Shadowing Practice: First Impression of THAILAND - NOT what I expected!!! 🇹🇭 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Right now I'm in Bangkok, just walking down an area called Sukhumvit and I think it's actually called Asok. And I'm going to meet a Norwegian buddy that's here as well and he really knows Bangkok and Thailand. So, just to get an impression of Bangkok and Thailand, I want to see if I can check out some cafes and restaurants here. I want to try a Skytrain.
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I want to go to a park, maybe check out a mall and see if I can find a really cool sunset spot so I can get a proper impression of what Thailand is like.
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Bangkok can be overwhelming but I'm about to hit some amazing spots thanks to my secret weapon, a Thailand expert. Right now I'm in an area called Soi 8 in the Sukhumvit or Asok area and I'm going to meet a friend of mine in this street and I see he's sitting at a cafe right over here. Check this out. This is my good friend Øyvind from Norway. How's it going man? All good. Good to see you again. Nice to meet you again. The reason why I'm very excited to meet Øyvind here is that Øyvind has been to Thailand and Bangkok quite a lot over the last 12 years so he really knows Bangkok and I'm new here. So what's so good about Bangkok? Why do you like Bangkok so much? Back home I just, you know, I feel like I exist. I just work. I have two kids. Here I live, you know. Every day I just find something to do and it's like you feel alive. The city is alive. I feel alive. So if you have lazy days then you're going to go full out. So you said you feel alive here in Thailand.
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What is it that makes you feel so alive in Thailand? If you want a jazz club on a Tuesday, you just check it and you go. It's always something happening, you know. Even lazy days you go street food for 50 baht and my currency is like 15 kroner for dinner. You can live hi-so, you can live low-so. It's like freedom of living. I'm a little bit hungry here and I've heard Thai food is really, really good. Do you think you can recommend a dish for me? I would recommend the Pad Kra Paow. It's super good there. And if they don't have it here, this lady that owns half the street, she has like four or five kitchens here. So if they don't make it in this restaurant, they'll just go and grab it from the other kitchen. Thai style. Very cool. Oh wow, look at that food. Wow. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Wow. So this is Pad Kra Paow with chicken and pork mixed. Wow, that looks so yummy.
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Oh wow. Let's dig in here. Very good. I have tried Thai food before, but I haven't tried this one. But I think this might be my new favorite.
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Before we dive deeper into Bangkok, let's hear some top tips from my Thailand insider.
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I'm wondering, why do you like this area, this street and this area so much? What's so special about this area? This is very expat local, a lot of mixed couples, some really rich Thai families. It's like a little bit hi-so, but at the same time it's so calm and quiet.
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Just today, so much traffic, but normally this is like a one-way road, a blind road.
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So you don't have these tuk-tuk scooters going all night, all day. I just love the quiet of the end of the soi. But let me ask you, when you are visiting Thailand, are you mostly in this area or do you ever venture out? Oh sure. This is like my base. Yeah. And like the here I live, I just rent, but I rent my apartment for one month, two months and leave everything there. Then I can venture wherever from here. Pretty cool. Are there other areas of Bangkok that you like - I heard there's a river here. I love it. Yeah. I hope to take you to something called Jack's Bar. Okay. Yeah. It's super, it's like family driven, I think three or four generations. Okay. It's nothing high, so it's just real and beautiful river views. Do you think - is that a good place for sunset? Yeah, perfect. Yeah.
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Beautiful. Well, look, I think I'm going to take a little trip around here and just explore a little bit Bangkok on my own, but maybe I can meet you for sunset at, what was it called again? Jack's Bar. Jack's Bar. Don't tell. Okay. Make sure you don't tell anyone.
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All right. All right. Good plan.
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All right. Let's hit the streets and get this show on the road.
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I think this is what they refer to when people are talking about Bangkok traffic.
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This is a huge intersection here. I think the road right in front of me here is called Sukhumvit Road, which is a big main street in this part of Bangkok. And down here you have a side street called Soi 8 and on the other side it's called Soi 11, which is also a quite well-known area. In fact, I'm actually staying at a hotel in Soi 11, which is a quite social area it seems. And the hotel is very nice. Check this out.
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So I'm walking into a sort of, I'm not sure if it's like a subway or tram thing or Skytrain, but yeah, it's called Skytrain. It's called BTS. So check this out. This seems to be how you can easily get around in Bangkok. So I'm going to try this out, see how it works. Let's see if I can get a ticket. All right. Let's see if we can figure this out. English. And then I'm going to go to Asok. All right. I figured it out. All right. So this is what the stations look like on the Skytrain here in Bangkok. Oh wow. That's the Skytrain itself. You know, when I've been to the tube in London or the subway in New York, it's always super packed. There's so many people. So just seeing that this one doesn't seem quite as busy, makes me feel like perhaps it's going to be a little bit of an exclusive experience trying out the Skytrain here. Oh wow. There's a lot of people on board here. Holy shit. Let me see if we can find a place where I can get on board without too many people. Okay. Maybe here. That was a close call.
