Welcome to Teak & Tales, presented by Pandaw Cruises. This podcast takes you into the heart of Southeast Asia through stories from our guests, crew, partner OTAs, and knowledgeable tour guides. From lively moments on deck to historical soundbites, this podcast is all about connection, culture, and the spirit of discovery.
The Art of Travel Storytelling with Journalist Judi Cohen
Welcome to Teak & Tales, your podcast for river cruising in Southeast Asia. From local culture to life onboard, we explore the people, places, and stories that define the region.
We’re joined by travel journalist Judi Cohen to explore what makes river cruising through Southeast Asia so different from other styles of travel. Having sailed the Irrawaddy, Mekong, Brahmaputra, Laos Mekong, and most recently the Kerala Backwaters, Judi shares how each river carries its own personality, rhythm, and cultural identity.
This podcast is hosted by Cassidy Newman and the Pandaw marketing team. If you're interested in being featured on the podcast, please reach out to marketing@pandaw.com.
12 May 2026
Returning to the Irrawaddy with Paul Strachan
Welcome to Teak & Tales, your podcast for river cruising in Southeast Asia. From local culture to life onboard, we explore the people, places, and stories that define the region.
Pandaw Founder & CEO Paul Strachan rejoins the podcast following his recent return to Myanmar, a country that has long shaped both his personal story and the origins of Pandaw Cruises. Traveling from Rangoon to Mandalay, Pagan, and the Irrawaddy Delta, Paul reflects on what it was like returning to the country after the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake and shares his impressions of daily life on the ground one year later.
Along the way, Paul reconnects with Pandaw crew members, visits the company’s ships still operating in the region, and discusses the decision behind launching members-only sailings in the Irrawaddy Delta.
This podcast is hosted by Cassidy Newman and the Pandaw marketing team. If you're interested in being featured on the podcast, please reach out to marketing@pandaw.com.
6 Apr 2026
Big Tops, Bigger Impact: The Story of Phare Circus with Vichea Tes
Welcome to Teak & Tales, your podcast for river cruising in Southeast Asia. From local culture to life onboard, we explore the people, places, and stories that define the region.
Vichea Tes, Deputy Director of Sales and Marketing at Phare Ponleu Selpak's Circus in Cambodia. What began as an arts school founded by refugees returning to Battambang after the Khmer Rouge era has grown into a creative institution that uses visual and performing arts to support Cambodian youth. Today, Phare provides education, training, and career pathways for hundreds of young people while sharing powerful Cambodian stories through circus, theater, music, and visual arts.
Vichea joins the podcast to talk about how the circus became one of Cambodia’s most unique cultural attractions, and the impact the school continues to have on students and the wider community.
This podcast is hosted by Cassidy Newman and the Pandaw marketing team. If you're interested in being featured on the podcast, please reach out to marketing@pandaw.com (mailto:marketing@pandaw.com).
2 Mar 2026
From Idea to Itinerary: Kerala Backwaters with Arun Srinivas, Purser on RV Kochi Pandaw
Welcome to Teak & Tales, your podcast for river cruising in Southeast Asia. From local culture to life onboard, we explore the people, places, and stories that define the region. In this episode, we sit down with Arun Srinivas, Purser onboard the RV Kochi Pandaw, and one of the key people behind our Kerala Backwaters route. From scouting jetties and mapping narrow canals to building relationships with village communities, Arun shares what it really took to shape an expedition through 900 kilometres of interconnected waterways.
Stuart Hickman, India Country Manager, also lends some of his insights. This podcast is hosted by Cassidy Newman and the Pandaw marketing team. If you're interested in being featured on the podcast, please reach out to marketing@pandaw.com (mailto:marketing@pandaw.com).
22 Dec 2025
Stories from the first Mekong Sailing with Barry Broman
Welcome to Teak & Tales, your podcast for river cruising in Southeast Asia. From local culture to life onboard, we explore the people, places, and stories that define the region.
In our latest episode, Barry Broman, a long-time American embassy officer to the Asia region, recounts Pandaw’s inaugural voyage on the Mekong back in 2002. As one of the first to sail from Vietnam into Cambodia, Barry shares what it was like to open up this legendary river route for the very first time.
This podcast is hosted by Cassidy Newman and the Pandaw marketing team. If you're interested in being featured on the podcast, please reach out to marketing@pandaw.com (mailto:marketing@pandaw.com).
8 Dec 2025
A Peek Behind Running a Cruise Ship: Si Thu, Pursurer on RV Bassac Pandaw
Welcome to Teak & Tales, your podcast for river cruising in Southeast Asia. From local culture to life onboard, we explore the people, places, and stories that define the region.
In today’s episode, we sit down with Si Thu, Pursuer onboard the RV Bassac Pandaw. As the person who keeps both guests and the ship running smoothly, Si Thu manages everything from guest care to ensuring the vessel arrives on time at each port. He shares the top skills every pursuer needs and what he loves most about the role.
This podcast is hosted by Cassidy Newman and the Pandaw marketing team. If you're interested in being featured on the podcast, please reach out to marketing@pandaw.com (mailto:marketing@pandaw.com).
