PeterRS

Well, not quite! He's 99 tomorrow and I hope he not only makes it but several more birthdays in future. I'll always remember one of his funniest jokes, but cannot recall where or when I heard it! He had proposed to the lovely actor Anne Bancroft who had said "Yes!" He then had to tell his very Jewish mother he would be marrying a Roman Catholic. She accepted the news, at first seeming to give him her blessing. She then added, "Have her come round for lunch on Sunday. I'll be in the kitchen - with my head in the oven!"

There's definitely Only Fans content on quite a number of porn sites, several featuring Asian guys.

As Thailand seeks to increase its revenues by attracting more and more of the richer expats as retirees, it might begin to consider what has happened in another popular destination, Portugal. For those living in Europe - or even further afield but anxious to consider retirement in Europe - Portugal became so popular it was top of most lists for quite a few years. Retirement visas were cheap, regulations relatively easy and the possibility of citizenship and free healthcare after 5 years very enticing for some. Those now considering a European country best forget about Portugal. It has become so popular that Lisbon, once the most affordable capital in Europe, is now its most expensive. Foreigners have snapped up so many apartments, many merely as second homes, that prices have gone through the roof and Portuguese cannot afford to live there. This is a country where 60% of the population earns less than US$1,000 a month. Finding even an affordable 20 sq. m room is now difficult. Near most of Lisbon's tourist destinations, short term rentals now account for 70% of all accommodation. The number of hotels has tripled. Naturally parts of the country remain much less expensive. But the retirees want to be based mostly in the bigger cities of Lisbon and Porto. Being far larger than Portugal, Thailand is unlikely to find itself in such a drastic situation as Portugal. But as the government tries to find more cash, the danger is it will either make life more difficult for some Thais - or drive exiesting retirees elsewhere. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/25/lisbon-europe-portugal-golden-visa-capital-investors-short-term-rentals

That was also basically my experience when I lived there. From my apartment, I can't recall it ever being difficult to stop a taxi with the red 'available' light on - and I used them a lot as I did a lot of traveling and had to get to a main station regularly. On more recent visits I have found walking, JR trains and the metro work OK for me. In fact, I can count the times I have used a taxi on one hand. When I need a taxi either I can usually hail one on the street or, if I can't find one, I head for the nearest hotel. I have never used a taxi app but I know that there are at least 3 with English service. The big problem is, as @joizy points out, when it is pissing with rain. I have lost count of the number of times I could not get a taxi even with the 'available' sign lit. I wonder if it is a bit like Bangkok where at certain times of day taxis only want long trips and will not accept passengers if their destination is nearby. Here I have got used to available taxis just passing me by without even stopping. It seems senseless, but TIT.

Looks like re-criminalising is just around the corner. It's been talked about for months and nothing has been done about it. Now, though, countries like Britain are pissed off at the amount of weed they find in returnees from Thai vacations. Or more likely from young people paid by syndicates to act as couriers. The BBC reports that London's National Crime Agency discovered 142 couriers carrying 5 tonnes of the stuff in 2023. That shot up last year to 800 carrying 26 tonnes, and the number continues to rise. So far this year 173 people have found themselves in British courts and ended up with prison sentences totalling 230 years. When weed was legalised in 2022, it was supposed to be followed by a formal regulatory framework. In typical Thai fashion, the authorities acted first and then thought later. That framework never happened. Even the few rules which do exist are rarely enforced. As described by the BBC, Thailand now is a "weed Wild West." Only Thailand is in the East 🤣🤣

I thought you are still a spring chicken in your early 60s, unlike quite a few who are, shall we say, more senior in age like me? If so, there is a good chance you will be one of the main contributors 🤣

I think very few realised what might happen after the fall of the Shah, results which reverberated around the world and for a time dangerously affected world politics. Did anyone in Iraq imagine what would happen after the US and its very loose coalition got rid of Saddam Hussein, another former US ally? Did anyone foresee the rise of ISIS? Or the result of deposing and murdering President Diệm of South Vietnam, a man whom President Johnson had earlier called the "Winston Churchill of Asia?" What I find most surprising is that the west sems to consider regime change as an end in itself without remotely considering what might happen thereafter. I do not know enough about Iran but I have seen it suggested that the west could have acted much more quickly in curbing the Shah's regime of terror. I fully accept the Cold War was at its height and the last thing the west wanted, I assume, was greater Soviet influence in that part of the world. But to see Iran slowly collapse under the Shah and do virtually nothing about it?

