PeterRS

Absolutely disgraceful!

Taiwan has finally lifted all restrictions to entry - just in time for the Gay Pride Parade on Saturday 29th. The only requirement now is self testing during the first week and test kits are supplied on entry. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/13/taiwan-opens-borders-to-tourists-as-restrictions-eased-after-25-years

8 years ago I overnighted twice at the Holiday Inn at Helsinki 's Vantaa airport. The room was fine but I found when trying to work it was becomming quite cold. Could I find a thermostat anywhere? Nope. Since no one at reception bothered to answer phones, I made the long trek. The young lady told me that the hotel had done extensive research and found that 21 degrees was the most commonly accepted room temperature. So the temperature could not be changed. I told them quite forcibly that they clearly had not checked with anyone who lives in the tropics! I ended up with a tiny electric heater which was on full blast and not very effective for both my stays.

Thank you all for this discussion. At BNH in Bangkok yesterday for another reason, I asked for a PSA test since I have not had one for 2 years. I'm still awaiting the result. I notice that the hospital had a seminar last month "How to Manage an elevated PSA Level" which I missed. But it does have a a package available until December 31 that includes a complete Urological Check-up for 6,990 baht reduced from 10,125 baht. It includes tests for kidneys, ureters, bladder and uretha, testosterone - men's essential hormones, PSA test as well as consultation with a urologist. The price is inclusive of the fees for the doctor and hospital services.

Years ago I used to be a regular at Albury massage. The massages and afters were all more than very good. My masseur was gay, had a gay boyfriend, later appeared in gay movies and then moved with his boyfriend to live in Chiang Mai.

Perhaps they are all straight! 🤫

Taking this topcic a little further, I happen to believe that with its no longer being necessary to go out and actually meet guys in a bar, at parties or with friends in a coffee shop, this lack of social interaction is one key result of the internet. The internet is so pervasive that too many individuals, especially younger ones, are increasingly lost without access to the so-called social media (which I consider more anti-social media) and this almost automatically breeds loneliness and an increasing inability to interact socially with other people. My partner was telling me about his best friend, a cute Thai, who had recently met a visiting mid-40s German whom he very much likes. Indeed he hopes that a relationship will develop. But when four of them went out for dinner a few nights ago, his friend spent much of the evening on his phone. Perhaps not surprisingly the German got fed up with this and turned his attention to my partner who has become very sociable over the years. He didn't get very far, though!

Did I not write "I fully undersand there is likely to be the odd bad apple?"

Sounds very Thai! Co-habitation of same sex couples is legal and wedding ceremonies may be performed. But marriage itself is illegal and there are no legal protections. A working group is pressing for reform of the 2019 Marriage and Family Law so that gay marriage is incorporated. According to public opinion polls, the Vietnam public remains split on the subject of gay marriage. Also, discrimination against gay men remains widely practised and there is no legislation protecting the LGBT community from discrimination.

Your point is taken @alvnv. Over the years CNN has reported extensively about Thailand and from within Thailand. I cannot believe its experienced Asian based journalists do not have accreditation. I expect the official quoted in the press clipping was talking about something he knew little about - a common occurrence in Thailand!

I was brought up as a Protestant and even played piano for a Bible class most Sundays as a teenager. I didn't want to but there was some parental pressure there from my mother. I have never been a churchgoer since my teens. I find the endless communal singing of hymns with words and music written mostly more than a century ago incredibly boring. On the other hand, I once saw on television a Church service with a pop band. That also turned me right off. Equally, readings from a book part of which is about fables that originated millennia ago and only many centuries later put into writing (and we know what happens when one person repeats what he has heard to another, who then repeats it to another, and so on - it always ends up as a completely different story), and part of which was decided for us by various Councils in the 4th century long after the death of Jesus when again memories would have been fallible. Being gay has never had anything to do with my thoughts on religion. I just happen to believe that religions in general were necessary all that time ago as a glue to keep tribes and later societies together. Again for millennia, life on earth was so grim for so many people, the thought that there was paradise somewhere up in the sky where all was wine and roses but which you could only enter into if you behaved well down here on earth must have been very appealing to vast numbers. (I wonder how many know that the word 'paradise' comes from the Persian meaning garden) When I see on television the extraordinary images from the combination of the Hubble and James Webb telescopes, I marvel that these amazing scenes are of events that happened so long ago my mind simply cannot comprehend them. Here on earth we are a mere tiny speck of a tiny speck given the vastness of what we are told is a still expanding universe (something else I canot understand). Given that, though, how is that our various earthly religions claim to have got it all so right?

No, that's incorrect. Taiwan is the only Asian country permitting same-sex marriage - provided one partner is of Taiwanese nationality.

