PeterRS

I have an app which gives real time info on almost all aircraft movements. The number of flights put on hold by having to circle prior to landing at BKK is now way more than it was a years ago. It is idiotic to remember that it is only a few years ago when there was a lobby to have only one airport for Bangkok.

I just cannot understand why anyone would ever consider travelling without travel insurance. Suppose you are in Pattaya on a back of a motorcy which gets knocked over by a truck. Neither the motorcy driver or the truck driver/company has third party insurance. Without your own insurance you are screwed big time! Same if you are just run down as you cross the road. Your home medical/accident insurance might cover you, but are you sure? If so, what is the claims procedure and what are the limits/deductables. If it does not cover you, you are again screwed. Perhaps the saddest medical emergency was mentioned on this Board. I forget the name of the member. He had a form of cancer which he was thrilled he got treated cheaply at a hospital in Bangkok. Then I think it returned and his insurance had run out. He died on a friend's sofa. Its easy to think oh it won't happen to me. Are you really prepared to take that risk? Really?

It is rare for political parties anywhere to espouse causes just because they like the idea. Most usually it is a result of pressure from within soceity. In recent decades Taiwan citizens formed pro LGBT communities. Because they spearheaded a movement for equality with considerable tact and diplomacy without the usual rhetoric and hoopla that is found in other countries the idea of gay acceptance grew accordingly. It is the gay movement that persuaded the present ruling party to adopt an LGBT agenda. Not the other way around. An interesting map but the conclusions are way too simplistic. Trade, land and servitude were the main reasons for the decline of Buddhism. The Philippines changed due exclusively to colonialism rather than preachers altho preachers were then to play their part. In Indonesia and Malaysia Islam had earlier been adopted but over a much longer period of time and in a far more benign manner. The developing trade with the Islamic Middle Eastern countries had brought their religion. But it was adopted very slowly over hundreds of years and never forced on the peoples. There was also no pressure to subscribe to Islamic teaching in opposition to Buddhism. Both religions lived side by side for quite some time in the same way that Muslims lived alongside Christians and Jews in Spain. . It was the British, Dutch and Portuguese colonial powers conquest of much of that region that forced Islamic groups to band together to try and defend territory. The Islamic peoples were more territorially conscious than their Buddhist neighbours.

Not sure Alexx is entirely correct. I dont think Andrew Drummond took on the government. His forte was investigating organised crime and the police who were usually in cahoots with it. He was once sued for libel by a Scottish bar owner whose illegal activities he had written about. He fled Thailand because the threats to him and his family had become too real. Most sites relating to Andrew Drummond direct are blocked. But plenty of others in which he is indirectly mentioned remain untouched.

I cannot find this statistic anywhere on the CDC website. I wonder where you got it from because it is totally incorrect. The CDCs website is very clear - https://www.cdc.gov/condomeffectiveness/brief.html The key point is "consistent and correct use". AIDS Chicago estimates that condoms are 98%-99% effective in preventing HIV transmission. http://www.aidschicago.org/resources/legacy/condoms/ltoyw_fact.pdf The other benefit of condoms is their effectiveness is preventing the spread of other STDs. And there are a lot of them around! PREP will not do that for you!. This from aids.gov

I can understand everyone wants to reduce the risk of exposure to HIV. I have never used PREP because I still dont like the odds. 92% is definitely not complete coverage. Even 98% effectiveness still leaves a window. A small one, but it is still there. I assume it means that 2 out of 100 who are involved in bareback sex where one is HIV+ may end up with the virus. Not quite Russian roulette perhaps, but not for me.

It is bad now in parts of the city but just wait till October. Then the rain combines with water flowing down the Chao Phraya meeting water coming up from the Gulf of Thailand during the annual high tides. Most riverfront buildings will have sandbags in the hope of preventing flooding. I remember once visiting the Shangri La hotel whent hey also had sand bags around the swimming pool! Some experts even predict Bangkok will be under water is little more than 15 years. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/asia-s-future-cities-can-bangkok-turn-back-the-rising-tide-and-s-7612754

There was a great deal of publicity about the lifting of the ban on gay marriage in 2015. At the same time, I did point out in my post the parliament has stalled on full rights as with straight couples. http://time.com/4184240/same-sex-gay-lgbt-marriage-ban-lifted-vietnam/

I sincerely hope you realise that Thai logic is very different from western logic. It has defeated the attempts by many westerners including those living in Thailand to understand it. This can lead to all manner of problems. But then - love conquers all (or so they say)! I do wish you all the best, but please take things slowly.

LOL! I stand corrected. Good point! I think I must have been concentrating too "hard" on all the covered male figures trying to make out what might have been beneath the cover up.

In the 3 visits I have made to the Sistine Chapel, I did not notice full nudity. After his death Michelangelos full nude figures were discretely covered up with fig leaves or casual loincloths. I think only some of the tiny cherubs remain in their original state. Or perhaps I was not looking closely enough!

