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That seems a singularly inappropriate argument. I am a UK citizen born and brought up in the UK. I moved overseas at a relatively young age. I was not a rich fat cat like so many who just decided to base themselves in Swiss or Caribbean tax havens. I had a good University degree and considerable experience in my chosen field. I went because I was offered a job that was a slightly better job than I had in the UK and a better job that I could have then obtained in the UK. I did not return to the UK for the simple reason that I could get jobs with more responsibility in Asia than I could in the UK. I work in a highly specialised field and there simply are very few jobs in the UK in that field. When I moved overseas I did not decide unilaterally not to pay UK taxes. I was informed by the government of the day that that was the regulation. I did not unilaterally decide I did not wish to vote. That was a decree brought in by the Margaret Thatcher government after i had left and no government department ever saw fit to inform me. Why should the right to vote in the country of one's birth and education depend on being resident in the country and paying taxes in that country? That makes no sense to me whatsoever. If one is a citizen of the country, the right to vote should be automatic. It also annoys me greatly that citizens of other countries can park themselves in the UK and then end up with the right to vote. Besides, in addition to taxes there is the issue of National Insurance which is not dependent on taxes. This is the amount deducted from wages and salaries which gives the worker two rights: first to access to the National Health Service and second to the state pension. If you work overseas, you do not have to pay this contribution, but then your rights are justifiably either reduced or withdrawn. To maintain my full rights I elected - note, elected! - to pay the NI premiums in full for the entire period I worked overseas. Then what happened. Tony Blair's government decided that access to National Health treatment would be withdrawn after something like 6 years away from the country, even from those paying their contributions. This was made more stringent in a 2015 parliamentary Act. As with the Thatcher government, no government department bothered to inform me. As for the freezing of pensions, I do not know when that happened. But it is a nonsense when the contributions have been fully paid up and so confirmed by the relevant government department. Additionally an overseas pensioner creates almost no drain on the services available to the elderly within the UK. We should therefore receive a higher pension! A government has a right to change rules. But it has absolutely no right, in my view, to change rules and at the same time backdate the changes. And to do so continuously without informing those whom the changes affect is an utter disgrace. Change should only be forward looking. I want to vote in the UK. It should be my right. I want and deserve access to the NHS should I require it. I want my full pension and not the reduced one I have reluctantly been given. The one problem for those who have been overseas for some years is the constituency system. I have no idea if my old constituency still exists. So, why not have an overseas constituency?

One of the most troubling statements in today's vaccine news is the admission that the three most sought after vaccines (Pfizer, Modern and Astra Zeneca) will be prioritized as "booster" shots to 700,000 medical workers who have already been fully vaccinated with Sinovac. It's not that the health care personnel don't deserve top of the line protection. They do. Sinovac's efficacy, however, is considered so poorly that this surprising step has to be taken. This seems to leave Sinovac in the better-than-nothing category. At the same time, however, the government is acquiring 10.1 million more doses of Sinovac. To be fair, Thailand finds itself trapped between a rock and a hard place. It can't achieve it's desired rollout without Sinovac despite its awareness that it's inferior to the alternative vaccines that cannot be rapidly acquired for myriad reasons. It's similar to the centuries-old military dilemma: you don't go to war with the army you wish you had; you go with the army you have.

