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The current rates @ Dubai are similar to those in NY and London. That's the new reality, I fear.

P.S. This review might be of particular interest: Sadly, the reviewer didn't expand on the matters of the palate.

It is currently on sale at Boots (UK) at a hefty £24.99 for a four-pack. Out of the 477 reviews on the Boots' site, 328 reviewers rated it at 1 (it is a 1 to 5 scale with 1 meaning 'awful' and 5 meaning 'wonderful'). Here are some typical reviews: Here is the link: https://www.boots.com/eroxon-erectile-dysfunction-treatment-gel-4-pack-10327183#BVRRContainer

It sounds like they were either drunk or high (or both). Truly astonishing stupidity!!

Newlywed bride dies after husband takes sex enhancement pills on wedding night The couple got married on February 3 and the woman was admitted to a hospital in Kanpur by her brother on February 7. The woman died on February 10. The accused husband is absconding. Written By: Siddhi Gaharwar Updated On: 14 Feb 2024 14:07:PM Hamirpur: A newlywed woman died just seven days after her wedding as her husband reportedly took sex enhancement pills on their first night in Uttar Pradesh’s Hamirpur. The woman was admitted to a private hospital in Kanpur last week after her health condition deteriorated following the couple’s wedding night. However, she succumbed to her injuries during the treatment three days later. According to reports, the couple tied the knot on February 3 while the woman was admitted to hospital on February 7 and passed away on February 10. The woman’s husband, an engineer by profession, consumed the pills on their wedding night. In a written complaint to Superintendent of Police Deeksha Sharma, the victim’s relatives alleged that the accused forced the woman into an unnatural physical relationship after taking sex enhancement pills. Her relatives demanded stringent action against the man and his family. What woman’s brother alleged “I got a call from the accused on February 7 who asked me to take my sister back. The groom also alleged that my sister was suffering from any serious disease and he does not want spend money on her treatment. The accused had also claimed that her treatment would cost around Rs 10 lakh. Later, I took her to a hospital in Kanpur where she died after three days of treatment,” the woman’s brother alleged, adding that his sister was not suffering from any disease. He further said that the accused had demanded Rs 10 lakh from him for the woman’s treatment. Accused husband absconding Meanwhile, Hamirpur police said that they have not received any information or complaint in this regard. They further said that an investigation will be launched and necessary legal action will be taken if any complaint is filed in connection with the alleged incident. The victim woman’s husband has allegedly fled the village with his family. As per reports, the bride suffered severe injuries and her health started deteriorating after her husband tried to make physical relationship with her after taking the pills on their wedding night. https://www.news9live.com/crime/newlywed-bride-dies-after-husband-takes-sex-enhancement-pills-on-wedding-night-2438452

