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It was supposed to be Jun 2020 trip but Thailand did not let us in, then I tried my luck for October this year but canceled it. When Thai Pass came to an effect I decided to finally utilize that prehistoric ticket I bought back on Dec 3, 2019 for Jun 2020. And here I'm, feeling like chewing gum after 27 hrs trek, locked in my hotel room, waiting for a nurse to come and take my sample for dreaded PCR test. First time took Swiss and must say that their good reputation is well deserved, massive Boeing 777 plane was surprisingly full with plenty of mixed Thai-Caucasian couples prominently visible in statistic sample and a lot of young people. Few nice surprises on arrival. Thai bashers will be disappointed to hear that admission process was extremely efficiently conducted, well organized and well staffed. In reality they want to see your passport, Thai Pass QR code, immigration T6 form or whatever it'called AND YOUR BOARDING PASS FROM LEG BRINGING YOU TO THAILAND, somewhat unexpected. At 6 am weather extremely pleasant, perhaps no more than balmy 23,even now at 9.30 I' m sitting in my room with balcony door wide opened, AC turned off and all that in the room actually facing the sun. Traffic was also light, Sunday morning has it' s charms. Dtac booth selling Sim cards was opened, just past luggage belts and I noticed 1 exchange booth open but rates were kind disappointing so I did not change money there. Somebody reported messy and disorganized taxi procedure but it was not my experience,as you leave customs area there tables with names of participating hotels and somebody will lead you to your car from there. I must say I need to bite my tongue not to ask my hotel representative if he would be interested in LT since he will be right in place on the Moonlight stage. That is it for now, I will try to update you guys but test, results and well deserved rest first before I even venture anywhere from my temporary and quite pleasant confinement.

Boarding pass will not tell how long we were somewhere but has one piece of information I believe they are looking for - where we were seated in case some case will be detected aboard. Yes I noticed z909 was equally surprised but I decided to stress it again as people may tend to dispose boarding passes as soon as they are seated aboard. As for your question,, why now,,? It was mainly to act on old Lenin's question: "if not us, then who?, if not now then when"? Reasons were few :I waned to utilize my old ticket before airline gives any sort of deadline which may or may nor suit me in the future- there are months wheb traveling would be financially suicidal for me. Curiosity to see how it is now, desire to be that early bird catching the worm, few quite encouraging messages from members on the ground already are other reasons. I always say that we need only one bar and only one guy in that bar so it's time I act on my own wisdom I decided. Holding ticket paid already exactly 2 years ago to a day and very economical hotel prices are other reasons. Desire to see celebrations of closure of Halampong was other point as I, m and always were railwayman by heart. Not to mention fun of attending midnight mass at HOLY Redeemer on Christmas Eve. Two years of staying at home helped to built my own travel fund beyond expectations. And you know what? I simply missed Thailand and now sitting on the balcony of my prison I see I missed her even more than I thought. Since I,m already vaccinated my reasoning is I Don't need to worry about getting sick, they are always others who do, right? While point about bars is valid there's danger thet it may be very long before they open in former format, another point of not waiting. And there's sense of adventure to go when not many do, although plane yesterday was almost full, traffic in all airports on my way was noticeably reduced even for time of year. I was thinking about January but I may have something coming up, that' one and if it, what stops me from returning in January again, not likely but not impossible either. So reasons are many and none IMNSHO particularly stupid. Whether trip was good use of time and resources remains to be seen when it be over. Hope that answers your question.

The same holds true for me - as long as the boys at least are shirtless. But if they are fully clothed in jeans and also wearing shirts, I fail to see much point in going to those go-go bars where you're going to pay exorbitant prices for drinks. You might as well go to a beer bar where the boys are also fully clothed, but the drink prices are far less expensive. Also, I have never had some sort of mama-san try to pressure me in a beer bar. For me, that has happened only in go-go bars. I learned a long time ago - never buy a drink for a mama-san who sits with me, uninvited, and starts the pressure routine. I make the mama-san get lost and try it with some other customer.