Pre-pandemic, I never hesitated to lock in an airfare well in advance, usually just after returning from my previous trip. That was then, this is now. Four unknowns make booking way out hazardous for four reasons: First, you aren’t assured that the carrier you book will actually fly on your chosen days. Second, you don’t know if your destination will be open to you. Third, you don’t know what local restrictions may be in place on your departure date. Fourth, change fee ambiguities. Some fare have no change fees but you do have to pay any fare differences. Unless you’re prepared to book fully refundable fares, no carrier is offering refunds. I’ve noticed that “no change fees” are becoming progressively less frequent. I've noticed that some Expedia listings may not indicate "no change fee" but when you go to the air carrier's website, they do show no fees on same flight. If the airline is responsible for a schedule change, your fare should not change. Using Expedia to check schedules and fares, I considered two destinations: Bangkok and Hanoi. I sampled New York and London departures. Dates sampled: Departing 19 October, returning 19 November. (Please bear in mind that flight offerings and fares are subject to change without notice. The following were sampled on the afternoon of 5 July). NEW YORK TO BANGKOK ECONOMY: fare range $759-$997 Best value: Finnair $791 (duration 20:45) Runner-up: Cathay Pacific $915 (duration 21:00) BUSINESS: fare range: $3080 to $5936 Best value: Finnair $3080 (duration 20:45) Runner -up: Eithad $3089 (duration 29:20) NOTE: it stops in Phuket first LONDON TO BANGKOK ECONOMY: fare range: $604 to $719 Best value: Swiss Air $611 (duration 13:40 Runners-up: Lufthansa $664 (duration 14:40) Finnair $676 (duration 14:55) BUSINESS: fare range $2058 to $4122 Best value: Swiss Air $2058 (duration 13:40) Runner-up: Lufthansa $2081 (duration 14:40) NEW YORK TO HANOI ECONOMY: fare range $944 to $1200 Best value: Cathay Pacific $1178 (duration 21:55) NOTE: chose this over competitors due to significant differences in duration) BUSINESS: fare range $2452 to $6680 Best value: Japan Air $2452 (duration 27:35) Runner-up: Qatar Airways $4243 (duration 21:55) LONDON TO HANOI ECONOMY: fare range $826 TO $1174 Best value: Turkish Air $826 (duration 15:45) Runner-up: Cathay Pacific $1174 (duration 19:55) BUSINESS: fare range $3621 to $4792 Best value: Turkish Air $3621 (duration: 15:45) Runner-up: none really due to huge cost differences WHAT TO LOOK FOR AS YOUR INTENDED TRIP DATE GETS CLOSER What I'm looking out for is more flight offerings. Most carriers that were servicing Southeast Asia destinations have yet to resume the frequency of operations that we were accustomed to before the pandemic. When countries announce hard plans to reopen to foreign tourists. carriers will begin to slowly build capacity. But I expect the change will be gradual.

So, I was curious about Facebook dating and gave it a try. People like you or you like them and if a match, you can chat. I met one guy that I thought was really cute and I wanted to meet him. We chatted for a few days and last night he came to my place for a date. We went to eat (not really as no seating but brought it back to the apartment). We chatted and had a great time. He speaks great English and is into computers and programming. He is a bit young, 20 years old, but very smart and funny. He did enjoy playing games online a bit, but that was fine. The night was great, sex was very good, and he asked for no money at all. He wants a BF. He comes to Bangkok once per week to play volleyball and asked if he could spend next weekend with me as well. I said yes. Since Jupiter Boy has left the picture, it looks like Volleyball Boy has came into the race.

Hopefully it loads this time IMG_2934.MP4

Interesting. I keep an eye on the NYC-BKK air fares on kayak & they have remained pretty stable for months. However, I was not aware of the rescheduling issue. Not surprising as the demand for flights to SE Asia is probably not that strong right now.

This is part of the reason I haven't bothered to even look or start planning anything. I think a lot of airlines just aren't planning ahead very far which is sensible given the current restrictions in so many places, especially Asia. I got an email from ANA a week or two ago announcing the opening of their schedule for the last quarter of the year for their US gateways to Tokyo. With Europe removing restrictions I would imagine that US flights to Europe are opening up. As much as I miss traveling it seems like the pandemic is still a problem in too many places for me to be very enthused about going anywhere. I've also seen a bunch of stories about the pent-up demand for travel meaning that fares are quite high at this point compared to their usual levels.

I believe some sauna do offer lower prices for younger guys but not everyday, mostly part of a promo, or on a certain day of the week. Not sure which sauna as im not really a sauna goer. Different pricing based on age or nationality seems to be a norm in many places. In some country like japan, some sauna/bar dont allow foreigner at all. In HK, there is also a sauna who refused those who doesnt fit their fit body criteria. No use for us to complaint, just as long as we have alternatives, we can vote with our money and spend it elsewhere.

