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when you look like I do there aren't a lot of options. Especially as I enter my dotage. But I've been paying for it for a long time.

hope they will have a better business class than their original 787s

I stayed at an Airbnb in BKK once. I felt like a criminal going in and out through the parking garage backdoor. There are lots of serviced apartments around the city which are a good alternative. More space, somewhat cheaper than a regular hotel, often include a washer/dryer.

If you're looking to help I've been donating to Better Burma for a few years now since the coup. They're good at helping people on the ground https://gofund.me/67c9150f

Haneda suffers from this too. Just too many tourists. Wait forever at immigration then get in another gigantic line at customs. CDG is one of my least favorites. Although my last trip through it wasn't terrible. Skytrax is notoriously unreliable. Some people call is Scamtrax

#1 is a bit of a surprise. I always heard that foreigners should avoid the wai since we don't know all of the nuances. I always just give a little bow.

How dare they tarnish Pattaya's image!

I agree that you should give it a trial run before committing to moving there full time. Do a few months and see if you like the place, culture, tropical climate, etc.

But there is no "passport control" on exit from the USA. As crew he would go through the crew security lane with just his airline ID.

I think the cranes are only there at certain times. If you can go during a festival they are quite an occasion and very colorful https://photos.app.goo.gl/dJo8MxZDFPzVzhzw7

I was there in about 2010 or so. It is a beautiful and interesting place. I always felt like the "GNH" thing was just a way to cover for the lack of GNP. The history is quite interesting. But the treatment of ethnic Nepali people was abysmal. And all of the poor migrant workers from India fixing the dilapidated "national highway" certainly didn't live a very happy existence. But I suppose most countries have their good and bad sides. I just think it's odd that so many influencer types have been swayed by the GNH propaganda and think Bhutan is a country with no problems. It certainly is quite photogenic though. I was there 17 days and traveled all the way to the eastern edge and back to the western edge. It was a lot of riding in the back of a car. And the food was not great in those days. My guide explained that the little hotels and guest houses were required to serve the same bland food to foreigners. And there was very little meat available. I'm sure things have changed quite a bit in the intervening 15 years.

It's problem taking hold in many countries. There's a chart early on that shows SK's debt issues are even worse. And of course they also have an even bigger birthrate issue. We certainly live in interesting times.

from CNA

Thanks for sharing this. I spent a couple of all-too-brief days in Kyoto last Autumn. Definitely need to go back there and Osaka.

Anybody watching Heart Killers?

Sorry I missed this old thread when it happened. I posted a review of this place a while back. Essentially, pretty boys but VERY expensive for not a lot of satisfaction.

TNT rounded up lots of different news articles. Sounds like he was special needs and people really took advantage of him for their own entertainment

apparently this poor guy was abused by lots of people

lots of stories these days about assaults on people using these apps all over the world. Gangs of teenagers luring people and then beating them up. Be very careful out there.

Yes, some of them do have walk ins possible. But choosing from the menu is probably the best option for most people. The websites are generally quite comprehensive. If you look at the websites under their "system" it will tell you if you can walk in or if you need to book ahead. A couple of the places I made arrangements through just had regular apartments to meet the boys I had selected rather than a shop or bar.

Bangkok is full of very nice hotels that belong to the western chains and independents or Asian chains that are on par with those kinds of hotels. They've got to all compete with each other. So don't be afraid to branch out beyond Marriott and Hilton unless collecting points and nights are important to you. As for closest to the action, I think everybody has covered the options pretty well. But if you decide to branch out farther (like Sukhumvit or even the cluster of options at Ratchadamri there are many very nice hotels at reasonable prices I haven't been to Pattaya in a while, but there the standard wasn't quite as high last time I was.

It might be one of those "it depends". I think he offered to bottom for me

I recently stayed at the voco in Osaka. The brand is very boutique-y and designer. But I think 4 star seems correct. I think that's a good addition for the neighborhood. But I'm a bit of an IHG loyalist.

seems to be a feature of lots of different Japanese businesses these days. Maybe they're learning from Thailand

Le Meridien is very good and the breakfast was great. I'd throw Crowne Plaza Lumpini into the mix. It's my go-to because I mainly stay at IHG hotels. Very good breakfast buffet and eggs cooked to order. Excellent location for BTS and MRT