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I can't say that I blame you altough I agree with @Ethanmiami, COVID numbers seem to be the best in the region. I'm not the best in making trip reports but i'll do my best to give you an impression when I am there. If you want me to check something out for you, just let me know here or in privat.

I had no idea that Mao's poetry was required reading in schools and I can find no reference to this. Frankly, experts agree that Mao was anything but a great poet. I like the description of his literary attempts by an eminent British translator of Chinese literature, "not as bad as Hitler's paintings but not as good as Churchill's!". But it has since been discovered that Mao actually stole some of his Cultural Revolution poems from the poet Chen Mingyuan. Chen later refused to deny that he was the author in an edition of the Beijing Review in 1986. When he earlier discovered Mao's theft of his work, he wrote to Mao's right hand man, the much respected Chou En-lai. Chou said Chen should not be punished for speaking out. But that did not happen, Chen endured a dozen years of misery that included imprisonment and four years of hard labour. Like many in those years, he attempted suicide. Your mention of poetry sparkes a memory. One of the foremost poets in Chinese arts and literature in the first half of the century was Guo Moruo. He was even called China's Goethe. In his famous Book of Poems published in 1920, he proved to be a passionate champion of creativity and individualism. Although from a wealthy family, he eventually sided with the Mao's communists. He was appointed Head of Propaganda. After the success of the Revolution, he was given various senior Party posts. But many of Mao's contemporaries felt his Party credentials were not sufficient and criticised him. Mao shielded him. "His merits outweigh his demerits," he is alleged to have said . During the Cultural Revolution, crowds started to mass outside his house. He bent with the wind and started writing poetry praising Mao and his dreadful wife Jiang Qing. Even so, two of his sons were murdered. Once the carnage of that dreadful period was finally over, by 1978, he returned to his former lifestyle and attempted through his poetry to revert to his former style. In his eulogy after he died, Deng Xiao-ping lauded Guo's "infinite loyalty". Yet as so often happened, the Cultural Revolution had virtually devoured one of its own. Fortunately Guo remains once again revered in China and his home in Beijing is now a Museum.

I’ve been back and forth to medellin a few times recently. It’s not any less fun due to pandemic. And probably safer than Rio — as vaccination rates are fairly high (comparatively) about 50% of country has one dose.

Will there be the ability to travel to Thailand.. Yes Will it be quarantine free, easy, worthwhile (subjective) or taken up by tourists immediately.. No We're in uncharted territory with a government that makes snap decisions then poorly communicates them and then wraps it up in a nice bundle of bureaucracy, red tape and paperwork. I think giving them some more time to work it out would be wise, but there are some brave souls out there who might want to take a chance.

It was 29 years ago when James Carville, Bill Clinton's campaign manager, posted a sign in campaign headquarters in Little Rock. Those four words became the mantra that propelled the governor of Arkansas to the White House. Somehow I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Thai PM doesn't have an aide whisper those words in his ear just before he makes a speech. It's not because he learned this in university or through vast business experience. But the people he does listen most carefully to are Thailand's movers and shakers who put him where he is today. They are all too aware that how much is at stake for the economy if it fails to open its doors to the world--the world that had delivered the country from the depths of the '97 banking and real estate crisis. That's why I believe that the decision has been made to move forward despite the Covid situation. I'm not predicting that it will necessarily be a smooth transition. However, it can no longer be resisted.