I wonder how many would even think of Disney World as being on anywhere near the same artistic level as The Vatican and the Taj Mahal!

Its a matter of political will. Taipei and Hong Kong suffer greater annual average rainfall than Bangkok but remain relatively unscathed. Both regularly get typhoons that dump well over 7 inches of water. The effect should be greater in the Hong Kong urban area than in Bangkok because of its very hilly terrain. All that water rushing down towards the harbour could cause Bangkok-like floods. It doesnt because the city constructed massive underground stormwater storage tanks and tunnels. These reduce pressure on the normal drainage systems and clears much of the water. If Bangkok had not filled in so many of its major klongs to create traffic highways, chances are these would drain away much of the monsoon rains much more rapidly.

I hope this thread is moved to the Gay Thailand forum since it illustrates some of the issues the LGBTQ population face in gaining greater acceptance countrywide. One of many reasons why gay marriage is not going to happen here for a long, long time.

This TIME magazine article is not so recent but it highlights one of the problems for gay venues in China. If followed a police raid on a new gay bar in Shanghai. The article makes this point about organised gay life in China. I dont think much has changed since then. http://world.time.com/2011/04/06/party-police-cops-raid-gay-bar-in-shanghai/

Its a never ending chorus. The same year after year after year and aways the same excuses - drainage problems, blocked klongs and other infrastructure problems. You wonder if the BMA ever send teams out to at least ensure klongs are cleared during the dry season. After the worst flooding in decades in 2011, the Yingluck government promised to take action. Another broken promise!

In its first few years Chakran was a great sauna welcoming lots of younger Thais and other nationalities. Just sitting enjoying a drink in a lounger by the small pool you could watch some lovely guys coming down the steps on the other side en route to the jacuzzi and steam room. Since its merger with the old V Club massage reports indicate the number of westerners at the sauna has dropped dramatically. Seems it is now much more Thai/Asian for Thai/Asian. Any more updates?

Vietnam has already passed a law lifting a ban on gay marriage. Same sex unions are now legally permitted but the government has stalled on the provision of equal rights and legal protection in the case of dispute. Perhaps the taiwan decision may help the government to move further.

I reckon its highly unlikely Hong Kong will enact any such legislation without Beijings tacit approval. And how likely is that as long as gays in China are still subject to official harassment from time to time?

Agree with DThump. Thailand is highly unlikely to follow Taiwan for a long time. Thai society as a whole is just too conservative and the LGBTQ community is way too fragmented. In Taiwan it has been very well organized for many years.

You are now beginning to spout unmitigated gibberish. So Singaporean! LOL

I do think sglad does have a point, in a way. In his postings he certainly illustrates little evidence of Lee Kwan Yew's mantra or even of any Singapore patois, but then Singapore is just part of a huge continent stretching from Turkey to Japan and the far east of Russia. But he does keeps on about his being from Singapore. Fair enough. I could say Im from Omaha or Bangladesh but I would not write about it, let alone boast about it. LOL This Board must have many members who visit Singapore, pass through or are planning such a trip. Im sure they would be very interested in hearing of sglad' views on the gay scene there. The Singapore thread here certainly needs some updating, although sglad himself seems to have made just one recent comment re the quality of spoken English in The Philippines - Other members here post a lot about the gay scene in Thailand and elsewhere. How about a post or two to update members on the gay scene in Singapore? Bars? Saunas? Your experiences or even those of your mates there? What apps work best for older guys looking for younger Singaporeans?maybe an update on goings on at the hugely impressive Gat Dot assembly - coming up next month I think? What do younger Singaporeans gays feel about all the government shenanigans over the old British Colonial Law? Will they eventually rebel? There certainly seems to be an air of rebellion around when chatting to guys like taxi drivers and young professionals. I hear complaints about wages and salaries being reduced. How about the mass immigration that has swelled the population vastly? This too seems to be causing a lot of disquiet in the population at large.

Allegedly? Funny! Lee insisted that Asian values were taught in all Singapore schools. Not sure if Mahatir ensured the same in Malaysia. Surely the Asian perspective/point of view stems directly from that doctrine of Asian Values. Lee was very fond of stressing the essential differences between Asia and he West as he saw them. At least some must bear a direct affect of a447as concern about Asian points of view. Or perhaps as an alleged Singaporean you do not agree.

I'm not a fan of karaoke bars, but enjoy going to the Thai for Thai clubs in Chiang Mai. Ive been alone and with friends and weve always been made welcome. As long as you can speak a little Thai add can put up with over loud music, you can have a blast with some cute guys. Its not for many on this forum if only because of the loud music, but they are certainly worth a visit.

Is it some sort of coincidence that there is also a sugargradpa registered as a member here? You have an annoying bee in your bonnet about a man named Stalker, sglad. It has already appeared in a few of your posts to 2 or 3 posters here. Before you are tempted to use it again, I suggest you re-read in detail the posts in another forum where it is abundantly clear who those stalkers you talk about really are. Fior your information they have two heads! LOL