The Beer Bar

From CNN Skytrax, a UK-based airline and airport review and ranking site, conducted more than 14 million customer surveys in more than 100 countries between September 2021 to August 2022 to find out the world's current favorite airline. The world's top 20 airlines in 2022, according to Skytrax 1. Qatar Airways 2. Singapore Airlines 3. Emirates 4. ANA (All Nippon Airways) 5. Qantas Airways 6. Japan Airlines 7. Turkish Airlines 8. Air France 9. Korean Air 10. Swiss International Air Lines 11. British Airways 12. Etihad Airways 13. China Southern Airlines 14. Hainan Airlines 15. Lufthansa 16. Cat…

Thailand could be an attractive and realistic option for men fleeing military conscription in Russia. Reports say that men are fleeing Russia after President Vladimir Putin announced a plan to conscript 300,000 civilians into military service in Ukraine. Several European countries such as Lithuania have already closed their doors to Russian citizens, citing widespread support for Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine as the reason for the ban. Russians are rushing onto flights to countries such as Armenia, Georgia, Montenegro, and Turkey, or basically, anywhere that will let them in without a visa. Thailand and Russia have a bilateral agreement which …

From Thai PBS World Thailand’s Land Transport Department (LTD) has given approval for app-based Robinhood and Grab to operate taxi and motorcycle taxi ride hailing services in the country. The two operators are required to submit bank guarantee letters to the department within 30 days, ensure that they comply with the conditions set by the department and cover damage caused to their passengers and their bikers in the course of providing their services, said LTD Deputy Director-General Seksom Akraphand today (Thursday). The two operators are also required to submit their ride-hailing operational plans to the department within 15 days, he said, adding that pr…

I would not be surprised if a similar ratio apples to many western nations. From Thai PBS World Up to 70% of the population of Thailand may have been infected with COVID-19, as most cases have not been officially recorded because they were asymptomatic or had only mild symptoms, according to Dr. Yong Poovorawan, head of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University. He said that the estimated infection rate is based on the assessments of blood tests conducted so far, adding that the Omicron variant has spread widely in the past several months, but most of people did not report their infections to health…

at 3 AM. It's rather astounding how much is happening at that hour. The city that never sleeps

From Khaosod / Thaiger A man who lost his job in the southern province of Songkhla decided to walk all the way back home to Buriram in northeast Thailand. After 12 days of walking, the 42 year old man stumbled across an army barracks in Phatthalung province, the next province along, on Sunday. The soldiers took care of him and paid for his train ticket back to Isaan. Buriram-born Choi moved to Songkhla about seven months ago to work at a rubber plantation in Na Thawi district. He planned on making money to send home to his family back home in Isaan. At first, he made around 300 baht per day cutting down rubber trees. As the months passed by, Choi sai…

From The Nation BANGKOK, Sept 17 (The Nation Thailand/ANN): A widely shared video clip shows Atthachai Argudom, a 19-year-old student at Udon Thani Technical College, pulling the unconscious 12-year-old out of shin-deep water. The drama unfolded next to a power pole outside Satri Rachinuthit School in the Northeast province on Friday (Sept 16). Witnesses suspected that electricity had leaked from the power pole. Atthachai suffered electric shocks during the rescue that he said had left him feeling weak. Both he and the schoolboy were taken to high ground inside the school compound before being rushed to hospital. Udon Thani governor Si…

From the Thaiger / Asean Now An American man met his demise in the greater Bangkok suburb of Nontha Buri after plummeting out of the ninth-floor window of a rental building. For some reason, falling deaths, especially those of foreigners, have been an increasingly common occurrence in Thailand. In this most recent incident, a man that Pak Kret police identified as Mr Campi was reported to have fallen out of a window on the ninth story of a building in Muang Thong Thani in the Nontha Buri province. He was 43 years old and died from a head injury sustained from the massive fall. Me Campi had rented a storage unit in the building, but it was on the eighth floo…

China! We talk about it a lot of time time, sometimes in relation to Hong Kong, sometimes Taiwan, sometimes its strict covid lockdown policy. Now though, a whole series of nasty events is affecting that country that threatens not only its own economy but the economy of the world. Last week, the CEO of Huawei warned that the chill from China's forthcoming economic downturn will be "felt by everyone" for the next decade. A long article on The Guardian website today points out that many problems for China have come to a head at the same time. These include a total collapse of confidence in the property market that has kept the economy buoyant - an issue discussed for ye…

From the Thaiger / Bangkok Post So many businesses in the entertainment sector were flattened by the Covid-19 global pandemic. But with tourism beginning to pick up, and sunny predictions for the fourth quarter after a rained-out third quarter of 2022, theme parks and water parks are pumping money into a flood of new attractions in Thailand in the coming months. Current theme parks have been revamping and remodelling to be ready for when the tourist are pouring back in and some big companies, both domestic and international, are launching brand new tourist attractions. They’re hopeful that Thailand will see a successful high season and that they can bring in bil…

I can remember when gay men were so insecure they had to meke everyone gay. Royal Bombshell! King Charles III Accused Of Gay Tryst By Ex-Palace Servant Years Before Taking The Throne mega King Charles III has taken over as head of the monarch after his later mother Queen Elizabeth passed this week — with his wife Queen Camilla by his side — but the Royal has been dogged by gay rumors for decades. The twice married and father of two strapping son has dealt with whispers it was all a beard to cover up his shocking secret life. Even his first wife Princess Diana raised questions about her husband’s sexuali…

The Bangkok Post reports that an 8% increase will take effect Saturday. The first flag drop will remain at 35 baht but the distance between additional drops will be reduced. The last increase was in 2014. It's still a bargain.