Thailand is set to REVERSE weed legalization after spike in cannabis-related mental health issues and crime - with government calling pot 'a big problem' By Luke Andrews Health Reporter For Dailymail.Com 18:31 GMT 13 Feb 2024 , updated 20:18 GMT 13 Feb 2024 Thailand is set to outlaw weed again just 18 months after the country decriminalized the drug. The major U-turn follows a spike in hospital admissions and crime linked to cannabis, as well as the perception that children are getting hooked too easily. Since June 2022, when marijuana was dropped as a controlled substance, hospitalizations for cannabis-induced psychological problems have doubled to 63,000 patients per year, while reports of drug-fueled violence and abuse have also risen. Thailand became the first country in the Asia to legalize marijuana in 2019, when the Bhumjaithai party promised it would be a boon to crop farmers in the north. But the decriminalization has given rise to a large un-regulated black market. Data shows more than 6,000 shops have sprouted in the country, many without licenses. There has also been a boom in tourists visiting the country to use marijuana recreationally, helping to fund cannabis-themed cafes and hemp spas. In response, the country's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has named weed a 'big problem' and vowed to take action — after being elected in August 2023. Top officials are now proposing a bill that would make using cannabis 'for entertainment or pleasure' a crime punishable with a $1,700 fine (60,000 baht) and possibly a jail sentence of up to one year. Last week, the country's health minister Chonlanan Srikaew revealed he had recommended a draft bill that would ban recreational cannabis. 'We drafted this law to prohibit the wrong usage of cannabis,' health minister Srikaew said previously. 'All recreational use is wrong.' It comes as the US faces similar problems, with thousands of weed shops — many unregulated — springing up in many major cities amid reports of spikes in psychological problems and addiction among youths. In Thailand, it is already illegal to smoke weed in public, which carries a fine of $700 (25,000 baht). Data shows that among those aged 20 to 29, the proportion using weed more than tripled from one percent to three percent by 2021 — before regulations were eased. This figure is now likely to be much higher, officials say. Data from the country's health ministry shows the number of Thais seeking treatment for medical issues jumped from 37,000 in 2022 to as many as 63,000 in 2023, a rise of more than 70 percent. There are also anecdotal reports of rising crime rates and spikes in drug-related violence. The Thai bill will need to be approved by Cabinet, voted through by Parliament and signed by the country's king Maha Vajiralongkorn before it becomes law. But it already enjoys broad support across the country's political parties. A total of 24 US states have now legalized marijuana for recreational use, with red-leaning Ohio becoming the latest in November last year. No state has reversed legalization yet, but there has been a shift in the public mood — with Americans in many states now voting down measures to legalize recreational cannabis. This included Oklahoma, which rejected the proposal in March last year despite cannabis companies spending more than $4.9million on advertizing. The US federal Government is currently considering reducing marijuana to Schedule III substance — on a par with steroids, ketamine and testosterone. At present, it is regulated as a Schedule I substance — on the same level as heroin, ecstasy and LSD which are drugs deemed to have a high likelihood of abuse and no medical uses. Thailand dropped cannabis from its list of controlled substances in June 2022 — instead labeling it as a 'controlled herb'. This allowed for locals to grow and trade marijuana and hemp products as long as they had a license. The move was aimed at providing poor farmers in the north with a new cash crop, as they traditionally rely on rubber and rice which have low value. But it has been poorly regulated — leading to an explosion of weed shops across the country. Cities like Chiang Mai and the capital Bangkok now even hold weed festivals — while tourists from nearby countries where the drug is illegal, like Japan and Singapore, have started to visit in droves. The drug was legal to sell only to those over 20 years old and who were not pregnant or were not trying to purchase the drug online — and who were using it for medical purposes. 'Kitty' Chopaka, a Thai cannabis rights activist, told NPR: 'You can go ask any Thai on the side of the road, going like, what do you think about medical cannabis? Everyone will go, this is great, fully support it. 'But then if you go into — what about sales, what about recreational use? There's still a — we're not so sure.' +8 View gallery The Biden administration's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has asked the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to downgrade cannabis from a Schedule I substance to a Schedule III substance Marijuana was previously lauded for its benefits for pain relief and anxiety treatment, with many insisting it was not addictive. But the drug is now stronger than it has ever been, with higher levels of THC — the psychoactive chemical in the drug — which experts say flood the brain with feel-good chemicals and trigger addiction. Many have also started to take the drug daily, triggering addiction and dependence that is not easily shaken. Previous studies have already linked marijuana to schizophrenia, psychosis and depression. Some have also suggested that it permanently changes the brains of young adults who use the drug — with the brain not maturing until someone reaches their late 20s. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13078737/thailand-weed-legalization-rise-cannabis-crime.html

My thoughts exactly. Thank you!

Thank you for your report, @floridarob. It very much matches my impressions of December-January: 'institutional' arrangements (Elegantz etc) are lesser attractive than individual businesses from Grindr or Romeo. You mentioned you'd had a couple of daytime massages in your room. Did you find that the quality slipped a bit, if compared to 3-4 years back?

You are absolutely correct, @macaroni21. This time, I didn't go 'institutional' and sampled the freelance offers. Indeed, they are in the same ballpark, and 750k was a single occurrence. I was disappointed with the deterioration of the message quality (massage, not 'massage') but, to be fair, the comparison is not entirely consistent: my previous samples were mostly (though not exclusively) institutional while the latest sample was 100% freelance and one shouldn't simply assume that they always have the same standards. Quite possibly, I've experienced not the deterioration of quality but the gap between the two standards.

The only reason they go strong is that some "splurge" there. They need the business badly and as much as smaller/less fancier places. Discrimination won't help.

They all need my business, regardless of their size, price range or finesse of their cuisine which was the point I was trying to make: the restaurants that are not there anymore used to represent the full range o eateries - from small warungs to, say, the upmarket and expensive Salazar. A loss of business is a loss of business and I am equally sad to see a posh restaurant going under and a small eatery. Bambu doesn't deserve it. I hope it is clear now and am sorry I failed to express it in a easier digestible way earlier.

