Apr 11, 2016
This week we’re thrilled to report that our constant quest for quality beer has been fulfilled! Though we still have to pay the annoying 400% import tax, we’ve started getting beer deliveries from Wishbeer. A few clicks on our phone and a motorscooter shows up an hour later with a dozen quality craft beers for us, chilled and ready to drink! And we also found a brand new place called Bottles of Beer just a few stops up the SkyTrain from us. We’re sure it’ll be packed before long, but for now it’s our hidden watering hole!
But we’re not just about the beer. We’ve two travel stories to share on today’s program, one about our ongoing life in Thailand and another from Austria:
1. Clean BTS, Bathrooms, and Butts
Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod
Last week’s show might have left you with the impression that Bangkok is a dirty city. Worse, that Bangkokians or Thais in general are dirty people. That is categorically not true, and we owe it to set the record straight. The truth is that “cleanliness” is a big part of “Thainess”, and the evidence of that comes in odd ways.
2. Austrian Sauna Confessionals
Music credit: Everything Hurts, I Wanna Dance by Sounds Like An Earful
We’re not known for having prudish friends, and Alex is no exception. However, cultural norms around nudity are just that: cultural. People who travel frequently -- especially travel writers like Alex Berger -- find themselves in uncharted territory a lot when it comes to acting like a local. And when the clothes come off, it becomes even more awkward. Even when you’re deep in a culture that’s very OK with nudity, the exact question of when you disrobe remains. It’s not like this is the stuff they put in guidebooks, right?
And that’s the show!
As promised, it’s vacation week (Happy Songkran!) for us and we’re heading to the mountains of northern Thailand for a much-needed getaway.
But it looks like a bunch of new people have discovered our show. Or perhaps old listeners have re-discovered now that we’ve settled on a format they like. Whatever the case, welcome to all the new people (and thanks for sticking around to all the legacy listeners!) We didn’t want to skip a week, so call this one a bonus!
If you’re new to the show -- or maybe you’ve come back after a hiatus -- let us know. You can drop us a comment on the show notes on our Facebook page or on our website. And as always, we’d love to have you come on the show and tell your funny story just like Alex did today. Just get in touch!
Special thanks to Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com and to Chris from Sounds Like An Earful for the songs used in this episode.
Funding for this podcast and all the great content we produce is made possible by listeners just like you. Visit ShEvo.wtf/postcards to pledge your support, and get a hand written postcard each month as we travel abroad.
Additional funding provided by TravelSmith. Inspiring people to go places they've never been, and keeping us looking smart and well-outfitted on our journey.
And if you want to travel the world… it’s cheaper than you think! Visit ShEvo.wtffor more details, and click on the Housesitting link to find out exactly how we afford to travel the world in style.