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Flying Air France, Birmingham UK to BKK in June on a ticket bought in January, so covered by EU/UK compensation rules. From what I have read this means that they can not add a fuel surcharge and if they cancel the flight with less than 14 days notice from the departure date they have to pay compensation of £520 plus I have the option to request a reroute rather than a refund. Also Air France seem to have increased capacity on routes to Bangkok so I take that as a positive sign my flights should be ok, but as said above if they can not guarantee the return flight they will cancel due to the high costs of having to pay for hotels, food, compensation etc. So if you fly from Europe / UK you seem to have reasonible protections and rights compared to other parts of the world.

Not odd at all. In Japan people believe that you get what you pay for. The thinking is, if it's cheap the quality is poor. It's why brands like Louis Vuitton and Gucci sell so well in Japan. Alcohol is ridiculously cheap in Japan. Suntory Old (daruma) whisky costs 1900 yen (A$16.50) in Japan. In Australia the same whisky is A$109.

It may well be. I did include links which I think mentioned this fact and presumably some reasoning. It's just that I know little about the luxury market. I have foreign friends who bought an apartment in the tall Sukhothai Residences (across from the now dead Babylon) about a dozen years ago when real estate in that particular property was the most expensive in the city. Much more recently the far smaller building on the left at the top of Witthayu One 89 Wireless was regarded as the most expensive with prices for ultra luxury apartments selling at around Bt. 500,000 per sq.m. This now appears to have been equalled and in some units overtaken by Scope Langsuan. Look at any site dealing with Bangkok luxury apartments and you see that many have been and are still being contructed and sold with prices in the Bt. 250,000 - 300,000 per sq.m. range. I suspect many are snapped up by Chinese, Russian and other mega rich in countries where they might wish to hide their wealth. Some of these will no doubt be the people targetted by the ultra-expensive Thailand Privilege Visas. https://bangkokresidential.com/bangkoks-12-best-luxury-condo-developments-in-2025

So which is it, stairs or elevator Mr bad luck?

THANKS A MILLION

Japan always had some crazy prices. I remember one time staying wth friends near Roppongi Crossing. Nearby was a booze shop. It was selling bottles of Dom Perignon champagne at prices cheaper than Duty Free at any airport! On a first visit in the early 1980s, I noticed in the window of an uparket retailer a bottle of Remy Martin XO brandy at ¥50,000. Expensive then at around US$200. By the time I ceased working there and returned to Hong Kong, that same bottle was in the same window at exactly the same price - yet in US$ terms it was over $410. I asked the manager why the price had not been brought down to around ¥25,000. He said that Japanese people perceived the value of a product and if he brought the price down it would be regarded as inferior! Odd!

I've been looking at Thai Airways Perth / Bangkok fares for early November and at the moment the cheapest business class is about $4100 Australian but will have to wait until June to make my booking, I only look at business because now days as I just hate economy cattle class. Hoping the fares don't jump too much between now and the time I book but if it does I will just have to suck it up. Qantas and Jetstar (2 crap airlines) have already started dropping some routes (domestic ones mainly), mostly the not so busy ones but they will likely be looking at some other routes but I did hear something about reduction in international flight frequency on some routes.

Not to argue, I really don’t know enough about the subject, rather a question. You state that Chinese are 39.5 % of the foreign market for condo but 40.1% of the values. You then point out the tiny condo s being built for the. That would seam counter intuitive to me unless that was balanced by a decent size percentage being for penthouses and other luxury condos.?

Depends on how he is cheating . I remember years ago, a blogger Stickman I believe, had a service for Straight guys where he would test there bar girl girlfriends.

Back in the early 1970s 1 Australian dollar was worth around 450 yen! Today it's 114 yen. Mind you, back then the cost of living in Japan was very high. Prices for many things haven't really changed all that much over the years. Compared to prices here in Australia, Japan is ridiculously cheap - especially food and drink. Walking around Ueno earlier this month I saw a sign offering 2 hours all-you -can -drink for 900 yen (183 baht, A$ 7.90). A medium sized beer in a pub here costs around A12. Sadly, I'm not a drinker!

