PeterRS

I don't believe new information has come to light. The pressure to find wreckage is coming from governments and relatives of those who were lost. I suspect the airline industry also wants to know what likely happened? Was it a fault with the 777? Oxygen failure was at first considered but the subsequent discovery of the rerouting rules that out?.Was it terrorism? After all, the plane's transponders were deliberately switched off. The Malaysian government analysed the backgrounds of all crew and passengers and this was ruled out. Was it a rogue pilot intent on killing himself and everyone without anyone being able to prove it? Some still believe this is the most likely reason, the more so as he came from Penang and might have been taking a last look. Part of the problem is that the Malaysian government held on to the facts it knew perfectly well for far too long. Why, we still do not know. Once the aircraft was lost from commercial aircraft radar, the assumption was that the plane must have gone down after being handed over to Ho Chi Minh controllers and before it acknowledged Vietnam's "hello" signal. So the initial search was conducted off the south east tip of Vietnam. But by that stage the Malaysian military knew perfectly well this was not true. Their military radar had tracked an off course aircraft doubling back, crossing over the north of Malaysia, turning north and passing around the top of Penang at a much lower altitude of flight before they lost track of it. The Thai military was also well aware the aircraft had turned back but they needed Malaysian approval before they could confirm that knowledge. The captain's home equipment was discovered to have this route, but that is not proof. The result was the start of an exhaustive search off Vietnam's southern coast. It took two days for the Malaysian government to confirm the route change across Malaysia and around Penang. That extended the search to the Straits of Malacca. But the government was still not revealing all it knew. Then 4 days later the status of the engines which is automatically sent back to its Rolls Royce manufacturer every 30 minutes (a routine occurrence for engines and makers) proved that the engines remained operating for at least five hours. Malaysia initially denied this. But 2 more days later, satellite operator Inmarsat reported detecting pings from the aircraft for even longer. The problem was that Inmarsat could not identify whether the aircraft was flying north or south. Countries to the north confirmed the aircraft could not have entered their air space as their military radars would have detected it. In fact Inmarsat had provided this information to the Malaysian government two days after the disappearance. The Malaysian government kept that information secret for another three days. Thus five and a half days following disappearance, the search shifted to the southern part of the Indian Ocean roughly off the south west tip of Australia - the point at which the aircraft would have run out of fuel. Extensive searches on the surface and under the surface yielded nothing. Then, 16 months after the disappearance, some airline debris was discovered on the island of Reunion off Africa, some 4,000 kms west of the search area. In addition to a few items from passengers carry on luggage, there was a flaperon postively identified as belonging to missing 777. Analysis of the ocean currents confirmed this location was certainly possible. Part of an engine cowling was later discovered in South Africa. The ocean floor off Australia where the aircraft is suspected of having crashed is rather like a volcanic area with major peaks and troughs making any search especially difficult. The chance of the new search coming up with any additional information after so many years must be infinitesimal. But the search company is undertaking it on the basis it will only get paid if it has some success.

The Democrats have released a video made in 2020 showing Epstein's private island. I think the interior of the house looks ditinctly tacky - not at all the luxury I had imagined.

The most recent search which was called off temporarily due to bad weather in March is due to recommence on December 30. I'd have thought that the chances of finding anything from that flight after almost eleven years have elapsed since its disappearance is remote in the extreme. But we can always hope. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy7v077dm0po

At least I assume it is good news. The Thai government has now abolished the afternoon "no alcohol sale" restriction for a six month trial period. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mprzzxn73o

There are about 50 different species of box jellyfish. I think I need only uote here from wikipedia - the notoriously dangerous species of box jellyfish are largely restricted to the tropical Indo-Pacific region

Agree on both counts - high humidity and Singapore definitely worth a short visit. But the worst humidity I have encountered in several decades living in Asia has been in Tokyo in summer. Hong Kong was bad and my two dehumidifiers in the apartment filled up quickly. But Tokyo was definitely worse.

I'm sorry to say you'll be better of at Capella then, since I am about 1.5 ks from the nearest MRT.

A word I had not read until I read it today in the CNN website. Apparently scromiting is the term given to those who overuse cannnibis and end up with a combination of screaming and constant vomiting. Acording to the article the pain is horrendous. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/12/02/health/scromiting-marijuana-vomiting-syndrome-wellness#:~:text=“I'm just begging God,rise in the United States.