The number of airlines having to reroute to avoid areas of war and conflict has increased considerably in recent years. Some say that since 2021 the areas of conflict have increased by a whopping 65%, forcing airlines to avoid certain large areas with consequent increases in flight times and costs. As one example, flights between Helsinki and Tokyo now take up to three and a half hours longer than before the war in Ukraine began Now imagine you are on a flight over Israel - and this is a true story. You are piloting a large passenger aircraft at a cruising altitude of 38,000 ft and all seems normal. Suddenly you notice that the clock in the cabin has started to go backwards. Then you notice that you are actually flying at just 1,500 feet off the ground towards moutainous terrain. Seconds later, alarms begin to sound and lights flash throughout the cockit. On any other flight, a degree of panic would have set in and the pilots would have immediately pulled back on the yolks to increase height. This British crew did nothing! They were aware they were still flying at a very safe altitude. What they had just experienced was a new and very serious nuisance called aircraft "GPS spoofing" which causes aircraft systems to make "spurious" warnings. This is not the same as GPS jamming, but it can easily cause an aircraft's navigation system to compare the fake signals to other navigation aids such as navaids from the ground. The software is unable to comprehend the gross error, and all of the navigation systems can get corrupted. More details on the Aviation Week link below. "Speaking to the Guardian on condition of anonymity, the [British] pilot called the incident last year unsettling, but stressed the flight was never at risk. However, they expressed concern that such an event only makes pilots more desensitised to the internal systems they have relied upon for decades. 'You are meant to feel uncomfortable in your inaction and that is exactly how I felt.'” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/24/flying-in-the-new-age-of-conflict-the-hotspots-diverting-flights-and-leaving-pilots-blind https://aviationweek.com/business-aviation/safety-ops-regulation/serious-threat-gps-spoofing-analysis

For Reza Pahlavi to count his father as among the world's "great leaders" is truly a ghastly joke. Some may regard him as the Crown Prince, but not many. The fact is that Persia/Iran has had so many Dynasties it is difficult to know if there is in fact any one person who can be regarded as its legitimate ruler once the current mullahs have disappeared. The Pahlavi Dynasty goes back only as far as 1925 when Reza Pahlavi's grandfather mounted a coup against the ruling Qajar Dynasty. Reza Khan was an admirer of Hitler. He was also by all accounts a tyrant loathed by his son whom most of us know as the Shah. In fact the Shah was so dominated by his father that he grew up a deeply scared and insecure boy who lacked self-confidence. He only became Shah in 1941 after a coup against his father succeeded. After WWII, the west wanted Iran's oil but were only prepared to pay a pittance for it. When the country's legitimately elected Prime Minister Mosaddegh announced the nationalisation of the oil fields in 1953, the USA along with the British deposed him. They backed the Shah whom they believed would remain beholden to the west in return for the massive amounts of cash and armaments they fed him. But the Shah rapidly became a vain, narcissistic megalomaniac, even turning on those who financed him by working with OPEC to increase oil prices. His secret police, the hated Savak, quickly got rid of all dissidents against his rule and he angered the Muslim right by exiling the Ayatollah Khomeini. Soon his own people despised him and turned against him. He had no choice but to flee the country, never to return. Once again the west had backed the wrong horse and in Khomeini they discovered a ruler who was to be a great deal worse. From my two weeks in the country in 2018, it was obvious the present leadership is loathed almost as much as the Shah, but its grip on power is a great deal more tight. I did not discern any sympathy for the Shah's son's return as a possible future leader. The fact is that he is popular mostly with the Iranian diaspora that lives outside the country. These same people admired his father, a man still disliked by most in Iran. He seems very much a figure in the mould of the American-backed President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, who ended up as a corrupt ruler who promoted opium and heroin. When we look back at the history of the last century, it becomes obvious that when the west has sought regime change, too often it has backed the wrong horse - or having placed its bets, have failed to monitor the investments before they turned quickly sour. What will happen to Iran in the next year or so? I wish I knew, but I fear for its beautiful and cultured peoples. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/06/24/reza-pahlavi-iran-regime-change-00417941

