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Slot Machine also did well with the theme song on the KP soundtrack. There's an English version and a Thai version. I may have to make some time for this series. You're right about the skincare products. Dunk is all over the place with his many endoresements.

I guess I never considered Asia Miles - never used that program. Thanks for that tip. I had about 100K AA and had to buy the difference to have enough for this ticket. I have a lot of Amex points and have spent most of my Citi points. I have a big stash of Avianca miles that I bought a while ago. Unfortunately they don't seem to have many available award seats these days. I'm hoping that will improve once things get more back to normal.

AA's routing rules are annoying. My recently booked IAD-DOH-BKK itinerary on QR was reservable on the AA website, but was not bookable without calling them to complete the transaction. It was pretty straightforward though. Since the booking was already in the system the AAgent just had to complete the process so it was a short call. Since it's two award it cost me 110K miles.

I believe there may be an obligation under US law for the US to help defend Taiwan. At some point it seems like the world will need to recognize the reality that Taiwan is already an independent country. Ultimately Taiwan is a country of 25 million people. In the face a PRC with a billion plus people it will be very difficult for them to defend themselves even with American weapons systems. The PRC is a big country with many big problems looming on the horizon. The economic problems invading Taiwan would create certainly won't help with those problems. Even if they did invade and managed to takeover the country they'd have to deal with a population that doesn't want them there. Crushing Hong Kong was one thing, crushing Taiwan will be a much bigger job. And to what end? To have a destroyed island under CCP rule might be quite a pyrrhic victory.

Those are some really good points about who the stories focus on, but they're not documentaries, they're soap operas. So they reflect the same sorts of people as most soap operas do. Most of the more mainstream programs also seem to be relatively chaste, frankly. Everyone gets excited if the characters share a kiss. Shows that are more steamy seem to be a little more difficult to come by. I wonder if all of those pretty GMM actors would be up for more sexy scenes? Would all of those female viewers be interested in more erotic scenes? Or is it just us old gays who want that? 🙂 Many of the stories get a little same-y too and we could use some more creativity. I follow a few of those actors on social media. They seem to do quite a few shopping mall appearances and some of them are spokesmodels for various brands. And some fancy themselves as singers. It's very teen idol/Tiger Beat. I guess too much sex might hurt their personal brands.

I wonder if language barrier issues could be part of that difference?

How many times has the CCP said the US is "playing with fire"? And what have they ever done about it? I follow a couple of Western guys on YT who lived in China and traveled very extensively there for over a decade. They're fluent in Mandarin. They were essentially forced to leave when Xi started his anti-Westerner campaigns. They are of the opinion that China's threats should be acknowledged but that giving in to their threats would be a bad idea. https://www.youtube.com/c/laowhy86 https://www.youtube.com/c/ADVPodcasts

I was thinking more of the drama that would be inevitable as they jockey to be first in line for your money

There are many Polynesian folks in the Philippines. A good friend of mine who came from the Philippines at a young age is a big Polynesian guy. Of course there are many people with more Spanish ancestry as well. But for sure American style fast food isn't good for anyone. The proliferation of those restaurants hasn't been good for Thailand either.

That's interesting. I never really noticed that the direction of travel made much difference. But I do usually find that the jetlag on returning home seems a bit worse, so maybe there's something to that as I usually go TPAC both ways. On the way over I typically arrive late in the evening so I can go straight to bed and wake up the next day on local time.

I have friends who look after my plants and take care of the mail.

I'd probably have to hire a good security detail. Unless you can find a way to stay anonymous I would imagine it's not as fun as we might imagine since everyone will be coming at you with a sob story and their hands out. Some states allow anonymity but others do not. Probably need to set up some sort of holding company and a charitable foundation. A giant house also requires a lot of upkeep. An entourage of hotties sounds fun... and exhausting.

https://www.facebook.com/newtwilightmanclub

I think PeterRS covered it well. I really like Singapore but it is the most humid place I have ever spent time. Great for your skin though! I find the people there to be extremely attractive. It's been a melting pot for a long time so there is a nice mix of people. They're quite body-conscious and the young men are required to do national service so they're pretty fit. From an eye candy perspective it's great. But can be a little frustrating. It's more expensive than other places in SE Asia but I always found plenty to do that wasn't so expensive. For such a developed place there are nice parks. I want to explore more of the island some time as there is a good bit of nature there. The public transport network is quite extensive and ever-growing so it's easy to get around.

