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So, I'm finally planning my long-awaited return to Thailand. I'm looking to go around July time, which I am hoping that the current pandemic-era travel requirements will be eased even further by then. I am basing my optimism on some articles that have stated this, including this one: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-07/thailand-mulls-easing-covid-test-rules-for-vaccinated-visitors I do understand that the rules are fairly fluid, and we are of course talking about Thailand, the Land of Smiles and Ever Changing Minds, so I am assuming some risk here, and maybe the new COVID variants will further complicate things, but right now, I am finally planning the trip in earnest, and have put my money where my mouth is by actually booking a flight to Bangkok. Brazil has been my go-to this pandemic for finding my boy delights, and depending on the day of the week, certain locales (the saunas) have better days in the week to go than other days. For example, it is known that the best and busiest days for the Rio saunas are Tuesdays (Clube 117) and Wednesdays (Pointe), and generally Sao Paulo has the weekends as good days (and Thursdays for the new-ish sauna Fragata). Are there such rules in the Bangkok boy bars? Or are weekends just the known best days for the boy bars because that's when customers go? Or are they all open everyday, and it doesn't matter what day you go? Or has COVID just made this a more complicated question? I ask this because this is just a one week trip, and I am planning a trip to Phuket (2-3 days) in between, and since Phuket is not known for boy bars as much as Bangkok, I wanted to know what days I should stay in Bangkok to get the optimal boy crowd in the bars. Thanks in advance! I promise to write a trip report about all this.

Gaybutton, you are always welcome to post here regarding anything you wish. As I have said many times, your site was the first site I used to learn about Thailand and the bar scene here. I loved it and am forever grateful. If you are unable to get the server back up and you need a new host, I'll happily provide that for you for free. I can't manage the updates unless they are Invision (I don't recall what you were using) but that is the only one I know well. However, happy to provide a home for you if you ever need it.

