PeterRS

@bkkmfj2648 did specifically say they are moving "government offices out" not floating a boat! Another canard they have been taking about for decades. This was given added impetus after the utterly disastrous long-term flooding of 2011. And what has been done about it? Nothing! Zilch! Nadda! This was from the Bangkok Post 2 years ago - According to the annual Global Climate Risk Index by Germanwatch, Thailand jumped from 43rd on the ranking of most affected countries by extreme weather in 2011 to ninth in the latest edition of the analysis in 2021 . . .Thanawat Jarupongsakul, president of the Thailand Global Warming Academy, an independent climate think tank . . . said Bangkok is apparently the most vulnerable area in Thailand to the looming threats of climate change. The low-lying Chao Phraya River delta has an average elevation of around 1.5 metres above sea level. "Considering the rise in sea level in local waters near Bangkok is about 1.2 centimetres per year, if nothing is done to protect Bangkok's shoreline, the waterline will slowly creep further inland by about 1.3 kilometres every year," he said. "Eventually, it is likely that most of Bangkok Metropolitan will sink beneath sea level within the next 100 years. So, governmental agencies need to carry out immediate action to ensure the integrity of the shoreline." Meanwhile, another report on the economic impact of extreme sea level rises in seven Asian cities by Greenpeace says almost all of Bangkok will be vulnerable to floods in the scenario of an extreme sea level rise by 2030. Under this extreme projection about 96% of the city will be below the mean sea level. Asst Prof Wijitbusaba said Bangkok's poor urban planning is also playing a major part in the exacerbation of flood risks. "Bangkok is expanding without a plan. So, the city is now encroaching into surrounding floodways in the east and west, blocking the natural drainage pathway of seasonal flooding and causing the problem to worsen," she said. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2499786/bangkok-is-still-sinking-and-fast- And still nothing has been done! The city keeps expaning and keeps permitting the construction of larger and taller buildings and an increase in the number of vehicles. In Tokyo every household is required to have an earthquake kit. Very soon I reckon Bangkok will require flooding kits.

How many times have we heard this over the years? Corruption and Traffic! Nothing has ever happened and nothing is going to happen! Bangkok does not have the space for new streets. It has far more cars per head of population than Singapore, KL and other major cities. Only by reducing the number of cars and getting the older ones and older buses off the streets does it have a chance of becoming more liveable! As for corruption, it is endemic and nothing has changed. I hold little hope that anything will change as long as the present elites remain in charge.

They can do. But why "offensive"? Merely curious.

I wonder why. Miles accrue not merely from flights but also from things like credit card spends. I frequently was never certain how many miles I had actually accumulated unless I checked both the airline and credit card sites. This take time and i never bothered too much about it. Often, had I done the calculations, I would have discovered I had more airline miles than I had thought.

