Gong! What are you doing with a Yankees cap on television?!?

Every once in a while (or alll the time), you are reminded that you have absolutely amazing friends all over the globe. This time, I am excited to inform you that my wonderful friend, Pakawat 'Gong' Suphanakhan, was Anthony Bourdain's tour guide on "No Reservations" during the traveler's most recent excursion to Thailand.

My love for Bourdain is no secret, but my love for Gong is a horse of a different color - partially having to do with the ability of his palette to handle some of the most mouth-scorching, tear-duct-destroying flavors on Earth.

I met Gong while on set in the Philippines back in 2007 and though we worked on many projects together, my most delightful memory with Gong is from my month in Bangkok when he rescued me from the evil mosquitoes on our ship. Gong showed me everything from his gorgeous home to the culinary delicacies of the Bangkok streets - fried grasshoppers and frogs included.

So don't let Bourdain steal the thunder of this episode, even if he is everything I want in a travel buddy (a no-bullshit eater/writer who always wants a new perspective? Si). Gong's engaging personality and his 34-million-baht smile is the perfect complement to the host's style of dialogue. Not only that, but Gong co-created, co-owns and runs Greenlight Films, one of the biggest production companies in Thailand. His company shoots anything from commercials to documentaries to feature films. His productions are truly great, no matter the task.

In any case, watching an old friend guide Bourdain through the same streets he took me, I couldn't help but miss Gong and Thailand a little bit. Not only did I know those places, but Bourdain was now going to guide millions of viewers through Gong's tour. How cool is that?

Please catch Gong's episode, "No Reservations: Thailand", next on 8/24 at 11 a.m. - if for no other reason than to learn a little bit more about Thailand, and quite literally, the Thailand I got to know. If you can't catch it on the Travel Channel, please follow the links to the episode parts below.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Missing Scene: Street Food!


Photo: (L-R) Bourdain cameraman, Zach Zamboni with Gong Suphanakhan. This is how we had to shoot/film through the jungles of the Philippines too! Driver up front and cameraperson (Kaloy/me) sitting backwards and shooting. How I love/miss Asia.