On Thursday, both the Costeño and the Baller arrived punctually at 8pm. We called an Uber (again, lots of patience until we got one), and headed to my first expedition of El Poblado. I do not have a solid opinion about the neighborhood, but the few blocks I walked at night seemed the least interesting and Colombian I have seen so far. A regular middle class/upper middle class neighborhood as in most cities I have been in the Americas and Western Europe. I am talking about the looks, because you realize you are in Colombia as soon as you look at the people and listen to the noise. It was the first day of the local Semana Santa, and all places were packed. There are countless bars and restaurants and casinos and sex shops and stores. A fancier La Setenta, with a level of noise considerable lower than in my neighborhood. Parque Lleras is under construction, so several streets are blocked and the whole parque is closed and fenced. We started the night dining in a popular fast food place. Max Avila has recommended me Burdo, but my two local friends chose another place, Big Chiquita. We ordered a “picada” for 4 people, $45K, That plus our beverages, the check was 9 bucks. I thought a picada would be a cheese and cold meats table as in Argentina, I was wrong. We got this: A mountain of trash food, not very different to what it is called here “salchipapas”. It tasted better than it looks. From there, we went to Donde Aquellos, where we ordered a pinch of sangria and a hooka. The bill was 47 bucks. I liked this place, with tables arranged in a way that is like being sitting in a terrace watching the pedestrians passing by. We hang out there for about one hour. One of the many things I liked is that there were at least other three tables with an older guy escorted by much younger men. During that hour, I was hit in Grindr by three beautiful boys asking me to invite them (they all at less than 50 meters distance) and by two hot escorts. I have been developing a special fondness by the Costeño. Everywhere we go, he is the talles guy in attendance, and with his beautiful face and strange, clumsy movements (do you not think all very tall people moves like character cartoons?) he was getting a lot of attention. I mean, we were, which benefited as in many ways, like being served first, and never being forgotten by servers. Additionally, this was his first time in a gay place. He is bisexual and fond of mixed locations, but the boy was obviously happy and enjoying the attention. He was not the prettiest of my escorts, the Baller is hot, however he ended gaining my favor after this night together. The Baller made a few comments that turned me off towards him, like questioning the Costeño’s honesty (because of his claimed bisexuality) or criticizing other boys who were with older gays because they were trying to take advantage of his money. Duh, exactly what he was doing. I would grow further and further from the Baller and closer and closer to the Costeño throughout this night. From Donde Aquellos we went to Bar Chiquitas. 994822DE-64A7-4BE2-A922-2FD3A25CB7EF.MOV The place is a conventional gay bar with a Colombian touch and First World prices. Drinks are 10 dollars and above. They had a drag contest with three competitors. We watched the drags perform and move to our next destination, te famous Club Oraculo. Before reporting on that disco, I wanted to highlight a local cultural feature. Singing in community is an atavic human behavior. We do it in all cultures. However, I have never been in one like here in Medellin, where they are singing all the time. Everyone knows the lyrics of the songs they play in bars, and they all sing the songs in chorus. In a development of karaoke that I had not seen before, it is very common to see in bars big screens where they project the songs and the attendants all sing them in chorus. I love this. We arrived to Club Oraculo about midnight, and the place was full beyond their legal limits. In order to get in, the Costeño had to use all his street smart skills (he is very skilled, I will share more information later on). They were blocking our entrance because my two boys did not have a paper vaccination card (by the way, Chiquitas y Oraculo were the only two places during this trip where I was asked to flash my card) but only virtual ones. However, we could see how the bouncers would let other people get in without any issues. We got in, paying 15K each, which is the regular ticket (4 bucks). But then, we were not able to walk into the tecno disco (there are other 2 rooms we never got in) underground dance floor. The Costeño negotiated again, and we were allowed in with the condition I had to buy a full bottle of liquor. I chose a tequila, paid the 125 bucks it costed, and we were in. We stayed almost 5 hours, and it was fun. I had not dance that much in many years, but the reggaeton booming in the speakers would force you to dance. The place was full of hot boys, I am confident I would have taken at least one should I were alone. Before arriving they had a stripper show. Based on the pictures I saw, I do not think we missed anything. During our visit, we saw several good drag shows, the same drags we had seen at Chiquitas. I understand the two placed have the same owner and work in tandem. B0F9EF71-58DA-46A7-B201-09408FCB0FBE.MOV A0420EC7-355C-43F7-869A-B015B3BFFC81.MOV The Costeño was again a sensation. He started to “perrear” and everyone wanted to have some of him. Here you can see a little bit of him in action. 8AAFFC75-1C5A-4658-A03F-64C4F34C1F0F.MOV The boy was enjoying himself. Several times made out with me and dared to pull out my hard dick to play with it. Several times brought the Baller and the three of us would make out. Not only the tall boy was a sensation, the three of us were. We remained in that dance floor until about 5, when they turned on the lights to start closing. When we walked out, I realized I was almost deaf. I would hear a strong continuous buzz, and would need to be repeated several times the things I was told. That is the one bad thing from that night. I am writing this report 48 hours after, my ears are still buzzing and cannot hear normally. I just hope I did not hurt my eardrums. Everyone was living and we were trying to get a car. A taxi driver asked for 50K to take us to Laureles. So I decided to try Uber. After 15 minutes of looking for a driver and 2 trips canceled, we got a car for less than half the money the taxi driver was asking for. We arrived home. I had the feeling the boys were aiming to a threesome. However, while the Costeño was showering, I called an Uber for the Baller. He is hot, but I wanted to be alone with my favorite boy. When he came from the shower, he went straight to untie the Baller’s shoes and I had to take my phone from his hands, otherwise he would have cancel the Uber trip. Once the Baller was out, we jumped to bed, fucked, and fell slept. It was almost 6:30. At 7 I woke up needing to take a shit. That picada was mortal. I took a shower after shitting and returned to bed. At about 9:30 we fucked again and, when we were about to try to stay sleeping, were woke up by a Semana Santa procession. 