Reverting to the topic of Pope Francis, I think we should remember that one of the reforms he had been working on - whether or not successfully, I do not know - was the Vatican Bank. Formed in 1942 with the declared aim of managing the Church's funds and for charitable works, almost from the get-go it became mired in scandal. Many will recall that following the sudden death of Pope John Paul 1 - "the smiling Pope" - after only 33 days in the papacy *, all manner of conspiracy theories emerged, many of these made more believable by the circumstances following his death even the possibility that he had been murdered. A cover-up seemed to be going on. One theory suggested he had been so shocked at the corruption, scandal and appalling mismanagement of the Vatican Bank and the losses it had incurred that this spurred his fatal heart attack. On its own, this appears flimsy. Taken along with other scandals at the Vatican, perhaps it was not so. The point, though, is that the Bank was involved in very shady dealings, with the Mafia lurking in the background. These came to light a few years after John Paul I's death in what became known as the Banco Ambrosiano affair. The Vatican became involved because it held a majority share in the Banco Amrosiano. This bank was accused of illegally chanelling funds out of Italy into shady overseas banks. Its Chairman Roberto Calvi was arrested and sent to jail for 4 years. Released on appeal, he fled Italy. Soon thereafer his lifeless body was found hanging under London's Blackfriars Bridge. Investigation after investigation followed in an attempt to find out the sordid details of what had happened. None was successful. The Vatican attempted to reform its bank by placing trusted economist/bankers in charge. The first two such appointments were sacked for reasons that have never become clear. Still the scandals would not go away. Amongst others, in 2009 the Vatican Bank was being investigated for money laundering of US$180 million. This problem was fudged by Benedict XVI and landed on the desk of Pope Francis. He fired the Board and replaced it with a truly international Board of Directors. In his book "The Last Supper", which focusses primarily on the murder of Calvi, author Philip Willan touches on the reforms Pope Francis was trying to institute. He adds - “I don’t doubt, though, that there are powerful forces ranged against the reformists. The recent scandals show how a habit of flouting the law had become deeply ingrained among senior Vatican bureaucrats and their friends . . . A thorough reform of the church’s business culture will not be either easy or quick, but I think Pope Francis and his team are serious about pursuing it.” The question very few now know is how successful or otherwise the late Pope was in achieving that much needed reform. https://www.worldfinance.com/banking/a-history-of-corruption-in-the-vatican-bank * One of the most fascinating books I have read concerns the death of John Paul I and all the shocking mis-steps made by Vatican officials in its wake. "A Thief in the Night: Life and Death in the Vatican" by John Cornwell was a result of the Vatican finally opening its archives nine years later to a respected Catholic historian who, its leaders clearly believed, would finally put to rest all the rumours and conspiracy theories. Cornwell dispels them all but goes on to heap major blame on Vatican officials for willfully ignoring the obvious signs that John Paul 1 was seriously ill many days before his death. He finds that death was a direct result of "sins of omission" by the very people who should have been responsible for his life and health.

The government should also look at the semi-private Thailand Privilege scheme - formerly Thailand Elite. It is finally making money after hiking its fees up by around 80%. But according to their staff at BKK, a big majority of those purchasing these visas are Russians and Chinese. Presumably rich ones and presumably also with a few shady characters amongst them.

It's interesting - at least to me - that there seems a desire to swing back and forth when it comes to electing Popes. I mentioned six in an earlier post. John XXIII, John Paul 1 and Francis were all reformers and pastors. The successors of the first two were the conservatives Paul VI and John Paul II. Had there not been a reaction to Francis due to his time in Argentina, he would probably have followed John Paul II. Instead, the arch-conservative Benedict XVI who had vast Vatican experience topped the poll on he 4th ballot. I have also read that in past conclaves the Cardinals preferred older men who would not occupy the Chair of St. Peter for too many years. So will they want another John Paul II who ruled for 24 years? On the other hand, surely some of them must have at the forefront of their thinking the horrendous sexual abuse scandals all of which occurred under older Popes? A younger Pope might just finally come to some resolution that gets this matter put to bed (sic) in some way.

Cathay's connecting times have always been good - on paper. And to be fair, they have always worked for me. But when I went to Europe last month via HKG I was on the last flight out of BKK with a 65-minute conection to the last flight to LHR where I had an internal UK connection on BA. The CX inter-line minimum connecting time is 50-minutes. Fortunately I have Flight Radar on my phone. Throughout the entire month of January I noticed that that last flight was ON AVERAGE 1 hour and 8 minutes late in departing BKK. Sometimes the flight times were shorter and it might just have been possible to make the transfer. But as I knew, incoming flights at HKG are now almost always routed on to the new 3rd runway which is a good 15-20 minute taxi to your gate depending on where it is located. It was perfectly clear that had I been flying that month on average I would have missed the london flight most days, had to spend the night at the airport, be put on the 08:30 flight the next morning if it had seats available and then spend a lot of cash on a new full fare UK flight. As I was on a mileage ticket, getting CX to put me on an earlier flight out of BKK was near impossible. They said they could change me to the 06:30 morning flight with a wait of around 13 hours for the London flight. When I rejected that, they said they always held last flights to accommodate late incoming connections. Persistence finally paid off and thanks to an understanding supervisor they put me on one departing BKK at 17:45. As for holding flights, the flight ex-HKG to London pushed back from the gate exactly on time! In future for long haul, I will always allow considerably more than that 50-minute minimum.

An absolute disgrace!

