PeterRS

If I were to visit Pattaya, I'd usually head for Beertique apart from one reason - live music. If i want a beer with friends or even on my own in the hope I might chat with someone, I do not want music blaring over my shoulder. I have never understood this fascination with live music in eateries and bars.

If Washington does come up with that accusation, I trust someone in the USA will recall that Trump will effectively be calling the kettle BLACK! In the 1980s, the Reagan administration accused Japan of maintaining too low an exchange rate in order to boost its exports. It then used a number of measures to 'persuade' Japan that it had to increase the value of the ¥. From around US$1 = ¥250 when I started visiting the country in 1981, the rate by the time I left in 1992 after two years working there was close to US$1 = ¥115. This was entirely due to US pressure. And of course one indirect effect was that Japan endured an entire decade of deep recession in the 1990s.

To your question I have to say I have absolutely no idea, very sadly. As I wrote in an earlier post, the huge problem facing Myanmar should the militias win and the army is truly beaten is - is there an individual with the power and charisma who can both lead and unify? At one time I think we all assumed that Aung San Suu Kyi would fill that role. Sadly she is now thoroughly discredited and disliked, both within Myanmar and around the world. Besides she is over 80 and, as one who initially admired her and ended up speaking out quite forcibly against her, President Bill Clinton's once Ambassador at Large in his diplomacy with North Korea, basically told the world she "lacked moral leadership." The situation is somewhat similar to what existed in the mid-1930s. Britain then still regarded Burma as a Province of India. Many students actively felt betrayed by this and formed associations to find a way to gain independence. Ms. Aung's father, Aung San, became this group's natural leader. As war approached, Aung had taken note of the Japanese successes in China. He was almost certain that the Japanese intended to widen its war in Asia. So he spent a year in Japan, learning the language and studying its military methods. When the Japanese did invade Burma, General Aung believed that they did so primarily as a route to India where they intended to foment rebellion against the British. He sided with the invaders and became the second most important man in the Japanese occupying force. In that role, he was effectively fighting the Karens from Kayin State who fought on the side of the British. It was only when Aung realised he had been duped and that the Japanese were intent just as much in pillaging and raping Burma that he changed sides. At this time, the British had started their slow return to Burma. In London it was realised that the end of Empire was on the horizon and Burma would be one of the first countries to be granted independence. Winston Churchill was furious at General Aung whom he believed had been a traitor who should be tried and hung. He might have got his way had it not been for Admiral Louis Mountbatten, then the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in South-East Asia. Mountbatten argued with Churchill that such a move was a recipe for disaster. He considered that only one man was capable of keeping Burma together as a country - General Aung. Mountbatten got his way. In the April 1947 General Election four months prior to independence, Aung's party won 176 of the 210 seats. Three months later Aung was having a cabinet meeting when four armed men burst into the chamber and asassinated Aung and six of his ministers. Although the country's pre-war Prime Minister U Saw was arrested and hanged for his participation in the murders, the guns and buillets used had come from a cache of British armaments. Rumours persist to this day of British involvement. Certainly there were some shady British ex-army characters who had joined the Burmese police about whom much has been written. One had allegedly been killed in 1950 but was then found to have been spirited back to Britain from Bangkok in 1955 using false papers! Britain's Secret Service monitored a group based in London interested in Burmese affairs. The fact that most of the documents remain sealed in the Brtish archives suggests - although there is to date no proof - that Britain could have been more heavily involved. All that can be assumed is that there were powerful people in Britain who wanted a different course for an independent Burma. Balloons Over Bagan Although considerably older than you, that also remains one of the few items on my bucket list. I have been told that some of the temples were almost certainly affected by the earthquake. The last major quake in 2016 sadly did considerable damage.

