PeterRS

I have never known a year like this weatherise in Thailand. First there was no cool season. Around December and January nights should be a lot cooler and many days with overall temperatures dropping at least 7 or 8 degrees. Apart from one short period, this did not happen. Now in mid August we have had virtually no rain. I can recall only two heavy thunderstorms since Songkran. Normally there will be a couple a week. Often I would open the curtains to grey skies. This morning, as with most mornings in the last few months, it is bright and sunny. Unless there is a bucketload of rain in the next 3 months I fear water rationing will not be far away.

The problem is surely not just one of a policy gone wrong. Like all third world countries (even if bordering on second world) many rural Thai families traditionally needed a large number of children to tend their fields and ensure they would be looked after in their old age. Some inevitably would gravitate to the cities but some had to stay at home. It was this very large group that Mechais campaigns targeted. But then as Thailand's economy started to take off in the 1980s, some of the wealth trickled down and there was a reduced economic need for families to have so many children. At 2.2 kids per family, Thailand would be at slightly above replacement rate. However, not quoted from the Bloomberg article in the OP is that Thailand has dropped quite a bit below that. It states the rate now is 1.5. So Thailand is only fractionally ahead of Japans 1.43 and a little further ahead of Singapore at 1.16. Japan has introduced measures to keep older people in work voluntarily. Thailand is stuck with a retirement age of 60 and no political will to raise it. Singapore has tried for decades not just to get couples to produce more babies but to get men and women actually to marry. Nothing seems to work. So Singapore imports a huge number of foreign workers. Of a population of 5.64 million, only 3.47 million are Singapore nationals! That I assume is the route Thailand will have to take. And we wonder why there are so few Thai boys in the go-go bars compared to 30 years ago!

I think we must remember that the primary reason for the big drop in the birth rate is the success of Mechai's promotion of condom use in the 1980s and 90s. The government realised that the high birth rate was unsustainable. One reason was the lack of knowledge about birth control. So Mechai started a campaign to promote an understanding of condoms and greater condom use. It is no surprise that many older Thais still call condoms "mechais". That resulted in a very fast drop in overall birth rates. Many residents and tourists have visited Mechai's restaurant chain, Cabbages and Condoms. Caucasians are certainly in the minorty. Already the Han Chinese are the majority ethnic group and Mandarin the world's most spoken language. Are we inferior? Not sure, but we are certainly doing a good job of going in that direction.

The earlier Bill in Thailand was for civil unions - not gay marriage.

A gay marriage law went into effect in 2015. But it offers no legal recognition or protection. So its basically a sham - at least for the present.

I believe the law in Taiwan is very clear. Marriage between two men can only take place if one or both of the partners is Taiwanese.

If you like entertainment, nowhere beats Las Vegas - not even Broadway. I dont mean the gaming tables but the absolutely stunning shows by Cirque du Soleil. These permanent shows in specially built theatres in hotels are nothing like the touring shows that have sometimes come to Asia. In fact they are vastly bigger, technically amazing and the best entertainment you will ever see. 'O' at the Bellagio. 'Ka' with its vertical fight at the MGM Grand, 'Love' (to the digitally remastered surround sound music of The Beatles) are absolute must sees. There is also one to Michael Jacksons songs called 'One' at the Mandalay Bay. You can book tickets on line. You can even take in two shows in one evening. Hotels can be pretty inexpensive and eating is also cheap and very good. Youll have to put up with crowds but it is still a place that will stay in your memory. If you are not returning via the Pacific, you can probably still get a good price on a return ticket to Las Vegas from New York. There is also an amazing show at Wynns by the original creator of some of Cirque du Soleil shows, Le Reve. It is a circular water based show - so dont sit in the front rows! And of course there is the free fountain shows at the Bellagio between 3pm and 8pm. If you are a bit flush, book a helicopter tour over the Hoover dam and actually into the Grand Canyon with a glass or two of champagne when you touch down in the Canyon. Make sure you have your camera with you. If not, there are plenty of coach tours.

