PeterRS

Ref my post of May 23 above, the sequel to the successful Thai movie Present Perfect is now showing again in Bangkok cinemas. Set in a small resort on Koh Kood, Present Still Perfect corinues the story of the two guys who first met in a resort in Hokkaido and started a short lived relationship. We enjoyed both movies but found the sequel less enjoyable from the film making viewpoint. The three main characters in the original were very well acted and extremely believable. Present Still Perfect still has fine acting from the two boys but the two others seem to be much more Thai movie stereotypes - a ditsy manageress whose hair is almost permanently in large curlers and a cute Japanese boy as a tourist whose role in the film we just could not understand. Still, it is well worth seeing and a good example of a movie based totally on a serious gay theme.

Continuing for a moment on this serious sidetrack, I was in Dick's a few years ago having dinner with several friends. The subject of shingles came up. Three had suffered from shingles and were saying how nasty it was. One said he had had the rash on his forehead. This can be particularly serious as there is a possibility iit can affect the eyes. The next day I popped in to BNH and got the latest shingles vaccine. It was not cheap, about 8000 baht for the doctor consultation and the vaccine. But it was then a new vaccine and i was told it would cover me for at least 10 years. Money well spent. I encourage everyone to have themselves vaccinated.

I would definitely hold off your plans. We assume that some international flights will be permitted to land and take off from Thailand airports from July 1. But we do not yet know which countries will remain on a no fly list. I cannot see flights from countries where covid 19 is still not under control being permitted - but thats a guess. Second, as has been pointed out somewhere I recently read, you will almost certainly need a ton of paperwork including medical insurance up to US$100,000, a letter from the Thai Consulate etc. before you can get on a plane. Then we still have no idea if there will be any quarantine regulations remaining in place. The Prime Minister has made it clear there will be no general opening of tourism. The number of flights permitted to land will be strictly limited.

Agreed. But if you do not like/use condoms and you say you are totally free of STDs, then you must obviously get tested after each and every sexual encounter AND wait for the window for HIV to expire before you have sex again. That is the only way to ensure you are STD free. Do you do that? If you do not, then each and eery time you are always putting your partner at risk while you enjoy your risky behaviour. Oh and by the way, getting tested regularly for all STDs will make quite a hole in your wallet.

I cant help thinking back to the start of the HIV pandemic, SARS and a comparison with covid19. On the surface HIV was the worst virus toe world has seen in our lifetimes. Everyone in the 1980s knew that getting HIV was a death sentence. Thailand had a rapidly increasing rate of victims. Heck, every country had. There was talk that visitors ftom certain countries might be banned from bars because it was assumed they would more likely bring the virus, but that never happened. The bars remained full at the weekends, there were boys galore and the pandemic did not seem to limit anyones enjoyment. The difference then was condoms. It quickly became known that known that HIV was spread through exchange of bodily fluids. Thailand had the "condom king" khun Meechai who had been working for years in the provinces promoting condom use to reduce family sizes. it was not difficult for him to switch tack and promote general condom use. For those who have not heard of him, you may know his famous Cabbages and Condoms restaurant off Suk around Soi 10 or 12. He took the stigma out of condoms. He made fun of them. Bar owners gladly held seminars with their boys to illustrate how they should be used. From what I read, the SARS and covid19 viruses are closely related and very similar. The one crucial difference is that the effects of SARS became noticeable within two days of infection. Tracing contacts was therefore massively easier. The virus was relatively quickly controlled without the need for any vaccine. Sadly the effects of covid19 take about two weeks and many infected are asymptomatic. So how do you protect yourself and others from tiny unseen droplets in the air unless you wear a face condom - ie. a mask. On CNN this morning there is a rather alarming study which illustrates that droplets from one bad cough can actually carry as far as 12 feet which they will reach in about 1 minute following the cough. Wear a standard surgical mask and the risk is greatly lessened, but droplets will still escape and spread from the sides. They help the wearer but are less effective for those around you. The N95 mask which I find very uncomfortable to wear in the heat of Thailand much reduces the risk of the escape of droplets. Covid19 has a much reduced death rate compared to those who suffered from HIV and SARS. But there is another worrying fact. It is now known that quite a number of those who recover can end up with longer term health problems. "Bizarre" is how various experts describe the effects. They just do not yet know how this virus really works or what its long term effects might be. Its all very troubling. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/revealed-long-term-severe-effects-covid-19-can-go-months/

You have given plenty of clues and I believe I have two of the words. But the rest escapes me, Obviously i do not read the site often enough and do not know the members. But thanks for an entertaining quiz.

