Tips on Visiting

‘Greg’s Bangkok’ – My Very Own Walking Tour App

Update: The app below is now discontinued, but my tours are now available via the VoiceMap app, for iPhone and Android. Check them out here.

Well, it’s taken the better part of 18 months, but the Bangkok walking tour app that I’ve helped put together is finally available for download! As of launch, there are 4 tours available that take you on foot through some of Bangkok’s most interesting areas, from a quick food walk through Chinatown to a half-day route that takes you clear across the city (don’t worry – part of it […]

Greg2016-11-21T04:28:35+00:00Bangkok, Tips on Visiting, Travel|12 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

That Taxi Meter’s Rigged!

The other day my friend Bangkok Di put out a tweet about how she thought the meter in her taxi was ticking up a bit faster than normal. I replied and told her that it sometimes happens to me too, especially when coming from the airport, and it touched off a short but vigorous debate online. Some said that the higher meter fare was because it runs when the car is parked and traffic must have been bad; some said the distance must have been longer; but either way, I agree with Di – some taxis in Bangkok do use meters that have been tampered with. It’s happened to me on several occasions - though very rarely - but the question remains: what do you do about it?

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:18+00:00Bangkok, Technology, Tips on Visiting, Transport|0 Comments

A Few Suggested Tools for Life in Bangkok

Every big city has its own unique attitude, and likewise everyone living in every one of these big cities requires a certain set of implements, tools and gear in order to get the most out of life there. In my home city - Calgary, Alberta (motto: You don't work with horses or in oil? What do you do?) - the necessary tools were, among others, a car (it's a big city area-wise), winter clothes, and maybe a pack of Skoal if you want to mimic the stanky, cancer-ridden jawline of your cowboy hereoes. But Bangkok - with its vast canvas of contrasting landscapes, transport, people, and infrastructure - is a much more enjoyable place to live if you have the right tools to cut through the din. I came up with a few items that make my life in Bangkok that much easier.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:24+00:00Bangkok, Tips on Visiting|0 Comments

Telling Myself About Bangkok

I’ve gotten a lot of requests over the past while asking for various bits of info on Bangkok, and have seen a lot of chatter on the intertubes relating to the city by the people that have visited - critiques, commentary, criticism and praise. Most has been praise, but even the criticism is refreshing because it allows me just a tiny glimpse of my first year here. I got to thinking - what hints I would tell myself if I got a chance to send a short note back through time to myself in 2001 just as I arrived in Bangkok. Nothing major, like "That guy will betray your friendship," or "She just wants a baby, run!", but rather general little hints that would have eased my passage into life in the 'Kok. Here are a few I thought of.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:27+00:00Bangkok, Tips on Visiting|0 Comments

Five Things I Wish I Knew About Thailand Before I Got Here

After a few years as an expat, you look back on your first days/weeks/months here and smile. Or cringe. Usually cringe. The amount of mistakes and cultural boo-boo's you make in your first foray into fitting into a new culture is often the source of much guffaws for Thais, and - hopefully - act as benchmarks for the progress you've made in adapting to living in the Land of Smiles. However, hindsight is 20/20, and I was thinking recently about a few things I wish I had known before I came overe here. It could have saved me a few grief-filled afternoons, but... then again, I wouldn't have some of the cool stories I do. At any rate, here are my top five things I wish that I had known before I moved to Thailand.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:29+00:00Bangkok, Culture, Thailand, Tips on Visiting, Travel|0 Comments

Ten Commandments for Living in Thailand

thumb Every place has rules - from your school to your job to your girlfriend's apartment, there are just certain tenets you need to follow if you don't want to get a boot to the curb. Countries work the same way. Some rules are legal, some are moral, and some belong to that long and growing list of unwritten rules that govern different parts of our life (such as the one saying that male friends can't touch knees in a movie theater). Below are some of the rules that you need to live by if you plan on staying in Thailand for any length of time. Of course, my list is by no means comprehensive, but it's a start.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:42+00:00Bangkok, Culture, Language, Pop Culture, Thailand, Tips on Visiting, Travel|0 Comments

Welcome to Bangkok! Don’t Forget Your Street Smarts

thumb When you travel to Thailand - Bangkok in particular - you need to bring a lot of stuff. Passport and money, sunblock and music, flip-flops and camera… the list is long and varied. But whether you’re vacationing here or living here, there’s one thing that comes in handy all the time, everyday; the only caveat is that this thing is something you can’t buy. It’s street smarts. Bangkok is a city that requires a healthy dose of skepticism and a whole lot of savviness, without which you might find yourself in a bit of a pickle.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:45+00:00Bangkok, Culture, Tips on Visiting|3 Comments

A Bangkok Good Time for $10 or $1,000 – the Choice is Yours

thumb3 With the recent release of ECA's Cost of Living survey, many people have been surprised to learn that some of the most expensive cities for expats to live in are not what you'd expect. For instance, Tokyo, Japan is #2, second only to Luanda, Angola. Angola?! Indeed, there are many cities on there that you wouldn't expect to find, and our beloved Bangkok comes in at 28th on the list of the most expensive cities in Asia. In terms of cost, Bangkok is a bit of a bear to figure out, but it's one of the things I love - a great night out can cost you a few bucks, or set you back several thousand, depending on what your tastes are.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:47+00:00Bangkok, Tips on Visiting|0 Comments

The Dreaded Visa Run

The first time many people hear the term 'visa run' it makes no sense. Is it when I leave my credit card in a taxi and run after it? Was there a run on visa applications? But the longer you live in Thailand (and most any country, I would imagine), the better versed in the complicated - but necessary - trial of the visa run you become. Essentially, all a visa run means is that you have to check in with the immigration authorities at the border by leaving and then coming back into Thailand. This can mean anything from a two-month holiday around Asia to literally getting stamped out of Thailand and turning around to get stamped right back in again. Navigating the rules and regulations can be tricky, but you learn fast enough - you have to.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:53+00:00Thailand, Tips on Visiting, Travel|0 Comments