I felt it was forced. On the other hand it was an interesting twist given the Church's views on women. But having a cardinal "in pectore" suddenly turn up for a concave could not happen in the Catholic Church. Cardinals only have the privileges of Cardinals once they are openly declared as such. Having a Cardinal with a diocese such as Afghanistan was also stretching credibility too far.

A more lighthearted thread. Can you list the five movies that you consider your favourites? And with just one sentence for each to explain why? I know most such lists are for a minimum of 10 or 20, but it seems more fun just to make the limit five. But you can also add what I term a "sleeper" - a movie that most may not have seen but which has a special meaning for you. My list: Psycho I saw this as a teenager and it was the first movie during which I jumped out of my seat at least three times and almost screamed. Lawrence of Arabia David Lean’s masterpiece epic in my view, better than Dr Zhivago and far better than Passage to India and Ryan’s Daughter. The Go-Between I loved this movie with its various intertwining themes of innocent and not so innocent love, the haves and the have nots, the searing heat of an unusual English summer and the hopes for a brilliant new century soon to be dashed and affect many of the participants. Victor Victoria Have loved this movie ever since I first saw it on a Garuda flight from Bali to Hong Kong, the unaccustomed versatility of Julie Andrews partnering a perfectly magical performance by Robert Preston and the whole gloriously funny souffle masterminded by Andrew's husband, Blake Edwards. Schindler’s List In my view Spielberg’s masterpiece which I saw in a packed small cinema in Tokyo along with 100 or so young Japanese, every one of whom was in tears at the end. My Sleeper: The Egoist I choose this brilliant 2022 Japanese gay movie I saw in Bangkok’s Sam Yan cinema complex last year. Friends had told me about it but I was not prepared for the excellence of its performances, its raw intimate scenes, its heartbreaking pain and the emotions it stirred. The full movie with English subtitles is available on the internet. This is a very brief trailer -

Does any other image better represent Pope Francis' view on Donald Trump? Notice the distance between the two as well as the facial expressions! Photo: Evan Vucci: Pool/AP

Ha! I recall that John XXIII, as Archbishop of Venice, entered the conclave joyfully certain there was no chance of his becoming Pope! But that conclave was allegedly deadlocked and he emerged as a compromise candidate. He aways cut a very jolly figure! Was Cardinal Montini also a compromise candidate when he succeeded John XXIII as Pope Paul VI? Although there were a lot of top people in the Church who actively disliked the reforms John XXIII was pushing through especially in calling the Second Vatican Council, it was thought that Montini would continue them. I believe he did to a certain extent, but he had always been a solitary figure and as his papacy continued, he withdrew more into himself. He became much reviled for his encyclical Humanae Vitae in which he affirmed the Church's condemnation of artificial birth control. Yet he was unable, it seems, to shake off allegations of homosexuality. Although he condemned non-marital sexual relations, the French author Roger Peyrefitte (whose touching book "Special Friendships" about the deep love of two young boys at a Catholic boarding school really first awoke my interest in being gay) wrote about Paul VI's homosexuality in two of his books and later in an interview in a French magazine. Professor Franco Bellegradi, a Vatican insider, had alleged that Cardinal Montini had not only had homosexual affairs whilst serving in Milan, he had a lover who was an actor, Paolo Carlini, and it was because that lover had the first name Paul that he chose Paul for his Papacy. Although as Paul VI he called the allegations "horrible and slanderous insinuations", they later surfaced twice (the latest in 2006) that the Pope had been blackmailed to promote other gay men into positions of power in the Vatican. This is one of the allegations to come out of the VatiLeaks Affair, a report commissioned by Benedict XVI and presented to him in 2013, of the existence of a cabal of homosexual power brokers within the Curia. It has even been alleged in a Vanity Fair article that this was one of the reasons for Benedict XVI resigning. That long article is fascinating and I append it below. But back to 1978. When the allegations surfaced publicly the Prime Minister Aldo Moro, one of the Pope's closest friends, had been asked to intervene to help stop the rumours. It so happened I was in Rome in May 1978 meeting with a good friend who lived in Italy. We were to be having a very simple dinner at a restaurant on the outskirts of the city where my friend knew the owner, Angela. On the bus we noticed a lot of police sirens, and these continued througout our lovely meal. At the end, Angela refused to accept any payment. All she would say was, "This is a terribly sad day for Italy!" Moro had been kidnapped by the Red Brigades 55 days earlier. The evening we were about to have dinner, Moro's bullet-riddled body had been found in the trunk of a car. Although the Pope was ill, it is thought the death of this close friend hastened his end. He died just three months later in August. https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/12/gay-clergy-catholic-church-vatican

I have never been for massages in Taipei although I have heard the masseurs are mostly extremely good. Also heard that you are unlikely to get anything more than an HJ at the end. But best to hear from those who have been.