I am not a Facebook member and have not desire to join. But we all know it is not the only way to meet guys and the apps we use have been changing over time. At the end of the 1990s there was one here in Thailand mostly for Thai boys but surprisingly was almost all in English. I'm sure it was only on the internet, but it was a good way of finding very agreeable company. For some years my two most successful Asian computer apps were fridae, based in Singapore, allegedly with 500,000 members around the Chinese diaspora, and gaydar. The former was free but you accessed the entire membership for a $49 annual fee. Living in Asia that was certainly worth it and I met many guys as a result. It was taken over from the gay guy who ran it as a commercial concern about 5 or so years ago. Now it is a shell and in its death throws. Perhaps surprisingly I found gaydar extremely good for making contacts in places like Japan and Taiwan. I may have mentioned this hook-up before - if so, apologies in advance. I have tried to find the key words on the search engine but without success. Once planning a trip to Tokyo in the mid-2000s I spotted a lovely 21 year old on gaydar. We chatted and agree to meet at my hotel for coffee after he had finished his studies. I never like to hook up with someone first in my room as descriptions and photos are still sometimes inaccurate. So I waited for my hoped-for new friend in a corner of the lobby coffee shop. A few minutes later in walked this vision. Surely it has to be him, I thought. It was. He came and sat with me and we chatted for about an hour. Not surprisingly for those looking for foreigners on the hook up sites in those days he spoke excellent English. He told me he had recently broken up with a US sailor from the nearby Yokosuka Naval base. He was happy to come up to my room. I was ecstatic! I was even more so when he hugged and held each other tightly. I could feel down below something which was certainly not the "medium" in the gaydar description. I told him, "Masayuki-san, that is not medium. It's not even big. Its humungous!" Clothes ripped off, I saw with my own eyes that I was right. A marvellous sight to behold - and he was not even a top! We quickly showered, played around a bit and then got down to business. Wow! What an evening. Later I suggested I take him for dinner. One of my favourite restaurants in Nishi-Azabu was full and so we went to a nice French restaurant across the road. He then came and stayed the night, as he was to do the following two nights until I had to leave. Masayuki was definitely boyfriend material - and more! But there were two problems. We lived in different countries and his studies were being paid by one of the Japanese large conglomerates. Six months later when he graduated, he was theirs for a minimum of five years and they could post him anywhere and everywhere in Japan they wanted and when they wanted. So as we discussed seeing each other again, we both knew we could only be together before his graduation. I made the most of it with three trips to Japan and he came to spend 8 days with me in Bangkok and Phuket. We said our goodbyes and they were tearful. Yet we did meet up once again. Probably around 2 years later I was whiling away time in the shower area of the 24 Kaikan sauna in Tokyo when I heard someone mention my name. Who on earth can this be? It was Masayuki. But he had changed. Once he started working, he had met up online with an New York banker who visited Japan every month and was a muscle mary. He had persuaded Masayuki to join him in the gyms. In a way I was glad, because this body was not the Masayuki I had known. But that "medium" appendage was still there! I wonder what the best apps are nowadays apart from Facebook.

Yes....If Namazu chimes in , he'll tell you how it's one of his favorite places. Also, our mutual friend Joe from NYC thinks it's a great place......

It was quite a mess. I was in the area yesterday and black smoke caused my eyes to water and breathing difficult. When I heard about what was going on, I left the area. I had friends from the area that live near this and they were forced to evacuate. I had 2 married couples in my house last night and we played cards until late and they slept over as they were told not to return home yet. First chance I had to use my blow up mattress since I bought it (not the blow up doll as I use that often). I could see the fire from my balcony but today, it seems to not be there. That said, I am sure that anyone who lived nearby will have some cleaning and work to do in their homes.

Rob, I hate to say this, but you are also a bit more adventurous that some of us. You speak Spanish and will go places that many won't go. For those of us who are bit more (a lot more?) worried about safety, would Mexico City work for us?

