PeterRS

There you go again Who has been driven off?

You would not be derailing the hread. You would be answering a pertinent question.

I cannot comment on the article posted by @Tomtravel but this site indicates that Sweden’s capital is one of the most open and LGBTQ+ friendly cities in the world. https://viewstockholm.com/gay-places-stockholm/

At the moment everything is speculation and all we can do is grieve for the dead. The Professional Pilots website pprune.org has a number of thoughts. One is that a full 787 with nearly 100 tons of fuel on board (the figure from Indian sources) took off without using the full length of the runway. The website Flight Radar shows it started its take off roll half way down the runway - far too short for such a heavy aircraft. Apparently this is qute comon at this airport, but only for quite lightly loaded aircraft. Normally heavy aircraft would back track to the end of the runway to give it sufficient time to gain the speed essential for take off. Another pilot suggests that the landing gear should not have been in the down position by that time since take off. He goes on to suggest that someone in the cockpit may have tretracted the flaps rather than the landing gear. But all we know is that the aircraft was not sufficiently high to continue flying. We therefore must await the outcome of the black box analysis.

In short, no! That is not why I was there. Besides there was really no time with all the flying betwen cities and in any case I am only into Asians. But I am sure you will find many guys in Stockholm's gay bars and on the apps.

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I should have added that the Lodge at Ivalo did provide three meals daily and organised a number of activities like sled riding with huskies. There were almost no other guests there during my saty - just two on the first night and the two more on the last two nights

You already admitted in a separate thread that you made decisions about writing posts without checking back at what had actually been written. Enjoy it!

Read my posts. NO!

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it. The ferry accommodation depends on price. I paid for the smallest cabin and that's what i got - The bathroom was at the left. For one person it was perfectly fine for 4 nights. Some might find it too cramped. As for food, the ferry fare offered breakfast plus one meal. I don't know why I chose dinner. Were I to do the trip again, I'd choose lunch and then have dinner in the rather nice coffee shop. Reindeer meat was popular which was not really to my taste. But there were options. I should add that there was a great deal of public space and louges on the ferry. If you are not a good sleeper, be prepared for the ferry to dock sometimes in the middle of the night. It does after all service the entire Norwegian coast. I don't sleep well and used ear plugs to ensure I was not wakened. Rooms in the cheaper hotels I stayed in, while perfectly good, were also on the small side. One nice thing about the Viking Hotel in Tromso was it served free pancakes mix with various jams in the late afternoon. Free tea and coffee service all day. I was rather stupid in making my flight arrangements. I had a mileage ticket from BKK to Bergen but could only get one back from Stockholm. I also assumed that I'd have to fly from Helsini to Ivalo since it's an internal destination. I therefore took flights Tromso to Oslo, changed to Stockholm, overnighted at a lovely hotel by the station (walking distance to the Arlanda Express to the airport) and then on to Helsinki where again I overnighted as i wanted the first of the two daily flights to Ivalo. Had I just been a bit more diligent, I would have found there was a daily flight from Tromso to Ivalo!! On my return I stayed for two more nights at the Stockholm hotel. The Noregian hotels had small but comfortable and well furnished rooms. The Lodge near Ivalo had very large rooms with lovely log fires and large bathrooms. It's important before you start working on dates that you check for the most ikely time the Aurora Borealis will be seen. The darkest months from September to April seem the most ideal. To be safe, I'd shorten this to October to February. Lastly, remember that you are unlikely to get good photos from the ferry. It is in constant motion and you will need some short time exposure on your camera.

No! But tell me of any other poster who has started in just one forum in less than 6 months 15 threads with 48 posts exclusively about one subject? No poster has. If that is what the moderator wishes, that's perfetly fine by me. But contravening Board rules as you seem perfectly happy for him to do regarding nude photos is another matter entirely! Or do you believe rules are threre to be broken?

And since you @Moses seem happy to make up your own guidelines, these are the Gay Guides Guidelines as very clearly spelled out at the top of this Board. Gay Guides Message Center Mission and Code of Conduct v1.2 If you have not read and understood them, then by all means post as you wish and wait to be banned! LOL This has absolutely NOTHING to do with ChatGPT! Or do you still disagree?

So you rule out personal opinions? Funny since your own posts are full of them! But since you mention it, with @alexch having such an major interest in promoting Tunisia, how come he failed to respond to two posters @JefeVosst and @colom-bien who specifically requested advice in the Solo gay traveler in North Africa thread each specifically metioning Tunisia. That thread started weeks after @alexch started posting about Tunisia. There may well be a reason but it would be interesting to know why.

