This One Time | Comedy, Travel & Relationship Advice From Shevo

Holy cow how did we make 28 episodes of our second season? Clearly we did, and you must like it, so I guess we’ll keep going. So without any further ado... We have two more stories on today’s show, one from Thailand and one from America: 1. Mooless Island Life Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod We’re stoked that Thailand’s rainy season has brought cooler temperatures to Bangkok. But they also bring… well, rain. And that’s not what you want when you visit an island for a three day weekend. Nor do you want to have to deal with allergens in your pillows. All you really want is pork, which is a stupid thing to want when you’re surrounded by Muslims. Someone will never learn. 2. Bridging the Gap Music credit: Lewis & Dekalb by Kevin MacLeod Our friend Ben Patch spent his formative years traveling The States doing children’s theater. Yes, it’s a lot of work, but it also leaves one with plenty of time to get out and explore their new surroundings. For a budding photography, it’s a great chance to see

Things are heating up here in Thailand, but hopefully a break in the weather is in sight. And sorry for the less-than-perfect audio for the first half of this week’s show. We didn’t take our good equipment with us to the festival (more on that in a moment), so we did it the old way with our headsets and phones. Still, it was a story that needed to be told. Perhaps by less exhausted people, but we work with what we have. Two more stories on today’s show, one from Thailand and one from Canada that is uniquely Canadian: 1. Thailand Takes On SpaceX Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod It’s called the Bun Bang Fai Festival, and it happens every year in northeastern Thailand. We flew up to see what this rarely-seen strange festival was all about. And boy how, did we. Bamboo “rockets” (sans fins) are jam-packed with 265 pounds of hand-mixed gunpowder, and then strapped to wooden scaffolding some 40 feet in the air by drunken villagers. And then lit on fire. Yeah. That happened. 2. Don’t Hug The Elk Music cr

Plenty of things are cheaper in Thailand than they are back home. Fresh produce is one those, so we probably shouldn’t have been surprised at the low cost of wholesale marijuana. No, we didn’t buy any. But these two taxi drivers decided to get in the business. Bad move, fellas. Instead of going on and on about something we don’t know about, we bring you two stories on today’s show, one from Thailand and one from the good ol’ US of A: 1. No International Incidents Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod We try hard not to get arrested while we’re abroad. Or rather, that’s Evo’s stance. Sheila, on the other hand, seems to actively work against that goal. Which you’ll find surprising, but then you’ll hear that an old abandoned trainyard in Bangkok was involved, and you’ll think “Oh… yeah. I can see that.” 2. Rocking Mt. Rushmore Music credit: Carpe Diem by Kevin MacLeod Taking two school aged daughters and an infant son on an open-ended cross-country road trip isn’t everyone’s idea of a much needed vacatio

Bangkok’s much lauded Dinosaur Planet theme park caught on fire today. And if that’s not strange enough, it was the ferris wheel that burst into flames. That’s right. Ferris, as in iron. Iron burns in this country. What the hell are we doing here? On today’s show, we have two travel stories to share, one from Vietnam and one from Poland: 1. Hapless In Hanoi Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod Look, no one ever said Evo was a genius. Brilliant, sure. But genius? That’s stretching things. Especially since he can’t even manage to leave the country for a quick border hop without leaving almost everything he needed behind. Luckily he had his passport and credit card. The rest? Not so much. 2. Crashing A Polish Wedding Music credit: Suave Standpipe by Kevin MacLeod Getting into a serious car accident on the way to a wedding is everyone’s nightmare. Having it happen in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language is a special nightmare for world travelers. Somehow winding up back in time to pre-Sol

Just a quick follow up to the blighted phone booth cleanup show from a few weeks back: That crazy Bangkok notion looks like it’s going into action! But that’s not what we wanted to talk about with you on today’s program. Instead, we have two travel stories to share, one from Bangkok and one from Kiribati: 1. Bangkok Movie Madness Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod Bangkok maybe of the more diverse places to watch first-run movies. Sure, you can have your run-of-the-mill theater experience much like you would in any Western city. Or you can opt to live like a fat cat, soaking up (and paying for) the personal privilege of a VIP movie experience. But our favorite? The gritty throwback theaters of Lido and Scala. They’ve the best popcorn in town! 2. Kicked Out Of Kiribati Music credit: Thief In The Night by Kevin MacLeod Gary Arndt’s made a career out of travel. But it almost ended just a few months after he got started, thanks to an overzealous immigration agent in Kiribati. Then again, having a chall