81C73A82-8BCC-4BFA-8035-0736943642C7.MOV Most of the noise, chanting, and loud music took place before I put myself together to record that clip. We prepared breakfast and stayed home to wait for the Montañero to arrive, and then go all together to Comuna 13. We had a few hours to chat and rest. The boy took a shower, and clean up the whole bedroom without me asking him to do it. He also fixed us a Paisa breakfast and we just hang out and chat until 2pm, when out third partner arrived. I learned some interesting information during this long chat. Until March, he was a pimp. He showed me his social media advertising the half dozen girls he was managing, in a house he was renting in Laureles. Unfortunately, his best friend and whore betrayed him in complicity with the other girls, stole all of the money he had hidden in the house, and ran away. It was probably an act of justice, although my boy thinks he was very generous. Instead of taking 50% of their income, he was taking only 15K per client. The regular fee for a female escort, he told me, would be around 60K, considerably lower than males, with a range between 120K and 200K. Learning this side of the Costeño made him even more interesting, and helped me to understand how he was so street smart and useful to navigate the city. One additional source of fondness for the Costeño: he is half Venezuelan. All the many Venezuelans I have met in these three last years have brought happiness to my life. At 2pm, the Montañero arrived and we started our field trip to Comuna 13. He was not happy at seeing I was not alone. I think he probably wanted to make me purchase again over priced stuff, which may be his business hanging out with foreigners. He stayed the whole time with us, but almost did not speak and left 3 hours earlier then in our first encounter. I do not remember whether I share that he sold me marihuana at a price more than 50% higher. I gave him 10K per each apanado, when they cost between 3.5 and 4K, according to Max Avila en the Costeño. Comuna 13 is amazing. If you have any kind of mobility challenge, perhaps you should skip this field trip. You have to walk about three blocks in a very steep slope (very) in order to reach the first set of escalators. The whole place is a fun/shopping open mall. I apologize if any information shared here is inaccurate. I am repeating what the boys told me, I did not verify this information. The government has purchased houses to build the escalators and the high promenade that tops the circuit. You can actually keep going higher climbing regular steps, but my vertigo would allow me to climb but not to come down. We did not climb to the highest miradores on top of the hill. Houses around the escalator and the promenade have been reconverted in shops, bars, and restaurants. There all kind of them, some very Colombian traditional looking, some others very modern and European style. FullSizeRender.MOV A610C848-3429-4C73-B59C-0CDCDD43A605.MOV We chose a traditional looking place to have lunch. The restaurant was actually a woman cooking from her kitchen, tables served by her daughter, and a menu with only three choices: beef, chicken, or fish (talapia). The yucas is a replacement I order instead of the soup. They only had fish food, which I do not like. I had tried the yucas as a side in another plate, and found them delicious. I will try to replicate her recipe, out of guessing as I did not ask her. The check for that food, two bottles of water, and a big cup of natural just squeezed juice, was 78K (21 bucks). Although the service had been horrible (the server forgot and mixed our orders), the food was delicious. The promenade had sections thar were crowded beyond imagination. Walking through some sections was nearly impossible and very slow. If you add motorcycles trying to go through pedestrians, you can imagine. Not recommendable on weekends if you are phobic to crowds. This was Jueves Santo, that is why was so crowded. I would love to try this field trip again my next time, but on a regular week day. 2B58F354-AB3F-4675-960B-9B183264B54C.MOV F4163F7D-DC00-4C4A-B660-7F7C44FF558F.MOV The crowd was friendly, diverse, and festive, though. In the sections where you had air to breath, the views were amazing. The place is rich enough to deserve several cities. I would love to go once again and focus on the murals, and some other time on the street food offered along the circuit. Shortly after 5 we were walking out of Comuna 13, heading to a nearby university campus to smoke the last apanado I had left. After doing it, we called an Uber. After the regular wait to be connected, and one trip canceled, we got a car. This was the first time I rated negatively an Uber driver. When we walked into the car, he seemed scared and tried to stop us, asking me if we three were together. Believe me, my two companions do not look scaring at all. He finally let us in. Once in, the Montañero told me that he wanted to go back home. So I used the app to add Terminal Norte as the final destination, and told the driver what I just had done. He got upset, saying that we could not do that. When the three of us jumped to ask why, he changed his tone and apologized saying that Uber was not able to go to the Terminal. He was lying. We walked out of his car by my place. I googled his explanation, I did not find anything confirming it, and called another Uber. This driver had no problems going to the Terminal. I canceled my tip and gave 2 stars to the first driver. Bitch. We stayed kissing, hugging, and saying goodbye with my favorite pimp boy, this time we were too tire to have sex again. About 7:30 I called an Uber for him. For the first time, he asked me for money: 15K to order salchipapas. I gave him 50K, and his face shone out of happiness. He was very insistent on expressing his appreciation for all the money I had spent on him the days we hang out together. I was exhaust, deaf and with almost no sleeping in 48 hours, so I decided to stay home. At 8:30, Max Avila calls me to invite me for drinks. Believe it or not, I excused myself and promised him I would accept the invitation in November, when I will probably have my next trip to Medellin. He promised the invitation would be still up. I am sufre I confirmed all his views about the insecurity of non hot guys like me compared to the confidence of sex gods like him. However, I was not in shape to perform socially or sexually. I hate the bad timing, but I do not regret my decision. After talking to him, I fell asleep in the couch. I woke up at 10:30, moved to bed, and slept without stopping until 7am today. At 8:30 the nurse that was supposed to be arriving at 9 was ringing my door. She did to me the same test that I do every week for my job. Negative. I already have the email I need to board my plane tonight. I paid 125 for this service. Considering is Semana Santa, it is the safest thing to do, so I am happy with the over price. I am about to go out to do some last minute shopping of little things to bring to my students and friends, and then will chill at home until 9, when I will be calling my Uber. This is probably my last travel log entry in this thread.

