PeterRS

It's around 4 weeks since I made my application. pdf files were still not accepted. As for being hacked, there are notices on several websites to make sure you only use the one official Thailand government website and not the rip offs. It seemed pretty clear and I had no problem in submitting the application. Completing it was the problem for me!

Most of my time was spent in Scotland unfortunately. Scotland also required the Passenger Regulation form which was checked at BKK on the way out and after a short trip to the continent en route back to the UK. On both occasions, after relatively short arrival queues, I was sent to an automatic gate. When I asked what I did about the official form, I was basically told just to rip it up!

When in the UK last month, it was still necessary to wear masks in restaurants, certain shops and on all public transport. Having taken over a dozen trains, I noticed that more than a few passengers who had worn them on the platforms just took them off when on the train. The guards checking tickets never once asked anyone to put them on again! Concerned both about visiting children and older people in my family as much as to getting back to Thailand, I tested myself every two days - ending up with more tests than I had ever done over the last two years in Thailand. I fully understand the disastrous situation that the tourist industry in Thailand has gone through. I also agree that loosening the restrictions on entry to the Kingdom will help it recover more quickly. In particular the Test&Go form requires too much information. It actually took me 4 attempts to complete it - the first because the photos of the required documentation I had taken on my mobile phone were too large to upload; the second because I had missed one letter out of my middle name!! Stupid mistakes and my fault, but if I found it difficult when I live in Thailand, completing such a large document can not be easy for the casual tourist. But will that tourism recovery be like the airline industry in much of the west, I wonder? Hundreds of flights being cancelled almost daily because many in flight crews have come down with covid and horrendous queues at Immigration? Hopefully not, if only because the Thai hotel industry is far more scrupulous than its counterparts in the west in taking much more seriously the necessary safety precautions.

I loathe Trump. I loathe Piers Morgan. I loathe Rupert Murdoch. That said, though, the following teaser for a new Murdoch channel starting to air on Monday seems fun.

This news is about three months old but may still be of interest. Venice is one of the world's great cities and accordingly one of the most visited. Over the last few decades, the number of day trippers has increased exponentially. Apart from the occasional snack and a tacky souvenir or two, they spend little money and mostly create massive crowds that make it more difficult for genuine tourists staying in the city's hotels to enjoy their experience. From this summer, day trippers will be limited and charged €5 for access to the city for one day. Such bookings must be made on line and in advance.

Although not American, I would be much more interested in a similar type of subscription for The New York Times which often has excellent writing. If anyone hears of one, I'd be grateful if it could be posted here.

@z909 is spot on. There is far too much red tape and other out of date procedures. I was at the Head Office of Bangkok Bank yesterday as my passbook was full and I needed a new one. Such a simple procedure meant I had to wait almost an hour and then go through various form filling which included signing a copy of my passport. Since the bank already has several copies of my passport all signed by me, why another is needed for every transaction beats me. Also, when I looked at each officers desk, there was a huge stack of paperwork that presumably someone eventually has to file. For the life of me, I cannot understand why passbooks are still required for everyone! The same is true, but worse, if you visit Chaengwattana to renew your visa. You see mountains of paperwork everywhere. Since my recent test&go form with its 7 or 8 uploads was all completed by phone and the QR code issued quickly by email, I can only think the reason for the lack of computerisation elsewhere is for the government to ensure high rates of employment.

From the discussion so far, it does seem that there is a difference between the hotels at the top end like the Mandarin-Oriental and Peninsula compared to those with 3 or less stars who more often see visiting guests from the bars. As I mentioned with Le Meridien, there are clearly some top end hotels which turn a blind eye to joiners, but others are a good deal more strict in their policies.

Qatar has increased the number of aircraft with its Q Suites in business class. On my recent visit to Europe I had a suite on the 777 out of BKK and on the A350 from Doha on the return leg. The other two sectors were on 787 aircraft with the usual herring bone configuration. Having paid for the ticket back in October last year, I think they are fantastic value.

No need for a commission. The root cause was almost inevitably corruption!

I also have very fond memories of a Singapore sauna, but probably going a bit further back. Around 2000 a small sauna opened off the beaten track in the business district. Named Rairua, the owner seemed to have roughly a similar idea as the owner of Babylon of providing a more upmarket facility - although that has to be seen in relation to what other Singapore saunas offered at the time and it had few of Babylon's facilities. All patrons paid the same entrance fee but you first had to become a member for some very small amount like S$10 (then roughly US$7). After a couple of years, it opened up the top floor with the showers and cabins as a strictly enforced nude area. No doubt due to its location I never saw many guys there but virtually all were young and fit. The staff, too, were young and very good looking. Just sitting and having coffee was a joy watching all the quite lovely eye candy. Happy memories which sadly ended around 2006 when rising rents in the area forced the owner to close. In reminds me of the early years of Bangkok's Chakran where sitting in a lounger by the bar enabled you to see a procession of handsome towel clad guys coming own the open stairs opposite or swimming in the small pool. Just to the right was the very large jacuzzi and equally large dark room which became the first nude area. That became very busy!