@khaolakguy has been a member for more than 19 years. Is he not aware that the posting Covenant which members must follow states? - This website is geared toward an adult audience. However, we are not an adult pornographic website. NO posting of nudity in any form is allowed. The reason is obvious. All posts can be read by anyone who ia not a member. That includes the Thai police and internet monitoring authorities. Only the Photos thread (and I believe one other) is resticted exclusively to members only and can only be seen by full members. Nude photos are permitted on that forum. That @khaolakguy seems not to know this given the longevity of his membership and that it has been stated verbatim in at least two other threads recently, it appears he is happy to recomend others disobey the rules.

From one who has lambasted me in another form, that is a joke. And for his information since he seems not to know the regulations, the only forum where nudity is permitted is in the photos forum. For a long time member not to know that appears very strange. Many post and comment there. I repeat, 48 out of 67 treads by one poster being about Tunisia in just a six month period is certainly overdoing it. Since @khaolakguy does not agree, perhaps he will enlighten members of other fora with a similar number of separate threads on exactly the same subject matter - in any six month period. Therre are none! Sadly there are lots of countries in a similar situation as Tunisia, very sadly.

Why therefore are they posted on a gay website? 15 separate threads about Tunisia in less than six months seems more than somewhat excessive, the more so when the poster has only made 67 posts so far of which 48 are about Tunisia. As @KeepItReal suggested, he seems to work for the Tunisian Department of Tourism.

For many flying between Europe and Bangkok increasingly a plane change in Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi or now even Oman is necessary. Even though many are keen only to get to their final destination, the possibity for short stopovers is increasingly possible, the more so when some of the wonders of the world are on your doorstep. Some time ago, I wrote a series of articles on an amazing two weeks in Iran, an extraordinariy beautiful country with lovely people. While I would not consider that now in the present political climate, there is another short stopover to one of the unique sights of our world that amazed me. I took the One World airline Royal Jordanian from Bangkok to Amman where I had booked a 3-day stopover specifically for this fabulous site. Petra, "The Rose Red City Half as Old as Time", is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. Although Petra appears in the Old Testament, the city we know today was founded by the Nabateans, nomads, highly skilled stone masons and whose mastery of water resources enabled the city to thrive as one of the old Silk Roads. By the 1st century AD it was a thriving city, but soon integrated into the Roman Empire. As trade routes from Asia moved more seawards, the city all but vanished into obscurity. The lost city was eventually rediscovered by a Swiss disguised as an Arab trader in 1812. Pre-covd it was hosting as many as 1 million visitors a year. Amman to Petra is about 230 kms. My driver/guide was waiting at the airport and pointed out sights on the way, including an old Crusader castle which we visited. I had chosen to stay at a hotel right by the entrance to the site. I was aware that to get there you have to descend around 2 kms. I was much more worried about the climb back up when after a full day sighseeing I knew I would be exhausted. To access the city itself you have to enter the Siq, a split in the rock no more than 3 meters wide You then wander down for 1 .2 km into this cleft with the rock on each side growing larger and larger Eventually you come to the extraordinary carving of the Elephant Rock At one point my guide played a trick on me. He asked me to turn and look at a point near the top of a rock. It was merely a ruse, for when I turned back we we turned a short corner, this is what I saw Within moments the full glory of The Treasury carved out of solid rock was before me. This then is the real start of the journey. As you wander right, you pass a number of buildings, including the remains of a Roman amphitheatre Then a host of caves which were the burial spots for prominent Nabataens Other examples of Roman architcture remain But it is the tombs of the Nabatean royalty that are most magnificent. This was that of the King m Others in the same area are almost as magnificent Guards unobtrusively watch over the city during opening hours Almost most magnificent of all are the colours embedded in the stone After climbing all the way back to the hotel, never has a large glass of cold beer tasted so wonderful! The following day, the guide took us past the Dead Sea (I decided not to take a dip) and then up to Mount Nibo, the mountain which Moses is alleged to have climbed to be nearer to his God as he was dying. Laid out before us in the mist were many well-known cities and landmarks. My trip ended with a tour around some of the sights of Amman, including its still functioning Roman amphitheatre where concerts regularly take place. The three day trip was worth every Baht. I loved it. Next on my list for a Middle East stopover will be Oman which a friend who worked there most of his life tells me is stunningly beautiful. Besides, he told me, there are two sisters who make the most delicious chocolate in the world!

In my youth I only purchased a handful of pop singles and LPs. The Beatles, the Stones, Procul Harem's "Grand Hotel" - the LP purchased solely for their massive hit "A Whiter Shade of Pale" but I soon came to love every song on that album - and of course The Beach Boys. Their songs illuminated the sun and fun of the great California outdoors, such a contrast to what felt like still drab Britain beyond swinging London. RIP

Agree we should celebrate his lfe and work. But expressing sadness is quite a usual remark when anyone dies. In the case of Forsyth, who knows how many more novels he might have written had he lived longer. His last, a sequel to "The Odessa File", is to be published in September. John le Carre's last novel was published when he was 90.