I have all but one letter - cannot answer 19 across although I have 2 of the letters. Can we know how many words in the final answer? Surely not all 15 are in one word!

It is named "Present Perfect". This link should give the trailer. There is a sequel titled "Present Still Perfect" that had just opened when cinemas were closed due to covid19. Initial reports indicate it is not nearly as good as the original.

Do you mean they form an anagram? If not, are they in the order in which they appear in your clues or the order on the page? One more question. With the Thai BL movies, is there a number in the squares?

The bars lasted through the early years of the much scarier HIV pandemic. In fact they increased in number. They lasted through three years of the Asian Economic Crisis. They lasted through the 2008 global financial recession. The main difference in recent years has been the replacement of Thai boys with others from neighbouring countries. My view is that in future it will become more difficult for Lao, Cambodian and Vietnamese to return for quite some time after the bars reopen. But like the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s many Thai boys may now be desperate for decent paying work. Maybe they will return to the bars. There are two huge differences between 2020 and the three instances I refer to above. 1. international air travel. IATA has stated it will be 2024 before flights return to their 2019 level. 2. Disposable incomes of millions of possible gay travellers have taken a big hit. If flight prices rise to a point where gay tourists decide they just cannot afford to fly to Thailand, what happens to the demand for the bars over the next year or two? Bars can probably survive a shutdown for a few months. Can they survive a major drop off in customers lasting years?

True. Even with good load factors the profit was probably minimal. I also suspect THAI just did not have spare twin engine aircraft to maintain the US routea. Singapore Airlines had a daily Newark/Singapore non stop for some years but that also used A340s and was cancelled when oil prices started to spike.. It was reinstated last year as a business and premium economy only flight using newer A350 aircraft. I cant imagine a THAI non stop surviving without a decent sized economy section.

I believe the reason for the THAI flights being cancelled was a result of the airline purchasing a fleet of long haul 4 engine gas guzzling Airbus A340s for the US routes. This was just before the extended flight range over water for twin engine jets like the 777s was extended to enable twin engine aircraft to fly these ultra long haul routes. The THAI A340s had an extra large biz class and If I recall correctly load factors wete more than good. Sadly the A340s were the wrong plane at the wrong time, same as the A380 was also several years too late into the market. THAI has tried to offload the A340s without much success. Most airlines just dont want them now.

My guess is that amazon used regular international flights for shipping. If you have the packages sent to a friend in the USA or UK, DHL still ships into and out of Thailand.

Its crystal ball time. Although Thailands domestic carriers can operate from tomorrow, the restrictions including social distancing mean that capacity can only be about 50%. I havent looked at fares but the Bangkok Post reckoned these would rise by 50%. Not surprising. In the USA, the average internal flight now only has 17 passengers. What of international airlines? When will they be allowed to land at DMK and BKK? What will their fares be like? How many will want to travel? Most of the fleets of international airlines have been mothballed and many staff either laid off or taking early retirement. Will passengers from certain countries be banned for longer than others? In Asia, Vietnam and Taiwan appear to have controlled the covid19 virus far better than others. Since all air routes depend on passengers flying in both directions, will flights out of Hanoi and Taipei be safer than the return legs on the same aircraft? Aircraft orders have all but collapsed with Airbus and Boeing both in trouble. Boeing still has a huge mess on its hands with yet more recently discovered 737 Max flaws still unresolved and Boeing itself advising the flight to obtain regulatory approval has been pushed back again. Now it is likely to take place in August. Since this must be the 6th or 10th date given by the manufacturer, the chances of its being delayed again must be high. Southwest has already announced the postponement of its introduction to October 30. Thats not the manufacturers only problem though. It seems that if it cannot deliver aircraft within 12 months of the date in the contract, airlines can cancel orders at no penalty. With the planes receiving such a negative public image, Boeing had orders for 150 of the aircraft cancelled in March alone. How many more customers will cancel? And what will Boeing do if its cash cow is unable to persuade the public that it is in fact safe? Would you fly in the plane? Despite the success of its A320 Neo and A350 aircraft, Airbus is also facing blank order books and is bleeding cash. Then there is the collapse of the price of oil. Since the A320 Neo and the 737 Max were sold on the basis of there being more fuel efficient than existing models, presumably that claim is far less important than it was last year now that oil will make up a much smaller percentage of flight costs. Both aircraft were developed to make single aisle travel across longer distances possible more cheaply. Would I want to take a n 8 hour flight on a single aisle aircraft? Frankly no! Then, will the oil price reduction make 4 engine planes now more efficient? Is there a chance the Airbus A380 could be reprieved? Who would run an airline!

