Inside Thailand: A Media Intern's Coverage of Transport, MMA, Cannabis, and Monkey Kingdom

Ellie: "My experience of Thai culture was a valuable lesson in stepping outside my comfort zone."

Before flying to Bangkok, my mother warned me not even to think about riding a motorbike, approaching monkeys, or so much as exploring Thailand’s legal cannabis scene. But thanks to the Asia New Zealand Foundation, I did just that and more.

Interning as a video journalist for Thai PBS World provided me with an array of opportunities to explore the inner workings of Thailand's modern capital. In my first few weeks, I was able to accompany news anchors to cover stories ranging from musical theatre to geopolitical alliances. I met the Brazilian ambassador, researched and pitched my own articles, and even produced content for Thai PBS video platforms.

Onset with Thai PBS

My first solo task: compile a vlog to help foreigners navigate various public transport routes in Bangkok. This proved more challenging in motion as I managed to lose my way at every station, roadside, and riverboat.

I was dehydrated and ended up on the back of a motorbike taxi (sorry Mum) in the first torrential downpour of Thailand's rainy season. Nonetheless, I made it back to the office in one piece and worked with a Thai-speaking video editor to turn my shaky and scattered clips into something both informative and entertaining.

Through hand gestures and Google Translate, we connected over the mundane difficulties faced at bus stops, laughed at the fact we were both editing perfectionists, and discovered we shared musical tastes. A friend was made despite our differing mother tongues.

Another opportunity arose when I was able to produce a video interview with the 'Godfather of Pakistani MMA,' Bashir Ahmad.

An Iraq war veteran, professional fighter, and business owner, he couldn't have been further from my field of expertise if I’d tried. But the interview inspired more than just a quick scoop. I later returned to Bashir's gym in Ari to try a Muay Thai class.

There’s a saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do," so in Thailand, I had to give the national sport a go.

My lack of cardio, coordination, and combat sport experience was glaringly obvious, but I committed to a daily practice that made me stronger, more patient, helped me make friends with locals, and led me to attend an authentic Thai street fight.

The day I attended a fight in—what locals described as—the middle of nowhere, two hours outside Bangkok, I felt like my dreams of being a Vice journalist had come true.

Through Muay Thai networking, I was introduced to a man who had formerly been a Buddhist monk. He told me he had left the monastery after realising he missed his family, listening to music, and smoking cigarettes.

As this former monk and MMA fighter drove me to the fight, they decided to show me a marijuana farm. Ever-curious, I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Hilariously enough, the "farm" advertised on Google turned out to be an ordinary woman’s house where she grew plants both indoors and outdoors, similar to how older New Zealanders have pot plants and greenhouses.

Far from home, I couldn’t shake the feeling I was breaking a law just by seeing these plants in person.

Western media outlets claim the Thai Government legalised marijuana as a way to reduce overcrowded prisons. However, most Bangkok residents believe the June 2022 law change was actually aimed at boosting the economy through tourist profits.

As the law awaits potential repeal by the end of 2024, rumours are emerging that the legalisation of cannabis in Thailand may have started as a way to develop the medical marijuana industry—where businesses can make higher profits—before the country reverts to a more punitive approach toward recreational cannabis use.

I couldn’t help but wonder how New Zealand might look if the 2020 cannabis referendum had gone differently. It seems many jobs were created in Thailand as a result of legalisation, and people were drinking less alcohol than in previous years—resulting in fewer road fatalities, bar fights, and sexual assaults.

Speaking of assaults, the most unsafe I felt in Thailand was during a video shoot in Lopburi, Thailand's 'monkey town,' which has become a real-life Planet of the Apes parody.

Macaques once attracted tourists to this quaint town, famous for its central old castle and floating markets.

Post-COVID-19, however, the tourist-dependent monkeys have become aggressive, now physically attacking pedestrians for food as well as for their phones and personal items.

Armed with a small protective stick, I walked around the ghost town collecting footage of the thousands of monkeys in need of spaying, wondering if my love for monkeys might just be the end of me.

Lopburi, a Thai town commonly known as the 'monkey town'

It’s hard to find silence in Bangkok; even in the quietest areas, you can always hear someone sweeping nearby.

There were many moments I felt lost in translation, but my colleagues were more than happy to help me learn core Thai vocabulary and tonal pronunciations.

I took up the habit of asking and memorising one word or phrase each day in the office, sharing many laughs as I recited “baby-speak” back to my colleagues.

That’s the thing with Thai: you might think you’re saying “that’s awesome, keep it up,” but if you’re lazy with pitch and length, it’s easy to unknowingly insult someone.

My experience of Thai culture was a valuable lesson in stepping outside my comfort zone.

Playing with the language was my favourite part of the entire experience, learning new ways to communicate in Thai and, in return, teaching Thai people phrases in English, Portuguese, and Māori.

It made the world feel far more connected than it usually does for New Zealanders, tucked away at the end of the globe.

Acclimatising to the Asian office style, chaotic transport systems, and bustling streets of Bangkok is an asset I am proud to carry forward for years to come.

The Foundation's Media Programme helps New Zealand journalists cover stories that shed light on Asia and on New Zealand’s ties to the region.

Our Media Travel Grants provide New Zealand journalists with funding to travel independently to Asia to research and prepare stories – to help demystify Asia for New Zealand audiences.