The daily minimum wage in Thai hotels is set to rise to Bt. 400 from July 1st. This was mandated by the government near the end of last year. As a pilot project, five star hotels in most Provinces were selected and have already hiked their wage rates twice to achieve the Bt. 400 minimum. Last year Chiang Mai hotels had a Bt. 350 minimum wage. The new rate has increased labour costs by more than 12%. From next week, though, two-star hotels or higher and those with more than 50 rooms must also start complying with the new minimum wage rate. During the high season, payrolls generally in high-end hotels typically account for 35%-45% of all costs. Suksit Suvunditkul, president of the southern chapter of the Thai Hotels Association (THA) said these could rise to 50% during the low season. For lower end hotels, the likely outcome will be a reduction in the number of staff employed with an emphasis on recruitment of more multi-skilled staff. However, with hotels being particularly hard hit in this particular low season with tourism numbers from China and India significantly down, the THA is pressing the government to postpone the increase. What is not mentioned in the attached article is that room prices in lower-end hotels are almost certain to rise and some hotels may end up closing down. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/general/3056397/new-minimum-wage-to-lead-to-hotel-layoffs

Did you go up? The good thing, I guess, is that these five mountains are not especially high. Mt. Hua the nearest to Xi'an is the highest at 2,154 meters as stated on the stone signpost.

The continuing low rate of the ¥ against most other currencies has led to a major revival in tourism. Year on year, the figures for May are up 21.5%. Year to date they are up just over 24%. 63.6% of tourists now are from East Asia - in order of numbers South Korea, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Not sure about AirBnB, but many 3-star hotel prices presently seem reasonable. By mid-September they rise quite a bit as this gets into a period when additionally many Japanese travel, especially in November/early December when the leaves turn colours.

There is certainly tension within the government over the Prime Minister's total stupidity in assuming her phone call to Hun Sen from a mobile phone would be completely private. Has she not learned from a host of world leaders over the years whose supposedly private talks often have a habit of being overheard and then leaked to the media? It is perhaps just one mark of her total lack of experience to be Prime Minister. After all, she was only put into the position due to her father's party being the largest one in the coalition of several parties that make up Thailand's present government. And after the powers-that-be had wangled a way to get rid of the duly elected Prime Minister Pita Limjaroenrat and banned his Move Forward party. The PM is now saying that all her coalition partners stand behind her. All but one, that is, for last week one of her major partners, the Bhumjaithai Party, pulled out of the government. That party held 69 seats. Other parties are hanging on for now, but may pull out any day soon. That will give the PM little option other than to resign, face a vote of no confidence or a call for the dissolution of parliament and new elections. And that is not her only concern. Following a petition he received at the end of last week, the Senate Speaker Mongkol Surasajja has asked the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate her over the Hun Sen episode. He has also asked the Constitutional Court to terminate her premiership in accordance with four articles in the Constitution. Members of the Senate Military Affairs Commission accused the PM in their petition of being "dishonest" and "committing acts of gross ethical misconduct." Could this lead to a coup? In Thailand's murky politics absolutely nothing can be ruled out, but I think it is unlikely in the first instance. https://world.thaipbs.or.th/detail/senate-to-seek-paetongtarns-removal-as-prime-minister/57930