No response yet!

I agree it's not a good idea. It's not her fault that she's askng. I'd be pretty certain it's a result of an instruction from above. So you could ask to see the manager and then ask him.

I know the Aurora can now be seen in quite a number of countries at certain times of year and certain weather conditions. Back in 2014 it seemed the only guaranteed location was northern Scandinavia, a part of the world I knew little about. So I planned a 10 day trip to Norway, Sweden and Finland in late November, both to see lots of sights but particularly the Aurora. I started off in the lovely city of Bergen I was here for just one day before an evening boarding the daily ferry service that runs up and down the Norwegian coast. I spent 4 days on the ferry visiting a lot of coastal towns and with wonderful scenery in the fjords But it was cloudy every day and so no Northern Lights. I got off past the Arctic Circle at the lovely town of Tromso. This was my little hotel Overnight it had snowed and the town was almost obliterated in white From Tromso I flew in a rather roundabout way to the town of Ivalo beyond the Arctic Circle in Finland. I was staying at a lovely little lodge about 40 kms away and virtually miles from anywhere, although it was close to the Russian border. On my first night there were only two other guests - a couple from Hong Kong! This was the lodge at night With the sun being so low in the sky, walking around there were wondeful views. And the sunsets were spectacular There for four nights, the cloudy weather continued and there was little chance of seeing any sign of the Aurora, apart from a hint of it on the first night. But on the final day when I had almost given up hope the sun came out into an almost cloudless sky. We were told by the lodge staff we would definitely have a light show that night. Parked on a frozen lake in -25 degrees C tripods at the ready, I waited with a young Irish couple. Then around 10:30pm what we had all come to see started - a spectacular light show that was to last almost two and a half hours. I had read all about having to adjust ASA settings and the time for exposures, but when I looked at the photos on my camera screen they seemed not to work well. So I abandoned the advice and just busked it. I had to return to Bangkok through Stockholm which is a lovely city. If you visit, you have to go to the Vasa Museum. The warship Vasa sank on her maiden voyage in 1628. It was salvaged in 1961 and moved to its permanent Museum in 1988. It's absolutely stunning and has been seen by over 45 million visitors. And of course you might see a troll or two! Like my trip to South America, this was purely for sightseeing. I was in too many places to consider checking any of the apps or finding a gay pub. And the staff on the ship all seemed to be almost as old as me!! I thoroughly recommend a similar trip, although I'd probably start from Oslo with what seems to be an amazing train trip to Bergen.

Thank you for your post and I do take your points. BUT - and it's a big but - how can you hope to understand the reason for it UNLESS you go back to the very reason for its existence! You say you are not interested in details. This is ALL about details! Why did you not read the earlier posts which I had summarised? Unless you read the three specific posts on the Colombia thread and the unprovoked attack on me made there, you cannot understand the reason for this thread. I have had PMs from posters who did take the trouble to read all the relevant threads and agree with me! I agree. Which is precisely why I have asked for what reason the original attack in the Colombia post was made. I have received no response. A brief one might have sufficed and not only kept the discussion to that particular thread but actually ended it there and then. Again I totally agree with you, Which is why on May 28 I sent @bkkmfj2648 a long PM outlining my feelings about the attack he made and stressing this should not be discussed on the main Board. Two weeks have passed and I have had no PM response. How can one keep an issue between two members if one member does not even respond? Please answer me that. Again I thank you. Following the OP I have posted nothing negative here other than to respond to those who have written negative posts about the OP. If there is no more negative posting by others, you will see no more from me!

I rarely read a book from cover to cover. One exception is what is almost certainly Fosyth's most famous thriller "The Day of the Jackal". When I bought it in 1972 quite literally I could not put it down. I think I finshed it at around 6:30 in the morning. I also enjoyed the subsequent 1973 movie with Edward Fox as the Jackal, athough it is obviously showing its age now. The book was recently made into a 10-part series of 1-hour episodes with Eddie Redmayne as the Jackal. I watched all ten episodes en route to and from London in March. I absolutely loved it. Faster-paced, a much more complex plot and some great visuals as well as acting, I can't wait for the second series which has been promised.

In another thread there are comments about a flower festival in Baguio in The Philippines. Not so well known is the one that has been held annually in Chiang Mai for more than 40 years and has become a major tourist attraction. Held next year for three days in February, the dates have not yet been set but it takes place over a week-end. Apart from seeing an abundance of flowers in the Chiang Mai area, there is always a major float parade on the Saturday. It's a bit like the summer Candle Festival in Ubon Ratchanthani except the floats are made of flowers and not wax. I have not yet attended and so these photos are from the official Flower Festival site.