PeterRS

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.

This video by a Vietnamese pop star has gone viral. It focuses on the need for hand washing in a fun way. Interesting that it was made more than a month ago at a time when few seemed to have been paying much attention to the importance of hand washing! Apologies if it has already been posted. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctF5aMV05kM

Yesterday the Bangkok Post reported the government has allowed one border crossing to Laos and one to Cambodia to remain open. The one for Cambodia is at Aranyaprathet. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1883110/more-border-closures-in-fight-against-virus

Surely it is more than ridiculous to make decisions based on reported statistics of those infected and those who have sadly died, however important these are. The key statistic has to be the number of those tested compared to total population. In the case of something like this virus, to assume that existing totals bear any reality to actual infections is fantasy. Mandating the testing of visitors before they can travel therefore seems to make a degree of sense. Hopefully most will not be infected between the date of the test and the date of travel.

Is there anything stopping you sending him a PM if you are seeking advice? Didnt Bob actually suggest this about 3 years ago?

Many belated congratulations to your parents. As DivineMadman points out, a lovely story. My own parents knew each other considerably longer before their marriage that would have reached well into its sixth decade had not my father succumbed to cancer. I do think our respective parents were probably far from unique. Six decades or so ago saw very different times when society in general worked in much simpler ways. But I wonder if your parents came from very different cultures and actually lived on opposite sides of the planet before those first happy meetings? Perhaps my comments on the OP are a result of a failed attempt to live with a lovely Thai young man in his late 20s who had earlier lived with a boyfriend in Australia. I assumed he would be accustomed to a different western culture and did not take the trouble to introduce him to it before he moved. I was stupid. Despite his promises of undying love and after a lengthy long distance relationship, he just could not settle down. Purely for info, he was not a money boy and had never been in any gay bar in Thailand.

Like it or not KhorTose has made a valid point. Can anyone really know another person enough to marry and spend his life with him when this man has never once been to their own country? When one party has never lived in Thailand for more than a few weeks at a time? Some posters here have given out details of their meetings with other posters. So let me add that I met KhorTose. I hope he will forgive me giving out a small bit of personal information in his defence in the face of the "offensive derogatory over-generalizations" he is being accused of. Before he proposed to his Thai partner he returned and actually lived in Thailand for several years during which time they lived together. He also took his partner on a visit to his home in the USA so the young man could get used to the living environment. Only after all that did he feel confident enough that his Thai partner would be happy to settle in a totally alien country. We are all different. What works for one may not for another. Some use stronger language and inferences than others. I do not believe Schuft is a troll and I wish him every success with the relationship.

I refer to the quote I made earlier - from an expert on viruses. They may not grow but they don't die in the absence of a human cell to latch on to. As she points out they can iive on surfaces other than skin for up to months in some cases But I certainly wouldnt be relying on any advice or quotes made here. Do your own research and make up your own mind. Its your life, after all. In fact, I think this thread can end up being misleading. I suggest it is closed.

Well that may be the theory but there really are no specific rules. It all depends on the individual hotels. I once stayed at an up market hotel in what was billed as a superior room. It was tiny, felt like a broom cupboard and had a view of rooftops. I called the management and asked to see the standard room. Oh we do not have standard rooms was the response. I then argued. I told him that in the English language, the language of the country we were in, the word superior meant superior to something inferior. Again I asked to see the standard room. To keep me quiet I was upgraded to a deluxe - which of course should have been named a superior! Deluxe is often used for rooms of exactly the same size but on higher floors. Now I just call and ask in advance precisely what each room type consists of!

For every expert saying one thing, there is another saying the opposite! Im not going to touch a planes video screen unless I know it has been properly cleaned with alcohol before I get on board. Same with the arm rests, the seat bels and the tray table. Who knows who has been on that plane and near that seat when it arrived before my departure? I may sneeze into my sleeve or a tissue or handkerchief, but no one knows who has been in that seat or near it and failed to cover his or her mouth or nose, When I come to Thailand I will use alcohol wipes liberally on the plane. Im taking no chances https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/01/how-coronavirus-spreads-on-a-plane/

Sobering indeed. A key part of the article is surely this one. After SARS it was widely reported that another similar illness would eventually appear and that it would originate in China where animals and humans often exist in close proximity to each other. Early and continuing research is vital with all new illnesses. Lest we forget, researchers now believe the first known AIDS patient in the USA was a teenager Robert Rayford whose immune system was dysfunctional and who suffered from a number of highly unusual symptoms including Kaposi's syndrome. Rayford died in St. Louis in 1969. The autopsry results baffled doctors. It was only in 1988 that tests found HIV antibodies in his blood samples. How he was infected is not known. It is suspected that he could have been a child prostitute. St. Louis was TWA's international hub city. The case was so unusual it was the subject of an extensive 1973 article in the medical journal Lymphology. It is mere speculation but had research continued on Rayford's death, could the HIV pandemic have been nipped in the bud?

I take the CDCs guidelines and use the N95 for greater protection against the smaller droplets getting through the mask. This type of mask is not very comfortable to wear in the heat of Thailand . But the normal surgical mask is not effective is protecting against the smaller droplets named aerosols. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/pdfs/UnderstandDifferenceInfographic-508.pdf I agree there is so much advice in so many places it has all become very confusing.

Plenty. These masks do not fully cover the face. There are plenty of gaps at the sides and small gaps around the nose. Not difficult to breath only air that comes through the mask. The tight fitting N95 respirator masks are far more effective according to many medical websites.

