daydreamer

As you may know, there are two different SuperRich money exchange companies in Bangkok. One has a green sign, and the other is orange. Both the orange and the green are called SuperRich on their signage. Both companies originated from the same family, and now both of them have many branches. Yes, the exchange rates vary slightly from branch to branch, depending on location. The exchange rates for each branch can be found in drop-down menus on their websites. The best exchange rates are at their Ratchadamri main shops and are sometimes matched at various branches. The difference in most of the branches is minimal, unless you have a large amount to exchange. Both the green and orange have their head offices on Ratchadamri Soi 1, very close to Big C Ratchadamri. The photo below shows the two headquarters, directly across the soi from one another. https://www.superrich1965.com/en https://www.superrichthailand.com/#!/en

From the MK Restaurant website: "Our Beginning, 1962- Thai Restaurant at Siam Square Soi 3. A small Thai restaurant in a one block commercial shop house in Siam Square Soi 3 managed by Aunty Thongkam Mekto was the beginning of MK. The name MK was derived from the former owner of the shop, Makong King Yee, the Hong Kong businessman who relocated to Boston, USA in 1962."

The gunman checked in to the hotel as a guest before the press dinner, so he had access to the building.

I believe the Luftwaffe was terminated with the defeat of the Nazi regime at the end of WWII.

Perhaps you meant to write "is the Pope a (take your pick) Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu,....."? The answer to your question about the Pope is a definite "yes", quite different than the answers in the above posts in this thread.

Thanks, but I already addressed that in my first post above. (see quote below). I have read the Conditions of Carriage contract. The ticket was issued before the mention of additional fuel surcharges on previously purchased tickets were included in the updated contract. That's why I bought the ticket when I did.

Last month, I purchased an airline ticket to Thailand for later this year. I bought it the day after the missiles started flying in Iran in early March. Yesterday I checked to see if the price has changed - wow, the same airline, same date, has increased in price 54% since last month. This is likely not because seats are selling out fast, as the flight date is more than six months from now. I know ticket prices fluctuate, but that's a huge price increase, likely due in large part to the jet fuel outlook for later this year.

Here are my thoughts: It looks like your Thailand trip is safe for June, @Londoner. At least if you can make it to Thailand, your return flight home should not run into fuel supply issues. I just read some good news that Thailand is nearing storage capacity for jet fuel, and is considering allowing exports of it to neighboring countries, to be determined. All six refineries in Thailand are running at full capacity. Of course, that could change as crude oil supplies get tighter this summer. Stockpiled oil around the world is currently being drawn down, and with roughly 20% of world oil supply removed from the market, and current supplies being used faster than being replaced, shortages are inevitable, as stockpiles are depleted. Viet Nam and the Philippines currently have jet fuel supply issues, as well as New Zealand, and severe shortages are expected in Europe beginning in six weeks. Airlines have recently said they would cancel flights if the fuel supply at destination airports was questionable, as that could impact their aircraft to return to home airports. If you're planning to visit any neighboring countries of Thailand in the next six months, it would be prudent to not include the flight to neighboring countries as part of your long haul ticket, but instead book that short hop on a separate ticket. That way, in case of fuel shortages, your ticket to return home would likely not be impacted. There have been numerous news articles in the past few days predicting a looming jet fuel shortage crisis this summer. Also, the price of jet fuel has doubled since the war began. Interestingly, I just read yesterday that airlines can charge fuel surcharges on previously purchased tickets. Travel gurus advise buying your ticket soon, but that may not insulate you from a later surcharge. From Google AI - "A severe jet fuel shortage is predicted for summer 2026, particularly in Europe, following the Iran war, with supply constraints potentially cutting 5%-10% of flights. The IEA forecasts a 1 million barrel/day year-on-year decline in supply, leaving Europe with roughly six weeks of fuel left, forcing airlines to cut capacity and surge airfares." Here's the link to the very recent article about the Thailand jet fuel supply: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/general/40065464

Certainly China is one of the largest investors in Thailand, and it looks like Thailand is coming to the realization that some of that investment is to the detriment of Thai businesses, such as the coconut industry, highlighted in the video. Investing is one thing, but monopolizing entire industries through ruthless and unethical tactics is another issue, not unlike the robber barons that operated in the US during the late 19th century. One positive action was taken this past January 1st, when Thailand imposed a 10% duty on all imports valued at 1,500 baht or less, as Chinese companies such as Temu and Alibaba were squeezing small Thai companies, to the point they could no longer compete with the cheap imports that were flooding into the country. The Thai government is pushing back in some areas, but for some like the coconut farmers and processors, it looks like too little, too late.

"Colonized" refers to a territory, people, or place that has been taken over, settled, or subjected to control by a foreign nation, often through political, economic, or physical force. Thais are proud to say that their country is the only one in Southeast Asia that was never colonized. Unfortunately, it is being colonized today, not through battles with a foreign power, but by a shrewd and ruthless economic takeover by Chinese investors. We first heard of "zero dollar tours" being conducted in Thailand about 25 years ago, completely organized and run by Chinese companies, with the profits going to China, and not benefiting Thai owned businesses with even one baht per visitor. Now Chinese investors through Thai nominees have destroyed Thailand's coconut industry. The following excellent video from The Nation Thailand explains how Chinese are using Thai nominees to skirt Thai business laws, allowing foreign companies to force Thai owned ventures out of business, and then swoop in and purchase the assets for pennies on the dollar. [Although not specifically a gay topic, many of our forum members who live in or visit Thailand will likely find this video interesting, so I included in the gay Thailand forum.]

Curiosity led me to have a look. I found the first guy's profile on Tevi.com. The attached photo below from his public profile has a one word caption that says "Jilatin". Google translate says Jilatin means "lick it" in Indonesian, so that would confirm the info @sasoon807 posted above. I suspect once @vinapu sees the photo below, he'll be researching plane tickets to Bali.

The Bangkok Post ran a story about Thai infidelity three months ago. The article was entitled "Thailand tops global infidelity rates people admit to". So no, to answer your question, the Thais themselves admit they are not very faithful. And as @mima_bk said, that rate of infidelity would likely be multiplied amongst single Thai gay men, since the surveyed individuals were married adults. From the article: "In Thailand, just over half of married adults surveyed, 51%, admitted they had engaged in extramarital sex at least once, placing the Southeast Asian nation ahead of its global peers in this particular measure of relationship behaviour." https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/3184524/thailand-tops-global-infidelity-rates-people-admit-to.

From Time magazine, April 21, 2011: Thailand’s ‘Topless Teen’ Scandal and the Sexual Politics of Southeast Asia "Bangkok’s sex districts “may have started out as an R&R centre from the Vietnam War,” he writes, “but we as Thais have taken it further and allowed it to flourish.” And flourish it does. Thailand is the hub southeast of Asia’s thriving sex trade and Bangkok its seething center. The area where the teens danced during Songkran is just minutes from Patpong, a sex district that’s particularly popular with tourists. Here, under neon lights, crowds of (relatively wealthy) foreigners pay a couple dollars to watch (relatively poor) Thai, Cambodian, Laotian and Burmese women put ping-pong balls, razor blades and live animals in their vaginas. https://world.time.com/2011/04/21/thailands-topless-teen-scandal-and-the-sexual-politics-of-southeast-asia/