I cant see that connecting through Seoul will make life any more difficult for passengers flying on to Hong Kong or Singapore. It might add an hour or so to the total time but not much more. My concern is that Haneda will become even more packed.

I wonder if there is a difference between prices offered in different countries or different continents. If I am travelling to the Americas or Europe, I usually find venere offers lower prices than agoda and hotels com. In Asia veneres prices are almost always higher. I cannot now remember the site, but when I have visited New York quite frequently, the Australian site of a much larger worldwide site consistently offered lower prices than the main site. The additional reductions were too large to be a result only of currency fluctuations. I note from Reader's useful list that travelzoo is not part of that grouping. Occasionally I have had amazing prices from that site - up to 70% once in a 5-star hotel in Japan and 60% in a similar class of hotel in Europe. Without the reductions I could never have dreamed of staying in those hotels! Then there are the little perks offered by different sites. I am bombarded weekly by an email from agoda offering a special Bt. 150 off. Hotels.com offers one night free for every 10 booked. The nights do not have to be earned in one stay. They are spread over all stays. In Asia I had always gone with agoda as I never really trusted that one night free slogan. Yet having analysed each possible booking, I soon found that the 1 night free actually works out cheaper for most bookings. But if I am staying in a chain hotel, I find the lowest prices on their sites cannot be beaten by the booking engines. Same with airlines if you book reasonably far in advance. Just yesterday I checked an inter European flight on a legacy carrier for later this year. Some of the search engine sites were charging as much as 20% more than if booked directly on the airlines own site, plus they would add charges for baggage when the carrier itself has a 23kg free allowance! Caveat emptor!

Thanks for the update. My information was from some months before the latest announcement. When Concorde was first conceived in the 1950s, it was assumed that it would find a small niche market prepared to pay high prices for speed. Despite using 1950s technology that view was largely correct even as the price of oil rose massively during its life. When the 747 was introduced, it was assumed it would open the door to mass air travel. It, too, survived the various oil crises and the massive rise in the cost of fuel. It even outlived the cheaper to operate three engine jumbos quickly introduced by Lockheed and McDonnell Douglas - the Tristar and the DC10. It seems Airbus just got its calculations wrong. I for one thought it was a wise move as air traffic continued to increase and airport landing slots continued to be limited. I will certainly be sorry to see it go.

Ive flown the 787 several times and never once noticed any difference in air pressure from any other aircraft. On the other hand I do feel a difference on the A350s. As for the A380 being obsolete you are correct that it houses a lot of bodies. Emirates has reconfigured some of its large stable of A380s into 2 class biz and economy. That totals 615 passengers! But thats far from the most squeezed into an aircraft. When the 747s became popular the Japanese carriers had around 700 economy passengers for domestic flights. Fortunately most Japanese are pretty slim But the A380 is hardly obsolete. Airbus will continue making it till 2021 and the life of the several hundred existing aircraft will continue for quite a few more years. Emirates plans to continue with some of its fleet until the early 2030s. British Airways seems to be considering purchasing second hand models to replace its fleet of old 747s. Air France is spending €45 million per plane on refurbishing 5 of its fleet. Hardly likely it would commit that expenditure unless it planned to continue flying them for a lot more years.

Add me to the "aircraft type is important" column. In fact very important. I will change dates if necessary to avoid an aircraft I just do not wish to fly in. I loved the 747 in it various versions, although have not yet tried the extended upper deck 747-800 which only Lufthansa seems to operate. I can not imagine any long flight like Europe to Bangkok and Japan to New York on a narrow body. For the same reason I absolutely love the A380 in both economy and business but especially business when I can afford it. Business, that is, with the exception of British Airways dreadful and dreadfully outdated 8 across biz class seating on its 777s and A380s. Anyone who has flown London/Asia or in the other direction knows how awful these planes are. It was not so long ago that most long haul flights were operated at night. With most people trying to sleep or just watch movies, perhaps I might be less concerned about a single aisle plane - but I doubt it. On a daytime flight the thought fills me with horror. The great thing about the jumbos is that there was plenty space to move around and you never felt cramped. I dont like the 777, the 787 Dreamliner and the A330 which many airlines seem to be converting for long haul. The A350 is by far the best of the twin engine lot.

