PeterRS

BKK is a pretty lousy airport if only because of the distances that have to be travelled on foot. People movers are all very well except that most people have little clue how to use them. One side should be for those happy to stand and look at the scenery. The other for people who want to move. BKK has a lot of people movers. If you arrive on an A380 or with a couple of other planes in the same Aisle, there is inevitably a scrum of people who quite happily clog the people movers so that walking becomes totally impossible. If your seat is at the back of the plane and you want to try and get nearer the front of the Immigration queue, mostly you have to forget the people movers and just plain run. The Chinese are often to blame for this, but not exclusively so. I have seen many a western couple stand on both sides of a people mover totally unaware that others may wish to pass them. So if BKK is going to depend on yet more people movers rather than some form of more automated transport to get passengers from the main Terminal to that long terminal extension, I can see a great many really frustrated passengers. God forbid they use lifts up and down as at Heathrow Terminal 5. Anyone used to Chinese ideas of queuing will be in for massive frustration. The other issue is check-in times. To get to the new extension and then along it to wherever your gate might be will add I guess at least 20 - 30 minutes. A look at the queues for some airlines check in desks and it is obvious that vast numbers of passengers still do not get boarding passes in advance. Plus the queues at some airlines bag drop counters can also be very long. Find yourself behind one couple with a couple of connecting flights and a problem with their ticket and it is as bad as normal check in. With those upstairs Security lines often clogged at rush hours and the same at the Immigration desks downstairs, I can see a lot of people being very late arriving for their flights.

I am very much behind the times - and thanks DivineMadman for clarifying the difference between the Terminal 1 extension and Terminal 2. Terminal 2 seems so small it surely is impossible to be for the country major carrier? Can you imagine all the flights departing in the morning and the late evening. There are not nearly enough gates. Besides, TG will normally be in the same terminal as other Star Alliance carriers. That is totally impossible in that little terminal. Maybe it is mainly to be for airlines with smaller aircraft like Bangkok Airways. I am still curious about passengers getting from the main terminal to the extension. I assume there will have to be at least one underground train as at most international airports.

That concept photo is virtually identical to Osaka's Kansai. So what are that video and photos posted earlier? They are nothing like the concept photo. Is there a third terminal being built?

Space between runways is always inevitably limited but I just can not agree with that analysis. Any terminal that permits aircraft parking gates only on one long side is a disaster for passengers. Looking again at the photos, it seems that there may be gates also at one end which makes a bit more sense. But suggesting there is no room between the runways for a new terminal with plane access to gates on both of its long sides is just not true. There is tons of room between the runways to fit an oblong shaped terminal with plane gates on both of the long sides. After all, terminal 1 is plenty wide enough to have to have gates on the outside and the inside of both long arms of the H. As this drawing of the existing terminal shows, 4 of the concourse areas permit plane gates on both sides - B, C E and F. The other three are only one side access. Now take the distance between the end of B to the end of F. That sits between the two runways and still has room for taxiways beyond each. So that width is definitely available further south. The problem is it would probably have to be further away from the main Terminal. Has no-one ever heard of Terminal trains like they have in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Hong Kong, Tokyo and goodness knows how many other airports? Better still, why not copy Osaka's Kansai airport with a Terminal plum in the middle between the rrunways. This would require two buildings but turn the buildings in the diagram through 90 degrees and there will still be plenty of room between the runways at BKK.

My first thought? What a waste of space! Not within the terminal, but access for planes. Surely the point of a terminal is to permit as many planes as possible to park at its bays. So there should be bays on as many sides as possible. Most newish oblong shaped terminals that I have seen permit planes to park on both of the long sides. DMK and LHR Terminal 5 are two exceptions, although one has aisles jutting out from one long side and the other has two two long-sided satellites. It seems to me a design like this one will inevitably mean a lot of bus gates.

He paid 3000 baht. I think unlikely you get rooms at the Dusit for that price. Could be be the Crowne Plaza I reckon. Or even the Montien which had a no joiners policy when I stayed there.