I am told that some saunas are open. Heaven sauna near the river end of Silom is open. Sauna Mania off Soi Convent is the closest to the gay area but call to double check prices before you go. I am told that pre-covid it had a huge age discrimination policy. Under 50 and the entrance fee was around 280 baht. Over 50 and you'd be stung for 1,500 baht. Mostly Thais and Asians. Chakran sauna off Soi Aree is also open. When it first opened around 2000 it was a classy place attracting quite a few foreigners in addition to young locals. For some years, though, it has been almost exclusively sticky Asian. It was one of the first saunas to have a nude night in part of its facilities. These now seem quite common in those saunas catering mostly to Thais and Asians.

I have not been to Phuket for its gay offerings for many years. In fact, I now do not visit Phuket because apart from the beaches and some restaurants there is not much reason to go when the world and his wife seem to descend on the island. One of my favourite Thai restaurants, though, is Baan Rim Pa. This is on a small cliff before Kalim Bay just north of Patong and virtually opposite the Novotel. The view is superb and we have always had excellent food and cocktails. https://www.baanrimpa.com/thai-restaurant-kalim/ If it is just a beach you are seeking and already have a Thai friend with you, I thoroughly recommend Khao Lak around 100 kms north of Phuket. There are lots of hotels here but they are very spread out and you will find you have the lovely beach almost to yourself. I stayed at the Marriott Resort some years ago and loved it, especially the ground floor rooms which have access to a small waterway that wends around the property and ends up in the main pool. Perfect for a pre-breakfast swim! Several local restaurants just off the beach.

Suspect Le Bouchon is still not yet open in the new location. Passed by the top of Soi Nanta/Mozart on Sathorn Soi 1 the day before Songkran and there was still a lot of work going on. Two notes on the excellent recommendations. Eat Me is a wonderful up-market small Australian fusion restaurant that has maintained its standards for something like 20 years now. But its prices have risen very considerably and it's now nearer the top end. It's also not the sort of restaurant that you should walk into wearing a Hawaian short and shorts. The location of Ruen Urai in an old-style Thai house at the Rose Hotel on Suriwong is excellent as is its Thai cuisine. It's small and elegant, and looks more pricey than in fact it is. Book in advance and insist on being on the ground level. Upstairs there is no view and feels quite claustrophobic. For Italian, Zanotti on Soi Convent is near the top of the tree with prices to match. Much better value and more casual is Il Bolognese off Sathorn Soi 7. The owner for many years sold the restaurant more than a year ago and has moved to a new Italian restaurant off a soi at the lower end of Soi Ngamduplee (closer to Narathiwat). Sorry cannot recall the name.

With Taiwan's borders still closed to most people and covid rates again spiking, I guess the only hope for an EVA London/BKK service any time soon will be if the airline has completely separate crews for the London/BKK sectors. Apart from the additional costs of basing crews outside Taiwan, both the UK and Thailand have vastly more daily cases than Taiwan. I'm not optimistic about a resumption of flights in the summer - and Taiwan friends agree. More likely the end of the year.

Perhaps there will be more life now for my favourite aircraft, the A380. Qatar has already announced two A380 daiiy flights on the Doha/BKK route.

I have stayed in 2 Marriott hotels in Vietnam. 2 years ago just before lockdown I was at the Four Points by Sheraton in Danang. Lovely hotel. 300 rooms but probably only 30 occupied. The hotel's only problem really is that you have to cross the main dual carriageway into town to get to the beach. The year before I used points for 5 nights at the quite beautiful Marriott Resort on the island of Phu Quoc. Although part of Vietnam, it is located under Cambodia. Pre-covid there was a daily Bangkok Airways flight linking the island. From Ho Chi Minh, there is a short flight but almost better to take the jetfoil service. This is one of the Bill Bensley-designed hotels in Asia. I thought it one of the loveliest I have ever stayed at. It is right on its own private beach which was spotlessly clean. All the staff were wonderful, even though the young lady at the bar was not sure how to make a proper extra dry vodka martini. I showed her and the result was excellent. The only problem with the Marriott brand is that it tends to be more expensive. I could never have paid for my nights at Phu Quoc or I would be back again in a flash.

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.

