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the muscle-y boy making a goofy face in the locker room would be my first choice, I think

I primarily was referring to their demographic issues. Of course most of the post-industrialized world has demographic challenges too. They have some big economic challenges too

Of course Taiwan does have a fairly advanced military. And the people mostly consider themselves to be Taiwanese, not Chinese. So I don't think it would be easy for the Chinese to takeover or rule. The US seems to be trying to draw together the other democracies in the neighborhood to counter China's expansionist plans. China has a lot of looming problems demographically and otherwise. Xi will do whatever he wants for the rest of his life. As you say there doesn't seem to be anyone to challenge him at this point. He seems to see himself as an emporer and the CCP has given him what he wants.

model employee indeed. Good luck to him. Does OnlyFans work in China?

that's interesting. The guy I picked at Royal Spa wouldn't even take off his underwear. Beautiful guy though.

Here's the thread I started last time I was in TPE on Mudan Spa On another trip prior to that I had visited a place in a little alley near city hall that I don't recall the name of.

Sorry about being off topic - but I am always astonished by the huge number of guys working at these Japanese places. Or at least their websites have a huge number of guys listed - whether they're all actually available could be another story.

The video spends quite a bit of time on the fact that the suicide hotline is overburdened and unable to answer about half of the calls that come in.

the woman providing meals and services to the homeless is a saint

I've pretty much always found what I was looking for at the spas. First place I went (Royal Spa) the masseur wouldn't get naked. But everywhere else I've been has been a good massage and the sexual contact I was looking for. The last place I visited was really fantastic and hope to be able to return one day.

Thailand has the highest suicide rate in SE Asia

there are several massage spas though with some sexual contact

I think I also visited those waterfalls plus some others. There's a big complex of waterfalls right near the Cambodian border.

I did the Vat Phou Mekong River cruise a few years ago which was really nice. Amazing sunrises and sunsets, great service, good food. And then did a little tour in central Laos which didn't have much in the way of services, hotels, etc. but the nature is spectacular. If they ever get their act together Laos could be a great ecotourism destination.

Nature Boys still exists?! Thanks for the report

people are marching in the streets

Apparently the aircraft that UA rounded up to fly the passengers on to Hawaii had itself suffered a similar engine failure a few years ago on a flight from SFO to Hawaii. That time they returned safely to SFO. 777 ETOPS is 180 mins, I believe, on one engine. If they were over the ocean they would either turn around and go back to the West coast or continue to the closest diversion airport. 4 engines are a lot less fuel efficient. And the 777 has performed extremely well over the years as noted. Sounds like the problem with these PW engines is their hollow fins.

you're a nice person for doing as much as you already have. It is a sad situation. People all over the world have issues. As an introvert myself I can understand how they wouldn't have made any local friends. Older people don't always have the greatest judgement or cognitive abilities. Certainly people in their 80s can have problems. My own mother is in her early 80s and has memory issues and scammers preying on her every day. No matter how many times I tell her to not answer the phone she keeps doing it. No one really knows what issues these guys have faced. And it's certainly not Peter's job to support them. Here in the US there are some things like food banks and charities that can help support people somewhat when they have hit hard times. But if you retire to a developing country you have to realize the societal limitations - especially in the midst of a pandemic when everyone is hurting. Thanks for the cautionary tale. Once upon a time I had considered retiring to Thailand (among other places abroad). A friend of mine here who is a decade older than I am always asks questions about retirement like will be close to healthcare? Who will drive you to doctor appointments or help you if you really need it? While some of his questions feel a little hysterical to me, it has made me think a bit about the future. Even with plenty of money you can run into problems that you don't expect.

not Thai, but sounds interesting if you have Netflix - Korean drama called Wish You https://dearstraightpeople.com/2021/02/13/wish-you-review/

for sure QR suites are fantastic. I agree that the Emirates F suite was not the most comfy. I'd still love to try their latest suite though which looks great. Not sure I'd like the virtual windows in the center section

Or F class. :-) I agree it is sad to see the A380 being ditched by almost all of the operators who flew it.

some more photos (from the Dear Straight People FB)

long haul travel has been killed along with most other travel over the past year. Eventually it will bounce back, but it will be interesting to see which airlines have survived by then. TG has struggled with the A380s since they bought them. I am more surprised by ditching the A330s. Without the A380 or 747s though they won't have first class anymore. Where will all of those most important people sit? I was watching a video the other day suggesting that lots of long haul routes are going to be serviced by narrow body aircraft with the intro of the A321LR including lots of trans-Atlantic routes because they claimed people don't like connecting. Give me a widebody with a connection any day over a direct narrowbody, but I also live close to a major international hub. I suppose regional Asian routes will also be able to be served by smaller aircraft though. If there are more A350s in service that would be a good thing as far as I am concerned since that aircraft is the most comfortable generally.

I take back what I said about the general not caring about what the people do. Shutting down the internet shows real weakness and fear of the people. All of the millions of people who have had a taste of the internet and are probably social media addicts like everyone else in the world are not likely to be quiet. Not to mention how much commerce relies on the connectedness of people to the internet. Although I suppose it will be much harder for them to organize

it's interesting to see people trying to push back, but I doubt the general cares about people banging pots or doing the 3 finger salute on social media. It's certainly a beautiful but complicated place. It's sad that so much of the world including SE Asia is getting more authoritarian