You may call them gangs, but the vast majority of Burmese do not - and certainly do not consider themselves as gangs. They are fighting for freedom, first and foremost, from a succession of military juntas. A small handful, perhaps, see control of natural resources as a secondary aim - but the numbers are tiny compared to the total in the militias. If anyone, it is the Chinese in the Shan State who have for years been after the country's raw materials and other resources - and that has not stopped. I absolutely cannot agree. The situation in Myanmar is hugely complicated and that is not merely the view of your so-called "experts". I would certainly trust a small number of Myanmar historians like Thant Mint-U to provide a very detailed and accurate picture. It seems you are suggesting that the situation in Myanmar is not as complex as I and others have suggested. With respect, perhaps you might therefore tell us more about your own detailed and extensive research that brings you to that view. As far as engaging in discussion with those Burmese outside the country, the fact is that almost no-one has much clue about what is going on within, and this is made more difficult by the day-to-day changes we hear little about. As I have written before, there are about 300 Myanmar journalists camped out near Mae Sot who manfully bring to the world as much news as they can from inside the country. Trump's slashing of USAID means that many now work for either penuts or nothing at all. I have written a book about a boy born in the Shan State in the year 2000. He is now in Switzerland. Three of his siblings have managed to flee to Thailand but his oldest sister and father are still in the country. Typical of the average Myanmar citizens, they have little clue about what is going on within the country as a whole - merely their own small district. That is just not true! The military conscription law covers all males between 18 and 35 - and is likely to have the upper age limit further extended. If Burmese live officially overseas, they can only get new passports if they show certificates either proving their service in the military or a specific reason for not serving. Those merely renewing work papers will have to pay a new tax to the junta government. Some 3 million Burmese work legally in Thailand. If they are illegals in non-essential work, they better hope they are not caught because the Thai government has not been slow in deporting Burmese back to Myanmar. As Roisai Wongsuban, a policy advocate for a Thai NGO said in January, "While all nationalities face similar risks, Myanmar nationals face dual risks - both political opposition groups and ordinary workers uninvolved in politics. If deported, they might be drafted into military service, risking their lives." https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/thai/myanmar-refugees-thailand-migrants-01252025163854.html I agree with the point you make in your last sentence. But even to suggest "it is misleading that colonialism is the sole or even the primary cause of the current predicament" is absolutely untrue! It is the primary truth! Do you really know anything about Myanmar before and during the British colonial era? Are you aware that the British tore the country apart in terms of governance, economics and religion - all for profit of the British. Are you aware of King Mindon's major reforms for the country which effectively made it the most powerful monarchy in South-East Asia? Are you aware that in the three wars against the British, Mindon's successor Thibaw in the capital Mandalay was so concerned about the British bringing vast numbers of Indians into the lower part of the country they then controlled, that he asked the French for help in getting the British out? Are you aware that Randolph Churchill, Winston's father and at that time Britain's Secretary of State for India, was so infuriated by this he ordered 10,000 British troops to sail up the Irrawaddy and dethrone Thibaw who became Burma's last king? Are you aware that the British terminated the millennia-old alliance between Buddhism and governance of the country? Are you aware that the British destroyed the hitherto self-sufficient economy of Burma? Are you aware that the British uprooted the extensive mangrove forests in the irrawaddy Delta to make way for a vast increase in rice farms? The opening of the Suez Canal had created new markets for rice and these the British intended to and did exploit making Burma the largest rice exporter in the world. Are you aware that this resulted in soaring land values and major inflation? Are you aware that the British allowed Indian and Chinese merchants to control the rice trade? Cheaper labour from India was then imported resulting in massive unemployment amongst the native Burmese? Are you aware at the beginning of the 20th century, more than 250,000 Indians each year were flocking to Myanmar to work? Are you aware that the governance of the country was in the hands of the British and Indians, without any native Burmese? One who witnessed the destruction of Burma by the British was one of their own. Eric Blair had been born to a poor family in Bengal. Thanks to a scholarship he was educated in England at Eton before returning to work in the Burma colonial police force. Blair took the trouble to learn Burmese, but he hated his time there. He hated the corruption. He was devastated at how Britain was destroying the country. After five years Blair left Burma and became a writer. In his most famous novel, he wrote, "“Power is tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.” He learned that from his time in Burma. His name as a writer is George Orwell and that novel is "1984". That is another wholly inaccurate statement. The Chinese Civil War started in 1927 and continued with a short WWII break until the communists won in 1949. Communism in China was a fact 13 years before the 1962 military coup. Communism or fear of it had virtually no role whatever in the Burma coup. As in many countries, it was student uprisings that started that ball rolling. But it was another colonial act which spurred events. Prior to departing the country, under the Panglong Agreement the British colonial government had promised the huge Shan State (almost four times the size of Switzerland) independence within a united Burma ten years after the country's independence. The army was against the agreement and determined that it be torn up. The army feared any form of outside influence if any State broke away. After rebellions in the Shan State, the Panglong Agreement was shredded. I could go on and on. I spent much of last year researching Myanmar and its long history. I am no expert, but I believe I now know vastly more than I did before I started. I am happy to argue further on specific issues, but generalisations are rather a waste of time in my view.