As confinement started to wear on me precisely at 9.55 P. M. phone buzzed and YES positive I. E. negative result came. At time when decent people start making their beds I left my comfy prison heading to nearby BTS. It looks that ticket machines are revamped and are taking only coins now, at least that was my impression, will check again. Vagons are revamped, some seats are removed to make more standing room. As I entered, to remind me paradise is near I was greeted by commercial poster featuring two BL actors, Mark and his partner, can' t recall his name now. Then across from me in company of the girl was sitting guy I recall from one of massage parlors. Silom was quite deserted, Sunday night after all but still few vendors, few massage places opened, in one close to former Robinson I noticed stunner playing with cat. Soi 4 quite full, forget social distancing. Some bars crowded, some less so but none empty. Jupiter opened with karaoke inside and tables outside. Had beer and YES, got lucky. Not very lucky as I' m Longtimer but lucky enough so good start. Walking Silom from Narathiwas to Charon Krung I noticed very empty street, I saw, more rats than people, not that were too many of them. And street was very clean, almost no garbage anywhere. And with that emptiness of darkened street I had a thought- where the fuck in the world you can walk at night completely empty quite long stretch of the street in the city with multi million population and feel relaxed and safe? Next time you start complaining about this or that in Thailand remember that I walked alone to tell the tale without any heart pumping. Very mild temperatures now so I slept, if one can call 3 hours sleep "sleep" as jet lag is ravaging me, with wide open balcony door and was waked up by feeling hungry and sound of crowing cock. Go figure, in the middle of 10 million city!!! No doubt I' d like to have something to do with other cock at that hour but ifyou don' t have what you like, you like and enjoy what you have.

It does. I hope all goes well and you enjoy your time in Thailand.

Appreciate your preference but I often find that they they can be equally attractive in street clothes...like the lad in your photo on Silom 🙂

Sudden is perhaps not the best choice of word here. Will keep this relatively concise. Following more than 20 years of internal strife (drug wars, paramilitaries, FARC) that made life in Colombia difficult, a peace agreement was reached (not yet ratified in 2021) that finally brought stability to much of the country. Since that time, tourism has grown significantly year-over-year until the pandemic. For an entire generation of Colombians, seeing foreign tourist is a novelty that they rarely saw during this period. Mass tourism as a business is relatively new, and Colombia sees tourists from all over the world. The NYT named it their top international travel destination in 2018. So this is not "sudden", I apologise, but rather a growing business that is still novel for the locals.

From my Colombian friends, thing are progressing back to a new normal. You will be expected to wear masks in almost all indoor situations (malls, hotels, government buildings, etc. Bars are restaurants are back to full capacity. There you will be expected to wear a mask when moving through the room, but can remove it once seated. A curious custom I saw last year was Colombians putting masks back on when the waiter or service person approached the table. The big megaclubs (Theatron, El Mozo, Ghetto Tank, et al.) are very relaxed with masking and you will see very few masks indoors. Clubs like Gigolo Erotic House, Recreo de Adan, or Perro y Candelaría are also very lax on masking once inside. Likewise, any outdoor space (cafe, restaurant, bar etc.) will not have a requirement for masking. Keep in mind that Bogotá is at a very high altitude. The days in January can run into the mid 20's C, but things cool off in the evening. Much like Canada, you will see many outdoor spaces with heaters to keep the punters warm. You will see big crowds around the city as things have largely returned to a routine. Colombians are fun-loving and very social as a society.. They are fascinated by the sudden global interest in their country, and I believe you will meet many cute locals that will be happy to introduce you to Colombian culture. I would also suggest you might want to consider other warmer options during your trip, like Cali, Medellin or Cartagena -- there is a big sale on intercity travel right now and I got my flight from Bogota to Medellin for just $20CAD on Avianca. It's an incredible country and I hope you enjoy an amazing birthday trip.