A marmalade one, like Paddington Bear and the late Queen of the UK? 🤣

Daniel Hodge is not a reporter. He is a cameraman. Anna Coren is a CNN reporter based in the CNN Hong Kong bureau. I agree they should not have been permitted inside a crime scene even though they did not show graphic images in any news bulletins. The implication behind the last sentence is slightly scary, though. No reporter and his/her crew can be expected to obtain work visas if they are going to do their jobs by covering last minute news items. I'll bet anything that those many hundreds covering the Cave Rescue were here on tourist visas. If Thailand wants the good covered as well as the bad, there is no alternative to reporters having free access on tourist visas.

With all respect to @reader I think the comment about drugs does a great disservice to taxi drivers in general. Over the last two decades I have probably taken more taxis from first DMK and then BKK to the city centre than any other poster - over 250 trips. As a very regular commuter to my business in Hong Kong, the Emirates flight I have taken dozens of times usually sees me in a taxi around 12:30 am. I have never once had cause to complain about getting back home in around 30 minutes at that time nor about excessive speed. The great thing about arriving around that hour is that there are absolutely no traffic jams. If arriving at 8:00 in the morning, I would not even consider a taxi given the horrendous jam to get into the city. I fully undersand there is likely to be the odd bad apple, but the only problem I have encountered on the airport run is a doctored taxi meter. That was easy to spot because I know how much the trip should cost making allowances for stops at traffic lights etc. On that occasion I took photos with my camera of the driver, the meter and the taxi licence number. The driver then refused to accept any payment!

I'm another Kinokuniya fan! Many of the books I read - and I do read quite a number - are now on Kindle. They are so much easier to purchase on amazon, just one click. Also having travelled so much, an iPad is lighter and takes up a lot less space in my hand luggage than many books. I find one of the problems with keeping hardback books in the tropics is that the climate will eventually affect the spine and pages will begin to drop out. Another if you don't use the services of a pest control company is white ants. They are thankfully not everywhere but I have once picked up a thick book I had not opened for at least a year to find great canyons carved through the pages!

As we have been exposed to more images and video footage of Thurday's massacre, I have found myself becoming very emotional over this senseless, horrific, cold-blooded murder of innocent little children. I thought I had become all but used to news about the massacres of schoolchildren of any age - from Columbine, to Dunblane in Scotland, Virginia Tech, the Anders Breivik mass slaughter in Norway, the ghastly Sandy Hook murders, Parkland to the more recent atrocity at Uvalde in Texas. Although the world has little good to say about Russia at the present time, we should not forget to include here the bloodiest murder of the largest number of schoolchildren at Beslan in 2004. Perhaps it is because this one is so much closer to my home. Watching happy parents driving recently with their two laughing 3-year old twin boys and knowing that both boys are now dead just brought tears to my eyes. Nothing surely can be more personally harrowing than the loss of such young children. In this case, though, it was surely made worse because quite a number of the parents of these little angels had had to leave the village to find work nearby. They did not get to spend as much time with their children as I am sure they would have liked. Now they are gone. It is said that time is a great healer. How in God's good earth can those parents ever get over this tragedy?

Just one suggestion for sightseeing. The Siamroads guides are excellent and well worth the price. The Grand Palace and the Wat Phra Kaew complex has been mentioned by @vinapu and is a definite must. There is a dress code for temples and some other major historical buildings. No shorts, no flip flops and arms must be covered at least to just above the elbow - i.e. no tank tops. To get there I would suggest to your guide going by public boat along the river rather than any other means as it gives you a better feel for the city. Getting there from your hotel by the Skytrain (BTS) is easy. Just get the train 4 stops to Saphan Taksin (I think it is now 4) and there is a ferry pier within about 50 meters. There is a boat stop very close to the Grand Palace entrance. There is also a fast Express Boat if you prefer. That part of the city is often not easy to access so you might consider making a full day of it. Not far away in the Dusit area is the all-teak royal Vimanmek Mansion originally built as a royal Palace. which has tours at various times of the day. I believe the entrance ticket for Grand palace includes free entry to Vinanmek Palace. But one caveat is that the Mansion was closed for major renovations which took several years and it is extremely difficult to find out on the web if it is finally open again for public tours. Your guide will check. The symmetrical quite lovely Wat Benchamabophit temple is only a sort walk away and well worth a visit. Your guide will also ensure you are not scammed by the tuk tuk drivers who stand close to the Palace Entrance. They prey on tourists by informing them that the Palace is closed for an hour but they can give you a short guided (and expensive) tour around nearby areas to kill the time. Lastly, remember that in Thailand it is the law that you carry around your passport at all times. Many do not do this, instead preferring to take a photocopy of their personal information page. In that case, best also to photcopy the page with the stamp in the passport showing the date of entry into the Kingdom.