The problem with almost all masks is they cover only the nose and mouth. A cough or a sneeze from an infected person near you releases small droplets into the air. These can just as easily infect you through your eyes. Short of wearing goggles I guess those weatring regular eye glasses have a slightly greater degree of protection. Other point is to avoid touching objects which may have been touched by an infected individual. Things like cash, elevator handrails, floor buttons on lifts etc. Always keep washing your hands.

Some years ago I did Brazil flying from Asia. Then it meant two 12 hour overnight flights with a long14 hour stopover in Europe. Thank goodness I had enough miles saved up to upgrade to biz class. With many more daytime flights to Europe now, the total trip time can be a lot shorter via cities like Dubai. Depending on where you live in Asia you can also consider flying via the Pacific. But total journey time will still be a bit more than 24 hours. Good luck! The trip is worth it.

In Bangkok you see lots of Indians in the main shopping malls. These ladies spend heavily judging by the luxury bags they carry.

There is lots to see in all three cities. Just check travel tips on the internet and youll get all the info you need on all the main ones. Dont forget take a half day trip to the Amber Fort outside Jaipur. Delhi has god awful traffic but there is a very basic underground network which can help get near some of the sights. Please do not miss Agra. Difficult to say when you will see it without much air pollution but it is definitely bucket list material. Try and see it at least twice - once just as dawn is breaking when the marble changes colour and then again during the day. Sorry cannot help with gay life other than gay sex was decriminalised earlier this year. It was very much AYOR for foreigners when I was there. I expect it will be much the same now.

I find it useless worrying about nomenclature. I for one hate the use of Queer. For decades when I was growing up it was filled with very negative connotations and I loathed it. Now it has become fashionable again. I wish the younger generation could be bothered to educate themselves about its history. Gay is one virtually generic term but there are many sub-terms. Even that is a fairly recent adoption of the term. In the years between the two world wars, it meant cheerful, carefree and fun. Even in the mid 1950s Leonard Bernstein composed a musical 'Candide' whose main song is "Glitter and be Gay". (Mind you, as Bernstein was himself a homosexual as his wife writes in one of her letters to him, its possible perhaps he wrote that with tongue in cheek!) In a way I am sorry the word gay has all but lost its earlier meanings. As for straights, I have no such problem. What other term is likely to be appropriate I wonder? Acceptance of the word heteros implies an equal acceptance of homos.

Thank you. I might check it out.

Where is this? Bangkok? Pattaya?

Guys, with the greatest respect, I think this tragedy is above petty nit-picking and word meanings. We all know what happened to those poor Vietnamese (and perhaps some Chinese) and how they found themselves in that situation. Lets have some respect for those who must have died in horrible circumstances. There is also a thread on this on Gay Asia. Maybe best to stick with that one. Just a thought.

This is a ghastly event, yet it is not the first time that people have died in the back of airless containers as they desperately tried to get into the UK. Its appalling to think that some families and loved ones coughed up around $40,000 to make the trip from Vietnam and are now may be in debt for years. There are reports that some of the traffickers are repaying families those costs. Fat lot of use that will be to families of have lost their young sons and daughters, and to the young wives and children left behind. We can only hope that a tragedy such as this will prevent others from trying to do the same. Unlikely, I fear.

Do Chinese women still account for much of the customer base?

One of the prime reasons THAI is failing is precisely because the government interferes far too often with the running of the airline. It replaces the Board Chairmen regularly, seemingly at whim, and makes often inexplicable decisions. As with many things in Thailand, part of the reason for the airline's decline is inevitably corruption. It used to have far too many different types of aircraft, no doubt because someone massively benefited from purchasing a batch of a certain aircraft even though not ideal for the route structure. Now it is down to about six different models and should be in a better position to become competitive. Yet its failure to sell its remaining 8 long-range A340s as soon as it ceased flying the transPacific routes was a massive mistake. Years after axing the routes, these aircraft sit idly by at two of the country's airports. Some group of people in THAI should have been fired years ago for allowing this to happen. Now the value of these planes has plummeted and they will soon be worth almost nothing. THAI desperately needs a makeover of all its front end cabins. Some aircraft have been refitted and its first and business class services can be excellent. The problem is that too many have not been retrofitted. Those who can afford the front end want the same competitive hard product but on THAI it is a lottery. Little wonder these passengers are deciding with their feet. Concentrating on some form of competition with low cost carriers is surely madness. THAI already has Thai Smile. Not sure if it still has its stake in Not Air which has also been hemorrhaging cash in recent years. With Hong Kong undergoing long-running protests, its tourism is collapsing. Equally it has one airline teetering on the verge of bankruptcy, Hong Kong Airlines, Cathay Pacific struggling with half full aircraft and Cathay Dragon, its subsidiary which serves many Chinese cities, probably in a worse state. Future transit passengers must surely be wary of booking on these airlines for who knows how many flights will be cancelled if the protests continue. If I found myself with what was scheduled as a 90 minute layover suddenly facing one of 5 hours or even overnight, I would be mightily pissed off. For those who would normally transit in Hong Kong, THAI and BKK should be aggressively marketing themselves as the sensible alternative. If they are, I am not aware of it.

The Bangkok route was announced as a possibility in the Bangkok Post a couple of days ago. But that price is not London/Bangkok or vice versa - it is Kuwait (the airline's 'home base) to London. It adds Jazeera has no A321's in its fleet at present and none yet on order. Jazeera's route map has no destinations east of India. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1755754/kuwait-budget-airline-to-use-short-haul-jets-on-london-bangkok-route