Not sure if there are many snooker fans on the Board. I have enjoyed the sport for decades (purely as a spectator - I can't pot anything) and have loved the exploits of many of the greats. But tonight there is the chance to witness something vey unusual. Two mid-20s guys competing in their first-ever major final at the very prestigious UK Championship. The promise of these two has been obvious for years and they finally seem to have come of snooker age. In the semi finals yesterday, they demolished in absolutely stunning fashion much higher ranked opponents, as they have throughout the two week tournament. The 24-year old Chinese from Xi'an, Zhao Xintong, has been called by Ronnie O'Sullivan, arguably the finest player ever to have graced a snooker table, "the Roger Federer of snooker". Other top players, past and present, call him the most natural talent to have appeared for many years. Zhao will play the 26-year old Belgian Luca Brecel. I remember being impressed when first seeing him play 9 years ago. He was then a cute young lad. But I recall at one point the camera focussed on his parents and being surprised that his father looked like a fat, bald and generally unattractive slob (only a personal opinion). Sadly, the genes have been passed to Luca who is now almost totally bald and lost many of his good looks. But that should in no way detract from the skill he shows in abundance. The match today should be a classic between two guys we will hear a great deal more about in the years to come.

Don' t spit on me but it will be exactly what will happen. I will keep you posted about tourist stuff since it was my thirst up to 3 days ago so I understand the needs but manly stuff will wait until I return. As for your trip you are best placed to made informed decision based on your priorities and circumstances. All I can say now it' s I' m very happy I braved to come, at least after 1 day.

COVID life: 18-second clip, first 6 seconds deliberately non-visual, you may need to enable sound for the clip … FullSizeRender.mov

Why not? If the waiters were clad only in underwear, guess which restaurant I'd be eating in most often . . .

I guess because the rules say night clubs, bars, karaoke etc are to remain closed. If boys were to be seen in underwear it could hardly be classed as a “restaurant”.

I already do even if I'm imprisoned in my room and slept alone good part of the day. Sleeping with open window in Thailand, it must be my first.

I've been considering the idea. In the long term, I wanna visit several Colombian cities and I do not enjoy visiting more than one city per trip. So the question would be where to start. Bogotá or Medellín, one of those two will be my first. And no, I am not really looking for the "gay fun", other than Grindr and local escorts. I do like spending the day with guys, but exploring non gay activities and places, but mingling with the locals. Medellin closeness to nature and weather are strong points. Also, I enjoy the more relaxed vibe of some cities (that is why I am not interested in São Paulo). I may be wrong, but in the videos I am watching Medellin strikes me as more provincial, I like that a lot. I would avoid El Poblado as much as possible, for instance, and explore areas that are popular for the locals, not for gringos and other tourists. By the way, I am Argentinean. Both nationals like each other and have a long story of cultural exchange (Carlos Gardel died in Colombia during a tour). I doubt they will see me as a gringo, and hope they will soon consider me an insider if I start traveling regularly.

I guess the gogo boys might still be more willing to undress if needed. I also got an offer of a private big cock show by one of the not yet open gogo bars - didnt ask for the price though.

Fully clothed? That's a lot of slack. And I don't know why they are fully clothed or even wearing jeans. I know of no rules that say they can't be in their briefs, as before. I remember the good ol' days when in some bars they weren't fully clothed. They were fully naked - not even the briefs. That is going back quite a number of years now, but it was true. However, for me, the boys in briefs are much more appealing than completely naked.

Canadian Pacific Airlines was good for competition for Air Canada at that time. Their service was also better than Air Canada. In March 1989, Canadian Pacific bought out Wardair which used to provide excellent service at a reasonable price. "Wardair was not a discount airline but an airline providing good service at lower-than-average prices. They were known for high quality meals and friendly staff. "Steak & Champagne" flights was a popular advertising tag line in the 1980s, and won various awards from magazines for their service" (from Wikipedia). If I remember right, the debt CP Air took on lead to financial trouble for them. PWA took over Canadian Pacific and then Air Canada bought out PWA (as mentioned in the OP). WestJet is now the main competitor to Air Canada, but they don't fly to as many places. There are also some low cost airlines, 2 of which are subsidiaries of Air Canada & WestJet.