This has been known for at least a decade. I first read about it in a long article in the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. I expected to see something in the Bangkok Post - but nothing. It has occasionally been reported that a small number of tourists have died when swimming off Phuket and also Koh Samui. Many hotels have put up nets, allegedly to ensure the safety of guests from sharks!! I don't go to the beach much now but whenever I do i always have a small bottle of vinegar with me and the number of the nearest hospital on my phone. Even the most recent Bangkok Post article about it merely mentions mild stings - and there are not so many of them. Most are deadly. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3121822/phuket-lifeguards-treating-many-tourists-for-jellyfish-stings#google_vignette

Happy to do so, provided we are not all under water.

Ha! Sadly it has no view but this is a very quiet residential part of Bangkok. A few cars in the morning for residents going to work. Oh, and the now habitual crows! My overnight rates are very reasonable

You'e just angling for that $100 gift LOL

I regret I totally disagree with @vinapu. Granted this year the rainfall problem that has devastated many Asian countries with Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka the worst hit has been unusually high. The Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam are not far behind in terms of rainfall and destruction. But it is certainly not the first time the south has ben flooded. This from The Nation - Recent severe flooding in Hat Yai is yet another wake-up call that Thailand remains unprepared to cope with climate change. This is not the first time the South has been devastated – similar floods struck Hat Yai in 2000 and 2010, and other regions have suffered from extreme weather. Yet, despite these warnings, preparedness remains inadequate. The latest deluge dumped 635 millimetres of rain in three days, submerging central Hat Yai, stranding thousands of residents and tourists, and once again we saw how extreme weather is becoming more frequent and damaging. https://www.nationthailand.com/the-opinion/commentary/40058777 And as @floridarob pointed out some posts ago - The increasing severity of cyclones is certainly partly due to the oceans getting warmer. With the feeble attempts by the world's governments even to acknowledge and then do something about global warming, it is only going to get worse. And that inevitably means that annual flooding will increase. Forget this being a once in a 300 year event. It is bound to happen more frequently, although perhaps - I only suggest perhaps - at not such a level of severity. As for retirement in Hat Yai, I would think long and hard before moving there. I experienced the massive flooding in Bangkok in 2011. I would never wish to go through that again - and my condo was hardly affected. The effect of global warming and the resultant warming of the oceans has other undesirable consequences. As has been known now for nearly a decade but rarely mentioned by the Thai authorities,warmer waters resulted in the deadly Australian box jellyfish arriving off Thai waters. Already a few Thais and tourists have been killed through their stings. The numbers being caught in fishermen's nets indicate that this problem is only going to get worse.

Some years ago my family and friends made a pact - no presents at Christmas and no cards. An exchange of emails is welcome as it helps bring everyone up to date with what has happened during the year. And a WhatsApp call around that time is always welcome. Mind you, if someone was suddenly to send me a 250 gram tin of Beluga caviar I certainly would not send it back. I might, though, ask what happened to the bottle of best vodka which should accompany it!

Since @Paco-Campos is new to the forum, might i suggest that he starts a new topic/thread perhaps titled something like What Makes for Good Gay Party? Might get some interesting responses. Anyway, welcome to the forum.

Just one night? That's all you can afford at the Capella?

Love to hear some of the stories!

Well the faberge Egg beat its estimate and sold for US$30.2 million. Not bad for an artefact only 10 cms high, but I sure would love to have it - or any Faberge Egg for that matter. I just think they are such unsual pieces and unusually gorgeous works of the jeweller's art.

Entry was NT$400 when I visited on Sunday almost a month ago. It used to be NT$350 and I am not sure if that remains the weekday price. I expect not. The only problem I feel with the 'new' Hans is that it lacks atmosphere and has a slightly industrial feel. On the other hand, it has all the facilities anyone would want in a sauna with two dark steam rooms, several very dark areas (occasionally someone's phone will light up but rarely when I was there), an outdoor terrace and lots of private rooms. I doubt if anyone is looking for atmosphere!

