PeterRS

I remember venturing to Saphan Kwai about 3 times during the early 1990s since I had heard about a cluster of bars in that area. I stopped by a couple of the gogo bars although I cannot now remember their names. As far as I recall, the dress of the boys was not as skimpy as Soi Twilight and the clientele was more Thai than farang. Perhaps one reason was it was really difficult to get there by tut tuk. I found it less interesting than what was on offer in Twilight and other central locations. So never went back.

I fear both your time and mine have passed. I still think some enterprising entrepreneur with lots of cash could open up the sort of bar that was common in Bangkok 3 and more decades ago - like Barbiery. I am certain it would be hugely popular. But . . . my read is it will never happen again.

Any form of hazing is a disgrace which should lead to the instant dismissal of those found guilty of the practice. Too many young men have died or been maimed as a result.

These lists are all basically nonsense. Anyone who believes that the length of the average erect Thai dick is only 11.45 cms needs to come and do some proper research. The only way that could be accurate is if they count in boys just entering their teens in the sample. To suggest that the average Japanese boasts an appendage more than 2 cms longer is even more nonsense. And that is a comparison I feel able to comment on!

You'll now have to further test his knowledge by mentioning a skean dhu and a tam o' shanter!! LOL

Yet again we see how the wheels of justice in Thailand can move quickly when it is in the interests of the government to ensure this. Conversely it once again shows how the elite will slow the justice process to dead-slow-stop when it is in the interests of one of the elite. The murdering Red Bull heir is still free almost 10 years after murdering a traffic cop doing his duty. This low life was found to have drugs and alcohol in his system and to have been driving his Ferrari at around 200 kph at 5:00 pm along Sukhumvit. The lies that have been consistently told by the government and the police to explain why this murderer cannot be located even with the (alleged) assistance of Interpol (highly doubtful) surely indicates the large dollops of cash his family is regularly passing over until the statute of limitations is reached.

Let's also recall that the disastrous rice pledging campaign adopted by the Yingluck Shinawatra government started the fall in Thailand's overall rice production.

Last week we learned that Netflix has been losing subscribers for the first time in about 10 (?) years. If you had one, have you given up your subscription? I joined less than 2 years ago. At first I really enjoyed a few of the movies and especially binging on several of the multi-episode series during lockdowns. I still subscribe but apart from one movie I have not even checked the site for months. It's not that TrueVisions has much to offer, although I am a junkie for some of the news, current affairs and sports programmes. Its movies channels are a disaster as they now churn out repeat after repeat of mostly old films. Not long ago, two separate channels were both showing the same Bourne movie about half an hour apart! It has also started showing programmes made in Holland, Greece and other countries without any subtitling in either Thai or English! Its programming started to go seriously downhill some years ago when it gave up the HBO channels. Others have also disappeared merely to help the company boosts its own profits. Fox Sports went last year to be replaced by two channels devoted to SPOT TV. This shows a series of sports programmes, many way out of date, which have little interest for me (other then the occasional Japanese men's volleyball!) Why viewers in Thailand would be interested in regular Korean baseball beats me, the more so when Japanese baseball is far better. Even Taiwanese baseball would be worth seeing as its players are much cuter!! One of its lowest ebbs was when it failed to bother obtaining rights for this year's Australian Open Tennis in January, an event it has broadcast for many years. Apparently the rights had been snapped up for much of Asia this year by a company named Be-In Sports which is based in Qatar. I know something about TV rights and True could easily have purchased the rights from Be-In. But it could not be bothered doing so, no doubt because that would have cost more than it paid in previous years. On the first day when I realised it was not showing the Open Tennis, I had a series of long phone calls with its call centre supervisor who could do nothing but keep giving me the party line about True being unable to obtain the rights. I then tied her up in knots regarding TV rights and accused True of paying zero attention to subscribers. Apparently so many other complaints were received that, lo and behold, the Tennis Open was carried by True from the following day! So much for fake party lines!