I'm envious! And delighted to see that entry was painless....even a little thing like being able to buy a SIM. I hope we can look forward to daily updates.

Thank you very much. It's already been down to -20 here in NorthWestern Ontario. I'm meeting an online friend I've been chatting with for over 2 years. I'm brushing up my Spanish. My Colombian friend is learning English. Gracias!

I have been to Medellin twice. I would say when your in Colombia you are considered a "gringo" no matter what your race is if your foreign in Colombia. The great thing about Colombia, if your Black, is that you can blend in, unlike other posters that might stick out like a sore thumb. There are native Black Colombians that look just like Americans . Unfortunately, there is not a large Black population in Medellin. There are really only 3-4 gay places to visit in Medellin. Honestly if your looking for gay fun I would skip Medellin and go to Bogota. Bogota is bigger and has better gay venues

Fair Haven was released 5 years ago. A good, gay flick. Now streaming on YouTube.

Welcome to LOS!

Good point, I never wear jeans but just admit very often find guys in jeans very sexy

Candy for railroad buffs

The absurd 2pm-5pm ban on alcohol sales is still in place and apparently it also applies to restaurants, but for now I doubt any restaurant owners are complaining. I think what most of us hope is if all goes well and if the Omicron variant doesn't cause problems in Thailand, maybe they will allow the bars to reopen in mid-January after all. __________________________________________________ Pattaya and other Chonburi ‘Blue Zones’ officially allowed to sell alcohol in restaurants December 4, 2021 Chonburi the Blue Zone: Chonburi, Thailand The Chonburi Governor has released new orders through their Public Relations Facebook page this evening allowing (November 3rd) alcohol sales and drinks which are now allowed in the Chonburi ‘Blue Zone’ areas including Pattaya and Banglamung. Chonburi ‘Blue Zones’ are Banglamung, Pattaya including Koh Larn, Si Racha, Koh Sichang, and for Sattahip only in Najomtien and the Bang Saray sub-district. Only restaurants in the blue zone and with SHA certificates are allowed alcohol sales and drinks inside. Alcohol sales are allowed from 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. and from 5:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M. These restaurants must clearly show their certificates. Nightclubs, pubs, bars, karaoke, soapies remain closed. The order is effective NOW until further notice. The order had been in place previously for almost eight months but rising pressure from many business owners and sectors helped lift the unpopular ban. https://thepattayanews.com/2021/12/03/pattaya-and-other-chonburi-blue-zones-officially-allowed-to-sell-alcohol-in-restaurants ____________________________________________________________________________ Booze in Pattaya is still only semi-legal say police By Barry Kenyon December 4, 2021 Thailand’s favorite seaside resort has given a sigh of relief after the ban on alcohol was lifted for diners. Effective late December 3. The Chonburi governor’s office has decreed the liberalization in restaurants and cafes provided they display prominently the Safety and Health Administration Plus sticker. And you don’t need to prove you are eating a meal as you enjoy a beer. A restaurant is also a bar. The certification is only awarded to businesses – which can be souvenir shops or transport companies as well as hotels and eateries – which demonstrate they are keeping strictly to the policies of the Ministry of Health, are observing social distancing and have fully-vaccinated staff. That should include ongoing self-antigen health testing, but that detail appears to have disappeared from recent official statements. Meanwhile, local police are reminding the public at large that the new policy has restrictions. Booze can be served only from 11 am to 2 pm and 5 pm to 11 pm. These time restraints reflect a 1970s military junta proclamation which sought to ban afternoon intoxication and ensured you were safely in bed before midnight. The same rule was revived after the 2014 coup and still applies in supermarkets and convenience stores selling beer, spirits and wines. Nobody seems sure how many Pattaya businesses are already approved by SHA. City Hall said that all hotels registered with Thailand Pass carried the quality assurance certification, together with some other hotels and high-class restaurants. An optimistic total might be in the region of 500 local businesses. Although a flurry of applications is now expected via the SHA website, many small operators such as street vendors or small cafes simply cannot afford the registration fees or pass the stringent health requirements. The pre-Christmas announcement by the Chonburi Communicable Disease Committee was expected. The ban on the sale of alcohol in restaurants had become a farce by the end of November with many owners even allowing wine glasses and beer bottles on tables rather than faking with teapots and cups. Police checks were reserved for occasional raids on midnight parties in supposedly-padlocked clubs and private premises. Granted for two years, SHA certification can be withdrawn at any time if health inspectors discover any backsliding. For example, a vaccinated employee might be replaced by an ant-vaxxer or a cockroach might be found in the beef stew. In practice, cancellation of certificates is a rare phenomenon. Maintaining standards over time isn’t one of Thailand’s strongest points. https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/booze-in-pattaya-is-still-only-semi-legal-say-police-381588