The Thailand Intervac website was updated today. It says: As of today, the AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines are available. The designated hospitals available for pre-registration include: 1. Phyathai 2 Hospital Pre-registration: 12-16 July from 09.00-12.00 hours only (via phyathai2international.com) Vaccination Period: 19-30 July 2021 (except weekends) 2. Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital(Directly contact the hospital) Note: The operating hours to pre-register depend on each hospital.

Just as a point of reference, I have friends flying from USA to Bangkok in the last 2 weeks and several of them had their flights rescheduled. There was no cost to them, but when you book ASQ hotels, it is troublesome. All were able to rebook ASQ with no fee change as well but many of those hotels will only do this one time.

Thank you @floridarob and @rodiem25 for the suggestions and tips. Hopefully tonight I will get a local escort for reviewing, but I am not sure yet. To be honest, although I am having a good deal of sex (my traveling partner would smack me if I say otherwise), what I am enjoying the most is the cultural experience. Yesterday field trip to Teotihuacán was a very enjoyable educational experience, and so was today's visit to the Museo del Templo Mayor. I am impressed at the work of the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia. I have always admired the way that Peru and Mexico integrated their precolombian history to their national identity, specially Mexico after the Mexican Revolution at the beginning of the XX Century. Other peoples, including Argentina and the USA, start their national history with the arrival of the European colonizers, we look down to the original peoples, we exterminated, betrayed, and erased them from our national identities. Mexicans recognize a continuity and an identity with a history tat foes back to the AC years. I admire and respect them so much for doing so. Hopefully, there will be another earthquake that will demolished all the churches and buildings built by the Spaniards on top of the original Mexica city and the INAH will be able to recover more treasures. But you do not care about that. You want sex. After my hook up with the Colombian guy, I had to mute my Grindr and put a few local escorts on hold, because Randisan was arriving in transit to Cancun. I mentioned him before, so I am not going to link again to my review. Last night I went to bed early to recover from the Teotihuacán field trip and welcome him as he deserved. He arrived about 2:30 am, took a shower, woke me up, and we had our first fuck. We slept a little bit more, and fucked again at about 7, before going to have breakfast. After having breakfast in the hotel, we has a pictures and video session for my blog. Here you have just three pictures, but we also did video. Despite being exhausted, some of the clips I am not sharing here made me horny again, and he gave me some head, we did not fuck a third time. After I am back to DC I will write a full review and start sharing the pics and videos in my JustFor.Fans account. He left at 1PM today heading to Cancun, where you can find him if you are interested on hiring him. I rested a little bit and then, with my friend from Daddy's, we went to explore the Museo del Templo Mayor. I am right now resting and recovering before going out tonight. We were told Tuesday is the best day t go to Tom's, and we will be there.

