Bangkok Needs A Facelift (2.46)

This week we take a break from talking about how much we love
Bangkok to discuss the city's ugly, dusty, dirty side. Prior to
that we'll tell you about our bike-tastic weekend. Because
sometimes you just gotta get out of the city and enjoy the rest of
Thailand, right? Evo gets burned on the beach in Hua
Hin, and Greg MacGyver's his way through a bike ride in remote
Bangkok. Clearly we love living in the Kingdom, but as
with most relationships, there are things that drive you a bit
crazy. One of those things about Bangkok is that while it's
certainly a fascinating city, it is not a very
attractive city. At least not at first
sight. What's not to love? Well… abandoned buildings
still dot the landscape, giving many aspects of Bangkok a bit of a
post-apocalyptic feel. And even for occupied buildings, the
elements aren't nice to our hi-so condos, and many could use with a
fresh (or perhaps first ever) coat of paint. When you do see color
on buildings, it's often from re-purposed polyvinyl signs used in
some rather ingenious (and likely not permitted) construction
project. Of course, we'll talk about the twisted knot of
telecommunication lines that is inescapable in Bangkok if you
happen to look just slightly up. Which you probably don't do very
often for fear of stepping into an open hole in the sidewalk,
falling down a bottomless pit. But maybe that's just
our perception as farangs who've lived too long in the city? For it
certainly stands in contrast with the army of street cleaners who
sweep the streets around Bangkok with brooms and dustpans. Give
this episode a listen and let us know your thoughts on the
less-beautiful side of Bangkok. Maybe we're being to
critical? Love, Loathe, or Leave How do
we feel about fish sauce, that salty, MSG-laden black liquid that
Bangkokians put on just about everything? Not surprisingly, it's a
split decision this week. (Spoiler: One of your hosts might have
sent a whole bunch of postcards around the
world doused in the savory goodness! And the other
likes ketchup. Gross.) We Love Our Supporters!
You really need to meet Christine Foti, the lovely person
this week who deserves our thanks and your awe. Why? A few years
back she called her cable company to cancel her service, and they
were so scared of losing such a stellar customer, they offered to
pay her if she didn't leave. Now
she makes a nice chunk of change from companies that simply want to
be associated with her. When she's not doing that, Christine and a
few other fantastic people help us keep the show free of annoying
ads and get access to bonus content, cool swag and more by
supporting us on Patreon. You should join
them! Also, thanks to J Robert MM for the lovely
review of the Bangkok Podcast on iTunes. You rock, JRMM, and enjoy
life in Kanchanburi! Want More Bangkok Podcast In Your
Life? If it's your first time experiencing The Bangkok
Podcast, you really should get our show downloading to your phone
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Facebook page, tweet to us
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contact form on our website. You may also be
interested in Greg's tweets of snarky Bangkok
goodness, and you can see way too much of Evo's
face  on Instagram. If
you're really new, the Bangkok Podcast is co-hosted by
Greg Jorgensen and Evo
Terra. Together the have over 20 years expat
experience in Bangkok, and are self-certified experts in living in
the City of Angels. (Not Los Angeles. Thailand, silly!)
(Direct download .mp3)