You make it sound as though the Vietnamese are responsible. It was partly the colonial French and then the USA during the Vietnam War that were solely responsible for the destruction of this major historical site. US troops were even given orders not to destroy the old historical sites. They did so anyway! Only 10 of 160 structures in the Citadel were left standing. True, the presence of the Viet Minh contributed but without those two invading powers, the Citadel would still be standing in all its glory. When built in the early 19th century it was loosely modelled on Beijing's Forbidden City and there remain some parts which are certainly well worth visiting. UNESCO has been helping the Vietnamese restore some of the destruction. I visited Hue, Danang and Hoi An just before the lockdown 2 years ago. I loved that part of Vietnam and will return. I wasn't on the look out for guys but the apps were certainly busy. Photos of The Hue Citadel

It's around 4 weeks since I made my application. pdf files were still not accepted. As for being hacked, there are notices on several websites to make sure you only use the one official Thailand government website and not the rip offs. It seemed pretty clear and I had no problem in submitting the application. Completing it was the problem for me!

Most of my time was spent in Scotland unfortunately. Scotland also required the Passenger Regulation form which was checked at BKK on the way out and after a short trip to the continent en route back to the UK. On both occasions, after relatively short arrival queues, I was sent to an automatic gate. When I asked what I did about the official form, I was basically told just to rip it up!

When in the UK last month, it was still necessary to wear masks in restaurants, certain shops and on all public transport. Having taken over a dozen trains, I noticed that more than a few passengers who had worn them on the platforms just took them off when on the train. The guards checking tickets never once asked anyone to put them on again! Concerned both about visiting children and older people in my family as much as to getting back to Thailand, I tested myself every two days - ending up with more tests than I had ever done over the last two years in Thailand. I fully understand the disastrous situation that the tourist industry in Thailand has gone through. I also agree that loosening the restrictions on entry to the Kingdom will help it recover more quickly. In particular the Test&Go form requires too much information. It actually took me 4 attempts to complete it - the first because the photos of the required documentation I had taken on my mobile phone were too large to upload; the second because I had missed one letter out of my middle name!! Stupid mistakes and my fault, but if I found it difficult when I live in Thailand, completing such a large document can not be easy for the casual tourist. But will that tourism recovery be like the airline industry in much of the west, I wonder? Hundreds of flights being cancelled almost daily because many in flight crews have come down with covid and horrendous queues at Immigration? Hopefully not, if only because the Thai hotel industry is far more scrupulous than its counterparts in the west in taking much more seriously the necessary safety precautions.

I loathe Trump. I loathe Piers Morgan. I loathe Rupert Murdoch. That said, though, the following teaser for a new Murdoch channel starting to air on Monday seems fun.

This news is about three months old but may still be of interest. Venice is one of the world's great cities and accordingly one of the most visited. Over the last few decades, the number of day trippers has increased exponentially. Apart from the occasional snack and a tacky souvenir or two, they spend little money and mostly create massive crowds that make it more difficult for genuine tourists staying in the city's hotels to enjoy their experience. From this summer, day trippers will be limited and charged €5 for access to the city for one day. Such bookings must be made on line and in advance.

Although not American, I would be much more interested in a similar type of subscription for The New York Times which often has excellent writing. If anyone hears of one, I'd be grateful if it could be posted here.

@z909 is spot on. There is far too much red tape and other out of date procedures. I was at the Head Office of Bangkok Bank yesterday as my passbook was full and I needed a new one. Such a simple procedure meant I had to wait almost an hour and then go through various form filling which included signing a copy of my passport. Since the bank already has several copies of my passport all signed by me, why another is needed for every transaction beats me. Also, when I looked at each officers desk, there was a huge stack of paperwork that presumably someone eventually has to file. For the life of me, I cannot understand why passbooks are still required for everyone! The same is true, but worse, if you visit Chaengwattana to renew your visa. You see mountains of paperwork everywhere. Since my recent test&go form with its 7 or 8 uploads was all completed by phone and the QR code issued quickly by email, I can only think the reason for the lack of computerisation elsewhere is for the government to ensure high rates of employment.

From the discussion so far, it does seem that there is a difference between the hotels at the top end like the Mandarin-Oriental and Peninsula compared to those with 3 or less stars who more often see visiting guests from the bars. As I mentioned with Le Meridien, there are clearly some top end hotels which turn a blind eye to joiners, but others are a good deal more strict in their policies.

Qatar has increased the number of aircraft with its Q Suites in business class. On my recent visit to Europe I had a suite on the 777 out of BKK and on the A350 from Doha on the return leg. The other two sectors were on 787 aircraft with the usual herring bone configuration. Having paid for the ticket back in October last year, I think they are fantastic value.