I'm shocked....shocked! From Bangkok Post Bangkok's reopening to be postponed Bangkok's reopening for inoculated tourists will be delayed by two weeks as most of the city's residents are still waiting for their second jabs, while the tourism ministry has pledged to open the city to bring at least 1 million international tourists this year. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the tourism and sports minister, said the appropriate timeline for Bangkok should be postponed from Oct 1 to Oct 15 as the capital city is expected to have administered Covid-19 vaccines to 70% of its residents by then. At present, 37% of population is fully vaccinated, while another 33% are in the 8-12 week interval following their first AstraZeneca shot. The revised plan came up after a discussion between the minister and Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang yesterday regarding the readiness of the city, which should be the gateway for inbound tourism. Mr Phiphat said the ministry and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) had proposed a plan to open just 21 inner districts, but due to possible inconvenience for tourists who might have to travel across districts, the Bangkok governor said the city should wait until the whole conurbation is ready to take part in the programme. "The quarantine-free entry via Bangkok will benefit the whole country as tourists usually visit Bangkok as their first destination before travelling to other provinces. With the 7+7 extension plan which will be enabled at the same time, tourists can stay in the capital city for just seven days and choose another 8 provinces in the pilot reopening programme as their second choice," Mr Phiphat said. Besides Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin and Cha-am in the pipeline, Thailand already has Phuket and Koh Samui as the first two destinations for its sandbox programme, while Krabi and Phang Nga were added in the extension programme. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2182455/bangkoks-reopening-to-be-postponed

Indeed, different cultures use different metrics to judge their rulers. Western societies with a long history of democratic development give strong weight to what is known as "representative legitimacy" -- a government is considered acceptable and legitimate when it is representative of the people. When seen through the centuries even of European history, this is actually a very recent way to see things. In many other parts of the world, the biggest weight is given to a different metric: "Performance legitimacy" -- a government is considered acceptable and legitimate when it delivers a better life. This better explains the persistence of authoritarian governments; they still have a bedrock of support and any resistance just does not catch fire so long as the rulers deliver progress. We need to bear this distinction in mind whenever we read of protests against governments. Too often Western media might cast the grievance of the demonstrators as that of unrepresentativeness of the government, when in fact the impetus for protests has much more to do with the failure of the government to deliver a better life. Partly it has to do with the fact that it makes better copy for the protestors to shout slogans that mimic calls for democracy. Partly too, they see a nexus between the uncaring attitudes of an unrepresentative elite (particularly corrupt ones) and the daily grind of the poor. But again and again, we've seen in history how, after protests have succeeded, what followed was not necessariily a more "democratic" government. And they're OK with it. They see the messiness of Western democracies, and the very underwhelming performance of democratically elected governments in Latin America, and they say: "That's not for us". I'll just mention Afghanistan -- but I won't go further. Too much of the effort in the last 20 years had been to ensure that the country had elections and a "democratic government". In the end the representative legitimacy of the the government counted for little when it had no performance legitimacy. Huge numbers of people in the countryside were agnostic about the Taliban taking over. The misplaced focus of the last 20 years all but guaranteed today's outcome.

Some people, especially the younger ones, are more adventurous. But for me at my age, I am just content with the saunas in Rio and SP, heck I don't even have high demand for sex. It would be enough just to feel those firm, muscled young bodies, and their hard cock oozing out their men juice. I have no energy to travel up and down the country to explore new possibilities. That's just me tho.

I thought Pornhub had been banned for some time in Thailand for including something about a certain family about whom nothing can be said!