I'm sorry there is one issue I did not cover in my earlier post. This is conscription. These boys from Myanmar are almost certainly here either illegally or on temporary visas of some sort. They will eventually have to return to Myanmar and do not want anyone informing on them about things they might have said outside the country - however unlikely. Myanmar is a country ruled by fear as much as the junta! Returning means they will be liable to be called up to serve in the national army, the one that is slowly being defeated in many parts of the country with consequent loss of life. The alternative is to fight with one of their local militias or go underground. But even in Yangon, army units are patrolling streets after dark to pressgang any they come across and force them into the military. As my Myanmar friends tell me, the last thing they want is to end up dead killed by a fellow Burmese. The latest militia victory came two days ago when resistance groups led by the Kachin Independence Army seized full control of the strategic northern Sagaing town after eight months of fighting. All the time junta fighter bombers were trying to avoid the Resistance Army from winning the battle. The KIA and its allied forces have now captured over 300 junta outposts and bases in Kachin State. This is the northernmost State with an almost equally long border with China as the Shan State. https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/war-against-the-junta/kia-led-force-seizes-indaw-from-myanmar-junta-after-8-month-battle.html

WIth all respect, I think asking any individual barboy about the politics in his country is a really bad idea, especially re Myanmar where the civil war which many commentators talk about as having started after the 2021 coup, actually started with the 1962 coup. Myanmar is a hugely complex country with a hugely complex history. First there are 14 States - not 7. Second, in general terms, they are not fighting each other. The primary objective of all the State militias is to get rid of the ruling junta. Can you imagine any ruling government which continued its air offensive against the militias in the immediate aftermath of the dreadful earthquake last month? Is it any wonder most in that very large country loathe the national government and want change? Third, as I have ponted out before in these forums, Myanmar is made up of 135 different ethnic groups. In terms of population China is 26 times larger but has only 56 different ethnic groups. Each ethnic group in Myanmar has its own objectives, even those belonging to just one State. Fourth, the four States you list are all very different. Shan State is the largest, the closest to the longest part of the border with China and therefore has been historically open to a great deal of Chinese influence. The Shan are a fiercely proud people. The Karens in Kayin State, however, are probably the most western oriented of the States, despite being geographically one of the closest to the east. This is a result of extensive British influence in the colonial period when many British settled there and there remains a higher proportion of Christians than elsewhere. Fifth, in general one reason for the country's problems is the result of the utterly disastrous rule by the British. Colonialism created all manner of problems for many countries during the colonial era. Almost nowhere on the planet did it destroy a country as completely as it did Burma. It never even considered Burma a separate country until 1937. Before then it called Burma a division of India and its capital Rangoon as "a suburb of Madras". Sixth, despite their differences, all Burmese are extremely proud of the country's long history. How many in the west are aware that for a century during the Taungoo Dynasty its Empire was the largest ever in South East Asia, greater even than the much earlier Angkor Empire? Lastly, do you think any of them actually realised the significance of Yugoslavia, a 'country' born out of world War I and kept in place largely as a result of the Cold War before collapsing before any of them were born? Sorry again, but no one from Myanmar can tell you why "this eternal conflict cannot end". That is typical western thinking and I'm certain we'd all love to know. Other than saying everyone wants to get rid of the junta, four guys from four States certainly cannot tell you, so complicated are the reasons for the conflict, the history and the international pieces on that particular chess board. Even once the junta is despatched - if ever Russia, China and other players allow that to happen - there is absolutely no one presently in the country who could unify it. In an earlier thread about the history of the country, I have tried to explain why this is.