Well spotted DivineMadman. Sondheim has to be one of the greatest figures in musical theater. His total contribution from lyricist for West Side Story onwards is massive. I have not seen as many of his shows as I would have liked (still time I hope) but the late Elaine Stritch singing Ladies Who Lunch in Company has to be the highlight. That show Company was a revelation of what musical theater could be to me. Little Night Music is a gem with Len Cariou and Hermione Gingold giving superb performances in the original production, Sweeney Todd far more dramatic in the theater than in Tim Burtons movie, and Follies which I saw in a 2000 New York revival pure joy. For Sondheim lovers, he published a fascinating book about 10 years ago titled Finishing The Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) with Attendant Comments , Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes. It is packed with fascinating insights, as in this one about West Side Story. "Originally, Tony was to have been a blond Polish Catholic, in order to contrast him as much as possible with the Puerto Ricans. This gave the name 'Maria' a religious resonance which I pushed with the line 'Say it soft and it's almost like praying'.". My favourite is when he talks about Elaine Stritch relaxing after rehearsals of Company. "The character of Joanne was not only written for Elaine Stritch, it was based on her, or at least on her acerbic delivery and self-assessment, as exemplified by a moment George Furth had shared with her: they had entered a bar at two in the morning and Elaine, well-oiled, had murmered to the bartender in passing, 'Just give me a bottle of vodka and a floor plan'". I think this is Stritchs best rendition of Ladies Who Lunch and its wonderful lyrics as she gets drunker with each toast.

Good on the owner. As someone once said, you gotta have a gimmick ....

Reader, you make very good points. I am not anti American. But America has made more than its fair share of foreign relations mistakes, just as Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Russia, China and other countries have done over the centuries. But you do twist facts. Yes, under the lend lease program America helped the United Kingdom in World War 2 before Germay declared War on it. Yet the same program provided arms and materiel to the USSR. Roosevelt made it very clear it was in Americas interest to do so. Similarly with the Marshall Plan, a truly visionary program that rebuilt western Europe in record time. Again, though, this was primarily in the US interests. America was desperate that the advance of the communist Soviet Union stopped at the soon to be East German border. Without the Marshall Plan so ravaged was western Europe that the Soviet Union would quickly have been at the Atlantic shoreline. Same with Vietnam. The US then was staunchly anti colonial. It continually pressed Britain to decolonize. During World War 2 it had fed money and materiel to Ho Chi Minh and his troops to help them harass the Japanese invaders. Near the end of the war Ho sent several letters to Roosevelt and Truman seeking assurance that its ally, the US, would prevent the French from renewing its repressive colonial regime. The US declined to do so. It turned its back on Vietnam because the French leader de Gaulle had made it perfectly clear that if France could not resume its control of Info China, it would give the Soviets free passage across its country. It turned out that the French were no match for the Vietnamese forces. Their rout at Dien Bien Phu was an ignominious defeat for de Gaulle.

Funny response when everything I wrote is true. As for covid19, I see on the internet that as of a few days ago vietnam had 268 cases of which 202 have recovered and no deaths. Figures for the USA - 764,177, 70,172 and 49,591. Not true? Incidentally didnt the US troops stay well away from Europe in World war 2 only until Germany declared war on it? The detail of international relations are often unfathonable. We only see the results.

Foreign relations is a curious beast. Cambodia has been in Beijings camp since the days of French colonial rule. King Sihanouk fled to Beijing after the 1970 coup which may well have had CIA backing. It was the US secret unsanctioned bombing of Cambodia that directly created the vacuum that led to the rise to power of the genocidal Khmer Rouge. Even after Vietnam invaded and liberated the country, the world led by the USA continued to recognise the murderers for another dozen years. The US even tried to persuade other nations to help rebuild the Khmer Rouge! President Carter in a policy continued by Reagan and Bush 41 called on other nations to cut off assistance and aid to Vietnam. How come the murder of about 1.5 million plus of its citizens would qualify the Khmer Rouge continuing in power? The Khmer Rouge then continued to represent Cambodia at the UN until 1991. Madness! Funny too that Vietnam is coupled with the USA and others in attempts to stamp out the covid19 virus. From what I read, Vietnam was way ahead of the USA in insisting on its people wearing facemarks and using hand sanitiser. This despite Vietnam having a weak healthcare system and small health budget. The leaders in Hanoi implemented their strategy during Tet, the same day as Chinese New Year before the end of January when there were no known cases outside China. Quarantine of those with the virus and tracking of contacts started long before Trump and his minions in Washington gave the virus the time of day.