24 Nov 2025
Somaly Shares Cambodia’s Living History
Welcome to Teak & Tales, your podcast for river cruising in Southeast Asia. From local culture to life onboard, we explore the people, places, and stories that define the region.
Ever wondered what it’s like to walk through Cambodia’s past with someone who’s lived its history every day? In our latest episode, Somaly, one of Pandaw’s expert local guides, shares stories that bring Phnom Penh’s streets to life in a way no guidebook ever could.
This podcast is hosted by Cassidy Newman and the Pandaw marketing team. If you're interested in being featured on the podcast, please reach out to marketing@pandaw.com (mailto:marketing@pandaw.com).
10 Nov 2025
A Guide to Going It Alone, Solo Travel with Jayne Seagrave
Welcome to Teak & Tales, your podcast for river cruising in Southeast Asia. From local culture to life onboard, we explore the people, places, and stories that define the region.
As one of the 2025 Pandaw Blog Competition Winners, we sit down with Jayne Seagrave to discuss her experience as a solo traveler and what she learned sailing the Ganges River in India. Read Jayne's full blog article at https://www.pandaw.com/blog/cruise/mornings-all-mine-on-the-ganges-river-cruise (https://www.pandaw.com/blog/cruise/mornings-all-mine-on-the-ganges-river-cruise)
This podcast is hosted by Cassidy Newman and the Pandaw marketing team. If you're interested in being featured on the podcast, please reach out to marketing@pandaw.com (mailto:marketing@pandaw.com).
27 Oct 2025
From the Streets of Delhi: The City Walk Story with Mayurima Kakati
Welcome to Teak & Tales, your podcast for river cruising in Southeast Asia. From local culture to life onboard, we explore the people, places, and stories that define the region.
In this episode, we speak with Mayurima Kakati from Salaam Baalak Trust about the impact of their City Walk Program, a guided walking tour through the streets of Delhi led by young adults who formerly lived on those very streets. Mayurima shares how the program offers visitors a deeper, more human perspective on life in the city, but also empowers youth with communication skills, confidence, and opportunities for long-term growth.
This podcast is hosted by Cassidy Newman and the Pandaw marketing team. If you're interested in being featured on the podcast, please reach out to marketing@pandaw.com (mailto:marketing@pandaw.com).
20 Oct 2025
Cooking Up a Career with Stuart Hickman
Welcome to Teak & Tales, your podcast for river cruising in Southeast Asia. From local culture to life onboard, we explore the people, places, and stories that define the region.
In this episode, we're joined by Stuart Hickman, Country Manager at Pandaw Cruises. With over a decade of experience spanning Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, India, and Vietnam, Stuart shares insights from his time on the rivers and recounts how his journey began in the ship’s galley as a chef.
This podcast is hosted by Cassidy Newman and the Pandaw marketing team. If you're interested in being featured on the podcast, please reach out to marketing@pandaw.com (mailto:marketing@pandaw.com).
13 Oct 2025
Encounters with Kindness on the Mekong with Richard Smith-Morgan
Welcome to Teak & Tales, your podcast for river cruising in Southeast Asia. From local culture to life onboard, we explore the people, places, and stories that define the region.
As one of the 2025 Pandaw Blog Competition winners, we sit down with Richard Smith-Morgan to discuss his experience on the Classic Mekong. From the quiet kindness of strangers to reflecting on the simple yet powerful values of food, shelter, and family, Richard shares the moments that stayed with him long after disembarkation.
Read Richard's blog article at: www.pandaw.com/blog/cruise/reflections-on-a-week-in-november-down-the-mekong-with-pandaw-river-cruises (www.pandaw.com/blog/cruise/reflections-on-a-week-in-november-down-the-mekong-with-pandaw-river-cruises)
This podcast is hosted by Cassidy Newman and the Pandaw marketing team. If you're interested in being featured on the podcast, please reach out to marketing@pandaw.com (mailto:marketing@pandaw.com).
29 Sept 2025
Discover Laos Through Textiles with Ock Pop Tok
Welcome to Teak & Tales, your podcast for river cruising in Southeast Asia. From local culture to life onboard, we explore the people, places, and stories that define the region.
Ock Pop Tok, meaning East meets West in Lao, was co-founded by Joanna (Jo) Smith over 25 years ago. We sit down with her to discuss their goal of keeping the textile traditions of Laos alive and how the team built a social enterprise business to make an impact on the local community around Luang Prabang.
This podcast is hosted by Cassidy Newman and the Pandaw marketing team. If you're interested in being featured on the podcast, please reach out to marketing@pandaw.com (mailto:marketing@pandaw.com).
1 Sept 2025
Uncharted Territory with Paul Strachan - CEO & Founder of Pandaw
Welcome to Teak & Tales, your podcast for river cruising in Southeast Asia. From local culture to life onboard, we explore the people, places, and stories that define the region.
As Pandaw Cruises begins its 30th year of operations, we sit down with CEO and Founder Paul Strachan to explore his journey into the cruise business. In this conversation, he shares the biggest highs and lows of leading the company through its mission of introducing tourists to Asia at a time when no other cruise line was operating in this region.
This podcast is hosted by Cassidy Newman and the Pandaw marketing team. If you're interested in being featured on the podcast, please reach out to marketing@pandaw.com (mailto:marketing@pandaw.com).
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