I will explain what I believe is going on. I was afraid of this - that due to the sanctions imposed on Russia there might be problems for both the Sawatdee board and my Gaybuttonthai board and that, at least for now, appears to be exactly what has happened. I think most of you know Moses is Russian and lives in Russia. He has his own server. Some of you may remember that not very long ago my board was having all kinds of technical problems that even Moses was not able to repair because it was all being caused by the server side. Moses was kind enough to offer to let my board be hosted on his own server. We moved my board to his server. It has been there ever since and has worked perfectly ever since. That is why both boards are currently down. Both boards on the same server. If the sanctions have blocked access to his server and if he can't find a way around it, I don't know what will happen, but it doesn't look very good at the moment. As for my board, I can't even move it to another server because I have no more access to it than any of you have right now. I do make periodic backups, but that doesn't do any good if I can't access the software on the server itself. Right now it is wait and see. I have no present intention of setting up a board on another server. I would have to start the whole thing all over again and I'm not inclined to do that. If Moses can figure out a way to get our boards working again, that would be great. If he cannot, then I made no decisions just yet. After all, I could be totally wrong about why our boards are down and Moses might be able to quickly get the problem fixed. For all I know, the problem may have nothing to do with the sanctions and it just as easily could be that something blew out on his server. So, for now I am in a wait-and-see mode. All I can do is just hope my board is not another casualty of this war. In the meantime, if I wish to post, as long as Michael permits me to post here, this is where I'll do my posting for the time being. I plan to continue trying to keep everyone up to date and well informed as best as I can.

