fedssocr

I feel bad for the innocent kids who struck out in the parent lottery.

I wonder if the anti-junta people could take over from the inside. Seems like giving weapons to people opposed to the military government might not be too bright

I'm not sure Thailand is willing to confront their many issues. There's plenty of wealth, it's just concentrated in the hands of a very few. People are smart enough to see that having children is an expense they can't afford. They could offer a path to citizenship for the many immigrants who are already living in the country

you can get SIM cards to make calls as well. But I think most of these places have little forms on their websites to contact them. I think you can probably also use something like Whatsapp to call them. That's what I used in Hong Kong back in the day I used Mobal when I was in Japan last year because I needed a local phone number in order to get concert tickets https://www.mobal.com/japan-sim-card/?fbclid=IwAR3UUnbWeDaVGXbHqJs3XRx5NZsIrvqZIf0qn8WyZtT637QVU344QV2T1bg

it's a fascinating place. I didn't realize how densely populated it is until I went there. I remember how hot is was in the October I visited and have no idea how anyone survives there in summer

As mentioned up thread, there's not a lot to do in Negombo. It's easy to arrange a car and driver for a private tour around the island. I have a couple of friends who are guides. I spent about two weeks on my first trip and was going to spend the same on my second trip before I had to leave in a hurry due to covid. If you send them your time frame, interests and budget they could come up with an itinerary. There are lots of great national parks if you like nature and animals. Or plenty of historic sites if you like that. As for "rustic" hotels, there are many upscale hotels around, but for a couple of nights I can deal with pretty much any sort of place. I have not been to Gomez Place, but from the photos it looks more "basic" than "rustic" to me.

Not a surprise, I suppose. But still a sad day.

I stayed at the Sukhothai a couple of times a million years ago. It was quite nice, but agree that the location is less than ideal.

maybe you're just shopping in the wrong places. My problem is that I discovered EveandBoy and now I can't help myself. The nice thing is that so much of this stuff is pretty cheap. But I might need an extra bag for all of my Asian skincare

It's crazy how big Prime has grown. I think the New Year rush is well over now as I was able to walk in and get a massage this evening with no wait. I didn't realize that they'd added another building to their portfolio. I wonder how many people are employed by their massage factory. I think I was handed off to four different people on the short walk across the soi to the other building. It was like a relay race. Excellent 90 mins massage. My masseur had surprisingly rough hands, but used just the right amount of pressure throughout. En suite shower in the new building was a nice surprise. There's a good reason this place is the standard.

I think this applies to retirement anywhere. Even if you retire in the place you've lived your whole life you need to find things to do with your time that are fulfilling.

I've been here for about 10 days now. It's just too damn hot. I couldn't live here full time because of the weather and pollution. And I know there's no chance I would be able to learn Thai which I think I would want to do if I lived here. It was a bit nicer over in Ubon where I spent 5 days but during the say it was still quite hot. Just that it cooled off nicely at night.

Stopped by Natural Massage on Soi 6 this evening. Several cute boys sitting outside. Chose the 90 mins oil massage. Should have probably picked lotion instead. Overall the massage was a solid C or maybe C+. But was really let down by the use of an Exxon Valdez-worth of oil. I tried twice to say "too much oil" but it fell on deaf ears or there was a communication gap. So I was kind of pissed off through most of the massage which is the opposite of relaxing. It was so annoying that I even refused the offer of a happy ending. Also when he was doing a face/head massage at the end he put a hand under my chin/on my throat which was rather disconcerting. It felt out of bounds to me. I probably should have removed his hand. A lesson learned, I guess. 650 baht for 90 mins. Shower in the room was appreciated but I think not all of the rooms have a shower as I saw another customer wrapped in a towel on his way back to his room. Space was tight, but the massage table had a face cut out. I'd definitely choose a different boy next time though.

no, 737-900 is not the same as the Max 9

among other things.

Side is quite simply not into buttsex. So we find other things to enjoy

@macaroni21's blog has a helpful map for some of these places. Is there a reason why others are left out? https://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog/2023/12/26/map-of-saphan-khwai-and-sutthisan-winitchai-area-december-2023/

They also have an Eastern European-appearing guy listed, but say he speaks Thai. Even their regular guy tip amounts seem to be a bit higher than the other shops.

The OneSpa collection is certainly intriguing me.

Looks like getting there is a bit of a hidden experience

I'll have to see if I can find the more recent version. Still spine tingling

Domestic fares are already pretty low. I think I paid less US$50 each way for my upcoming trip to Ubon Ratchatani

actually the mattress point is a good one. More than once I have complained about the concrete-hard beds of Asia. As a side sleeper I find them unsleepable

It really is a shame what's been done to that beautiful country. Such nice people, now forced to fight for their lives. It's all such a waste

For me location is the most important criterion. If the choice is a perfectly-located 3 star sort of place or a not as well located 5 star I know which I prefer. And most places I have stayed in Thailand are of a quite good standard even if they're not 4 or 5 star luxury.