It's also easy to get to the Grand Palace/Rattanakosin area by MRT now, but the river boats are nice too. They recently added electric boats to get up and down the river as well

I have a good friend who is nearing retirement. He's already 66. For years he's been talking about the need to have friends around in old age to help care for you. He recently had back surgery and thanks to his sister and several friends he had a good network helping him out in his recovery phase. He and his oldest friends talk about creating a group home of sorts for themselves so they will always have each other nearby. He's an extrovert so I think he really needs people around more than I do. As a pretty strong introvert I am able to entertain myself pretty well. The last couple of years of the pandemic I haven't really interacted with many people. I've been working from home full time since it started. Most days I don't leave my apartment. I do talk to my best friend on the phone almost every day which does help. I expect that if I tried to retire away from where I have spent the last 32 years it would be difficult. While I don't have a huge number of friends, my small network is quite reliable. Making new friends at retirement age is likely to be difficult for most people - especially so for an introvert. While I don't know that I would be any more lonely there than I am here, I think it's likely there would be a real degree of isolation being on the other side of the world. Thailand doesn't seem especially stable - but I'm not sure there are many places these days that are. But the rules there - such as they are - can change quickly. My current expectation is that I will spend several months each year traveling (at least for the first few years). Rather than retiring to Thailand full time I think I would want to go for a couple of months at a time. But home base will still be where I am now.

I'll have to try all of that next time. I love Taipei

There's a follow up booked called Very Bangkok as well that is very good. I agree that Burmese and Cambodian guys can have a bit of a different look. Lots of South Asian intermixing in those places. Bangkok has been putting lots of work into green spaces. There are some areas of town that are surprisingly wild.

Yet another project related to this story https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/netflix-thai-cave-rescue-series-1235187251/

I guess it might depend somewhat on which of the "charms" you were looking to try. But Bangkok is a good bet. It's chaotic and can be crazy but there is plenty to do. Communication is fairly easy. The tourism infrastructure is well-developed. Thanksgiving time is getting to be the nicest weather. For a first time visitor I think Thailand is typically the best option.

Award seat inventory is constantly changing. Glad you found the seats you needed. If you have the QR booking reference number you should be able to pick seats on the QR app or website under Manage Booking.

7 weeks is a long time. I think 5 weeks is the longest trip I ever took. Every trip has its ebbs and flows. You shouldn't expect every day to be full of fun and frivolity. Listen to your body. Maybe gym, and sightseeing, and the bars is just too much to expect, especially in that climate. Do you live in the tropics full time? Maybe slowing down and choosing one of those things instead of all three would be better. I think it's natural to attempt to pack in as much as possible if you have limited vacation time. But with 7 weeks you have plenty of time to take it easy. I'm several years younger than you and only have a sex a few times in a trip, not in a day. I usually prefer massage places to gogo bars since I don't drink alcohol. So, don't worry about keeping up with the Joneses and do what's right for you.

Manly always makes me chuckle Those rugby teams seem to have a lot of issues for some reason. Wasn't there a famous Aussie rugby player who was thrown off the national team for being a homophobe? The AFL manages to have pride games without too much grumbling (as far as I'm aware)

I'm also in NoVA. What were the criteria for getting the vaccine? I think I saw in NYC one of them is multiple sex partners over the past 2 weeks [edit] Actually I found the criteria for my county on the health department website Monkeypox Vaccine Interest Survey A A A | This form is to gather information from those interested in a monkeypox vaccine. Currently, you may be eligible for vaccine if you are : A Virginia resident and 18 years of age or older AND Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men and have had multiple or anonymous sexual partners; OR Transgender women and nonbinary persons assigned male at birth who have sex with men; OR Sex workers (of any sex); OR Staff (of any sex) at establishments where sexual activity occurs (e.g., bathhouses, saunas, sex clubs); OR Persons (of any gender or sexual orientation) who attend sex-on-premises venues (e.g bathhouses, sex clubs).

TaT should definitely be paying you!