Nice one! Thanks for pointing it out.

I have noticed a number of fare reductions out of Bangkok over the last few months. Some airlines used to offer discounts on tickets to Europe (and maybe elsewhere but my destination was always Europe) in October for travel up to the following summer. For quite a few years I have got Qatar tickets for the following March at a basic discount of at least 20% - sometimes 25%. I have even got mileage tickets almost always in or near the days I wished. With enough miles left for one more European biz class ticket, I called Qatar last October to find out which dates were available in March 2025. None! A week later I called, extended the search to 4 months and was told there was only one seat available back from Europe. None going to Europe. I found this ridiculous, the more so given that Qatar had resumed its 5 daily flights to Doha, including one A380, and had 2 onward daily connections to my European destintation. Finally I had to accept a mileage ticket on Cathay Pacific via HKG which meant a 14-hour HKG/Europe flight plus a purchased short haul ticket at the European end. But then I was quite surprised to find that all six flights on that trip were 100% full! Now, though, something is clearly happening. Qatar and Emirates have sent out several emails recently with special biz class discount offers through to November. Given that this covers the summer holiday period in Europe and the USA, I find this both surprising and unusual. Hopefully the post-covid hike in fares last year may now be coming to an end and airlines are keen to keep planes relatively full, even at a discount. Although we should be aware that often such discounts in biz class are only for the tickets. If you want lounge access and advance seat selection, you are often screwed for a considerable premium!

I have never seen Nespresso capsules in Starbucks, but will check, thanks. On the other hand, I tried out many Nespresso flavours before I finally found one I really like. That is the only one I purchase.

I read recently that a number of factors have negatively affected the price of coffee - meaning your morning cuppa is going to cost more, perhaps even considerably more. As a convert to Nespresso machines (yes, I know: the coffee is not quite as tasty as that freshly ground but it is much more convenient for me), I noticed in January that my favourite flavour had risen by around 12%. Seeing thereafter that the price of wholesale arabica beans has doubled in a year and that ground roast coffee in the USA was at an all-time high, I decided to buy more now. Droughts and weather-related factors in Brazil have seen a drop in exports of 11.3%. In Vietnam a drop of 39.5%. Added to the effects of climate change, here in Asia there has been a substantial increase in drinking coffee in China. As I result, I recently was back at Nespresso buying 300 more capsules. https://caffeinespots.com/news/why-coffee-prices-in-thailand-just-got-more-expensive/

I used to love visiting Singapore. Just walking down Orchard Road or cruising shopping malls you can see some of the most gorgeous young Chinese guys on the planet. There is a lot of sex available for free if a guy likes you. No idea about paid sex, though. There are gay saunas, gay bars and gay clubs. One part of the beach off Beach Road used to be very cruisy but it was always AYOR as cops would use entrapment. But now that the dreaded colonial law (Section 377A) was repealed in 2023, I suspect it may be more cruisy again. As younger Singaporeans are mostly well-educated, well-dressed, well-mannered and financially at least reasonably well-off, I suspect older, overweight, T-shirt, shorts and flip-flop visitors are unlikely to have much success - unless they can find some gay for play on the apps. Just my thoughts.

You should note that the original Thailand Elite programme was changed two years ago and is now Thailand Privilege. In typical Thai fashion, it has also become a great deal more expensive. Whereas before the basic 5-year visa cost 500,000 Bt but gave you the option at the end to convert for another 15 years for the same amount of 500,000, the option of extension has now disappeared. Apart from a 650,000 version which expires on June 30 this year, the new basic is 900,000 for five years - no option to extend other than purchasing a new basic visa. 1,500,000 baht buys you a 10 years Privilege Visa. 2,500,000 gets you 15 years. So whereas before you could get 20 years for 1 million, now 20 years would cost 3,400,000! Although these expensive options provide some additional perks, you'd be far better on a plain retirement visa avaiable after you are 50 and plonking 800,000 in a savings account. At present this permits annual renewals ad infinitum. Incidentally I recently asked a Thailand Privilege assistant at BKK if the new visa charges had proved popular. She said they can not satisfy demand - so far mostly from Chinese and Russians.