Daniel Radcliff will always be Harry Potter. Vivien Leigh will always be Scarlet O'Hara. Harrison Ford will always be Indiana Jones. Keep it going.....

From the Thaiger Airbnb says more tourists in Thailand are opting for ‘off-the-beaten-track’ destinations, benefiting the environment and local economies. Thailand’s usual top tourist destinations are places with international airports – Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui and Phuket. According to Airbnb, more tourists are venturing out of these hubs and into “lesser-known” destinations such as Koh Lanta, Trat, Pai and Cha-Am. Continues with photos https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/tourism/more-tourists-are-venturing-into-rural-thailand

News reports are confirming first-hand accounts I've been getting from some workers in the Silom area of heavier than usual rain this season. Although the flooding isn't said to be as bad as in 2011, the volume of rain could be the most in two decades. Authorities today are predicting up to three more months of above-average rainfall. https://www.thaipbsworld.com/bangkoks-seasonal-floods-reveal-the-problem-of-short-term-thinking/ This certainly isn't changing my travel plans but I am mentally preparing on how it may affect my daytime schedule--and possibly for he better. Although I may have to curtail some plans for outdoor activity I hope to substitute tho…

It's reported today that American Airlines has agreed to buy 20 supersonic airliners, making it the second US carrier to book orders after United earlier signed on for 15 of the "Overture" jets from manufacturer Boom. According to CNBC, the plane will fly as fast as Mach 1.7, or 1,304 mph, dramatically cutting trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific flight times. For example, a flight from Seattle to Tokyo, which typically takes just over 10 hours, could be completed in six hours. Boom says its supersonic planes will carry 65 to 80 passenger while flying on sustainable aviation fuel offering lower emissions. Boom will build the jet at a new manufacturing plant in…

King Bhumibol Adulyadej welcomes Queen Elizabeth to the Kingdom in 1996. Two of the longest serving monarchs in history will be long remembered for service to country above self. (Photo from The Nation)

From The Thaiger An Airbus A380 aircraft landed on the runway at Bangkok’s Don Mueang International rt (DMK) for the first time ever yesterday. The Emirates flight was redirected to Bangkok’s smaller airport due to heavy rainfall disrupting the runway at Suvarnabhumi Airport. At 9.40pm, flight EK363 from Guangzhou in China descended on DMK after the runway became impassible at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand’s biggest and busiest airport. It is the first time an Airbus A380 has ever landed at DMK. The plane circled Bangkok’s skies for 50 minutes waiting for weather conditions to improve, but they didn’t. Several fl…

In an era dominated by the ultra-right-wing Fox News and the lies it continuously spews, CNN has been a beacon of reason for those not wedded to Trumpism. Now, though, changes at the top of the network are likely to see it move away to a much more central political position. The start came recently with the sudden unexplained axing of Sunday night Brian Skelter's Reliable Sources hour-long programme. Skelter frequently aimed his barbs at Fox News. At the top of the network, former boss Jeff Zucker was an ally of Skelter and the network's mostly left wing alternative to Fox. CNN has changed hands quite regularly. It is now part of Warner Bros. Discovery. Skelter's fir…

The following article appears in The Thaiger and The Nation. The Thaiger noted that the source of the the article references “Terminal 4” but perhaps meant the fourth floor departure level. From The Thaiger Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok’s main international airport, is getting an upgrade: a new passenger validation system is being put in place. The new PVS will be launched in the airport officially on September 1 and will be found at Terminal 4 for both domestic and international passengers. [See note above). The PVS system is intended to speed up the process of screening passengers, making it more efficient while simultaneously giving a boost to Suva…

Pete Buttigieg Opens Up About Twins' Birth, Health Issues for 1st Time The secretary and his husband, Chasten, had previously avoided going into specifics. In a new piece written on his Medium account, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg details how he became a father. Buttigieg and his husband…

That the students were all on one motorbike and the shooter was driving a BMW tells me more than I need to know about this incident. From Thai PBS World Three high-school students were shot dead in the Khao Phanom District of Thailand’s southern province of Krabi last night after the motorcycle on which they were travelling was involved in a collision with a private car. Police subsequently arrested the suspect at a roadside car tire shop in Thung Yai district this morning (Tuesday). According to the Khao Phanom District police, the three high school students, all aged 18, left home to spend the night at another’s place after midnight. Their motor…

Hey guys, I want to apologize for engaging with the trolls here. When I found this forum, I was so excited because not only did I find a place with really good information, it seemed like a place where I could share some of my travel experiences that were not appropriate for Facebook or to share with my friends and family. Imagine my shock when out of the blue, one of the members started harassing me, and another called me names for asking a question (and then there was a sort of pile-up by some of the older members). I never felt so attacked before in my life, even as a gay kid being called names on the way to school. When I was young, I was too scared to fight…

Bought plane ticket via BudgetAir.com. Couldn’t get American Airlines to register me for online check in. Missed check in (Pattaya road construction, slow taxi driver, long check in queue). Travel insurance is only good for medical reason so now I get to purchase a new round trip and throw away the return leg. Two different airlines. AA and Qatar. My niece used to work at AA (and STILL flies for free). Hoping to get advice from her but she’s in Rome vacationing and not getting my messages yet. She did say if you don’t buy from the airline not to expect much. I thought the taxi would only take an hour and leaving Pattaya 4 hours early would be no problem wi…