Things are getting busy here at ShEvo Studios, as Evo’s picking up a few podcasting clients. Hooray for additional income! And hooray for the new podcasts he’s helping to launch. We’ll talk more about them in the coming weeks, obviously. We have two travel stories to share on today’s program, one about recent trip to Chiang Rai and one from England: 1. A Holiday For Dicks Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod Last week was Songkran and we made our way to Chiang Rai in northern Thailand to take in the festivities. And by “festivities”, we mean a three-day state-sanctioned country-wide water fight. Smart people leave the country. But no one ever said we were smart. And we took in two of the strangest attractions in all of Thailand. What a weird country we live in. 2. Ill-Timed Sneeze Music credit: Squinch Machine by Kevin MacLeod Tony C Smith is starting a new podcast -- Your Remarkable Adventure. To get himself ready for adventure, he’s getting fit, working out, and eating way WAY too many dried aprico

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 b

It’s hot in Bangkok. Like… always hot. Which is why so many tourists and expats walk around in shorts and tank-tops all the time. But now that we have an actual closet, it’s rather nice to wear clothes that we actually care about. That, and we don’t want to get mistaken for backpackers or sexpats. Still, it’s a little strange for Evo to declare his undying love for a pair of pants. (Thanks, TravelSmith!) But he does seem to genuinely love wearing them, which makes Bangkok that much more beautiful by not having his chicken legs strutting around in public. And speaking of beautiful things, we’ve two to stories on today’s program, one from Thailand and another from The Netherlands: 1. Phone Booth Infestation Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod As much as we’re enjoying living in Bangkok… it’s not the cleanest city on the planet. Sure, it has it’s moments, and we’re by no means living in squalor. But like any big city, blight is an issue. Recently, the Thai government launched an initiative to get rid

We know you love keeping up with us on the podcast, but you can get an almost-live look at our lives here in Bangkok on Evo’s Snapchat account! Though we’ve both had accounts there for a while, it took some time before we figured out how great the platform actually is at sharing our lives here in Bangkok. So while yes, it’s just one more place to keep up with us, it’s probably your best place for discrete voyeuristic action. But sorry; no pervy stuff. Just what we’re seeing and experiencing as we live as expats here and other places abroad! And speaking of travel stories, we’ve two to share on today’s program, one from Thailand and another from Iceland: Quest For Queso Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod Finding cheese -- good cheese -- in Thailand takes a bit of effort. And if you’re wondering why anyone would care about the quality of cheese in their lives… we’re wondering what the hell is wrong with you, because once you’ve discovered the magic of quality cheese, you’ll never go back to processed

Hello and welcome again to our life here in Bangkok, Thailand! We know that getting us in your ears every week satisfies your curiosity to a certain level, but sometimes pictures work really, really well. Sheila’s added some 2,000 photos to Flickr since our travels began, and has hundreds available from our life here in Bangkok. Really, you should see them. As for the podcast… We share two other stories on today’s program, one from Thailand and another from, or at least about, India: 1. Sheila Masters Muay Thai Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod Sheila’s been getting into Muay Thai fighting over the last few weeks. And while she’s not quite ready to protect The Kingdom from hordes of invaders, it may keep a drunken expat or two at bay. Especially if they don’t want their eardrums ruptured. 2. Astrologers Picked My Wife Music credit: Temple Ruins by Kevin MacLeod We’ll be the first to admit that we don’t get the whole concept of arranged marriages. But we’ve been around the block enough to know not