The weekends have been doing ok in Patpong. Soi 4 seems full everynight. Grinder full 24 hours a day. A mutual friend of ours went to Fake Club last night and said packed. The entertainment is here. You might just have to look a bit harder. Though I think the difference from today till July will be much better I’m sure. As soon as they open the border crossings the supply of company will go way up. And hotel and Airbnb prices are great.

in my opinion if there's any difference it will be Sunday as some bars appeared to be poorer staffed ( and attended ) on Sunday evenings in the days past. Now with the covid restrictions on inflows from neighboring countries it's hard to gauge what will happen by July. Just go and see what happens like most of us in recent months, it looks that very few if any returned home disappointed , certainly not my humble case

Yes - ME. I don't know what the problem is, but I have an idea what it might be. I'm hoping the problem will clear up within a day or two.

I flew Japan Airlines from Boston NRT Bkk a couple weeks ago. On the Bos NRT leg were 3 Thai flight attendants from Bangkok. They said it was their first flights in the two years of Covid. They said the Thai and Japanese govts came up with a flight attendant solution. They fly Bkk Nrt Usa. At Nrt company tests them on arrival and departure next day. Dedicated bus to a block of hotel rooms used only by flight crews. They also test in Boston and Bkk before departures. They no longer need to quarantine other than overnight. They said they were so happy to be back to work the extra testing wasn’t an issue for them. So hopefully a sign that things are getting back to some normality in the Airline industry. ps: there were 75 people on my Boston leg, 25 going to Bkk. The Nrt Bkk flight almost full.

Neither Thailand, nor any Thai business, know the meaning of “refunds”.

In what has quickly become one of my favorite TV shows this season, the Max Original show is simply delightful. It is as tasty as my mother's Pecan Pie. I love the cast, the plot, and each episode. The last episode with the drag queen undercurrents of San Francisco was delightful. Sarah Lancashire as Julia is perfect and I love seeing David Hyde Pierce and Bebe Neuwirth. Judith Light is also a breath of fresh air in her role. If you have not see this, take a gander.