One trick sometimes used in bars is for your change to come in a mix of notes and coins. But 2 or 3 10 baht coins will be tucked into a tight flap at the bottom of the folder. If you dont plan on leaving a tip, make sure you take all your change.

As indeed is dropping your pants for a good time with a girl 30 - 40 years your junior, grabbing pussies or having an almighty row with furniture being flung around in your girlfriends apartment - as in the cases of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson. Both got elected! I admit I have never heard of chaturbate before. I assume it is another porn or social media hook up site. But do you seriously think those trolling the internet for the latest porn pics in 2019 are going to keep them for 31 years in the expectation that one or more might just be running for any kind of office? I think those in their late teens and twenties have little to fear about internet exposure in a generations time.

There will certainly be left luggage lockers or a manned facility at every large transit airport in Asia. If in transit, it is almost certain your hold bag will stay with the airline (I believe). Even if you have to pick it up and go through customs, there is no point whatever in dragging that into the city. But it is good you brought this up because occasionally you might find a queue when you return to pick it up. So you need to add another 10 - 15 minutes to your schedule. Toilets. Aha! Sounds like you do not travel very often abidismaili! Wherever there are hotels, department stores, restaurants and even cafes, there will be toilets. Just walk in as though you are a customer, look for the toilet signs and make a beeline for them. No one will stop you! Smaller establishments may require a key obtainable from the cash desk. So look for larger establishments. Almost all hotels I have ever stayed in with a bar or a restaurant will have a toilet at that level. No one is going to stop you. One problem not yet discussed is currency. Anyone stopping over only for a few hours or even a full day is unlikely to have stocked up with Yen or NT$s or Chinese RMB in advance. But again all major airports will have currency exchange desks. Some airports like Taipei and Tokyo offer good rates more or less comparable to banks. At others like Bangkok and Hong Kong you may find the rate is not nearly as good. You can also get a small amount at your departure airport. But lets face it. You wont be using much and you dont have time to look around for the best deal. Even if you see a nice Prada handbag you want , the store will take credit cards.

Have we all forgotten that it was not much more than 12 years ago that the Thai government egged on by IATA wanted to close down Don Mueang and push all air traffic through Suvarnabhumi? Don Mueang was even closed for a few months before it was decided to tart it up and reopen it for low cost carriers. Last year DMK handled almost 41 million passengers and BKK remains massively overcrowded. Can you imagine what BKK would be like now if DMK had actually been demolished? I cannot believe a third airport will open in the lifetimes of most of us. When you take into account all the corruption that will be involved with politicians and their cronies buying up all the land for the airport and its approach expressways and then reselling to the government at vastly inflated prices, the corruption surrounding the bids for runway and terminal construction, the usual delays as committee after committee investigates this, that and the next thing, but especially the vast cost overruns, changes in government which in turn mandate design changes and so on, it just is not going to happen. After all, it took 33 years from the purchase of the first piece of land for a new Bangkok airport until BKK finally opened. Thailand is so predictable!

Re the Tokyo online Host boys I should have added the price list. 70 minutes in your hotel room will cost 13,000 Yen - thats about $120. You usually pay the boy but some host bars request advance payment by credit card. No tips are expected. If public transport is required to get to your hotel you may also be asked to pay for that. But it will be peanuts. You can go to the bar and hire a room there if you wish and that sets you back another $10 or so. In addition to the list below, there are overnight rates. But given that the cheaper hotels in Japan have very small single beds, I would not recommend it unless you book a much more expensive double room. Besides, overnight rates are much more expensive! The websites also give information of when each boy is available each day and that information is posted several days in advance..

