tm_nyc

Video was posted 2 weeks ago. Depressing, to say the least.

I would agree that the Thai high season starts on Nov 1. Back to the OP's question, I think that it is not certain how busy this year's high season will be at this point. IMO, it depends on how long it takes for international travel to return to 'pre-Covid normal' & how soon China gets out of its current Covid difficulties & allows the Chinese to start traveling again. The bad situation in Ukraine is another unknown. Every week brings positive news about international travel but I think there's still a long way to go.

I think that SG has done everyone a big service by recounting his experience & airing the subject of the few creeps out there who screw things up for the rest of us. Unfortunately, it shows that it's a mistake to be overly trusting in dealing with private messages & personal interactions. I am not a big fan of 'cancel culture' online or elsewhere but this guy should be banned, IMO.

My sister was visiting me in BKK a while back & together we took a 'Canal Adventure' tour (something I would never do on my own). We were met at the Wutthakat BTS station, escorted to a long-tail boat nearby & spent about 6 hours traveling on the canals west of the river. The tour included visits to a couple of temples, a market, an orchid farm, an artist's house plus lunch. The sights were interesting but not amazing. However, it was very enjoyable to travel by canal boat & see different parts of BKK, far from Silom & Sukhumvit. Ayutthaya is definitely worth a visit. I also did a side trip (by train) to Bang Pa-In Palace, which I liked a lot. It's called the Summer Palace & was used formerly by the Thai Royal Family.

Empire State!

I visited Hue in 2013 & again in 2018. I enjoyed my visits to the Citadel both times but I believe the restoration work had progressed in the interim. (Nice photos by PeterRS!) I also really liked visiting the tombs of the emperors, seven of them, built in the 19th & early 20th C, which are located outside the city.

I share everyone's concern about EVA. Their excellent Premium Economy service between NY & BKK has been my default option for 10 years+ so I am rooting for them to start flying to BKK again soon. As to z909's original question about Scoot, I would look very carefully & pay particular attention to the upcharges for checking bags & the like. If you have not already started looking, there are plenty of reviews & Youtube videos available to help you decide. You could start here: https://www.airlinequality.com/airline-reviews/scoot/

Excellent posts! It's a pleasure to read such a detailed, well-written &, above all, honest account of the ups and downs of your travels.

Nothing really shocking here (IMO), in spite of the click-bait title of the video. With mediocre food & service, Thai Airways continues to be an OK but not very competitive international air travel option. Maybe it used to be different & maybe that was the point of the video, but not recently.

I really like Namsaah Bottling Trust too but, according to Google, it is 'temporarily closed'.

Maybe better to post the Youtube link? I found the video there (I think).

When I click on the attachments, I get this message: We could not locate the item you are trying to view.

Interesting! I usually stay (pre-Covid) down Suan Phlu, not far from Baan Khanitha, so I have walked by it dozens (if not hundreds) of times. I should put it on my list for a special occasion.

Yes, it's like they are pretending that it's still early 2021, when Covid was totally under control in Thailand & their biggest concern was imported cases.

Aswan is a small town without a lot of tourist amenities so maybe that is what your friend was reacting to. I went there to do the excursion to Abu Simbel, which was great, but did not have time to see the other sights or have any encounters with the locals. I liked Egypt a lot & would love to go back to Aswan! Gaz69, are you willing to share any of your experiences in Egypt? I would especially like to hear about Sharm & Hurghada.

Yes, if anyone has the lowdown, it would be Santiagodc! I have visited Essouiria as a day trip from Marrakech. It was an easy bus ride & I really liked the place so I'd say it's definitely worth a visit. If you wanted a more laid-back, relaxed place than Marrakech, it might be worth staying for a while.

Lots of excellent suggestions! I would add: Somtum Der on Sala Daeng Rd, near where Senso used to be. Mango Tree has always been a default option for me but, on my last visit in early, pre-Covid 2020, the food was good but the service was poor, especially in view of the prices.

I have been looking at possibly going to Chile, particularly Santiago & Valparaiso, but I am really put off by the covid restrictions for entry. 2 items in particular caught my eye: if you are vaccinated, you must apply for a 'validation' from the Chilean government & that can take 'up to 30 business days'. Also, there are random covid tests given to international travelers on arrival. Travelers who test positive will be quarantined. More details here: https://www.chile.travel/en/traveltochileplan/ I trust, endlessdream, that you are looking at the covid requirements for the countries you plan to visit.

You could try contacting Freddy or one of the other 'service providers' to see what rate they charge. Your question seems reasonable, IMO.

I hope that they don't eliminate the open-air weight-lifting area as part of the 'improvements'!

I also have been looking at visiting Cambodia as a lower-hassle alternative to Thailand. But, as z909 points out, the flight availabilities (from the US at least) are way less than to BKK & airfares to Cambodia are higher, in some cases substantially.

Vietnam's proposed re-opening March 15 reopening date did not take place as previously announced. The outlook for when Vietnam might re-open appears uncertain as no new date has been announced: https://thepointsguy.com/news/vietnam-reopening-tourism/

With celebrities, I agree that anything is possible. But, as long as Smollett keeps claiming that he is innocent & that somehow he is the victim of the huge mess that he has created, it's going to be very difficult for him to recover.

Great Freedom is a film about a gay man who is imprisoned for being gay by the Nazis during WWII & then, repeatedly, by the post-war German government for the same reason. In prison, he finds friendship & (maybe) love from an unlikely source. The trailer:

I agree that it's very hard to take the CDC recommendations seriously, given the huge list of countries (more than 130!) that are supposedly dangerous to visit right now: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/map-and-travel-notices.html