Of all the sights that tourists want to visit in China, one of the most popular is the famous terracotta army numbering around 8,000 in pits close to the city of Xi'an.This was constructed during the reign of the first Emperor Qin Shi Huang to protect him in the afterlife. Perhaps surprisingly, though, Qin was not buried along with his army. A little west of the army pits is a large earthen mound. This is the Emperor's burial place and it has never been opened. It's not only overseas tourists who come here. It is allegedly the second most popular tourist site for Chinse tourists. Other than Festivals like Chinese New Year and the annual national holiday for a week at the start of October, expect the city to be quite crowded, although when I was there one year in mid-March it did not seem very crowded. Xi'an is one of the oldest cities in the country. The first Emperor of the Han Dynasty established the city as the country's capital aorund 200 BC. when it was named Chang'an. The city wall constucted during the much later Ming Dynasty around the 15th century is the oldest such wall in China and the best preserved. About 4 meters wide many tourists enjoy a walk or run around its 14 km length. Naturally the city has since expanded outward way beyond the wall. But most of what you will want to see is contained within the wall's perimiter. Right in the centre are the two amazing structures - the city's Bell Tower and only a few minutes walk away its Drum Tower. The Bell Tower has an almost magical appearance when lit up after dark. There are two Wild Goose Pagodas in the city. This is the larger of the two located in a major park. Many older residents like to visit the 44 meter high Giant Wild Goose Pagoda park and dress in old style Imperial clothing for photographs. Apart fom the terracotta army, another primary reason for visiting the city is its Muslim Quarter. Xi'an after all was the eastern end of the Silk Road and cultural and religious influences flowed both ways. A flourishing Muslim population continues to live in the city and the Muslim Quarter, just a short walk from the Drum Tower, is fascinating. The main Beiyuanmen Street in the Huimin district is packed with vendors selling all kinds of Muslim Street food as well as many restaurants. Off it are many smaller streets, one of which will lead you to the city's Great Mosque, still in use today. Strange at first to see a mosque built in Chinese style! At one time there were 14 mosques in the city, but most were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. The Great Mosque is both a gathering place for the city's estimated 60,000 Musllims as well as a major tourist attraction. Much of the rest of the city is fascinating with interesting little courtyards if you are prepared to wander into side streets I would leave visiting the terracotta army to the end of your visit. Explore the city first and enjoy its many sights. The terracotta army really should be the climax of the visit. There is just one sight which I would definitely not recommend. There was a Tang Dynasty Dinner show with dinner being optional. I went one evening just to see the show. That meant sitting at the back while the diners were at round tables covering most of the audience area. Just looking at the food being served, I am glad I opted out of that part. It looked tired and boring! I also spent much of the evening wishing I had not even bought a ticket for the show. It was much as one would expect from a tourist-oriented somewhat tacky show. To be fair the Chinese seemed to be enjoying it. I walked out at the interval! Just not my sort of entertainment. I flew up to Xi'an from Guangzhou where I had been visiting a dear friend. Getting there is easy but the airport is 50 kms outside the city and taxis are not cheap. But there are regular buses and the metro.

The account of the Horseguards near their base in London reminded me of a book I read recently, "The Abuse of Power" by Anthony Daly. This is a true account of gay sex trafficking around the heart of London's sex scene in Soho in the 1970s. Daly repeats what is said in the video about the ease with which sex with guards could be had even decades after the era of the vdo. But this book goes into vastly more detail of how gay sex trafficking in London took place, mostly between young men arrived in London to seek a better life and much older men in the upper echelons of society. What makes the book more shocking and remarkable is that he actually describes in graphic and unusually sordid detail how these vulnerable young guys were recruited, the parties they were forced to attend at which sex was always the agenda, and then he names many of the 'names' who abused him and others - aristocrats, MPs, senior police officers, judges and celebrities. Nothing is held back. Politically it is explosive. If such a frightful account can be called "a good read". this definitely is.

I am sure that is true. But I have always felt that the Skytrax polls probably depend too much on those who travel at the front of the planes. I think its 'Best' polls per class of travel are perhaps more realistic. I forgot in the OP to add in the Skytrax website which does have a 'Best' in all four categories. Best in FIrst is Singapore Airlines, in Business Qatar, Virgin Atlantic for Premum Economy and Cathay Pacific for Economy. https://www.worldairlineawards.com/worlds-best-economy-class-airlines-2025/

Indeed. The only reason for reposting various Travelogue-type posts is that there have been many hundreds of new members and many thousands of new readers since they first appeared ten and even more years ago who will not have seen them. Indeed, they would almost certainly not even know about many of them. And with Gay Guides no longer being just Gay Thailand, the site has recently reached a totally new membership based in a different part of the world. Hopefully some will enjoy them. Others do not even have to look at them if they wish.