Ownership of the Spratley Islands is disputed by several countries including China, Vietnam, The Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. The islands are really not islands as such - more like ocean reefs, although China has built bases and outposts on several. But they are important both as major fishing grounds and more because of the reserves of oil and gas assumed to be below the surface. China's interest also arises because it is part of the shipping lane in the South China Sea with Taiwan at its north end. @jason1975 is correct that the last really major skirmish between China and Vietnam was in 1988 when 64 Vietnamese soldiers were killed. But occasional skirmishes still break out. The irony is that all the other countries are closer to the Islands with China being the furthest away. China's claim to them dates back to maps purported to have been drawn up 500 years ago, and also the 1945 Treaty at the end of the War in the Pacific which seems to have had a clause giving them to the government in Beijing. But since the Americans basically wrote that Treaty, it seems like this might be yet another case of American interference where it has only resulted in major non-American regional disputes. https://amti.csis.org/island-tracker/china/

With Trump pulling out of talks on reopening the Straits of Hormuz, the jet fuel situation can only get worse. Some airlines have already increased fuel surchares. Cathay Pacific started this last month. Since April 1 there has been a second round of increases. All tickets irrespective of class now attract an additional 34% surcharge. Round trip flights to Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Europe, Middle East and Africa now have a US$500 surcharge. Inter-Asian tickets now add US$100. On long haul flights this represents a 174% increase in little less than one month. The carrier has also stated it will review fuel surcharge amounts every two weeks. Singapore Airlines has already raised fares but I can not find out by how much because the airline merges fuel costs into the basic ticket price. THAI has said it plans to increase by 10%-15% which seems pretty low compared to the hikes by CX. As I wrote yesterday, there are still some deals to be had with Qatar now offering limited business class seats from Bangkok to London at Bt. 99,000 for the next few weeks. But with Doha having the USA's largest air base in the Middle East and already targetted by Iranian drones, the chances of last minute cancellations must surely be quite high. 19 of 20 major airlines have already cut capacity. Lufthansa is cutting 20,000 flights over the next 6 months. United plans to cut 5% of capacity and the airline's CEO has stated that fares may have to go up by 15%-20%. Air New Zealand has slashed flights for May and June. https://milelion.com/2026/03/27/cathay-pacific-hikes-fuel-surcharges-for-the-second-time-in-two-weeks/ https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/flight-cancellations-airlines-lufthansa-united-easyjet-jet-fuel-shortage-b2964033.html

I remember there was a skirmish with fatalities between China and Vietnam in 1988 over some disputed islands.

You might want to double check the fine print on your ticket. Some places allow airlines to pass on a fuel surcharge even after you have purchased the ticket. Our next door neighbors got hit with such a surcharge after the fact on a recent trip to Africa (last week). They had purchased the tickets months ago...long before missiles started flying. Regulations vary by country, but it seems here in the US the airlines are allowed to pass on the fuel surcharge regardless of when the ticket was purchased.

Another Day, another Trump SCAM ! Oh Donnie, REALLY ? Another shooting attempt.... dont ya think that party trick is getting old ? Tonight, at what was supposed to be the FIRST White House Correspondents dinner that Trump attended as President, a shooter attempting to breach the event was apprehended, but not before mayhem and chaos, and ANOTHER MAJOR DISTRACTION for Trump was launched.... Is the Iran War becoming such a major problem for Trump that he needed to cause "distraction" from it by THIS event ? All the prior publicity about his attendance at this event, and then THIS ! Couldnt have been a better setup for him, and all his publicity about the event makes clear sense now. . Oh Donnie, your stunts are OLD and tired. And then you give yourself away at your presser, when your opening comments make a PLEA for the NEED of your gilded ballroom, which judges have put a temporary STOP to..... SO OBVIOUS that THIS was your opening comment..... He said the PRESIDENT needs a secure ballroom for these types of events. because the hotel had lax security. But WHY did the hotel have LAX security ? YOU are the fucking President. for God's sake...... And then a reporter asks : "Mr Trump, why do you think THIS keeps happening to you"..... It's clear NOONE believes this stunt..... And Trumps demeanor was NOT of a person that just endured another assassination attempt in a room of 1000 people.... He acted just too flippant, as if you say "GOTCHA again" ! Come on people, get with the program... This guy is a con, and he's at it again. But will YOU be DUPED again ? And will you stand for more "wasteful" taxpayer dollars for bogus investigations ? The Pennsylvania shooting attempt gained Trump sympathy and HELPED him WIN the 2024 election. THIS stunt is designed to counter his quickly sinking poll numbers and ratings and gain him sympathy for his actions with the Iran War.... Just another episode of The Trump Reality show..... Bottom line: We wont be talking about Iran for a few days.....

