Wipe the Tide
Lead and scaled flood relief campaigns
Santa Cause
Chief Santa
Civil Society 2.0
Consultant for digital story telling
Achievement Summit
Delegate for social innovation
Michael Biedassek
Hi, I'm Michael,
I'm a Bangkok-based urban explorer, purpose-driven entrepreneur and blogger with Thai-German roots.
I trace the trade route of my 96 year old grandmother who traded coconuts between Samut Songkhram and Bangkok in the 1940's with her family. She grew up at a time when Thailand still had much of its amphibean way of life. My interest rest in the old world to see what is left of the culture and heritage and its in condition in the wake of decades of modernization, urbanization and growing economic inequalities. I invite you to join me on my endeavor to better understand Thailand, to explore, wonder and learn while contibuting locally wherever possible.
My mission
To map the stories of Bangkok's 2,000 urban and rural communities to promote their aspirations in keeping the heritage and memories of old Thailand alive.
Current areas of exploration
The last leg of my grandmothers journey to Bangkok by way of water was the Old River Oxbow and it's markets and communities adjacent to the canal as well as the river. Here the focus is on the old riverine trade areas and waterfront communities of Thonburi towards the west and south of Bangkok. These areas are full history, diversity, hidden gems, delicious food and above all amazing people.
My Blog
I treat this blog as my diary to sort thoughts and write down my personal experiences. More informative blogs with stunning photography will be posted on the bangkokvanguards website. This is basically just a making of and behind the scenes.
The QR Project
As I explore the historic communities I learn from the people about the history and heritage but also about the challenges. One is: economic distribution.
Local economies in many of the communities have been in decline. Tourists take photos but do not necessarily consume due to the lack of information and language barriers.
We work with food vendors and small entrepreneurs to design menus and produce videos about them. These video stories are then accessible through a QR scan on the menus so that travellers can learn about the food and the makers of the food.
I'd like to resume this project once the pandemic is under control, our cashflow permitting.
MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL
YOUTUBE
I'm uploading the stories of Bangkok as well as personal updates and behind the scenes to my YouTube channel.
Past Projects and achievements
Wipe the Tide
Lead and scaled flood relief campaigns
Santa Cause
Chief Santa
Civil Society 2.0
Consultant for digital story telling
Achievement Summit
Delegate for social innovation
© 2017