Very much so. As much as I enjoy a regular warung, I do like fine dining.

You did not notice quotation marks around 'local flavours' in the original, did you?

I notice there are no reports from Phú Quốc. I visited this island about 6 years ago, and it was a very pleasant trip - in many respects. Anyone been there recently? Any reports at all?

Some update from December 2023 - January 2024:

I know what you mean. For me, a flight to Bali will be more like a 23h flight (6-7h London to Doha, then 10-11h from Doha to Denpasar with a 3h transfer in Doha). I was trying to be generous.

From my (limited) personal experience and (very extensive) recommendations of my friends, some of them local, I'd say that Slovakia, Bulgaria and the Baltic States (Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius) are definitely not as vibrant as what you've experienced in Prague. I love Prague, go there regularly and know reasonably well what it can offer. Slovakia is extremely parochial with no talk about any scene per se (according to my Slovak friend). My visit to Bulgaria (Sofia) was some years ago (about 7-9 years ago) and I very much hope something has changed there since. I've heard good reports about former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Croatia, etc) but I don't have personal experience with them. My guess is, that the two top Eastern European destinations - i.e. Prague and Budapest - retain their leading position and cannot be rivalled by anyone in the region. If I were you, having had some good experience of Prague, I'd book a trip to Budapest. Best of luck and do share your trip report and thoughts when you are back from your frolicks!

Indeed. Am I the only one who has noticed their surname - Fokkens? I won't be surprised if The Grauniad and CBC were reposting without fact-checking (oh, what a shocker!). It all looks more like a Babylon Bee news piece ('Fake News You Can Trust!').

Suicides, most likely (though this particular way of dispatching their targets was quite popular with some gangs in Europe 20-30 years ago), but what a trauma to those who have witnessed it all or had to deal with it immediately afterwards before the police arrived.

I very much agree and I always follow the same policy (more or less). I am lucky to be a Marriott's Platinum for life member, which saves the hassle and quite a bit of money too: I can request (and in 99.9999% of cases, I get what I've requested) a free early check-in (as early as 8am) and a late check-out (as late as 9pm). Having the pain of waiting for hours to get checked-in at noon or being kicked out at 3pm when you have a midnight flight is absolutely unbearable, especially if you face a 10h flight ahead or have just finished one.

A quick aside about the restaurant scene. In my opinion, Bambu (https://bambubali.com/) is still the best option, as far as local fine dining is concerned. You don't have to make a reservation (I never do) though it might still be advisable in high season. A perfect 'local flavours' meal should cost you about £35/head without the cost of drinks. Drinks are reasonably priced and their wine list is both good and adequate, as far as the cost is concerned (you'll pay a standard European price for a bottle of Burgundy, for example). A dinner for one with one bottle of French wine will cost you just about US$100, a dinner for two will be circa US$150. Interestingly, 95% of their waiting staff are young males (20-35 y.o.) with surprisingly good English and, judging by the conversations I've had with several of them when dining there, they have some genuine interest in middle-aged male Westerners, which is not academic. For the record, I haven't sampled any of them (I was rather busy sampling others) but I have a strong feeling that it was an option.

There are some hints in Tripadvisor's reviews. Still, as Floridarob says, I'd be very much interested to hear the reports from the horse's mouth.

I very much agree. I met guys who did it only as a short-term stunt to raise some fixed amount of money for a particular project. For example, one of them told me years ago (he was a Parisian) that he needed several grand to fix a ceiling in his flat that he inherited from his grandparents in a very poor condition. Another one was collecting money to pay off his university debt, another one was upgrading his motorcycle... A most striking example (again, we are talking 15 years back or so) was a rather mature (he was about 35 at the time) PhD lecturer from the Catholic University of Leuven who was also supplementing his uni salary by escorting. He said he had an exceptionally high sex drive (he did) and it was the simplest, the most pleasant and the most straightforward way to get some extra tax-free cash, as far as he was concerned. And thank God they all did what they did.

That could be used a definition of a 'niche market'.

I am with you 100%. It all depends on how 'highly sought after' is defined, of course. The ones I gave as an example are also in this category (at least, as far as I can see it) but indeed, there are those who charge (significantly) more - and even more than £500. Presumably, they are even more popular.