Many thanks Spoon for all that very useful information.

Try the Blued app. It requires a short selfie video for photo verification purposes before your profile photo is posted. Many thousands of of Thai guys are moving to this app because it has built in Thai/English translation.

What you say is very reassuring. But there have been quite a lot of reports about open hostility to young gay men and women resulting in death in a lease one case last year. We have also had reports here about raids on massage places and saunas. Seems even the venerable Blue Boy bar/club was raided the other evening for the first time in its long history. One report mentions this being something to do with a more hardline approach to appease Muslim parties before an election - is that next year? When I lived in KL 25 years ago Blue Boy was the most popular gay meeting place in town. This time it was stated the raid was to find drugs. Isn't that always the excuse authorities use? On the other hand, one Minister has said it was to stop the spread of LGBT culture in Malay society. I wonder what happened to the 100 or so patrons who were in the bar at the time of the raid. Even though Shariah Law only applies to Muslims, the ban on homosexual activity covers everyone - or at least it used to. Not a very comforting place to visit now.

It might have helped if the British had removed many of their laws before their rush to grant independence to former colonies. It was certainly a mad rush. It had no cash any more and massive debts. But as it was getting round to considering possible changes to its own sodomy law, it was obviously quite happy to leave it in place in much of the rest of the world. We may think Muslim nations are bad when it comes to punishing gay sex. Homosexuality remains illegal in nearly 80 countries. But most of these were British colonial possessions. Some like Nigeria, Sudan and Somalia actually increased penalties after the British departed. There we can now be subject to capital punishment. I cant see any easing of the law being possible in our lifetimes.

I think you are overly optimistic dear Vinapu. Have you seen what has happened in Muslim Brunei? Shariah Law introduced for gays. So now you can be stoned to death if you decide to visit there and are accused by four people that they have seen you have sex with another man. Whether they have seen you or not is really immaterial. People can say anything for any reason these days. Fake facts? Aceh Province in Indonesia seems not to go the stoning route, but they will happily break into your bedroom. If you are having sex with another guy, you will be given a good 100 lashes in public. In the greater Muslim Indonesia, there is a fast growing anti gay movement with none other than the Defence Minister claiming homosexuality is a "threat" and akin "to a modern form of warfare." A Parliamentary Committee in Indonesia is even considering a proposal to ban all sex outside marriage. According to Deusche Welle, the PSeaker of the Indonesian parliament said legislation is needed to curb "homosexual excesses, such as murder, HIV/AIDS and paedophilic." If you think that a couple of Islamic countries making it more difficult for gay people will result in another majority Muslim country like Malaysia easing restrictions, sorry but I suspect you need to rethink your position.

Wasnt he outed on another Board and banned as a hydra? If I recall correctly his alter ego who had been posting before sglad appeared was as Sugargranpa. Strange both names prominently feature S and G. And wouldn't you know both are still members of this Board! Is there a hydra here

Ghastly idea! Sounds like a hideous hamburger eating contest.

Surely it also depends on your budget? With no limits, I would hop over to the Sukhothai hotel on Sathorn for the best and most extensive breakfast buffet you can find in the city. A little shopping or cruising and then a simple light street stall lunch. By mid afternoon you will be peckish again, so head down to the Mandarin Oriental for its splendid afternoon tea in the Authors Lounge. A light nap followed by cocktails at the Bamboo Chic Bar on the 4th floor of Le Meridien Hotel. then an excellent Thai dinner at Ruen Urai in the Thai-style house at the next door Rose Hotel. After that you will be all set for an evening of revelry in Silom Soi 4, Soi Twilight or wherever takes your fancy. That presumes you have some cash left, though

Seems a rather dramatic thread headline when the police do not suspect foul play! But then we know the BIB are now always right

I always find its best to look at other international flights arriving at around the same time. According to the airports arrival/departure page, the Qatar flight arrives at 6:55 am. Luckily there is no international flight arriving for an hour before then. The nearest is from Chengdu at 05:55. So if your flight is on time and others are not early, Immigration should be a breeze. There is an Emirates 777 arriving at 07:20 followed immediately by three short haul international flights. I reckon you will be fine unless your flight is delayed. https://www.phuketairportonline.com/flight-status-arrivals-departures/

I read somewhere that Thailand only grants around 100 non-Thais permanent residency in each year, but I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this.