Apologies to spoon. Id love to say it was an accidental spoonerism but it was merely a simple slip of the finger.

z909 is 100% correct. Taiwan obviously learned its lesson from the 2003 SARS outbreak and reports suggest that life there seems to be normal apart from mandatory wearing of facemarks and use of hand sanitisers. Given the lessons that other countries should have learned from SARS and the other killer virus outbreaks that have appeared since then, the WHO bears as much responsibility for the Covid19 spread as most ignorant and arrogant world leaders. These are the people gladly spend trillions on weapons of war but mere pence (sic) on preparing their countries for a virus outbreak that was bound to happen spooner rather than later,

This movie was popular when it was shown a couple of years ago. Its a tale of two Thai guys who happen to meet up by accident when holidaying in Hokkaido. I wont say more as it will give too much of the story away. I liked it even though it is quite slow moving. There are long silences which are almost Pinteresque but these provide an insight into the thoughts of the principal characters. The full movie is available on youtube. A sequel Present Perfect Part 2 was filmed last year and released last month. But it only had a run of a few days before cinemas were closed.

Second or third visit around 1996 I met the cutest Thai guy in Heaven sauna. I took him out for dinner after our encounter and discovered he was a student about to enter his final year at university. Lovely body, fascinating smile, very friendly, very good English, well endowed as befitted an Isaan boy and a great technique in bed! We continued to meet for my next three visits. Once I took him to Koh Samui for 4 days where we stayed in a hotel with a jacuzzi in the bathroom. What went on in that jacuzzi matched what went on in bed but seemed more exciting. Then he found a Thai boyfriend and our adventures ended. But we remained friends and I met up with him regularly for lunches or dinners until three years ago when he returned to open a business in his home town. I always found Babylon in its first more intimate incarnation in the 90s more exciting than the bigger premises it moved into down the soi. Many more cute young Thais than now, many eager to find older farangs. Never encountered any rent boys. Always queues to get in at the weekend. Once I was just standing around in the semi darkness when I heard a voice with an Australian accent behind me ask if Id like to go with him to a room. I turned around to explain I was only interested in Thais when I realised he was Thai. Turned out hed been to university in Sydney. Hence the Oz accent. He knew exactly what he wanted, had no inhibitions, was passionate and we had an amazing evening followed by dinner. I was staying at the Hyatt then and managed to get him past security for the next two nights. Great days and nights!

I may have confused readers when talking about the entertainment business. I not intend this to mean cock (as suggested by Vinapu) or offs. More the entertainment provided by the bar business. Many posters over several years have talked about how the 1990s saw the peak as far as entertainent value in the gogo bars is concerned. The boys actually danced. They were fun and seemed intent on giving customers a good time. The shows were mostly fun and often creative. Was there not also a less aggressive commercial aspect for customers? From my experience of the Bangkok bars over the last few years, the entertainment value in many has greatly diminished. Standing still with hands behind their backs in a slow rotation or at most a form of soft shoe shuffle has replaced real dancing at the same time as prices have risen very quickly way above any reasonable level. In my experience with few exceptions the boys from neighbouring countries mostly seem less concerned about the good time element in the bars. Perhaps I visited on the wrong nights.

What actually happens in 2020 may well be different. In 1997 the effect was principally limited to Asia. But Thailand did not recover quickly. It had totally exhausted all its foreign exchange reserves in the vain attempt to prop up the baht. The country suffered a good three years of severe economic pain. That crisis only had a minor effect on the rest of the world. China then was a tiny dot on the economic horizon. Now it has been contributing a third of the global economy. China's growth this year will be way lower than the last few years and this will have a huge effect around the world. Imports and exports are all falling dramatically as economic activity in countries increasingly being locked down declines. Already, as Tim Cook of Apple pointed out, there are huge disruptions to the world's supply chains. We have already seen the effect just on world tourism with Thailand especially hard hit as outbound Chinese travel is all but dead. Many major airlines and much of the hotel industry are on life support. When people start to fly in greater numbers again, I cannot see a return to pre Covid19 levels till far into the future. Recently I stayed in a 390 room hotel which had at most 30 rooms occupied. In my crystal ball I see a much greater wariness of the Chinese to travel even in the medium term since average incomes will have dropped and families will have less disposable income for two years or more. I suspect a more accurate comparison is with the global financial crisis in 2008. But I see this one as being even worse. I truly wish I am wrong. I do agree, though, that one result may be a drop in the number of Vietnamese, Laos and Cambodians in the entertainment business and a return of more Thais. Perhaps thats one little bright sot on the horizon.