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Apparently the flights will continue for a while. But will end by late next year when they have to turn the a/c back to Airbus. So there is still some time to take it.

I see that the HK GLBT Film Festival is happening at the end of Nov when I will be there. Hopefully I will get a chance to see a couple of things there. I used to help program our local gay film fest so it's always fun to see other festivals.

I was reading in Fridae's newsletter that HK seems to have a month long Gay Pride celebration with lots of events throughout that time. Which may be a good thing or it may just dilute things too much.

Has anyone done the Balloon Adventure thing? I did a hot air balloon ride for the first time in Myanmar last year over Bagan. It was pretty spectacular. It's not cheap though, that's for sure. I don't imagine the Chiang Mai balloon ride could rival Bagan but it still might be fun.

The initial hit may not be so bad. Depending on day of travel and so forth. For example, I see SEA-BKK one way in business class for $2100 on Asiana in January for example. Same price from LAX in March for example as well on Asiana. They're supposed to have a really nice product as well. Or if you have miles on UA or AA you can book a one way award with them or an alliance partner.

I kind of agree with that. BKK bars I don't spend too much time in. Maybe long enough to watch the show. In Pattaya I can spend a few hours if the boys are cute and fun.

That is interesting. I would expect April to be a bit more due to Songkran traffic. I have been just using ff miles the last few years. And I have enough banked for a couple more years since I only go once a year.

I really seriously considered visiting for Pride, but ultimately decided to visit at the end of Nov instead. Look forward to the report.

I heard that there used to be some other massage place there a couple of years ago. So maybe this one took over the space? I often stay at Siri Sathorn. This place much be practically next door. All those pictures of the boys with their hands bound like old time muay thai boxers seems a bit strange.

The Siri Sathorn has token operated laundry as well. Also Bt100 per token need 1 for the wash and 1 for the dry. At least you don't have to provide your own detergent or anything. I have a lot of cotton socks and things like that though which never seem to dry so I have to hang them up to finish drying. The Fraser Suites Sukhumvit 11 has a washer/dryer unit in each apartment which is even more convenient.

Google is your friend. Yes, Thai nationals need a visa. It appears that it must be arranged in advance. This place looks like a visa agent in Bangkok for Indian visas http://www.ivac-th.com/index.html Note that there is an online application option Tourist visa is good for 2 entries in 6 months validity period. Fees look reasonable to me

I have stayed at the former Fraser Pattaya (when it was Fraser and now as Aya Boutique) a couple of times. I didn't find it to be "ghastly". There is a bit of an odd smell in the place, that I will admit. I never found a problem with sound through the walls or anything. The biggest problem on my last stay was the Middle Easterners leaving their doors open. I just got my own breakfast. But that is all way off topic. :-)

I stayed at this aLoft last year shortly after it opened. Construction was actually still going on at the time. I think I may have been the first guest to stay in the room I had. It's quite nice. Very "design-y". Regular rooms are not large by any means, probably a bit smaller than the Le Meridien for example. Some rooms will have zero view as they will look directly at the other new hotel directly next door. I booked the "urban" room which was a little more expensive but had a view out over the city. I have never stayed at a hotel in Thailand that seemed anything other than "gay friendly" to me. Thai hospitality is Thai hospitality. If what you are really asking is, how prostitute friendly it is, that I cannot answer. I think they aim to be a hip, stylish, fun brand. This property is all over social media. Bed supperclub is right across the street and they have some sort of partnership. Hero is down at the end of the soi. I suppose about a 5-10 minutes walk. The hotel is about mid-soi from Sukhumvit. There is another massage place nearby on the same street, more or less right across the street from the Frasier Suites. Personally I think I would select the Frasier all other things being equal. Lots more space, decent breakfast, washer/dryer which is nice for longer stays.

Bummed to hear about all these scams. I never had a problem. But it's been a little while since I have taken a taxi. The rates have been dirt cheap for a long time though and probably deserve to be raised a bit.

I definitely agree with going out and seeing things while you can. By the time I am ready to retire who knows how mobile I will be. My arthritic knee is already a bit of a problem at 44! My job is one that has a lot of autonomy which allows me 5 weeks of vacation time each year (plus government holidays which equal another couple of weeks). The last several years I have spent at least 3 weeks in SE Asia...last year it was 5 weeks. But I figure since I am going halfway around the world I need to make it worthwhile. Those first and business class award seats sure help out though too. My friends get jealous too.