Generally I would agree with the sentiments so far expressed. Joiners can be easier at less expensive hotels. I did have one very embarrassing experience at what was then the 5-star Regent Hotel on Rajadamri (so we are going back quite a few years - it later became the Four Seasons and is now the Anantara). I took a boy back from one of the bars at around 10:00 pm. I knew there were security staff on duty at the lift lobby and managed to get into a lift without being seen. I had forgotten about cctv cameras, though. Within a minute of getting to my room there was a knock on the door. It was security. I did not answer. After various similar episodes, the phone rang. And then rang again. I refused to answer. The end result was a less than satisfactory tryst. I also agree with @reader that the Montien definitely had a no joiner policy. I have written before about a conversation I had with the Assistant GM of the Mandarin Oriental hotel - again quite some time ago. We were having drinks in the lobby when a young man entered with what was obviously a bar girl. Before they even got to the lifts, a security officer approached them. End result? The girl had to leave. No argument about it. I asked my colleague what the hotel's policy was. No joiners after a certain time as it was against the law for hotels to accommodate non-guests who were not registered. But if the guest brought a girl or a boy who was dressed in line with the hotel policies - i.e. pleasantly casual but no tank tops, no flip flops etc. - then they would be given the benefit of the doubt and allowed upstairs. I have heard that there is no problem with joiners at Le Meridien on Suriwong. When I spent my one test&go night there last week, I saw no security in the lobby at all and the lift area can not be seen from the front desk. At two mid-price hotels in that area there used to be desks by the lift lobby to get extra payments for guests taking joiners to their rooms. Not sure what the situation is now. Checking hotel policies in advance as suggested by @z909 is a good idea, although given the government's overnight rule, I still think it is best to book a double room and then have your boy du jour register. Chiang Mai There is certainly a lot to see in and around Chiang Mai. From @musgrave's post, though, it seems Chiang Mai's gay scene continues in the death throes that started more than 5 years ago. We found the bars now situated across from Le Meridien boring. The money boys are more interested in the locals who frequent them or in their cell phones than new customers. There are certainly other gay massage spas in addition to Classic. The two gay saunas seem to be doing quite good business. Club One-Seven is located near the southern outskirts on the river across from the huge Holiday Inn Hotel. The older House of Male in the north west of the city always seems to have some students from the nearby University, but with the Songkran holiday about to start I suspect there may not be many until term time starts again. This site is worth checking - https://www.gay-in-chiangmai.com

I returned on March 29, had my test at BNH and was given the 5th day test pack by the hospital. The hotel helped me upload the latest morchana app. On the 5th day i did the test (again negative) and waited. I have never been sent the form I am supposed to fill in. I have just assumed that with the scrapping of the testing on April 1, the authorities did not bother rechecking anyone who had arrived less than 5 days before then.

15 years ago a Hong Kong Chinese man was sentenced to two months in prison for making "unwanted" advances to another Chinese in the sauna of a well-known gym. The "advance" consisted of a hand wandering on the other man's thigh!

There is sadly nothing new in these unfortunate episodes. In the UK homosexuals and those allegedly breaching public morality were routinely hounded and prosecuted whilst the great and the good got away scot free while indulging in the same habits. Need one mention Jeremy Thorpe, the Leader of the Liberal party who was an out and out homosexual, and Lord Boothby who, not only having an affair with the wife of Prime Minister Harold MacMillan, also indulged in homosexual parties. The rich always look after themselves. Look at the Red Bull heir who murdered the traffic policemen while driving in his Ferrari around 200kph down Sukhumvit at 5:00 am with alcohol and drugs in his system. The government tell us it has been trying to find this low life for close on 10 years. Even though he has been spotted several times in this country and overseas, somehow the powers that be are and remain totally blind. One wonders how much cash has been transferred to various bank accounts to ensure that this remains the case.

I was in Europe for 3 weeks in March. I had booked Qatar biz class about 4 months earlier at what I felt was a very good fare, although when you added on the extra charges for seat selections and use of the lounges, it certainly mounted up. All four of my flights were totally full, even biz class. Thinking I might return in June, the basic price has risen by 25%. I guess I am surprised it is not higher.

Mea culpa. Cathay Pacific never flew over Europe for its pre vivid JFK flight and its trans-Pacific route was never a contender for the world's longest flight. Singapore's non-stop trans-Pacific flight to Newark was considerably longer. Also one of the CX to and ex-JFK flights stopped in Vancouver. I fail to understand how this flight could not be rerouted further north over Canada to shorten the distance. But then I am not an airline planner. I note the plan is only for the return sector from JFK to be routed over Europe due to the strong upper atmosphere winds. This will add 2,254 miles to the length of the previous trans-Pacific return. No doubt fares will reflect that!! But with covid rampant and Hong Kong's quarantine regulations still extremely stringent, I cannot see many taking that route.

Is this another April Fool joke? For at least 15 years pre-covid CX flew up to 5 flights a day to JFK. All were over the Pacific and came nowhere near Soviet airspace. SIA flew to Newark via Europe but its non-stop service was over the Pacific, I believe.