The Portuguese Embassy, the oldest in the Kingom, is situated on the river and easily seen as it is next door to the large Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel. It was a gift from Thailand in return for assistance the Portuguese had given the country during the late 1700s war against the invading Burmese who had sacked the capital at Ayutthaya. Only a couple of decades or so ago, it leased part of its extensive land down to the river to the hotel so that it could expand what had earlier been the hotel's much smaller pool area. Photo: Chaiyawat Chaiyachote, TIme Out Bangkok The Portuguese were the first traders to make serious inroads culturally in Asia. They had captured their first Asian base in Goa only the year before they appeared in Thailand. In this same year they took over Malacca which quickly became their primary base for further exploration and expansion in the continent. In 1517 they made their first commerical contacts with China, eventually leasing from the Ming Dynasty the tiny enclave of Macao on the western side of the mouth of the southern Pearl River in 1557. The terms of the lease meant an annual payment to the Emperor of 19 kgs of gold. Before that agreement with China, they had ventured north-east and started a small trading base at Nagasaki in 1543. The triangular trade in Chinese silk, porcelain and gold with Japanese silver was remakably successful for the time and soon became a monopoly. The Portuguese also brought guns which were of particular interest to the Japanese. As in all western expansion, it only took a few years for Catholic Church missionaries to follow, in this case those from the Jesuit order. To a certain extent this was tolerated by China but not in Japan. Within only a few decades, the Japanese kicked out the missionaries and very soon thereafter the traders. The arrival of the Shoguns as the absolute rulers of Japan meant the end of Japanese influence. China was different. It recognised the value of an association with the Portuguese who soon gained access to Chinese markets, especially silk, tea and porcelain. The Chinese valued the knowledge of science, mathematics and astronomy the Portuguese brought with them. As importantly, the Jesuits gained a foothold in the Chinese court. Perhaps surprisingly, the Jesuits efforts to integrate Christianity with strongly held Confucian values also gained a degree of acceptance. One Jesuit in particular gained the trust of the Emperor. Matteo Ricci was a Jesuit priest who had landed in Macao around 1580. Unlike most, he learned both to speak and write Chinese. He became the first European to enter Beijing's Forbidden City in 1601. He died in Beijing a few years later. Although he never met the Emperor, he did have the Emperor's patronage and was to meet and associate with a large number of his officials, also establishing the first Catholic Church in the city which remains today. Ironically this burgeoning relationship between an Empire and the Catholic Church was ended not by China, but by the Pope in Rome. In the early 18th century Pope Clement XI considered millennia-old Chinese socio-cultural rituals to be dangerous idol worship. He ordered all priests out of the heathen kingdom. The Portuguese then departed, but many of their ideas remained. The influence of Portugal within Asia as a whole in so many ways cannot be underestimated.

Yes I do.

I am one who has lived in Bangkok for 24 years. But I had visited the city and other parts of Thailand many dozens of times before I took the plunge, as it were. Since I was living in Hong Kong during the 1980s and 1990s, that made it easy for me. By the mid-1990s I realised I wished to remain in Asia for the rest of my life. The only question was: where? Once again I was extremely lucky. The jobs I had been doing took me regularly virtually all over Asia and so I was quickly able to rule out most countries. I had certain criteria - one being it had to be close to Hong Kong for I did not intend to retire in 2001. I planned to continue running my own small company in Hong Kong even after normal retirement age. So proximity and ease of travel were vital. I narrowed the choice down to two cities in two countries and eventually purchased a small Bangkok condo in mid-1999. While I had intended to rent it out for at least 15 or more years, the Asian Economic Crisis which started in Thailand on 1 July 1997 finally reached Hong Kong in 2000. There followed the worst recession there since WWII. With my company's budgeted income for 2001 and 2002 quickly vanishing, it became cheaper for me to base myself in Bangkok and commute to Hong Kong or wherever work took me each month. I had done my research and my sums. The one problem I had not factored in was the worldwide recession of 2008 and the resultant crash in interest rates. As Thailand's economy has grown extensively since 1999, everything is a good bit more expensive than I had expected by this stage. But that would almost certainly also be true of most retirement cities/countries.