Despite the Baller and the Costeño offering me to hang out these last hours, despite grindr and scruff still tempting me, I decided to stay alone. It is the best way to cope with my traveling anxiety. As I have nothing else to do, I wanted to summarize a few tips, based in this only one experience I had. So daring and pretentious of me, but I do think these are some useful insights. Pack light. I made the mistake to plan for a week wearing two layers (underwear t-shirt and shirt), but it is just too hot for that. No top underwear is needed. Short pants are fine. I had read that the locals are not fond of casual, comfy clothing, but it is not true. Like Buenos Aires, this is probably changing. Casual wear is appropriate everywhere I went to. Temperature is very pleasant between 5pm and 11 am. Between 11 am and 5 pm, it was unpleasant to me. About rain, it was forecasted every single day I was here. However, it did not rain every day and when it rained it was just for as few minutes. Raining was not an obstacle for my plans, bur rather a very much welcomed refreshing event. Look for open, shady spaces. Even in the hottest hours (the issue is not really temperature but humidity) there is almost always a very nice and refreshing breeze. Be aware that if you are a foreigner, you are a target. Not necessarily of a crime, but many people will try to take advantage from you. If you are wealthy and your bank account is generous, you should not worry. Even the over prices are pretty affordable. I am probably the poorest contributor in these forums, and I found everything cheap. The most noticeable over price I suffered were the apanados. I paid 10K for each, when they cost 3.5 to 4K. Yet, when I saw what I got for 60K (16 bucks), I could not refrain a smile of happiness. The guy scamming mr noticed it and laugh with me. Max Avila told me that his current boyfriend lived in Medellin for two years without realizing he was paying twice the local prices. When they started dating, he learned about it. There are huge differences on pricing in different areas. El Poblado’s prices were considerable high than Laureles’. Even inside Laureles, you can notice the difference between the most gentrified areas around both Parque Laureles, and the least gentrified area around Avda San Juan (Calle 44) and La Setenta (Carrera 70). Bisexual friends, women are available for 60K, and straight prostitution is much more extended. There seem to be two “classic” gay concentrations. You have fancy bars and one discoteca at El Poblado, and you have a few bars and sex clubs in Centro (I have not yet explore the latter). Then you have a more contemporaneous and mixed gay places in Laureles, with a flagship in the dance club Industry. I have not been there, and will probably not be, considering my ears are still bussing after Club Oraculo. They will probably ask you, but make sure you provide the name of your building when you schedule a delivery or a guy. Something is wrong with the city’s nomenclatura, the boys tell me, and you may be sending someone to the wrong place. None of the guys I hang out with knew how to speak in English. There are guys who know, but I am sure it is a commodity that comes with a price. Older, hairy, overweighted men, the typical bear type, is a popular fetiche amongst young and hot men. I got a lot of sex for free, I mean very good sex with mostly very hot guys, but all above average guys, all younger than 25, without paying a dime. Even the boys that hang out with me for long hours and even stayed overnight, only expected me to pay all the bills while together. Indeed, it is transactional. However, my one grindr hook up, a fuck and leave, was zero transactional. The boy was a hot webcam boy, and he liked me. He kept contacting me at 2 am, when I was sleeping or out. Try to bond or deal with at least one guy you trust, and stick with him. He will play the role of the “espantamoros” i Morocco, and help you with good tips and recommendations, keeping you safe and from over paying. My boys did an amazing job at protecting and taking care of me. The Costeño has already checked me three times today, and there is nothing he can get from it. If you happen to be with two boys, and they are not clicking, ask them for their favorite songs. Immediately, they will start singing together, and bonding, and the ice will be broken. Respectfully, I think the reports about insecurity are overblown. Like in any big city, you should not walk alone at night. Comuna 13 is 100% safe. Centro insecurity at night is true. The killings targeting lonely gay guys are just a temporary issue, and the whole community is working hard to get the killers. Paisas are learning that tourism is a source of endless money, and are really focus on making their city more welcoming and safe for foreigners. If you are looking for an airbnb, anything in El Poblado, Laureles, Provenza, and the South is safe. Make sure you rent above the 5th floor, as you will have more breeze. Try to rent above 10th and with a balcony or terrace. You will have a better view (the valley is beautiful specially at night), and you will be sure there is a working elevator. I have seen 6th floors buildings without an elevator. Street food is delicious and very cheap. Just avoid beef, usually the cuts are very poor quality, hard to chew and even cut. Chicken, beef in small pieces, and (I guess, because I do not eat it) fish are good. Uber sucks. Download an alternative application. I will download again Didi for the next trip, I am told it works better. Those are the lessons I learned in one week. Feel free to correct any misinformation, if you think I am generalizing too much from my one little experience, or that I am repeating bulls shit the boys told me. I will be back.

Thank you. What a beautiful write-up, and it sounds like a wonderful time. It brought back memories for me, a young Colombian standing up in the stands at a World Cup game in Brazil to sing a folk song and all the Colombians in that part of the stadium going silent to listen to him. And climbing a Mayan pyramid in Palenque and then unable to take the first step back down because of vertigo. ( I had to sit down and then shift my bum down step by step). I have to go to Colombia within a year or two because soon age and health will prevent me from ever going.

