The Land of Smiles - Rosie Leishman
24 July 2025
Rosie Leishman recounts her three-month immersion in Thailand as a young Kiwi journalist, navigating life in Bangkok and gaining hands-on experience inside a local newsroom. Her internship at the Bangkok Post was made possible through the Asia Media Centre’s media internship programme to Asia.
Stepping off the plan in Bangkok, I kept reminding myself of one of the few things I knew about Thailand– its nickname: the land of smiles.
Having never been to Southeast Asia before and being lucky enough to have received the grant to head to Bangkok Post, I can’t lie and say I wasn’t nervous. I had no idea what I was in for and having been away on my university exchange in Europe for the seven months leading up, I never imagined Asia would be my next step.
I prepared myself by watching videos on how to navigate the Suvarnabhumni airport, flicking constant questions to the intern before me, Bella Craig, and writing lists of resolutions for the two months I anticipated I would spend solo in this foreign land.
But the bustling, colourful and chaotic city of Bangkok is equally comforting, safe and exciting. Filled with ample opportunity, young budding professionals, creativity and kind locals, Bangkok’s balance of being perfectly hypnotic and nurturing is so special.
At first you feel unnerved by the mopeds whizzing by barely missing you by half an inch, you can’t even comprehend their alphabet, and you soon realise the cost of a meal on the side of the road is cheaper than any supermarket cook-up and likely has multiple Michelin stars. But you’re also warmly welcomed into the rich Thai culture, the inherent friendliness of the people, the humid air and sunshine.
My two months started as a brave jump into the unknown and soon turned into one of the happiest periods of my life.
As an emerging journalist, Rosie gained first-hand experience in Asia, covering a range of stories—from in-depth features to headline-grabbing news. Photo: Rosie Leishman
Bangkok Post
I started at the Bangkok Post the day after I arrived, I wanted to dive straight in. To get a feel for where I was living, I walked to work in the heat, through side streets and alleyways where families were already selling fruits, vegetables, and meats of all sorts.
I had heard very little from the Bangkok Post before my arrival, so I didn’t know what I was in for. But as I was greeted by a smiley security guard at the gate, I knew it would be ok.
As one of the largest English newspapers in Southeast Asia, the Bangkok Post has a readership of expats and English-speaking Thais who want to know what is going on in Thailand through a foreign scope. It is an unnervingly quiet office, not many around other than those at the front desk and the editors, with most reporters out and about.
I met with the editor, Ancuha, who was my port of call. He is friendly, funny and extremely good at what he does. Anucha gave me the creative and independent freedom to be a journalist without restrictions but held high standards. Rocking up to the office any time after 11am after working late to get the paper to print, Anucha and I met to discuss my list of ideas. This first conversation made me feel even more determined to publish as much as I could in the few months I had.
After a couple days chipping away at writing and researching, Ancuha put me to the test.
On January 23, 2025, same sex marriage was legalised in Thailand, so I was sent with the coolest reporter and my new friend, Jay, to the official marriage registration event in Siam Paragon. It was a day filled with colour, happiness and celebration for the goodness in life. I spoke to couples who had lived their entire lives secretly, been a couple for decades and finally could be legally registered.
I witnessed love in its purest and most wonderful form, and it reminded me why I wanted to be a journalist. Talking to people, telling stories and celebrating this historic day for Thailand was a dream. Huddled up next to Jay in the corner of the event space, I wrote up the article, knowing I had to get it to the Post in time for the morning's print. This showed me the vital role journalism plays in people’s lives and is an experience I will never forget.
The next day, I arrived at work to see the story on the front page.
Photo: Rosie Leishman
From there, I built a strong relationship with Anucha, and from here on he allowed me the freedom to pursue any story angle I could think of. He sent me to English speaking press events and connected me with the Foreign Correspondents Club, a hub for all media professionals to come together to discuss issues that matter.
Thailand's Tourism
Writing for a foreign newspaper, I needed to find story angles that both I and the audience could understand and relate to and, for the most part, that was tourism. I honed my focus on the perspective of tourists in Thailand while questioning the ethical practices of the industry.
I used the generous Asia New Zealand grant and my role at the Bangkok Post as a tool to travel the country and expand not only my skills in crafting pieces to suit the Post, but also to experience this part of the world.
I was determined to balance living in Bangkok while still indulging in what Thailand is most well-known for. I had to see elephants and was curious to find out whether it was even ethical to do so.