Japan is one of the worst countries in this respect. So many young people no longer have a desire to get married that it has led to a series of major government concerns. The numbers getting married last year showed the continuation of a decline that saw the lowest number since World War 2. The resultant decline in the birth rate saw the country's population continue to fall for the 11th consecutive year - by 644,000. In a country without many safety nets for an ageing population the lack of a new generation to help look after parents in their old age is worrying many. In a survey in the mid-1980s, just 2.3% of men and 4.1% of women stated they would never marry. Last year those figures had jumped to 17.3% and 14.6% Many reasons have been cited. The increasing independence of women seeking meaningful careers in a traditionally male dominated society. The attraction for young women of remaining at home longer to save for and enjoy the good things in life rather than getting married early and being tied to looking after children and the household. Long working hours and traditonal reticence making it difficult for young men and women to meet and develop the social skills to develop relationships. Japan is also hampered by strict immigration laws which still prevents skilled workers in many disciplines obtaining jobs in the country.

Haven't we heard virtually the same about London's Heathrow - huge queues for check-in and security, late arrivals and departures and airlines asked to cut a large number of flights to enable the airport just to operate? I must have been one of the lucky ones at Amsterdam. I took four inter-European flights in and out of Schiphol in mid-March. Two arrived early and two departed bang on time. But the walk required within the airport to get between gates was as long as almost anywhere.

Drugs? According to the toxicology report. there were no drugs in the muderer's system. But his mental health was clearly an issue given that he had been fired and was to be arraigned on drugs charges. Similar to the USA and I assume other countries, more attention will be paid to mental issues as the cause, but as I have asked before in this forum, how on earth do you identify people likely to commit mass murder on the basis of mental health? You may identify a few but you will never find more than that.

Do you mean the Queen Sirikit Convention Centre? The present building has been there at least since 2001 when I attended an event there. Since it only opened in 1991, I think it unlikely it was ever demolished. Parts of the interior were refurbished during covid.

In addition Cathay Pacific has opened all its seats on most flights in October for redemption using standard mileage awards.

Is there anything to do with 'Gay Bangkok' in the lists? Interesting though it is, this seems more suited to The Beer Bar thread where many more are likely to read it.

A wonderful post. Beautifully written with great honesty. You are never boring and always provide a different view from most of those expressed here. I'm not sure if you enjoy classical music but some of your history reminds me of Britain's finest pianist Sir Stephen Hough. Deeply religious as a teenager, he believed he was destined to become a priest. Music was his other passion and when he won one of the world's top piano competitions aged 21, he abandoned ideas to become a priest and instead became a concert pianist. Although gay he remained celebate well into his 30s. Signing autographs after a concert in New York, a young professional Asian man asked about future concerts in London. They arranged to meet there a month or so later. They have been a couple for around a quarter of a century. Hough is an extraordinary individual. In addition to being a pianist with more than 60 CDs to his name, he is also an accomplished painter, poet, composer and author. The Economist magazine named him one of 20 living polymaths. I thorougly recommend everyone to read his first book The FInal Retreat. It's a small slim volume about a priest at conflict with his views about the Church. He is a middle-aged gay man who tries to face up to Church teaching and increasing sexual desire. It is not about the recent scandals in the Catholic Church. It's more a personal journey which is troubling, depressing and . . . well, I cannot give the ending away. I hope those not interested in the subject will forgive my quoting from one chapter. Many focus on sexuality and gay sex. The focus here is on the priesthood. "I look back over my priesthood – twenty-five years, my anniversary is next year. How pointless it all seems, as if I had sailed to a desert island after my ordination and begun to live some weird fantasy life there about which no-one knew anything or cared. My memories are like shells, dry and empty and dead, the tide creeping in and out and slowly reducing them to sand. Blank squares in a out-of-date diary. "What did I think my life would be like after I was ordained? I'd iived around priests since infancy so I knew the public face, but I didn't know about the private failures and the sheer monotony of their lives. Failure: 'the omission of expected or required action', as one dictionary puts it. Interesting that it's defined as a passive fault ... omission. Jobs have goals, the achievement of which is their very definition. To be a pilot is to fly a plane. To be a bricklayer is to lay bricks. Priesthood is infallibly 'effective', so the theologians tell us ... but underneath theology's theoretical confidence is the constant undertow of practical failure. We fail to lift spirits or heal souls. We answer big questions with little lies. With a few exceptions we fail to make a difference, week after week. Omission is the invisible footprint behind every step."