Sillon Rojo Av. 33 ##65b-22, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia (Ring bell, they will buzz you in - watching on camera) - 40K COP Entry - best to follow on WhatsApp +57 305 3062772 where they change status daily to state hours and events (including photos of the paid talent for the night) - have been bringing in escorts (2-3) to have sex on premises with the guest in the orgy room (nudity mandatory) - current closed due to the quarantine in place in Medellin; should open up again late next week - hosting a private estate event just outside Medellin on May 1-2 weekend. Contact the club for details. Limited places. https://m.facebook.com/events/288761709296076# Ferchos Masajes (Hotel Bliss Suites) Cra. 45 #55-41, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia 140K COP Entry (includes room) - open daily until 5pm (current curfew) - enter the hotel up the stairs, let them know you are looking for Ferchos, you will be taken to a room to meet with the available boys (you can even have a beer while chatting them up) then off to your room for a workout - follow on WhatsApp for updates +57 312 2717925; they update with new talent and photos of the boys available - you can also arrange home delivery ("domicilio") to get around the curfew, that includes paying round trip transportation to your location (under 25K COP generally) - also hosting a private estate (finca) weekend on May 1-2; contact club for details (may be joint event with Sillon Rojo -- I don't know) Sauna Cruising Cra. 45d ##57-44, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia - I was told that they are opening during the weekend (Th-Sun) 2-10pm - newest sauna so it attracts the best looking guys; no massage services onsite Glass VIP Cra. 52 #32-79 Bello, Antioquia, Colombia - located in Bello (barrio Obrero) in the north of Medellin (Madera Metro Station) - good selection of locals, very new and clean I think that you will find very little outside of these spots for open gathering spots. As mentioned, Club de Tobi is closed (building for sale), the Cabanas Tabu Video club is gone, Club 55 is open sporadically, and even the street of sin (Calle de Pecados Cl57A) is almost entirely closed up and cleaned up. Medellin has changed because of Covid, but there is no shortage of horny Medellin boys looking for action -- paid or otherwise. You can also check new listings/events at: http://www.guiagaycolombia.com/medellin/ If you want to explore, you will find that the smaller cities nearby like Pereira, Manizales, Armenia all have options but being further away from the major city, you will find fewer people that speak English. Pereira is an exception because it is a university town and all masters student must take advanced English as part of their studies. Always plenty of students looking to practice their English Good luck!

From Thompson Reuters By Matt Blomberg PHNOM PENH, Sept 16 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Foreign workers and tourists stranded in Cambodia during the COVID-19 pandemic have been trafficked and forced to work in sophisticated Chinese-run online scams, a Thomson Reuters Foundation investigation has found. In interviews, nine trafficking victims said they were lured by social media adverts promising well-paid jobs in call centres. Instead, they ended up in shuttered hotel casinos and guarded compounds where they had their passports confiscated before being put to work online. The victims, mainly from Africa and Asia, said they were ordered to create fake profiles on Tinder, WhatsApp and Facebook to entice people into fraudulent investment schemes involving cryptocurrencies, foreign exchange and shares. Those who objected or performed poorly were subjected to violence and threats, victims said. Mary, a teacher from the Philippines, said she miscarried while locked in a room without food and water for three days. "We were desperate," said Mary, who was three months pregnant and four months out of work when she responded in July to a Facebook post offering call centre jobs to English-speaking foreigners. "We thought it was real work but it became a living nightmare," said the 26-year-old, whose name has been changed to protect her identity. Approached for comment on the nine trafficking cases that the Thomson Reuters Foundation uncovered, a spokesperson for the Cambodian interior ministry said, "We also have heard about this before but until now we still do not have any evidence." Continues at https://news.trust.org/item/20210916120210-olp4a

From Phuket News Well known and well liked Florian Hallermann, GM of the Zeavola Resort on Phi Phi Island, was last seen on Saturday (Sept 11). Photo: Zeavola Resort The search parties, separated into four teams comprising regular police and tourist police officers, rescue volunteers and members of the public, scoured the island today (Sept 14) and came across a startling discovery, the body of a Thai man found among mangroves on the island, reported Thai-language daily Thai Rath. The Thai man is believed to have died at least three days ago, said the report. Mr Hallermann, an Austrian national, was last seen walking through the Laem Thong area in Moo 8, Phi Phi Island, on Saturday. https://www.thephuketnews.com/search-for-missing-expat-phi-phi-resort-gm-continues-81402.php

From Phuket News Expat Phi Phi GM found dead PHUKET: Search teams on Phi Phi Island found the body of Florian Hallermann, the 56-year-old General Manager of the Zeavola Resort, yesterday (Sept 15). The discovery came after a days-long search involving more than 50 people after Mr Hallermann failed to return to the resort last Saturday (Sept 11). Mr Hallermann’s body was found about 200 metres from a path leading over the hills in the centre of the island, on a steep slope overlooking Ao Plaew (Flame Bay), reports state news agency TNA. The cause of death is still unknown, the agency reported. Mr Hallermann’s body has been recovered from the remote site and officers are in the process of investigating his death, the agency report added. https://www.thephuketnews.com/expat-phi-phi-gm-found-dead-81420.php