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they touted that it also works well with Japanese in conversation mode when the Pixel 6 phones launched a couple of years ago. But Thai translation has always lagged for whatever reason. I presume it's just a difficult language and probably less popular than some other languages. I'm hoping that the rise of AI will make a big leap in this area. I guess there are some new AI products coming out already that have on-the-fly translation which are exciting a lot of people.

Gogo bars in general? Montreal has a few. Certainly not with dozens of boys on the boytisserie and various shows. But more traditional strippers. These sorts of places have been dying off for a while now though given the advent of online sites like chaturbate and the boys scrolling at the top of this page.

Certainly Google translate is not great for Thai. But I can typically figure out the gist well enough to communicate. Typically it's the Thai person who will initiate the interaction so they must also find it usable enough. And the camera feature for translating written menus and signs works fairly well.

It's difficult to know just how "dark" this was. I'm sure the BBC isn't above some sensationalism to get eyeballs on their product. Certainly if anyone was drugged that is a crime. Given how long ago this allegedly occurred it's unlikely anyone would be able to prove anything now. I also think that desperate people end up in situations that others would likely not find themselves in. But the fact that they apparently received envelopes full of thousands of dollars makes it much more difficult to see them as victims. I'd also guess that 99% of the people on this website who are paying for affection and physical interaction with attractive young men (including me) will have a different point of view on this subject than many other people will.

Google translate seems to work OK enough. I don't think I'd want to carry around yet another device. I can't stand that guy so I will have a hard time watching this video. 🙂

the latest update according to Thai Enquirer is 2 dead (a Chinese national and a Myanmar national) and 5 wounded The suspect is a student at a private school in Phaya Thai.

isn't this a story as old as the modeling industry?

certainly not even really theater anymore. Everyone just walks through beeping beeping beeping and the "security" people just salute. I wonder if that will briefly change

we'll all be fighting over them for sure. Although I just discovered that Kuwait Airways has canceled their route from Washington so that puts a bit of a wrench in my current plans. I'm waiting to hear how they plan to accommodate me...

I stayed at the Sukhothai a couple of times on my first few trips to Bangkok. Impeccable service and very comfortable. But the location was a little awkward to me for getting around on foot. MRT not too far though which helps. I agree that Le Meridien has a very good breakfast and decent rooms. The spread at the Crowne Plaza always impressed me as well although I haven't been there in a while. I would imagine that the W hotel probably has a pretty big breakfast. The photos online look good. No one seems to talk about the W much though. Location is basically on the corner of Sathorn and Narathiwas - around the corner from Chong Nonsi BTS. I've read some praise for the breaksfast at The Standard hotel at the MahaNakhon tower. Of course given their rates it should be!

I am in the midst of planning a trip for January and have been checking on these sorts of things. If you search on Google maps for hotels in a certain area it will give you a listing of rates from several different suppliers for each property. I agree that Agoda typically has good deals. But I have been booking directly with the properties instead. Most of the time they have the same deals and will sometimes throw in some other perks. I know Agoda has a loyalty program of sorts, but the benefits usually have to be used within a short amount of time. I've never bothered to try, but I think if Agoda has a significantly lower rate I might contact the hotel directly to see if they will match it.

judging from the photos this is not a traditional place

I've never been a "beach person" either. Although I will say that the Thai way of having loungers and umbrellas makes the whole beach experience a lot more bearable than just putting a towel down on the sand in full sun like here in the USA. I think this is a big part of why I can only take Pattaya for a few days at a time. I can only spend so much time at Central Festival...

maybe the bar doesn't want to publish such a document because it could open them up to some sort of legal jeopardy? More likely they're just in a rut of tradition. Given the myriad number of languages in India it might be difficult, but I suppose they could just do Hindi and presume that anyone traveling from India likely at least has some rudimentary English knowledge. Such a device would need to be VERY concise

I was watching Steve Rosse's new video last night and he mentioned that having wealthy police (before they took the job) makes people think they are not as corruptible because they don't "need" the money

sounds like blackmail... For a guy who wants to be the top cop the idea that he's going to sit on incriminating evidence seems a little odd.

definitely some sort of police in-fighting/rivalry going on. But why does he have so many houses?

and of course there are still the Soi 4 gogos. Tawan and Moonlight still in their locations.

I agree with the caveats listed above re: location of your destination and amount of baggage. But I also typically book a car service. Yes it costs more. But you are in a very comfortable vehicle even when traffic is heavy. After a long flight it's nice to just relax and not have to worry about anything. And it's door to door service. I've been using SP Limousine for years so they give me a small repeat customer discount.

I presume you understand the potential side effects, etc.

given the huge percentage of handsome Thai guys it's interesting that anyone ever goes viral

December is a great time to visit. I would choose a hotel inside the old city which makes touring around on foot or by tuktuk easy. I was there in December several years ago now (in 2012), I'd have to dig to find the hotel I stayed in. It was a nice traditional decor sort of place. Indeed lots of temples in the city and Doi Suthep. There are also some interesting caves if you like that sort of thing. The Royal Park Ratchaphruek is very pretty. This cave is called Mae On.

So it could go up, or down, or stay the same. Got it.

that's such a sweet story

I had never heard of the place but it does sound fascinating! I read that experts and archaeologists are concerned that the place has no infrastructure to handle the number of tourists who will be trying to go there now. And that it was the most looted site in Thailand during the 70s and 80s so they are worried that this new attention and lack of planning is going to make it a target all over again as there is a large part of the city that has not been excavated.