, especially when both of us had other full-time gigs to deal with. As they do, things change - Tony moved to Japan, I got married and started working on a handful of new projects - but now with the magic ot technology, we're both pretty happy to say that Bangkok Podcast has returned! Although in a slightly different format.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:01+00:00Audio, Bangkok, Web Media|0 Comments

The Sound of Culture in a Noisy City

Bangkok's noise is legendary, from the constant growl of traffic, to the bleating of 'pretty girls' selling the latest whitening cream, to outdoor speakers turned up to 11. It's often hard to find a peaceful corner - a fact that Not the Nation parodied so well - and when you do, you cherish it. It's even nicer when that peaceful corner is filled with lovely, soft classical music. I was lucky enough to attend an event recently that was just that, and even luckier to hang out with the talented musicans that performed. Surprisingly, they told me that these types of events were more common that I thought - you just have to know where to look.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:02+00:00Bangkok, Culture, Music|0 Comments

A Visit to Wat Paknam

There are plenty of temples (wats) spread around Bangkok, and after a while they just kind of blend into the background like Fred Flinstone running past the same house over and over again. It's a shame, really, because although most of them look the same from the outside, each one has its own unique story and history. I've only explored a small handfully in any detail myself, most notably Wat Traimit, as I used to live close by, and Wat Ratchabophit on an excursion with Siam Society several years ago, so I was happy to accept an invitataiton from my venerable buddy Phra Pandit to visit him at his temple, Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen (aka Wat Paknam), for lunch and a tour.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:09+00:00Bangkok, Religion|0 Comments

A Plastic Overload at 7-11

If you've ever walked by any abandoned lots in most any big city in the world, you know that plastic has a habit of piling up and causing all kinds of ugly problems. Well, it's no different in Thailand and the biggest and most visible kid on the block in terms of where all this plastic comes from is the ubiquitous 7-11. Indeed, it's one of the long-running jokes here that whenever you go into one to buy a few little things, you come out with two bags, four straws of varying sizes, a handful of little plastic spoons, a bunch of stickers and a receipt, all for something that you bought with pocket change. I thought, as a retailing behemoth, surely they're aware of just how much they're contributing - and more importantly for a big company, how much they could save - if they weren't handing out so much damn plastic. To find out, I called and called and called, and finally got through to their Corporate Communications Division.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:11+00:00Audio, Bangkok, Shopping, Thailand|0 Comments

A Few Thoughts on Thai Healthcare

I've been away from Canada for so long now that I barely remember how the much-vaunted health care system works there anymore. Thankfully I've never needed a major operation, and any minor procedures I ever had done were just kind of...taken care of. Whenever I visited a doctor in Canada, I always trusted them 100%. Sure, you might get a second opinion, but you were always pretty sure that each doctor had your best interests in mind and that each one would narrow your ailment down to a fairly specific ballpark. But in Thailand, it sometimes takes a while to learn that things might not always be what they seem, and you have options as to the who, what, and where of your healthcare.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:12+00:00Bangkok, Health, Thailand|0 Comments