I think I am right in saying the Muslim religion believes a lot of what is written in the Old Testament. That no doubt includes the verses in Leviticus which call for death between men who lie with other men. I am sure there are other references but I do not know where. Strangely, as far as I know, nowhere in the Quran is homosexuality referred to as a similar sin. This was an added extra in the hadith, the alleged sayings of the Prophet Mohammed and forming part of Islamic tradition some time after his death. The point being that, as spoon points out, progress in LGBT rights is unlikely to occur in countries with a large Islamic population and a bunch of evangelical Christians believing the same thing. But it strikes me that it is not only religion. The British are also very much to blame. When England passed its anti-sodomy law in the 1860s, all its colonial possessions incorporated the same law. And then the British departed leaving the law on all those statue books when England itself would change the law in the 1960s. Section 377A remains law in Singapore and Malaysia.and the reason usually trotted out is, as spoon says, those in power state the public would not accept a change. Strangely the same seemed to be true in Hong Kong where successive governments claimed the 95% Chinese community would not accept a change in the law. Ironically it was Hong Kongs return to China that necessitated a sort of Bill of Rights for the city acceptable to the international community. So the law was changed almost 30 years ago. Did the Chinese population rise up? Were there demonstrations and calls for resignations? Apparently not a cheep! So much for that little political ploy.

What I find so strange is that LGBT acceptance in Taiwan has happened so quickly. After all it was under decades of martial law until only 32 years ago. During martial law there were no human rights, no right to free speech, no freedom of expression and courts were military courts. Since then it has developed strong political parties, an independent and vociferous media and an independent judiciary. (And the boys are amongst the most beautiful in Asia!) How did it get it right when so many other Asan countries have not?

If you plan to do more than sightseeing, Tokyo has at least 200 gay bars in the Shinjuku ni-chome district. But only a few of these will welcome foreigners. So do research beforehand. Check sites like https://www.travelgayasia.com/tokyo-gay-bars/ If you are into saunas, there is an excellent 24 Kaikan Sauna in the ni-chome district. There is an etiquette to sauna going in Japan. Let us know if this is where you choose and I can amplify. Shinjuku station is one of the busiest in the world and has seeming miles of underground shopping. Great for getting to ni-chome if its raining. Walk to Exit C8 a the BYGS Building. The bars are just around the corner, as are at least two of the escort host bars. Just dont expect much English to be spoken at the latter. There are also escort host bars where you can book the boy of your dreams online to come to your hotel. This can save a lot of time and trouble. This is Japan and so expect them to turn up on the dot. But one hour of fun will mean precisely that. Not a minute more. The great thing is that the websites give precise detail of every guy on their books, their age and stats and icons showing what they will or will not do when they are in your room. A page of one site is illustrated below. Last recommendation is get a good bilingual map. English is commonly used on signs but it is not universally spoken.

Hour of need? Surely that's a bit much! If I read the chart correctly, the numbers may be down on estimates for this year but they are still expecting the same number as last year. The trade war initiated by Trump has been responsible for much of the downturn in the currencies of those countries recently contributing the most visitors especially Asian visitors. The Chinese RMB is way down, the Malaysian Ringgit is way down, the € is down, the £ is way down and falling (Brexit fears). I doubt if a few percent depreciation of the baht will make much difference.

I cannot believe this! There is some sort of practice that members of the public should not be in positions physically above that of a member of the Royal Family. I was once having coffee in Au Bon Pain at the top of Silom when I noticed that a small crowd was forming. A waitress came over and asked us to move away from the window. When I asked why, she hummed and hawed for a few seconds before telling us that a Princess was to be in a passing car after a few minutes and members of the public could not sit in a higher position! But in an open air Royal Barge procession on the river with people watching from the higher river banks, I fail to understand how that practice can be strictly observed. Also at concerts there are always members of the audience sitting above a Royal guest.