Over the last 25 or so years China has developed many more contemporary dance troupes - a few of them near world-class.

Cruising around the internet this morning, I was looking at various vdos commenting on how airlines are all reducing their tier points and increasing their mileage requirements for free flights. Having just spent most of my remaining air miles on the flight to Hong Kong and the UK last month, I’m not sure why I was bothering with this. Purely habit, I guess, because I used to have tons of miles and was always looking for the best way of using them. For some strange reason, I noticed a video about attitudes of gay guys in China. I clicked on it and found it quite fascinating. When this forum has focused on gay life in China, that has generally been life in Beijing and Shanghai. In the recent thread titled "Most Obscure Places You Have Found Someone" in the The Beer Bar, I did mention my experience on a visit to Chengdu when I met several young gay guys from the apps – and could have met many more had I had time, given the number of hits I was getting. This video I found has a Chinese guy who at the end reveals he is actually straight interviewing three Chinese gay guys in their 20s. His interviews are quite probing – and I suggest quite revealing about how the guys came to realise they preferred men and what gay life in China is really like, especially the attitude of ordinary folk to the LGBT community. I think it is even more interesting that two of the guys live in Chengdu and the third in nearby Chongqing, both large cities and both in central China approx. 240 kms apart and both mentioned by @terper. So perhaps they are more representative of better-off young men in the country than a small sample from the main coastal cities. I certainly found their views pretty much the same as guys I know or have met over the last 10 - 15 or so years. You will note that the vdo does not discuss money boys, but it does seek views on the difference between Chinese gay guys and foreign gay guys. I think this is more for relationships for the Chinese I have met have been as eager for sex as most non-Chinese. But perhaps it is a point just worth bearing in mind for those planning to visit China.

A couple of interesting points from the discussion in the link. 1. As Dr. Morgentaler points out: "When testosterone is low, it means the testicles aren’t producing an adequate amount. That can lead to all kinds of signs and symptoms including: lower sex drive, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, brain fog, loss of muscle mass and strength, more body fat, weight gain, breast growth, sleep problems, mood swings, weak bones, and fertility problems." 2. I am really srprised that at no point is another possible reason for low testosterone levels mentioned. It has been thought by many in the medical research profession for years that constantly wearing tight underwear or tight jeans could have a considerable negative effect on testosterone levels. As one journal reported - " . . . it is thought that excessive heat and pressure caused by tight underwear may contribute to reduced testosterone production. The testicles, where testosterone is primarily produced, are more sensitive to temperature changes. When the temperature in the testicular region increases due to tight clothing, it may disrupt the normal functioning of Leydig cells, which are responsible for testosterone production." Although nothing has yet been proved conclusively and more controlled studies are necessary, many now believe the above may well be true. https://medshun.com/article/does-tight-underwear-affect-testosterone

@Olddaddy - what happened to the idea of your owning a bar in Pattaya?

I suspect that is merely wishful thinking. Isn't the Thai way of coping with reduced income to raise prices, not reduce them to encourage more business? Around 12 years ago on this forum, I extolled the virtues and products of the British Pie Shop not far from Sathorn. It even made Green Curry pies (very tasty) and a host of sinful dessert pies. A year or so later it had to close in that location when the landlord upped the rent. I frequently pass that area and noticed yesterday that in all the time since the Pie Shop had to leave, it has remained completely vacant! It is not in a section of the soi that would be redeveloped for condos or whatever. So the property owner has lost roughly 11 years of rent when the Pie Shop could have remained at least for a few years more. That's the Thai way! There are still various pie shops around when searching the internet. But all different from the one I used to patronise. I assume it must have gone out of business.