Greetings one and all to another show from Bangkok, Thailand. We’re now in our third month living as expats and couldn’t be happier. Well, I mean… We probably could be if more people signed up to get a postcard from us each month, but we’re pretty happy. We share two other stories on today’s program, one from Thailand and another from Taiwan: 1. Dirty Thai Massage Secrets Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod Spoiler alert: While it is possible to have one of those massages in Thailand -- you know, just like it’s possible everywhere -- we’ve not had the opportunity. And we’ve had a lot of massages. So before you assume that the Asian massage place on the corner is just a front for a prostitution ring, you might want to hear what we have to say. 2. Taiwan Two-Wheel Terror Music credit: Tutorial 0 by Kevin MacLeod What’s with the clickbait titles today, Evo? Sheesh. It’s not like the story April from Wisdom Trails tells about her experience on a motorbike in Taiwan is that much different from any othe

As you noticed, we skipped a show last week, opting to spend as much of our time as possible with our son while he visited us here in Bangkok! We took him to the island of Koh Samui in the southern part of the Gulf of Thailand and had a glorious time, as you’ll hear We share two other stories on today’s program, one from Thailand and another from Nicaragua: 1. Thai Motorbike Madness Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod The primary means of transport for us on Koh Samui was motorbike. Well, more motorscooter. But whatev’s. It was NJ’s first time ever in Thailand and riding a motorbike of any kind, and we’re happy to report he survived the experience. He’s also come away with a new appreciation for things road markings and maintenance. 2. Friendly Fishing Family Music credit: Odyssey by Kevin MacLeod When Alyssa and Landon aren’t hanging out with super cool people like us halfway around the world, they spend a lot of time in Central America. That’s a prime destination for “Adventure Travel”. But when

Season 2 - Episode 16 Somehow we managed to again put together a show where beer -- too much of it -- take center stage. Try not to lose your shirt from the surprise and shock you’re now experiencing. Happy Sheila’s Birthday from Thailand! Coupled with the big Makha Bucha celebration (actually a fairly large Buddhist holiday, it’s a banner week for us. But enough idle chit chat. You want to know what’s in this week’s podcast episode, don’t you? We share two other stories on today’s program, one from Thailand and another from Mexico: No More Bad Beer Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod The beer flows freely in Thailand. Just so long as you don’t try and buy it from 2:00 - 5:00 in the afternoon. Or expect it to have a pleasant flavor. Or not give you a massive hangover when you drink a liter or three. Don’t get us wrong, good beer does exist in this country. You just have to find it. And then cough up a little extortion money. Oh, did I say extortion? I meant a 400% import duty. Shirt Swapping Mexica

Happy Valentine’s Day from Thailand! Yes, they celebrate the holiday here. Sheila’s getting into the groove of her new job, but isn’t quite ready to start sharing stories of the workplace just yet. It’s a pretty tech-advanced school, just in case they’re listening... In lieu of that, we share two other stories on today’s program, both about Thailand: 1. Over Makha Bucha? Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod Now that we’re full-time Bangkok residents, we need to stop being surprised by public holidays. Not just those specific to Thailand with odd names we’ve little hope of pronouncing correctly the first time, but of their adoption of “our” holidays as well. 2. Worst Couchsurfing Ever Music credit: Funky Chunk by Kevin MacLeod April & Karina are the dynamic duo behind Wisdom Trails. We sat down with April last October and got a few stories out of her. They’re big on the Couchsufing circuit, which has led them to some interesting adventures. When you hear her say “sharing a bed with a strange man”,

Well… we made it more than a month in Bangkok! Only… forever to go! Happy Chinese New Year to you, and happy impending Valentine’s Day. But enough chit chat. Let’s get started. We share two stories on today’s program, one about favorite vacation spots in Thailand, and one about Phuket (which is on the list): Beating The Bangkok Blues Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod I know what you’re thinking: Living in a paradise such as Bangkok is one giant vacation. You’d be wrong. Because while we do live in the topics, we live in a giant city in the tropics. Sometimes, we need to get away from it all. And that’s one of the perks to living in Bangkok. Better versions of paradise are just a short hop away. Lions Made Me Travel Music credit: Spellbound  by Kevin MacLeod Looking for fun and adventure when you travel? Roxanne -- aka The Tiny Taster -- will give you second thoughts about that. And try and convince you that sometimes a more relaxed and centered approach will help you keep your head when things g