You did comment once that you would probably enjoy Calle de los pecados (Cle 57a) which I would recommend checking out in daylight before you commit to returning in the evening. That area of La Candelaria around Parque Bolivar is a known area for open drug trafficking and use. Muggings and pickpockets are common around the Catedral Metropolitana and your abuelita would tell you to never set foot in that neighbourhood. Ironically it is a tourist draw because of a scene from Narcos Season 1 featuring Pablo on Netflix, which might be entertaining except the foreigners often do not know how seedy the area is in reality. Keep your wits about you when getting oriented to the scene. The Calle de los Pecados is just off the Parque Bolivar, one block east from the Olimpica supermarket. For a real authentic Medellin experience, I would cross Avenida Oriental (Carrera 46) and head over to Parque del periodista where you can purchase beer and sit and socialize with the local crowd. All types gather here and people watching is part of the fun. This is an open use drug zone, where police look the other way. A good place to make connections and sample local product, as well as find herb, which can be a challenge in Medellín. Have had many interesting evenings start from this historical location. If you carry some street smarts and respect for "la cultura" you will be fine. And when you are done, La Cantina de Javi is just a 5 minute walk to the north. where the locals will greet you with Paisa charm. ¡Bienvenido!

I only once took Canadian. I was on a round the world trip with several executives from a client. Our first stop from Asia was Los Angeles but I elected to leave 3 days early and took Canadian so I could just relax in Vancouver first. On that trip the other airlines were American and British. The OneWorld Alliance had just been formed earlier that year with 7 airlines of which Cathay Pacific, Canadian, American, British and Qantas were original members. In the last 3 months of 1999 the Alliance had a promotion for members based in Asia. In that period, fly 3 airlines and you got a bonus of 25,000 miles; 4 airlines, 50,000 miles; and 5 airlines 100,000. Since I already had Cathay, I was up to four by mid December. And I had a holiday coming up in Sydney over Christmas. On a rainy morning just after Christmas, I went out to Sydney airport. At the Qantas desk I asked the young lady for the cheapest ticket to anywhere and back the same day. She looked at me quizzically before looking into her computer. She suggested Canberra which would be around A$240. I asked for somewhere cheaper. She said Newcastle would be about A$185 but there was nothing to see there. I said it was still too expensive and I had no intention of seeing anything! Then she asked why I would go somewhere just to wait an hour and then come back. Apparently the promotion was only applicable in Asia, not in Australia. When I told her, she looked again. Then she said she had the perfect ticket. To Melbourne leaving in 30 minutes, 45 minutes on the ground and then back for about A$140. She told me it was a special pensioners ticker but no one would check my age and she'd give me both boarding passes. So posing as a young pensioner i did a quick round trip and earned the extra 50,000 miles. With a round trip business class ticket from Bangkok or Hong Kong to Sydney then requiring 60,000 miles, I thought it a great deal. I kept hoping there would be a similar promotion, but it was never repeated.

it looks that as 1st step government decided to open country to non-bar frequenting tourists first giving others 2 1/2 months to sober up

Oh shit, this is my excuse too!

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