To enlighten @Ken76, the PFC stands for the Pattaya Flying Club. No, it does not teach you to fly an aircraft, although some who have participated might have had far too much acohol and assumed they could fly solo. It basically means depression-related suicide by jumping off a balcony. Generally, I suggest it is near madness to consider retiring anywhere unless you have a pretty good knowledge of the country/area. Just because some countries have a reputation for being gay friendly should not make it the reason for investing in retirement there. I suggest @Olddaddy's earlier post has several very pertinent points you have to consider (although I got the impression from your OP that your boyfriend is not in fact Thai - if he is, then that changes things somewhat). There are lots of Americans in Thailand, more than a few are gay and have Thai boyfriends. As a gay couple you will be welcomed, but key to that as @bkkmfj2648 pointed out above is you respecting Thai people, their culture, customs and religion. This is their country - not America. So you have to adapt and respect them rather than the other way around. It would be interesting to know if you have visited Thailand before - or indeed any Asian country.

Remembering the self-combustion problems on the then new 787 Dreamliners resulting from Boeing's use of lithium ion batteries, as well as the UPS cargo 747 which crashed in the UAE when lithium batteries in the hold started a catastrophic fire, I am not surprised. Yet at the same time I remain amazed that airlines still permit the carriage of items like litre bottles of booze. These can cause death if a passenger decided to go on the rampage. Unlikely I know - and I do not think it has yet happened. But with air rage on the increase . . .? I realise airport managers would scream if they were banned. Yet, purchasing on arrival prior to customs checks is quite common at some airports. Although not at BKK any longer. On arrival in mid-March i noticed that the small Duty Free shop had disappeared.

Digesting @macaroni21's comments, I can see how he comes to the conclusion re the USA maintaining its importance geographically perhaps through the end of this century. The same was to a certain extent true with Britain. It seems to me a fact that the end of previous 'empires' has almost always resulted from a rot starting from within. But whereas China, the Ottoman Turks and to a certain extent Russia, for example, had all collapsed largely because of their inability to adapt to a changing world, Britain had to give up its empire for a variety of reasons with the rot starting 70 - 80 years prior to World War II. And I think from @macaroni21's post it is clear that the rot has surely already started within the USA. How long it can maintain its international status no doubt depends to a large extent on the mass of its own peoples and what other empires might rise as the century progresses. I suspect we all agree that, even though it is presently tackling some pretty horrendous economic problems, China has the ability to become the world's only superpower. Whether under President Xi's successors it will wish to take that role, though, is in my view doubtful. Put as simply as possible, the British ruling elite had for centuries been the land owning aristocracy. Thus parliament was elected from the votes of only a few hundred thousand land owners, all of whom felt they had some divine right to rule and were themselves very rich as a result of their huge land ownership. With the industrial revolution and the wealth derived from colonialism on a grand scale (at one time 25% of the known world was effectively British), the new mercantile class allied to massively increased urbanisation wanted its voice heard in the country's governance. Through a series of laws and taxes introduced over the middle 50 years of the 19th century, the wealth of the aristocracy was seriously diminished. Parliament had reduced the property thresholds required for elections thereby increasing representation from other classes in society. Britain still remained rich but relatively less so. There is a famous quote from the hugely wealthy British mining magnate, Sir Cecil Rhodes, who had moved to South Africa towards the end of the 19th century and after whom Zimbabwe and Zambia were initially named as Rhodesia: "To be born British at the end of the 19th century is to win the first prize in the lottery of life." The times, though, were already changing. By then only 18% of Britons had the right to vote. In the new century, the electoral franchise was extended to cover all males over 21 and soon all women. The First World War soon wiped out a large proportion of the aristocracy's first sons, those who historically inherited the family landed estates. Many of these were subdivided amongst other siblings, thus reducing their wealth. The income from estates fell and the death of so many during the war resulted in a major shortage of servants vital to running their massive country houses. It was a slow nail in the coffin for the aristocracy. Many stately houses were pulled down between the wars, their owners simply unable to earn enough from the land and to pay estate duties when passed from fathers to sons. To cap it all, Britain had to borrow massive amounts to finance its participation in the two World Wars. By 1945 Its debt exceeded 200% of GDP. Throughout the 1950s and 60s Britain had a tiered system of taxation and many paid a top rate of 97.5% on a large portion of their income. Financing an empire was totally impossible, although the wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill believed part of it could be saved. What might have happened without the two World Wars, we can only take a wild guess. But it's a silly question because the pieces on the international chess board were moving in a way that made those wars inevitable.