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So I was definitely wrong about the amount of people.
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Okay. So this station is more like what I've seen in London or New York. Just people everywhere here. This really is a major metropolitan city, without a doubt. Look at this. There's also a lot of people in this area. I guess it's a very popular part of Bangkok. Look, they got a few food stalls and stuff here on the BTS system. You know, I have seen so much of that big city vibe though, from other big cities that I've lived in when I was younger, like London for many years, then New York, LA for a very long time, and then Miami. So whenever I go to big cities right now, I kind of want to check out more of the relaxing part of town. So right now I found a park that's nearby Asok, the area where I was in.
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So I want to go check out what a park looks like in Bangkok. Wow. Is this really Bangkok?
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Look at this. What a beautiful park here. This sort of reminds me of Central Park in New York actually. Such a cool green lung in the middle of a huge modern city. But I don't think you really get this view in Central Park. This is very cool. I love it, Bangkok.
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I see people sitting down here, just relaxing, looking at the view. And then there's also people that are jogging. I think there's also like a bicycle track here. So you can basically bike around the lake from what I can see. Such a relaxing place. I just found a park bench to sit down and enjoy the view here. And yeah, just disconnect a little bit from the energy of the big city. I've actually seen a lot of big cities, you know, not just the ones I mentioned earlier, but I think I've traveled to like probably like 50, 60 countries around the world. And right now I'm kind of looking for a new place to sort of, I don't know, find the good life since I'm in the fortunate situation of being semi-retired.
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I had a long career working as a Hollywood director, making music videos for Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Beyonce. And the videos I created for hundreds of well-known artists have over 8 billion views on YouTube now. And I just at one point sort of felt like, is this it? Isn't there something more to life? I feel like I'm just kind of working, working, working, stressing, and just repeating myself, living in basically the height of Western civilization. So I'm sort of looking for something different. And that's why I'm traveling around in Southeast Asia. I'm also interested in South America, but this part of the world makes me feel good. I mean, just look at this. What a beautiful view. It's relaxing, but honestly, the most relaxing places for me are really not cities. So I'm more interested in like beach towns and islands and just being closer to nature, really. So, but it's cool to stop by a big city like this. So this is interesting, seeing Bangkok. Since this is the capital city of Thailand, I'm not sure how representative it is for the rest of Thailand or the more rural parts of Thailand. But so far, I got a really good impression of Bangkok. Those little streets that I first started out in, Soi 8, Soi 11, were very cozy and very lively. And this park looks very relaxing, so beautiful. By the way, the park is called Benchakitti Park. And look at this. We might have a little view over there. I'm just amazed at how quiet it is here compared to just a few streets over.
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It was so loud, like a big city. Oh, wow. Look at the view here. Wow. Look at this, huh? Amazing. How cool. I really didn't expect to find this in such a big city as Bangkok.
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This is beautiful. Just feels relaxing looking at this. Like, look at all the birds flying over there. I could hear nature's sounds around me. Wow. I think I just happened to stumble upon the most popular photo location in Bangkok, huh?
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Hang tight, because we're going to see one of the most unique rooftops in the world soon.
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All right. I'm back on the BTS Skytrain. Why? Because I saw on Google Maps that there's a big mall right nearby. So I want to go and check out what malls look like here in Thailand.
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Uh-oh. All right. That was quite fast, actually. Just a few minutes. I got to say, getting around here in Bangkok, I'm not sure if it's like this in other cities in Thailand, but using this Skytrain, it's a really good way to get around. It's so efficient. Wow. These Skywalks look pretty cool. Check this out. So in this area, there's three different malls right here. But I'm going to go check out the newest one. It's called Emsphere. So let's see how it looks like. I like how they've built these Skywalks to not only be functional, like a great way to get around without having to step in the traffic, but also look how cool they look. They're very well designed. There's a lot of greens here. I don't know.
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It just feels good being in this area. Here we go. I think I found it. Emsphere. Walking into Emsphere now. Looks pretty cool. It's got a pretty unique design and look to it.
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Alright, I just came across a Starbucks in here. I know it's so boring, but I usually like to do something called the Starbucks test. You know, wherever I am around the world, I want to see what Starbucks looks like so I can compare it with how I'm used to seeing Starbucks in the US. So here's a Starbucks and let's see what it looks like in Thailand.