I think it depends on where you go. If you judge by Bangkok it is likely a very skewed view since there are so many middle class and upper class Thais there. I would bet you don't see a lot of fat kids in the poorer areas on the country. But combine high fat, high sugar fast food products with sedentary lifestyle spent playing video games, etc and you get fat kids. And I think the notion mentioned about that Thais equate being overweight with being wealthy is likely a part of people not worrying about it. I would argue against the notion of chubby Buddhas meaning anything though. That is a Chinese thing. Thai and SE Asian Buddhas are almost always very svelte.

Wow. That seems crazy. Senso tried to get away with that too. But I think I will take my business somewhere else. The old management never required a minimum tip as far as I can remember. But I usually tipped in the neighborhood of Bt1000.

Under new management from late last year. Supposedly they did a bit of a clean up and remodel. The place was getting a bit dirty before then so a good scrubbing would have been a good thing. Under the previous management I went a few times and generally had a pretty good time. As Firecat notes, the rooms are large with large, low beds. Large shower-room attached to the room. Water temp and pressure was usually an issue. Maybe that's been corrected? a/c tends to blow right on the bed as well which seems to be par for the course but isn't always very comfortable. My last visit was an excellent massage by a beautifully toned guy in his early 30's or so who really knew what he was doing. But I suspect the guys come and go pretty frequently from all of these places. It's relatively easy to find on the small sub soi just off Silom.

I don't think Maxis is really any better. Seems pretty much the same as Dick's with regard to food and service to me. But I do enjoy the table just inside the door for viewing the dinner theater.

I check the Bangkok Post and Nation pretty much every day. I like to keep informed. I also listen to FAT radio (104.5) for a few hours each day as well. Of course I mainly don't understand what is being said but can pick up little bits and pieces. I just like the music.

I have always found the way Thais speak English to be charming. And anyway I realize that their English is a million times better than my very limited Thai. I know what you mean about the driving. I just sit back, put on my seatbelt and try not to pay much attention to what is going on outside the car. Of course not being the driver allows one to do that. I'll always remember my first time in Bangkok and the ride from Don Muang Airport down to the Tarntawan hotel. The tour company had arranged for a driver to pick me up. It was one of those awful old Volvo 960's that are still in use all over there. I had to basically close my eyes as we drove along the highway because we were going so fast just inches away from the other traffic.

You'll never meet nicer people anywhere than in SE Asia. They take hospitality very seriously. I love Thailand but I am not sure I could live there for a variety of reasons. But I will also agree that there is much more to Thailand than sex. While that is certainly a lot of fun I like the culture almost as much. :-) There is tons of ancient history and old temples everywhere, great music, good food, good shopping, good travel infrastructure.

I typically book direct with the property or chain's website. I may do some research in advance using other booking sites though.

In a case like this I think a Thai travel agent is probably your best bet. I would also have them price one way and round trip tickets to see what the difference is. If the RT is cheaper you can always buy that but not use the return.

Apparently his only hope for an appeal is if he comes up with some sort of new evidence. Not likely to happen. I don't imagine this verdict really changes much of anything. The red shirts will continue to simmer. If they are smart they will find a way to disengage from Thaksin because I think he ends up being more of a distraction to their cause than anything. His unclean hands taint their movement. And they have some very strong arguments about the way things have evolved over time. Another thing that hurts them is all of the "final showdown" talk. Whether that is a creation of the English language Thai press or something the red shirt leaders keep putting out there I don't know. But it makes them look like the boy who cried wolf when there are so many "final" events. They keep talking about having giant protests which keep getting postponed. That makes them look very disorganized. Will they manage to scrape together their big protest in a couple of weeks? Perhaps that will be the end if it doesn't materialize. Thaksin looks increasingly desperate despite getting half of his money back. Perhaps the greatest issue for him is the whole issue of "face". Despite the court's somewhat Solomonic decision, they still ruled that he was very corrupt. His bitter statement on TV today seemed to really bristle at that characterization. The longer he is out of the country the more marginalized he will continue to be. Appearing via video link isn't really a substitute for being there. And his talk of revolution last year put his followers in the line of fire while he sat cozily in Dubai. Do the people still in his camp want to be his pawns for his personal redemption? Or will they fall away as their own problems take precedence over that of this fugitive billionaire? Maybe he should join a monastery or something.