Still hoping that the subject can be kept in Thailand, I appreciate any info from people who actually are there now or have been there recently. This response is more appropriate in the Latin thread. But, this is a known effect of the internet, even in Thailand. I've known countless boys who never ever think of setting foot in a sauna because they feel "dezvalorizado" or devalued in the saunas. They don't like how 'some' clients treat them in the sauna (talk to them for hours, ask to show the goods, lay hands on them aggressively, waste their time, and still not go out with them or pay them). In websites, they do get bombarded by countless requests for pics, but at least they are in the comfort of their own homes, they can attend to all hours, and it pays more. The saunas will always be a venue for the ones who need instant cash, and for those who don't want their pics out there in public due to privacy concerns, but generally there are countless more non-sauna boys out there who are available. Even the gogo boys who would normally would ply their wares at the sauna wouldn't do it because of their feeling that the sauna is just a constant series humiliations for them, but would gladly go out with a client if the interest (i,e. money) is there. While yes visually the saunas are really where its at, I find having sex in the saunas to be non-ideal. Cleanliness, quality of facilities, and sometimes the stress levels of the boys (that you expect to perform for you) because of having to ply their wares for hours, doing many programas, before they get to you affect the quality of the experience. While the popular days of the week (especially at the end of the month when the rent and child support is due) in the saunas make it hard to get available rooms to do the deed, I find that more boys go on these days that don't go on slower days like Sundays (because there are fewer clients) appear on the popular days, and if I can't go out with them in the saunas, I get their numbers and set up a rendezvous later, in the comfort of my own apartment, and maybe grabbing a bite to eat and enjoying the city I am visiting. Lately, I've found myself not taking boys to the suites on the day I see them, and just meet them after or the day after and get to know them more. I think this is obvious, and attitude is everything. I am merely asking about best days to go with the larger number of boys in the week, in the Bangkok boy bars. There, I derailed my own thread lol. On to Thailand: Thanks you two for this. and i miss both of you! i do intend to go to Soi 4 since I've had great memories in the past. Looks like there will be a lot of excitement to go around! Any more tips? I am looking forward to this trip. Any Phuket tips as well?

everything is working now, sorry for troubles

Ah hah! And here I was, thinking it was something much more dramatic. And all this time I thought we were both on the same server. I'm very glad all will be ok and back to normal soon. As always, thank you Moses. Without your help, my board would have disappeared long ago.

Everything will be ok in a few hours. I'm on travel and missed invoice to pay.

Thank you very much. I very much appreciate your entire post. I hope it doesn't come to that, but if it does I will likely take you up on your offer if I decide to continue doing this. One thing is for sure - I will never use a commercial web host server again. I've been around for a very long time, even before this board or the Sawatdee board ever existed. Some may remember the days of the Gay Pattaya and Dreaded Ned boards. That's when I came into the picture. I've been doing this ever since 300 baud was considered high speed, when a 20 meg hard drive was the top of high end hardware, and when the precursors of modern boards were run by what we used to refer to as sysops. So, if it turns out I really have come to the end of the road, I hope it won't be because of something as useless as a war. Here we are in 2022 and we still have wars? Anyone care to guess where that appears on my "I Don't Get It" list? If the problem is something that can be fixed, Moses will get it fixed. Just have to wait and see.

judging by fast rise of airfares , those predictions may be just right I had taste of it in last days of January with my flights cancelled no less than 4 times ones span of 24 hours, snow storm and lack of crews given as reasons I'd not be booking any connecting flights with tight connection time until dust settles

From CNN Travel Experts are predicting a summer of travel chaos. Here's why (CNN) — It's time! Travel restrictions are easing, infection rates are settling, you're fully vaccinated, and you're finally thinking about going on vacation. This is the year to make up for the holidays you didn't enjoy over the past two years. You've likely saved for two years to make it a good one. This -- finally -- is it. Or is it? While you may have got all your ducks in a row, the same can't be said for all of the travel industry. Not only are there ever-changing rules on testing, vaccines and quarantines to abide by when traveling; but once you've sorted your side out, getting to your destination looks set to be fraught with difficulty. Top of the chaos board? Aviation. The industry was, of course, decimated by the pandemic -- but many airlines and airports currently seem unable to cope with travel's resurgence. Countries on both sides of the Atlantic are seeing a slew of canceled flights due to lack of crew, long lines at airports thanks to understaffing, and the kind of rates for rental cars that make buying a vehicle look cheap. That's, in part, because everyone has the same idea as you -- only this week, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian announced that March 2022 had been the carrier's best month for sales in its history. Facing unprecedented demand, the much-reduced industry is struggling to cope. In the US, things have been brewing for the past year, as domestic travel has taken off again. Meanwhile in UK, the chaos at major airports has made the news every day for the past couple of weeks, and seen the national carrier, British Airways, reported to the industry regulator for potential law-breaking. The flying experience may be smoother elsewhere in Europe, but car rentals are not. A bubble car can set you back more than your hotel -- and that's before you factor in rocketing gas prices. Traveling within the US? That "carmageddon" is hitting just as hard. Welcome to a summer of chaos? Let's hope not -- but industry figures rather fear it will be. "I think it's a preview of things to come -- and I do think things are going to get worse," says consumer advocate Christopher Elliott, who's been monitoring the situation in the US and Europe. "The summer will be chaos," he believes -- so much so that he's advising his followers to avoid Europe in August, the peak of the peak season. That airline chaos? He lays it squarely at the door of the airlines. "I think we've been seeing some delays related to the pandemic, but I think they're baked into the equation at this point -- I don't think that's really a legitimate excuse," he says. "It's everyone's fault except their own. If they took a good look in the mirror they'd realize that during the pandemic they downsized and laid staff off, and now demand has come surging back and they're caught off guard. They haven't been able to staff up fast enough to meet demand." Continues with photos at https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/travel-chaos-summer-2022/index.html