True, but still no problem at Changi for an interline connection on SIA. I can only get the last few days on Flight Radar at present but expect to increase this to one month in the next few days. But it's immaterial as @jimmie50 has booked his flights. Both SIA and Cathay Pacific frequently hold flight departures for up to 15 minutes or so if they are waiting for long distance interline connection passengers on through tickets booked via the airlines. Even early last month in Taipei, I was on a China Airlines flight to BKK that had all but one passenger seated 15 minutes prior to scheduled departure. We left the gate 15 minutes late waiting for one passenger on a long distance interline CI connection. Especially in business class, if SIA had issued the ticket permitting that connection I would have no problem with a 59 minute connection on SIA at Changi, the more so at that time in the morning. Back in March I had a 14 hour flight from HKG to LHR. I then connected to a BA inter Britain flight. But it was a separate ticket and so I allowed for 3 /12 hour connection instead of getting a flight just 75 minutes later. But at LHR I had to go through Immigration and so did not trust a 75 minute connection. As it turned out, I loathed the 4 1/2 dditional hours for waiting time and the extra flight!

Merely out of curiosity, i wonder why the courts decided the arrests were unlawful.

Sorry @jimmie50. I wrote my post before i saw yours. Good luck with the flights.

It's not due out in the USA till December 25 (presumably in time to be included in the Oscars) and the UK till December 26 but the critics embargo has just been lifted. So there are reviews everywhere. Based on the trailer, I totally fail to understand what it is really about. Yet most of the critics are raving about it, especially Chalamet's performance. It seems to be about a ping pong player in the 1950s, a Jewish shoe salesman who decides he is going to be the greatest ping pong player in the world. And he almost makes it. The critics call Chalamet's performance one of the best he has ever given on screen, definitely in Oscar contention. If you want to read more there are several reviews up on youtube. Based on the trailer and what I have read, I'm not sure this is a pic I want to see. Although he is fast becoming a great actor Chalamet is nothing like his previous roles, definitely not a cutie.

I know we all have different experiences. Having flown millions of miles, including plane changes with SIA at Changi, I suggest you will have absolutely no problem with your shortish connection, the more so as you have a through ticket on SIA and are in business class. As @pong2 noted, there will be someone from SIA at the gate either to show you the way or even to accompany you to the new departure terminal and gate. For such an early arrival, it is unlikely you will arrive late due to stacking or anything like that. And if the aircraft is delayed on departure, the pilots have enough time to make some or all of it up en route. I have changed planes at Hong Kong many times when the minimum connecting time for Cathay Pacific flights was just 40 minutes. Never missed a flight. But then Hong Kong only has one terminal. Even so, SIA is such an efficient airline and Changi such an efficient airport I would just accept their 75 minute connecting time and enjoy your flights. They will look after you. Your baggage will be automatically transferred. You will still have a hand luggage security check when entering the new gate but it will be very fast. Incidentally the scheduled flight time is 16 hours 36 minutes. Why bother waiting another 4 hours when you will clearly be very tired and 4 hours can seem an awfully long time. If you had tickets on different airlines or a through ticket on a lesser airline, I would have a different view. But with SIA I'm sure you'll be fine. I have Flight Radar on my iPad and have noted that 6 arrival times in recent days were 5:25, 5:27, 5:20, 5:23, 5:04 and 6:14. You will not need a visa on your return if you decide to stop in Singapore. Frankly, I'd be more worried about your connecting flight from Denver to SFO. It's decades since i flew out of Singapore. If it's anything like LAX you will need plenty of time for Immigration and security checks at evening time.

I know we get these lists from time to time from a variety of different sources. This time it's the turn of the monthly magazine and website International Living. It's top ten are - Greece - Panama - Costa Rica - Portugal - Mexico - Italy - France - Spain - Thailand - Malaysia There are several reasons why I find this list somewhat strange. Greece is basically burning every summer. Not everywhere of course, but many of the islands now have major fires annually. On the mainland in recent years, fires have come very close to Athens. In Portugal many native Portuguese are mightily pissed off with retirees. The Golden Visa for those investing around $250,000 have now been withdrawn but you can still get a visa if you bring in something like $1,100 per month. But then try to find accommodation. Many retirees buy their accommodation and the country now faces very high prices in the many towns and cities, especially Lisbon and Porto. On top of that the amount of accommodation available for rent has fallen drastically. There are still benefits like access to free healthcare after five years. Given the feelings within the country, I would not bank on these continuing for much longer because the Portuguese are really angry. As we know, Thailand has become much more expensive over the years. Add to this the threat of all retirees having to pay tax - I say threat because we have heard nothing more this year on the taxes that we were told would be introduced at the start of this year. Maybe it will not happen, we just at this stage do not know. But we do know that in future the country wants more wealthy retirees. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/12/01/travel/worlds-best-retirement-destinations-2026