I can't help wondering (useless exercise, I know) how much further the ¥ will fall against other major currencies. When I first visited 45 years ago, the rate was US$1=¥250. Over the next decade, the US administration worked hard on getting Japan to revalue its currency. By the time I went to work in Tokyo the rate against the dollar was about ¥159. By the time I left it was up to ¥121. It then hovered for quite a number of years reaching its all-time high of ¥76 in August 2011. Pre-covid it was around ¥110. Since 2022 it began its major decline. Great for visitors, though, as prices in the country are geared to the local population rather than tourists. And even for tourists, with the crash of tourism from mainland China, prices are amazingly low.

Fortunately for you that you bought your air ticket before price increase! Now you have more money to spend on boys!

Thanks, @vinapu. That comment led me to the following information: Ordinary (E-Class) Visa: Formerly known as a business visa, this is the best option for stays longer than 30 days, including working, retirement, or students. It is valid for 30 days initially but can be extended for 1, 3, 6, or 12 months. If you enter on an E-Class visa, you can apply for an Extension of Stay (EOS): >EB Visa (Business/Ordinary): For those working or intending to work, extendable up to 12 months. >ER Visa (Retirement): For retirees showing proof of retirement. This would be the category I would pursue as a temporary solution. Cambodia does have an actual retirement visa I would apply for eventually.

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.

China has had major interests in Cambodia for centuries. They used the country as a buffer to the Vietnamese over whom they had ruled for a millenium and whom they basically hated. The latest border war between the countries took place as recently as Ferbuary 1979, although relations now are far improved.

Perhaps business visa ? One of our members may chip in as I believe he stay there 1 year in covid time on such a visa

Returning to old Noah, I've always though that if there was any truth in the tale it concerned the Bosphorous suddenly opening up resulting in massive floods into what is now the Back Sea.

I'm more concerned about how many stories about visits in bars and massage venues are likely to be true . When we hear that ' half of Bangkok was in Silom on Songkran" we don't take it literally and still nobody calls such statement false or even exaggeration. AI is plain too young to remember old Noe and his arc so I'd not believe that explanation anyways.

Flight cancellations or major delays are one of the bugbears of regular travel. Thankfully, apart from those affected by weather, we do not see too many. Other factors can also come into play, though. I once missed a flight from Tokyo's Narita to Hong Kong because of increased security as a result of some bomb scare. All traffic into Narita was always closely inspected with passengers having passports and tickets checked. This happened to me when the security checks ahead of my bus were taking around 100 minutes instead of the usual 10. I missed my flight merely by minutes and then had to pay for overnight accommodation at an airport hotel. The worst though was on a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to London in the days of the old Kai Tak airport. Scheduled to depart at 11:30pm, push back from the gate was delayed when an air conditioning problem had to be fixed. We finally taxied to the end of the runway, reaching there are 11:45. After a seemingly interminable wait, the captain advised we could not take off and would have to return to the gate. The problem was that HKG then had a curfew with no flights in or out permitted after 11:45. The captain said they had been negotiating with the authorities to permit a one minute delay, and were denied. So we had to go back through security and immigration, either go home or spend the night in a hotel paid for by the airline. We took off at 08:30 the next morning. The only benefit was that I was able to see the pyramids below in the late afternoon sun! Curfews are not uncommon at airports like Heathrow, Sydney, Frankfurt, Zurich, Paris Orly, Toronto and Schippol affected. But the possibility of fuel shortages is somewhat scary for those with travel plans over the next few months. I've suffered from that too. A flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne was cancelled at 2 days notice due to a jet fuel tanker drivers strike meaning the aicraft could not fuel up for the return. And again many years ago I was on the then longest flight in the world, Northwest Airlines flight from Detroit to Seoul. After dinner and a sleep, I asked the purser if we were close to Seoul. She pointed out that there had been very strong headwinds and the captain was not sure if there would be enough fuel to get to Seoul (gulp!) But added that a contingency refueling stop at Narita was being considered. Fortunately it was not necessary and the plane did not fall out of the sky!!