The wonderful French restaurant, Le Bouchon which used to be hidden away on Patpong 2 for 20 years or more closed a few months ago. Rumours have it that it has re-opened on Sathorn soi 1 in an ex-Babylon building --- true or not?

Avianca, the Columbian airline, is outstanding and one of the first commercial airlines. It serves several US cities. United is it's Star Alliance partner.I've flown it's nonstop from DC and it's nicer than United. Even Spirit flies nonstop from Ft Lauderdale. Medellin has nonstops to the US also. All very cheap, it's a short flight.

they should pick up better picture when talking about " a lot of tourists " as beach doesn't seem to be too crowded on one above

Even before Ukraine the world was ignoring it. I wish the hell we were helping the resistance.

kind of, In Dec out of 9 hotels I was staying in Bkk, Pattaya and Chiang Mai only one - Zing, Jomtien Complex asked my guest to present ID card and it was in broad daylight, they did not bother in the evening though

The Taiwan issue has been front and centre for some time now and has assumed greater prominence as a result of Russia's ghastly incursion into sovereign Ukraine. The question for Taiwanese now is surely: has the Ukraine invasion made it more or less likely that China will attempt to retake Taiwan by force. My view, based on no particular facts, is that China will now be less likely to use force and will again try the more softly softly approach. I say that only because China now has several major problems. One is covid and its seeming inability to control the pandemic. When entire cities like Shanghai are closed down, the once thought to be controlled pandemic is very clearly out of control. Second is the effect of the pandemic and to a lesser extent the war in Ukraine on the country's economy. Exports are falling, but it is the effect on an increasingly pissed-off population that will worry the authorities more. China's government rules through a bargain with its people. As long as the Chinese as a whole continue to prosper under communist rule, the leadership will face no opposition. Even though the country has a huge censorship department to control the dissemination of dissent, the current waves of localised dissent have to be more than slightly worrying. Of greater concern, though, must surely be the way the world has virtually united against Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. For all its rhetoric about external interference in its internal affairs blah blah, China's leaders are not so dumb that they do not realise full well that the country cannot afford a world united against it. For what it is worth, my view is that Taiwan will be off the front burner now for quite some time. That certainly is what i hope.

After not being in Asia for over 2 years, I planned a trip to Cambodia during Songkran. As there are no direct flights between Europe and Cambodia, I opted for Thai Airways to get there and Singapore Airways to return home. Transfer passengers in Bangkok still need PCR test 72 hours before departure, so I did one, which unfortunately was positive 😭 Luckily I have only mild symptoms, comparable with a flu. Singapore Airways already refunded my plane ticket. I don't expect the same from Thai Airways. Booking for the resort in Cambodia already changed to April 2023. Unfortunately, no trip report to be provided right now.