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Wow. Are you kidding me? This is amazing. Literally, like I was blown away when I checked out how Starbucks looks like in Manila and Cebu in the Philippines. But yes, again, I don't know. It's something about how they do things in Southeast Asia. This looks amazing.
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Check this out. Beautiful design and really, really well made. This is not how I'm used to seeing Starbucks in the US. So it looks like there's a sort of food hall type space downstairs. But also on this floor, there's a lot of restaurants. So people are literally eating everywhere I go.
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Remember that rooftop I mentioned? Well, it's actually a Sky Beach Club. Check this out.
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So I heard there's a very special sort of beach club on top of this mall here. So I want to go check it out. It's called Tribe and it's on top of the mall.
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All right. Since they didn't have my favorite beer, which is Samaget Light, I'm going for the good old Corona here. But this looks amazing. Wow. This really does feel like a beach club but in the sky on top of a shopping center. Wow, this is crazy. Welcome to Thailand. What a crazy place. Oh, wow. There's even a bar sticking into the pool here. So you could be sitting there with a beer or chilling in the pool and you got the city in the background.
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Wow. And there's some people playing beer pong in the pool. Amazing.
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Remember that cool sunset spot that my buddy promised to show me? Let's head down to the river and see if we can find Jack's Bar. I'm excited to see this.
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All right, Øyvind, where are we now? Now we're at my favorite Jack's Bar by the river. Look at this. Yes. Super local dream place.
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Oh, wow. So this is right by the river? Yeah. And you're like luxury hotels to the left and to the right. But this is family driven. Øyvind, what are these boats that are seemingly coming and going all the time? What's the deal with them? This is like a free ferry for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. So it's like a shuffle back and forth between the river sides. And one thing, the story about this place, Jack's Bar, it's kind of nice because you have like five, I don't know, six stars hotels on both sides. Oh, yeah. It's a small plot of land here. It's Jack's Bar and it's family owned. And they will never sell. And there's like three or maybe four generations working here. And that makes this place so unique. You know, they have not local prices, but it's like low level prices. And the food is good. The stuff is super. And on the small plot, they do their living, you know, and they will never sell. They will get millions, you know, for this small river side plot.
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They hang in there and they're full every day. Every day, full. Wow. I can see why.
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I mean, the view here, especially now, at sunset. Cheers, Øyvind. Oh, cheers. Thanks for showing me this amazing place. Amazing place. Well, my first day here in Taiwan has been absolutely amazing. So thank you for joining me here on my journey. And thanks to Øyvind, who is filming now for showing me these great parts of Thailand. I'm not sure how the rest of Thailand really looks like, but I'm looking forward to see more of Thailand. But as far as the city goes, I want to say Bangkok seems really cool. You know, I like it. So I'm going to give Bangkok a rating of nine out of ten coconuts. Yeah, baby. Amazing Bangkok. Also, I want to give a shout out to one of my loyal subscribers that always watches my videos and always comments. So in this video, the shout out goes to MarieLou3M, who I believe is a YouTuber herself who lives in Canada. So thanks for always watching and always commenting.
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You are very loyal, Marie Lou. Until next time, peace, love and San Miguel Light.
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Exploring Bangkok: A Newcomer's Journey and Language Insights
The video follows a traveler's first day in Bangkok, sharing impressions of the city's energy, food, and culture through conversations with a local expert. From trying street food like Pad Kra Paow to navigating the BTS Skytrain and discovering hidden gems like Jack's Bar, the dialogue is rich with everyday language and cultural context—perfect for English learners practicing real-world communication.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "What's so good about Bangkok?" – A natural way to ask for opinions, useful for starting conversations about places.
- "Do you think you can recommend a dish?" – Essential for dining out, showing polite inquiry.
- "Let's dig in here." – Casual phrase to start eating, great for informal settings.
- "How do you get around in Bangkok?" – Practical question for navigating new cities, applicable globally.
- "Cheers, thanks for showing me this amazing place." – Polite and expressive, perfect for thanking hosts.
Step-by-Step Shadowing Guide for This Video
Shadowing—repeating phrases aloud immediately after the speaker—works well here due to the conversational tone. Start with short clips: pause after each question (e.g., "What's so good about Bangkok?") and mimic the intonation. Focus on the traveler's curious tone and the friend's relaxed responses. Next, tackle longer segments, like the Skytrain experience, to practice pacing. The video's mix of casual and descriptive language makes it ideal for building fluency. Use a shadowing site to slow down audio if needed, and repeat tricky phrases (e.g., "Pad Kra Paow") until they feel natural. This method helps learners absorb real-world speech patterns, making shadow speak a powerful tool for improving pronunciation and confidence.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has been · I've heard · have tried |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is called · was blown |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | Road, which is · beer, which is |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most relaxing · the most popular · the most unique |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.