Although @Tomtravel's post is almost 6 months old, it's perhaps useful to repeat that this hot spring is certainly the most popular with gay guys. I always go on my 3 or 4 annual visits. On my last in February, the steam in the steam room was permanently on, thereby making it very hot and quite difficult to indulge in any touching or more. This is not a sex venue but some of the guys there will happily chat in English and it can be a good way of arranging later hook-ups even if you do not speak Mandarin. Remember too that as this is a public hot spring, you may very occasionally see some guys bringing their little children. Then discretion is important. Note that it is rarely called Emperor Spa. It's Chinese name is Huang Tzu as on this card - If you have never been before, i do not recommend being adventurous the first time and trying to find your own way. I always take the subway to Shipai station. Once downstairs exit in the direction the train is taking. As soon as you pass the ticket barrier, on your right will be a taxi rank. Show the taxi this card and the driver will know exactly where to take you. He will stop at a small car park. You then just walk down the little hill past several other hot springs. Huang Tzu is the last on your left before you reach a little bridge across a stream. The taxi fare is now around NT$180 (US$5.50). The rank can sometimes be empty, but usually one will appear within a few minutes. If you take one of the buses up the hill, depending on the time of day you might not find others getting off at your exit (bus fare is NT$30). So you could find yourself getting off way too early in which case you still have to climb a steep hill, or too late. The bus stop is outside the built-up area and pretty dark. I'd show the driver the card and expect he'll tell you when to get off. (I'm sure @Tomtravel is correct in pointing out the stop is Xingyi Rd. 4, but I have never done it!) There are several buses that go up past the springs, but the only one I have taken is #508 for returning. Entrance fee was still NT$250 last February. Remember that you will need 2-NT$20 coins for the locker. Also remember to take a half litre or so of water with you as there is none for sale there and keep it out of your locker - and a small towel. Almost no one uses the towel in the hot spring area which is basically only naked bodies. It's for drying yourself off before you leave. All the hot springs are in quite a deep valley off the main road. My biggest problem is always getting back up to that road in order to get the bus back down to the MRT station. At reception there is a telephone link to a cab company, but they do not speak any English. Finding a cruising cab is usually impossible. A couple of times, guys have kindly given me a lift on their motorcycles. Other times, I just bite the bullet and walk up. OK in the cooler November - April months; a real trial in summer! Can't wait for my next trip in 4 weeks.

Krakow is the country's second argest city with a population now of around 800.000 and so there are understandably more than a few gay guys. I was only in the city for two days but there was at least one gay bar which I visited. Cruising near the Jagiellonian and other universities with your gaydar on is bound to render some results. I did not use the apps then, but I am certain, as @bkkmfj2648 points out, that there will be quite a few to be found there.

Shanghai has two airports. The one in Pudong is large and relatively new having been opened only around 25 years ago. The much older Hongqiao airport bascially handles domestic flights with just a few international routes. I have flown into and out of Pudong aiport many times and agree it is boring but I have never had to transfer there. One benefit is that it is served by the Maglev train into part of the city. The ride takes only 8 minutes and I have photos of it travelling at 425 kph. Unfortunately the plans to extend the line into the centre of the city remain in limbo but there is an easy transfer to the subway. China Airlines through Beijing's wonderful 6-year old massive Daxing Airport might be better bet. Or China Southern Airlines through Guangzhou. Hainan used to get great reviews for its flights from America, but it went through bankruptcy proceedings in 2021 and I have no idea what its service and connections are like now.