Like them or loathe them, polls will never go away. We all have our favourite airline (if we can afford it) but others have as well. Skytrax allegedly polls massive numbers of passengers. How accurate are its findings? No idea! But I know quite a few airlines send mails to their loyalty members asking that they consider voting for those airlines. At least the polls are a talking point. These are the 2025 top 10 - 1. Qatar - 2. Singapore - 3. Cathay Pacific - 4. Emirates - 5. ANA - 6. Turkish - 7. Korean - 8. Air France - 9. JAL - 10. Hainan The biggest jump from 2024 is Korean up four places, Cathay Pacific and Hainan Airlines both up two places and Turkish up one. Biggest loser is Japan Airlines down 3 places. Of the others, Malaysia and Taiwan's China Airlines are big winners up from 39 to 27 and 49 to 37, as to a lesser extent are Qantas and Air Canada up from 24 to 14 and 29 to 19 respectively. Oman Air, of which I have read some good reports recently, crashes from 25 to 38 and Garuda drops from 31 to 46. Of the US Airlines, Delta is top of the bunch at 21 with United down 7 points at 51 followed immediately by JetBlue. American drops 5 points to 83 The obviously very large votes for Asian carriers and others flying largely between Asia and Europe suggests to me that the voters are largely Asian based or dependant on long haul flights out of Europe. But it's anyone's guess.

I realise that Harbin is a 2 hour flight north east of Beijing, but Beijing is almost certainly the nearest stopping off point for international travellers (although there may now be some flights to Harbin from other Asian destinations). Harbin is fascinating in itself for it was at one time almost more of a Russian city. Many thousands of white Russians fled here by train following the revolution. Even the main streets are posted in Chinese, English and Russian. With at the city's centre a decomissioned Russian cathedral, there are other Russian influences almost everywhere. But it is for the annual Ice and Snow Sculture Festival from roughly early-January to late-February that most people visit. Hotels get booked up months beforehand and so planning in advance is virtually essential. Two problems wherever you fly in from. The 72 hour transit visa does not cover Harbin and so you will need in advance a short-term China visitor visa. Secondly, it is freezing cold - around -25C if you visit the Ice Park at night. And that makes it difficult for a stop over if you are flying to the heat of Asia. Who wants to carry really cold weather gear if you can pack everything else into a carry-on? So you are more likely to combine Harbin with a longer trip to other scenic parts of China - of which there are many to choose from. I flew to Harbin specifically for the Festival. It is the largest in the world and literally takes one's breath away. Located in two parks on the opposite of the river from the main city, transport there and back can be a problem. I took the advice of the hotel and booked a taxi to get me to the Ice Park at night when all the scuptures are lit from within, wait for me at the site and then get me home. I cannot now recall the price but it was quite reasonable. The Snow Park is not open at night and so you only need transport in the morning or afternoon. Make sure you also take in the Snow Leopard park close to the Snow Park An indoor Ice and Snow Park opened last year in Harbin so that visitors can enjoy the exhibits year roud. I wish I could be enthusiastic about it, but I can't. It sounds more for kids and families. That's true of the winter parks but you are rarely aware of it.

@a-447 has lauded his visit to Beijing last week. It is a city which merits lots of time as there is a lot to explore. For most, as @a-447 points out, the main points of interest will be The Forbidden City, The Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square. With a routing to Thailand (and other parts of Asia) increasingly popular through China, a short stopover in Beijing for a few days can be well worthwhile. Presently if you are only visiting Beijing (or Shanghai) from North America or most Euroean countries, you do not require a visa for a stay of less than 72 hours. That may sound short, but it is enough to pack in the main sights, enjoy some great Peking food and in the evenings take in a visit to one of the great gay cubs in Asia, Destination. One problem in Beijing is inevitably the number of both residents and tourists. On one visit, I combined a few days with a visit to the wonderful Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival in Harbin roughly 2 hours flying time north east (those photos make up Part 2 of this Travelogue). Being just a few days after Chinese New Year, Beijing was all but empty and the crowds usually packing the Forbidden City had vanished. Great for photos of which here are some. To get an idea of the scale of this vast 999 room palace, it's best to climb the hill at the back and see the view from there. Mao's Gate at the front The exterior wall with the frozen moat The Official Entrance A selection of views of the vast interior Leading to the back gate each door has its rows of 9 bolts - nine being the number reserved for the Emperor The exterior and interior of the Temple of Heaven The Beijing Drum Tower close to the north end of The Forbidden City

Sanlitun is a great area for entertainment. The ground floor bar with its chain mail decor in the high-end and very contemporary Opposite House Hotel was always cruisy. Sadly it closed on June 30 last year ago for conversion into a retail mall. Did you have time to visit Destination Cub? It's the city's liveliest gay bar, always packed with great looking Beijing guys at the week-ends when it sometimes stays open till 5:00 am.