Though we’re officially Bangkokians, our status with Thai Immigration is still one of “tourist”, which means we have to exit the country every 30 days. Or rather, our status was tentative. We just firmed that up, though it took a little Frogger-playing to make it happen. We share two stories on today’s program, one about our trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and one about trekking Chile: 1. Malaysian Visa Malaise Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod We get a fair number of questions about our visa status as we travel. And while we’re certainly not experts, we’re getting pretty good at navigating foreign consulates and embassies. You’d think that a single country’s consulate would work the same all over the world, right? You’d be wrong. Our first visit to the Thai Embassy was in Birmingham in the UK, and it was a model of efficiency. Our recent visit to the Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur was more like a trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). If you can’t find your red tape, this office probably re

An unseasonable cool front nailed China just as that nasty snowstorm hit the eastern seaboard of the US of A. We got awesome, sub-70s weather in Bangkok, which was a welcome change. And no, we don’t spend the whole show talking about the weather. Because boring. We share two stories on today’s program, one from Bangkok, Thailand and one from Puducherry, India: 1. Shoeless In Siam Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod Bangkok is a shoe-obsessed city. People spend thousands of baht (do the conversion yourself) on shoes of all shapes and sizes. Which is weird for Evo, as he’s happy wearing his Chacos everywhere. And which is weird for Sheila, because wearing shoes inside is a no-no. Even in a job interview, as she soon found out. 2. Scratching The Travel Itch  Music credit: Leopard Print Elevator by Kevin MacLeod We hadn’t considered the effect of peer pressure on helping people to travel, but Smriti Modi is counting on it. That’s the gist behind her travel startup, The Itch List. As she says, it’s sort

Remember that new format we announced last week? Well… we’re breaking it this week. Sorry, but Sheila was a little under the weather, and we’d been sitting on this conversation we recorded a few months back. So you’re getting it, warts and all. But don’t worry. It’s still the two of us chatting in an unscripted and uncensored fashion. We share two stories on today’s program, one from Thailand and one from India: 1. Ladyboys In Thailand Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod Let’s just get this out of the way: there are a lot of ladyboys in Thailand. After two weeks living full-time in Thailand plus the four months we spent in-country last year, it’s a cultural phenomenon that seems rather well accepted to us. And we’re quite cool with that. But still, it’s hard for us to break the 40+ years of conditioning we’ve been subject to. We’ve been sitting on this conversation we recorded a few months ago where we have a frank and honest discussion about the topic. Not whether it’s right or wrong (because that’

Yes, we’re changing up the format once again. Now that we’re using Thailand as a home base, the nature of our stories is changing, and that necessitates a change to the format. The goal here was to get you the content you want -- us chatting about our new life using Thailand as our travel base -- much quicker. How’d we do? We share two stories on today’s program, one from Thailand and one from Japan: 1. Buying Drugs In Thailand Music credit: Upbeat Forever by Kevin MacLeod Buying drugs in Thailand is easy. None of those pesky laws to get in your way. Of course we’re talking about pharmaceuticals you buy in a drug store, and “pesky laws” means just about anything is available as an over-the-counter drug, no prescriptions required. But are there limits? What about heroin? Chemo drugs? How about blood pressure medicine for your face? (And yes, that’s a thing.) 2. Travel Like A Rockstar Music credit: Voice Over Under by Kevin MacLeod Sarah McLellen’s travel story is a little different from the ones we’ve aired on

Let’s get the big news out of the way right away: We’ve moved to Bangkok! We hit 13 countries in 2015, spanning three continents. We’re not slowing down the travels in 2016, but we will be a little more concentrated on Southeast Asia and the areas near by. Best of all, we get to make the sprawling metropolis of Bangkok our home, living like true expats for at least a year! But enough about that. We share two travel stories on today’s program, one from every single country we’ve visited and one about Fiji: Sheila v. The World Music credit: La Souris by Kevin MacLeod Look, it’s not even a fair fight. The World is huge, and clearly has it out for Sheila. If it’s not life-threatening ducks, it’s gravity trying to do her in. Or large, high-speed trucks. Sometimes small, low-speed motorscooters. Reflecting on her history, it’s amazing she ever made it this far. Free Food In Fiji Music credit: Unwritten Return by Kevin MacLeod Nikki from Pink Tangent loves to travel. In this segment, she relates a tasty story of a t