Luckily, a friend from Aotearoa was backpacking and we met to travel north. We took an overnight bus to Chiang Mai and woke up on the doorstep of some of the world’s most incredible and sacred Buddhist temples. Not only did we indulge in the food of Northern Thailand through local recommendations and cooking classes, but after a lot of research, I finally found an elephant sanctuary that seemed genuinely ethical—no touching, no bathing, and definitely no riding. This was much harder than it should’ve been.
Seeing the elephants at the sanctuary was an unreal experience, but the journalist in me felt challenged by the concept. We were at a rescue sanctuary where the elephants are cared for, but it was difficult to look past how many sanctuaries in Thailand do not put the animals' safety, health, and happiness first. Tourists are fuelling this malpractice through ignorance.
We journeyed even further north to Pai, greeted by endless fellow backpackers travelling Southeast Asia on their six-month excursions. I was fascinated by how many travellers there were in this little hippie town, where time stops—shirtless, speeding on mopeds, no helmets in sight. They nickname it ‘the Pai hole’—where people arrive, fall into this ‘hole’ of bliss, and never want to leave. I struggled to see Thai locals around at all—something I missed about Bangkok.
Later in February, I had the opportunity to go to Vietnam. To write a story that would resonate with Thai readers, I looked into the methanol poisoning plague around Southeast Asia. I spoke with tourists about their experiences travelling the region with a heightened fear of drinking alcohol and the fatal risks of the problem.
It was these travel experiences—speaking to tourists and locals and immersing myself in the culture—that sparked opportunities for stories the Bangkok Post could publish.
World Animal Protection Thailand has called on camps to stop using elephants to entertain tourists. Photo: Rosie Leishman
Life in Bangkok
Back in Bangkok, I was constantly inspired to pursue stories that reminded me why I chose journalism. I went to UNICEF press conferences, visited their office to question officials about their latest child obesity reports, attended meetings at the Correspondents' Club on AI in the media industry, and reported on the frighteningly high PM2.5 pollution levels that have sadly become the norm in Bangkok.
When I reflect, the things I loved most about my Thai time were my routine and lifestyle in the busy city. Whether it was hopping on the back of a Grab scooter on the way home from work—headphones in, feeling like I was in a movie, weaving through traffic and trying not to think about the pollution inhalation…
It was the sickly sweet matcha I got most days from the local 7-Eleven, the Thai massages I’d stumble into on the way home from work, the BEST pad thai cooked up on the side of the street 100 metres from my condo for a hefty $3, the fresh mango smoothies, visits to chaotic Chinatown for some of the world’s best street food delicacies, and incorporating mango sticky rice into my regular diet.
For a time I anticipated to be mostly solo, I couldn't have been more wrong. As a hub for travellers, there were plenty of Kiwi connections passing through Thailand to catch up with for a meal or two. More notably, I was lucky enough to meet a fellow intern and Bangkok local who immediately welcomed me into her friend group—with weekly dinners out and hangouts that brought me into local life.
When I talked to others leading up to my internship, many spoke negatively about Bangkok.
“Omg, are you scared?”
“I could never live there!”
“It’s a crazy place, how do you do it?”
When you compare the chaos and hidden underworld of Bangkok to the pristine islands, temples, jungle, and cuisine of the North and South, it naturally doesn’t appeal. Having seen those places, I agree they are beautiful and demonstrate how versatile Thailand is as a country.
But I think Bangkok should not be defined by the opinions of some (probably jet-lagged) tourists who likely stopped overnight on their way to the islands.
Bangkok is actually filled with art districts, cute coffee spots, jazz clubs, run clubs, rooftop bars, sacred temples, markets, diversity, and culture. It’s full of young entrepreneurial people and is a city of inspiration.
In the vibrant city of Bangkok, known for its bustling nightlife, Rosie found a place she could call home. Photo: Rosie Leishman
It’s a place where I found a true sense of myself, confidence in my profession and pathway, and excitement for my future. Bangkok made me fall in love with Asia and the opportunity this part of the world offers.
Asia New Zealand Foundation's media centre—thank you so much for gifting me this life-changing experience. Lovely Carla and Graeme, my Bangkok Post friends, Anucha, Jay and the rest of the team (especially the smiley security guard!)—thank you.
So, because journalists must always fact-check… does Thailand live up to its nickname?
Well, it’s impossible not to smile in a land filled with kind people, a Buddhist temple to ground you, elephants, mopeds, and of course—mango sticky rice.
Read Rosie Leishman's stories in the Bangkok Post.
-Asia Media Centre