Many were not even born in Thailand. The border in the north of the two countries is extremely porous. Many people can and do just walk across daily. I understand the coach was born in Thailand to parents from Myanmar but that a mystery illness wiped out the rest of his family when he was about 10. He was sent to a monastery and spent many years there. The papers proving his nationality at birth appear to have vanished. The parents of the boy who speaks English, Adul, are ethnic Wa people from Myanmar. It was reported he was smuggled across the border when he was six and left at the door of a Church. Schools at the border routinely take in all youngsters without asking for paperwork.

Why do you say " as long as one of the parents is Thai"? These kids entered the cave as a team, survived as a team, all the boys are being educated in Thailand. They have been invited as a team to visit several very famous football clubs in Europe. I am certain the other boys will refuse to go unless they can all go. It would be a relatively simple matter for the Thai government to make an exception and grant citizenship to the four who are stateless, regardless of their parentage. That hill tribe area close to the border with Myanmar has hundreds of thousands of stateless children and adults who were probably born in Myanmar but fled to escape the continuing hostilities in that country. These did not start with the Rohingya. They have been going on since independence. Without citizenship they cannot get passports, ID cards, they have few rights and almost no legal protection. Thailand has accepted many of them but will not grant them citizenship.

You seem to have lost far too much weight in too short a time and still feel bad. I hope you have been to a doctor and if he recommended it also to a specialist. Get better soon.

How much extra are you prepared to pay a boy for that pleasure?

I guess I must be old fashioned, I cannot understand why anyone would want to see a vdo of himself having sex with another. But I fully accept we all have our own fetishes. IMHO It should not be a question of litigation. There have been tales on this forum and others about boys who have been paid specifically to permit photos or vdos being taken with them. Years ago I met one young guy who was paid 30,000 baht for a series of photos which he knew would be published and put on the internet. He had signed an agreement and he was quite happy about it. But surely this should not be an issue of law. It is primarily a question of making sure you make it perfectly clear in advance to the the boy you are with what you are doing and why you want to do it. Then of the fee you are prepared to pay him for this extra service. Additionally he has to be told that you cannot guarantee that this vdo will not be seen on the internet. Only if after that he is happy with what you are offering, go ahead. No matter your best intentions mistakes happen. Its perfectly possible that you could upload the vdo when uploading something else. Or you lose one device where the vdo is stored. Or you send to a friend who again could accidentally upload it. The boy you are with has to be protected and it is your responsibility to ensure that 100%. Again, thats just my view.

I cant stand Starbucks in the UK or USA. The stores I have visited seem boring and the service as bad. But in Thailand it is a different matter altogether. I find the atmosphere in most Starbucks outlets very pleasant. The coffee is OK although a bit pricey, but the baristas are always smiling and good looking (especially the guys!) and the relatively young clientele offers great eye candy. If there is a group of cute students at the next table lingering over their drinks whilst working on computers, who am I to complain? I am perfectly happy also to spend a long time over my drink enjoying the view!

You are very kind, Vinapu. That is far more information that I had sought but I am sure it is very helpful to those planning a trip. Thank you. Incidentally I entirely agree with you about tipping. It depends entirely on the experience and the service we receive. It then becomes a matter for each individual.

Thank you from me Vinapu. Although i am not much of a massage guy I do appreciate your reports. I am amazed that two massages a day is quite common for some posters. May I ask a rather personal question and please do not answer if you do not wish others to know or feel its just none of my business. I wonder very roughly how much you spend on a 13-14 day trip including accommodation, meals, all the massages, bar hopping and tips and so on. Just a total amount rom arrival in Thailand to departure, not a detailed day by day list as Christianpfc sometimes does. I think it might help others in generally budgeting for trips.