Do you have the link please spoon? I think it must be a different documentary. The Netflix deal for a series in several episodes was only announced at the end of April. By then the production team had not even been put together. It is impossible that their series will be ready for viewing until the end of the year at the earliest. But several other hour-long TV documentaries about the rescue are up on You Tube.

Tokyo is not necessarily an expensive city. Your biggest problem is time. From Narita airport you have to allow 30 minutes for Immigration (the queues can be very long). Then go to the basement and get a ticket for the Narita Express train to Tokyo Station or Shinjuku station. This take roughly 55 minutes to the main station and 20 minutes more to Shinjuku. So you have already lost between 2 and 2.5 hours minimum and then the same on the return to the airport. Make sure you buy a return ticket before leaving the airport as your choice of train may be full. Forget the regular limousine buses. They will take up way too much of your time. Its a lot faster and cheaper from Haneda airport if you take the monorail and link to either the Japan Railways overground system or the subway system. ut that depends on your airline and which airport it uses. Note: separate tickets required for the different types of transport. You can avoid this by buying a stored value Suica ticket, but for a ten hours or so that may not be of much use. Ticket machines give change. Once in the city public transport is the best of almost any city anywhere and very cheap. Only problem is that it all shuts down around midnight. On the other hand, avoid taxis as far as possible. Tokyos crawling traffic means the meter clicks over at an alarming rate. Eating is not expensive if you go to one of the vast number of cheap Japanese restaurants. All will have photos or plastic models of the dishes in the window and you can eat well for less than $9. Many unique sights to see in the city. The Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa is a must. Easy to get there on the Ginza subway line. If you are there at a weekend, the quirky shopping area of Harajuku with young people in all sorts of weird garb is interesting. If it is a clear day go to the skyscraper area in Shinjuku. There is a viewing platform at the top of the Tokyo Government building where you might just get a glimpse of Mt. Fuji. You must keep your eye on your watch and leave enough time to get back to the airport and get back through Immigration. Dont know much about Shanghai except it has the world's first commercial magnetic levitation train - the Maglev - between Pudong airport and the Pudong district. This takes little more than 9 minutes and travels at 420 km per hour for much of the trip. From there there are subway connections over to the main city. Taipei airport is linked to the citys main station by a new subway system. Not sure of the sights to see except the wonderful Taipei National Museum which has the treasures stolen from China by Chiang Kai Shek. Or you can go up to the viewing gallery in Taipei 101, once the worlds tallest building. Or just make your way to Ximen subway station. Here The Red House is packed with lots of small gay bars and restaurants. Great to sit with a beer and people watch. But much busier at week ends than on weekdays. Im told the sauna named Soi13 is one of the most active with lots of young, fit Taiwan guys - https://www.travelgayasia.com/venue/soi-13-in-sauna/ If you seriously consider a stopover anywhere, I really suggest you try to spend at least one night so you are not always checking your watch. Tokyo and Taipei have lots of decent hotels between $70 and $100 although the Tokyo rooms will be very small.

It is easy to forget that censorship of movies is alive and well in the UK where the regulations are some of the most tightly controlled n the western world! Every film comes under The Obscene Publications Act which prohibits material that tends to deprave or corrupt persons who are likely to read, see or hear it. Every commercially released movie for theatre showing or on video must be granted a certificate by the British Board of Film Classification. This probably seems odd even to the Brits given that theatre and book censorship was abolished about half a century ago. The film Visions of Ecstasy was banned for 23 years because it broke blasphemy laws. But it was then granted a certificate in 2008 enabling it to be shown to those 18 years and older. Even America has a form of censorship. Classic movies like Kubricks A Clockwork Orange and Sam Peckinpahs Straw Dogs appeared first in the UK in longer versions that when shown in the USA.