Reading articles about the Pope's death and possible successors, even though Francis had appointed so many new cardinals, it seems he fought the all-powerful Curia for most of his Papacy. He was also someone who frequently made his own decisions without extensive consultations. That might mean there is no group sufficiently loyal to the late Pope strong enough to counter the power of the Curia. Newsweek states that the betting favourite at 3:1 is presently Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of The Philippines. He was a trusted member of Francis' inner circle and aged 67 he will have time on his side to continue Francis' reforms. As an aside, I recall that when I first arrived in Hong Kong, the head of the Church in The Phlippines was Cardinal Sin! https://www.newsweek.com/pope-francis-dead-papal-conclave-frontrunners-2035569

Providing seat plans for scrapped aircraft is not really pertinent to the point made by @reader since no one flying will check seats without knowing or makign sure of the aircraft type! Although you did not provide any example to illustrate the benefits of AeroLopa over Seatguru, I note that both sites provide the new BA biz class seating for the airline's A350-1000s. Both also include the 777 version with Cathay Pacific's Aria Suites. That said, I do prefer AeroLopa's easier to read seat plans. Much obviously depends on those reading the sites and how detailed they wish to delve into aircraft types and seating. And as stated earlier, unfortunately, everyone can be subject to last-minute aircraft changes. This can be a big problem for those seated at the front of an aircraft, most of whom have to pay a considerable amount of cash for a specific seat. That happened to me last year on Qatar. Having been allocated a Q Suite months in advance, I got an sms a few days before flight to say that the aircraft had changed to a 777 and my seat to one on the middle aisle. How I solved that cash problem would take too long to explain! 😁

This is a particularly sad day. I am not a Catholic but i believe Pope Francis was a force for good in our world bedeviled by wars, dictators, self-interested narcissists and all manner of other madness. I recall seeing the excellent movie "The Two Popes" some years ago when it had been suggested that many cardinals wanted Francis, the name he chose, to succeed John Paul II. I believe one reason for concern at the time was the role he had played in the troubles in Argentina. What a huge pity that the world was saddled with the ultra-reactionary Benedict instead of the pastoral Francis! May this most recent Pope rest in peace, and may his Church realise that a return to ultra-conservatism in the choice of his successor would be a dreadful move. Our world desperately needs another Francis, John Paul 1 or John XXIII - and definitely not a Paul VI, John Paul II or Benedict XVI.

Xiamen Airlines has returned a new Boeing 737Max aircraft to the USA in part retaliation for the tariff hikes. Boeing has an aircraft completion factory in Zhoushan where it carries out final work on the 737Max prior to delivery. Boeing's CEO told a Senate hearing just before the tariffs were introduced that the company sold about 80% of its planes overseas. It has been reported that China has asked Chinese airines to pause purchases of airline-related equipment and parts from American companies. Look at the Zhoushan factory site and it estimates that China will need 7,240 new aircraft over the next 20 years. I'd imagine the last thing Boeing wants it to have that factory idle! Over to you Trump! https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/21/china-returns-boeing-737-jet-us-too-expensive-tariffs

SInce these are quite complicated charts to go through, seatguru can also give you exact seating layouts for each aircraft in each airline just by clicking on the airline here - https://www.seatguru.com/browseairlines/browseairlines.php Click alphabetically to get the airline you are interested in and you get a ist of their different aircraft types and seat layouts (this below is for Finnair and you get the precise layout - subject to @Keithambrose earlier comment about their occasionally not being fully up to date.) Then click on the aircraft type and you get the seat layout - this image is too long and so I only include the front half of the plane - The problem comes with major airines which may have 15 or more different aircraft types - including 4 or 5 different types of, say, a 777. Then you just have to check with the airline. But the airlines always have an out. They can change aircraft types for any reason and you as the passenger have virtually no control over reseating, especially if you are at the back of the plane.

So why all the questions about other countries over many months?

I wonder why @Olddaddy asks so many questions - and then chickens out of doing anything after others have posted suggestions. So a quesion for @Olddaddy - why not just go somewhere and find out? And then tell us about your experience. Travelling around Asia is not expensive (uness you always want stay at hotels like the Capella in Bangkok!) There are tops everywhere!

@Olddaddy is seeking the cheapest money boys, yet happily flies business class. Try economy and then you can give the boys larger fees. 🤣