No need for a commission. The root cause was almost inevitably corruption!

I also have very fond memories of a Singapore sauna, but probably going a bit further back. Around 2000 a small sauna opened off the beaten track in the business district. Named Rairua, the owner seemed to have roughly a similar idea as the owner of Babylon of providing a more upmarket facility - although that has to be seen in relation to what other Singapore saunas offered at the time and it had few of Babylon's facilities. All patrons paid the same entrance fee but you first had to become a member for some very small amount like S$10 (then roughly US$7). After a couple of years, it opened up the top floor with the showers and cabins as a strictly enforced nude area. No doubt due to its location I never saw many guys there but virtually all were young and fit. The staff, too, were young and very good looking. Just sitting and having coffee was a joy watching all the quite lovely eye candy. Happy memories which sadly ended around 2006 when rising rents in the area forced the owner to close. In reminds me of the early years of Bangkok's Chakran where sitting in a lounger by the bar enabled you to see a procession of handsome towel clad guys coming own the open stairs opposite or swimming in the small pool. Just to the right was the very large jacuzzi and equally large dark room which became the first nude area. That became very busy!

I am told that some saunas are open. Heaven sauna near the river end of Silom is open. Sauna Mania off Soi Convent is the closest to the gay area but call to double check prices before you go. I am told that pre-covid it had a huge age discrimination policy. Under 50 and the entrance fee was around 280 baht. Over 50 and you'd be stung for 1,500 baht. Mostly Thais and Asians. Chakran sauna off Soi Aree is also open. When it first opened around 2000 it was a classy place attracting quite a few foreigners in addition to young locals. For some years, though, it has been almost exclusively sticky Asian. It was one of the first saunas to have a nude night in part of its facilities. These now seem quite common in those saunas catering mostly to Thais and Asians.

I have not been to Phuket for its gay offerings for many years. In fact, I now do not visit Phuket because apart from the beaches and some restaurants there is not much reason to go when the world and his wife seem to descend on the island. One of my favourite Thai restaurants, though, is Baan Rim Pa. This is on a small cliff before Kalim Bay just north of Patong and virtually opposite the Novotel. The view is superb and we have always had excellent food and cocktails. https://www.baanrimpa.com/thai-restaurant-kalim/ If it is just a beach you are seeking and already have a Thai friend with you, I thoroughly recommend Khao Lak around 100 kms north of Phuket. There are lots of hotels here but they are very spread out and you will find you have the lovely beach almost to yourself. I stayed at the Marriott Resort some years ago and loved it, especially the ground floor rooms which have access to a small waterway that wends around the property and ends up in the main pool. Perfect for a pre-breakfast swim! Several local restaurants just off the beach.

Suspect Le Bouchon is still not yet open in the new location. Passed by the top of Soi Nanta/Mozart on Sathorn Soi 1 the day before Songkran and there was still a lot of work going on. Two notes on the excellent recommendations. Eat Me is a wonderful up-market small Australian fusion restaurant that has maintained its standards for something like 20 years now. But its prices have risen very considerably and it's now nearer the top end. It's also not the sort of restaurant that you should walk into wearing a Hawaian short and shorts. The location of Ruen Urai in an old-style Thai house at the Rose Hotel on Suriwong is excellent as is its Thai cuisine. It's small and elegant, and looks more pricey than in fact it is. Book in advance and insist on being on the ground level. Upstairs there is no view and feels quite claustrophobic. For Italian, Zanotti on Soi Convent is near the top of the tree with prices to match. Much better value and more casual is Il Bolognese off Sathorn Soi 7. The owner for many years sold the restaurant more than a year ago and has moved to a new Italian restaurant off a soi at the lower end of Soi Ngamduplee (closer to Narathiwat). Sorry cannot recall the name.

With Taiwan's borders still closed to most people and covid rates again spiking, I guess the only hope for an EVA London/BKK service any time soon will be if the airline has completely separate crews for the London/BKK sectors. Apart from the additional costs of basing crews outside Taiwan, both the UK and Thailand have vastly more daily cases than Taiwan. I'm not optimistic about a resumption of flights in the summer - and Taiwan friends agree. More likely the end of the year.

Perhaps there will be more life now for my favourite aircraft, the A380. Qatar has already announced two A380 daiiy flights on the Doha/BKK route.