One of the most perceptive, hugely intelligent posts ever seen by me on this forum. A great big thank you!

It's a lousy time to visit Hong Kong. Hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong Chinese return to their ancestral homes on the mainland for family gatherings. A large number of expats of all ages also leave the city for short holidays around the region, mainly because Hong Kong is pretty dead at that time. I definitely fall into that category! Moved there in 1979 when Hong Kong still had the mid-1800s colonial anti-sodomy law. Every year the government jailed 2 or 3 guys for a couple of years for homosexual offences. All that did was keep everything under the surface. A lot of men near the top of the government and in major businesses still had their Chinese boyfriends. So it remained a very cruisy city. Provided one took a small degree of care, meeting guys was easy. There were a couple of gay bars - Dateline in a small street near Central on the Island and Waltzing Mathilda in Kowloon. But the police anti-gay squad kept a close watch on each. Dateline was accessed by a long staircase to the basement lit by a bright floodlight. At first I thought it was a kind gesture by the bar to ensure no-one slipped and fell. Only later did I realise that the cops had rented the flat opposite and photographed everyone going in and out! Waltzing Mathilda was known as a triad hangout and one of the barmen was a police informer. Soon after my arrival a gayish disco Disco Disco opened in the Lan Kwai Fong area and this became hugely popular. On each side of the harbour was at least one bath house which became known as semi-cruising spots. Earlier, in the mid-1970s, the government had realised it had a problem with gay men in high places. Allied to excessive corruption often involving top government officials, it set up a totally Independent Commission Against Corruption with its own police and judiciary. This ICAC became very popular with the public at large and a number of top officials decided the time had come to disappear. The gay Chief Justice at the time had the nickname 'Brenda'. A top policeman fled to Britain for having wealth beyond his means. He was extradited and jailed. I won't go into the 1980 death of the police inspector John MacLennan 'suspected' of being gay as I already covered this in an earlier series of posts. This caused an almost volcanic eruption both in government circles and with the public. Many were certain MacLennan had been murdered because he had seen too much in police files that would have incriminated many top people. This was Part 2 of the 5 part series I wrote almost 2 years ago about how this ended up changing Hong Kong for gay people for the better. The important thing for gay people is that over the 1980s public opinion on scrapping the anti-sodomy law grew very considerably. When it became time for Britain and China to agree on a Hong Kong Bill of Rights in 1990, this finally swept away the ancient law. I can't say the floodgates opened, but I recall going to the first gay sauna the following year. It was located in Paterson Street near Food Street. Eventually the number increased and covered much of Hong Kong island and Kowloon. But Hong Kong never became like Bangkok or Pattaya. Gogo bars did not exist. Some bars opened, mostly quite small, and a number of saunas on both sides of the harbour. Anyone who visited around that time will remember arguably the most popular bar/dance club on the Island, Propaganda which changed its name after some years to Works. The biggest sauna on the Island was and remains Gateway in Wanchai (I seem to recall that its first name was GB, but am now not 100% sure). The smallest was and remains CE close to the Central Escalator just off Cochrane Street. Although tiny, it was usually a good place for westerners to meet young Chinese. It was my regular for a few years. I particularly recall one time meeting up with two tall, young, aggressively cute Chinese guys who had come to Hong Kong for a weekend of shopping and sex. We had a ball. Another visit I had a great time with a guy who worked for the Immigration Department and we became friends for a while. But weekdays were mostly hit or miss. Late afternoons at the week-end there were more patrons. On Kowloon, Hutong remains THE sauna to visit. Re bars, in addition to FLM, there are a couple of other bars in the Sheung Wan district, but I have generally found these to me more Chinese for Chinese. Fun to visit, but hook-ups unlikely. Like many cities, in Hong Kong the apps have taken over with a lot of young Chinese guys happy to hook up with much older westerners.