I always thought Brazilians were the Kings of Party. Hell I was wrong. The whole Zona Rosa was a big street party last night. Quite mixed, but overwhelmingly gay and lesbian. The problem is I do not find the guy much attractive, just a minority. When I go to Brazil, I am turning around continuously, flabbergasted at how hot the guys are. Not here. Now and then I see someone hot to me, but not very often. My Grindr has been dr iving me crazy, with guys I am not interested in. If you are into twinks, you will have lots of fun, for free. Unfortunately, I am not. The guys I am checking and finding attractive are all Colombian and Venezuelan. Last night I ended meeting a beautiful tall Mulato Venezuelan living in Colombia and bringing him to my hotel. He is not a professional so I am not going to talk much about him. The boy was beautiful, but is returning to Bogota tomorrow, so I don't think I will see him again. I do want to meet some escorts to have new reviews for my blog. I have been exploring Rent Men, here you can see the prices and the array is just ridiculous. Some guys are asking for 400 U$S, and other for 700 Pesos Mexicanos. One pro contacted me through Scruff (which has been active but not s much as Grindr), saying first that the was only top. When I told him I was not interested, he also offered bottoming. His fee was 1200 Pesos Mexicanos, and I told him I would call him if I did not get anything for free later. I did get the Venezuelan hottie, so I did not call this Middle Eastern beauty. He is on my list. Right now I am having breakfast in a coffee shop by my hotel corner. Grindr has been machine gunning me since 7am. Only one interesting boy I am chatting with tight now, and one escort from Costa Rica who looks hot, quoted 1900 Pesos Mexicanos for full service, and disappeared after I sent him a picture os my dick, per his request. These are some of the pics he sent me: Prices are very low. Yesterday we had diner with the Venezuelan boy at a fancy pizza place. A premium pizza, 2 sodas, and a mousse of chocolate, 500 Pesos Mexicanos. My breakfast right now, only $M 117. As an Argentinean, I love pastries and all things bakery. The coffee was (is, I am still there) delicious, it makes you realize how bad the coffee we drink in the USA or in Buenos Aires is. However, the pastries were a disappointment. I tried the "bolitas de queso" because I was curious whether they follow the Paraguayan or the Brazilian recipe. Brazil wins, but these ones were not good, they were gummy like when they are warmed in a microwave, even when I saw them using a convection oven to reheat them. The other pastry is a pan au chocolate. That one was better, but not as good as the ones I can find at good bakeries in the USA. While I am writing this post, I am chatting in Grindr with a 20 y.o. boy, one of the few Mexicans I do find hot, who is telling me he wants me to be the first one who fucks him. Of course I believe him. We may be meeting in a couple of hours. Going back to tonight, the crowds were intimidating in all the bars, that was one of the reasons I took the Venezuelan from Grindr instead of going out and hunting in the bars. But this afternoon the friend from Daddy's is joining me. Having a partner will make me much braver to attack the clubs. Tomorrow Randy (Randisan in my reviews) will be here in his way to Cancun. He has left Buenos Aires and is now based in Lima, but he is a free spirit and will probably continue traveling. I am quite sure I will meet him to remember our hot encounter. You can check him in my Reviews.

Landed in CDMX a couple of hours ago. Uber is not allowed in the airport. Instead, I hired one of the taxi cab companies with official booths in the airport lobby. The driver was great, and the fe only 235 Mexican Pesos, about 13 bucks. I am staying in the Room Mate Valentina, in Amberes street, right at the heart of the Zona Rosa. The hotel is part of a Spanish chain, no luxury but modern, clean, functional and spacious. My taxi turn into Amberes St at about 2PM. Three guys, one of them quite hot, were ostensibly cruising in the corner. According to the driver, they were street hustlers, taxi boys. All the bars along the street seem to be open and playing loud, very loud music. Again, at 2 PM! Just a minute ago I went around the corner to buy bottled water. The neighborhood looks really fantastic for fun, all restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. Traffic is scarring, just as bad as in Buenos Aires. There is no much difference between riding a taxi cab and a cart in a rollercoaster. I am exhausted, my first flight left DC at 6 AM. I am about to take a nap, then a shower, and then go to explore the scene around the hotel. We planned this trip originally with two other friend from Daddy's forums. One of them dropped out in the last minute. The other one is arriving tomorrow, as he is right now in Palm Springs. Going to take a nap now.

Thank you TotallyOz for this very useful update. I have read the first part of the Intervac update which reads: "Registration for COVID-19 vaccination appointments on ThailandIntervac.com has already been closed, but the Department of Disease Control has adapted the service to make it more convenient and secure for foreigners in Thailand to register. The new vaccine appointment method will be via booking in advance or “pre-registration” with the following hospitals. Notes: Pre-registration is registration to express intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccination at one of the designated hospitals. After registration, you must wait for the appointment confirmation from the hospital for the vaccine as per the proposed date and time. Notes: Pre-registration is registration to express intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccination at one of the designated hospitals. After registration, you must wait for the appointment confirmation from the hospital for the vaccine as per the proposed date and time." -So my reading of this is no need to try to register with Intervac but book directly with the hospital? Or have I misunderstood it? Thx.