Do you have US$60,000 to spare - per person, that is? If so you could be heading off on a special European-bound trip on the iconic Pan Am! Pan Am? Didn't that go bust decades ago? It sure did, even though I remember quite a number of cheap 747 flights I took between Hong Kong and Tokyo before the Pacific routes were sold to United as the airkline fought to stave up bankruptcy. But luxury travel company Bartelings and Criterion Travel believes there are enough nostalgic (and rich) people somewhere to take a journey folowing one of the traditional and original Pan Am routes. But better get your skates on. The trip starts and ends with a gala dinner at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel on July 27. Pan Am's last 747s were retired decades ago and this 12 day voyage is limited to 60 passengers in a specially configured Boeing 757 with lie flat seats. In addition to gourmet meals, you'll stay in some of the world's finest hotels. You'll closely be following the route of the original Flying Boats with stops in Bermuda, Lisbon, Marseille, London and Foynes. Foynes? That's in Ireland! Dinner in Foynes will be in the Fying Boat Museum, home of the last known flying boat. My guess is that this particular trip is already full since the company added a second which started two days ago. But you never know your luck! Mine is that nothing would drag me anywhere near this trip! LOL https://www.cntraveler.com/story/pan-am-private-jet-journey

An American Airlines Dreamliner similar to the one which crashed in India was forced to make no less than four emergency landings in the space of just one month, as reported in The Telegraph in London. Some of the technical reasons related to wing flaps. On January 7, the Dreamliner flight AA203 from Amsterdam to Philadelphia had a problem with wing flaps, dumped fuel over the Atlantic and made an emergency landing back at Schipol at higher than normal speed. The flight was eventually rescheduled for the next day. However, that too had to be cancelled when engineers discovered a hydraulics issue. Three days later the aircraft was still on the ground in Amsterdam. Also in that same month, the same AA aircraft which was 8 years old was forced to abort three more flights mid-air to Philadephia - from Dublin, then Barcelona and finally Zurich. Then on February 18, another AA 4.3 year old Dreamliner from Paris CDC to Miami was forced to make an emergency landing at London Heathrow airport. 30 minutes into the flight, the cockpit crew had declared an emergency. AA claimed this was for a medical emerency, but seven hours after landing the aircraft was still on the ground in London. A week ago, another American Airlines 787-9 aircraft AA780 left Philadephia for Naples, Italy. As it was between Rome and Naples, it abruptly turned back and landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport. Passengers then had to be bused for three hours to get to their destination. This was no fault in the aircraft, though. Here it lay squarely with AA. That flight is normally operated by the shorter 787-8 aircraft. The rerouting was claimed by AA to be for "operational reasons". It should have added "sorry, everyone - our fault". The 787-9 is too long and with a wider wingspan to land at Naples due to issues with rescue and firefighting!! https://www.yahoo.com/news/whistleblower-raised-safety-fears-over-113356557.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall https://aviationa2z.com/index.php/2025/02/18/american-airlines-flight-makes-emergency-landing-at-heathrow/ https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/american-airlines-flight-diverted-because-it-was-too-big-for-its-destination/ar-AA1GjbMb

I can see in the vdo there is note on the chair but it is impossible to read it. My guess is it advises visitors not to sit on the chair, advice I have seen in many museums. These tourists clearly paid no attention. Disgraceful behviour! I hope they were fined heavily!

It's some years snce I visited Jakarta, Frankly I have no desire to return. You have to be careful when you visit because the city is now prone to serious fooding. https://wri-indonesia.org/en/insights/reasons-jakartas-frequent-flooding-and-how-nature-based-solutions-nbs-can-help-reduce-risk