PeterRS

There used to be a bar in Bangkok for bears - somewhere off Sukhumvit I think. Taipei has one within the Red House Complex, although i rarely see many bears at all in Taiwan.

It certainly looks more pleasant than the existing main terminal. Opening with just two smallish airlines with only 18 daily flights on single aisle aircraft makes a great deal of sense. It stands a good chance of avoiding the chaos I mentioned in my earlier post where old airports like Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur closed one evening and the new ones completely reopened with full flight schedules the next morning.

I am sure ASEAN would love to see a World Cup in the region. Apart from the publicity given to the region and the influx of visitors, many quite wealthy, it could do wonders for the development of soccer - just as it did in the USA following 1994 and Japan following 2002. As for fans, I fear their interest in the sport will far outweigh concerns about how liberal or otherwise the host country/countries might be. Just look at what happened with Qatar. When awarded the World Cup, there was an outcry. This continued in the run up to the Finals when the date was for the first time ever changed from summer to late autumn, over many allegations of corruption which have never been fully explained, over the nation's frightful treatment of all the foreign labourers brought in to build the new stadia, about alcohol being illegal and its legal stance against homosexuality. Massive amounts of media time were given over to how this would result in Qatar being boycotted by various communities and be virtually a phantom World Cup. In the end, it turned out to be a monster success. With Saudi Arabia slowly taking steps to open up to tourists and easing some restrictions on its own peoples, I cannot see that in 11 years time this will stop fans from visiting. Much more pressing for FIFA, an organisation that used to be hugely corrupt and seems not to have changed as much as it said it would, it will face huge challenges from the main footballing and revenue-generating centres of Europe and South America. Since the mid-1950s the Finals had traditionally altered between the Americas and Europe. Since 2002, though, there have been 2 in greater Asia and one in South Africa. South America will not have hosted a FInals since 2014 in Rio (athough some matches will be played in Mexico in 2026) and Europe since 2018 in Russia. I reckon there will be great pressure for Europe to be awarded 2030 and then South America in 2034. But my crystal ball may be somewhat cloudy 😵

That's the upside, because like Qatar they want the World Cup and they will bribe whomever necessary to make it happen. After all, they are paying outrageous salaries to both stars and less well known players to move to the Kingdom to take part on the relatively new soccer Saudi League. That's what they've done with golf by starting the new LIV tour. It has been written extensively that they paid the ageing Phil Mickelson $200 million to help set the LIV tour up. So ASEAN won't get a World Cup!

Of course, there is no World Cup in 2032! The next ones will be 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico; 2030 and then 2034. So did the Prime Minister actually meet with anyone from FIFA, given he talked about 2032?? Or was this just hot air? As @omega points out, the infrastucture costs will be huge for most ASEAN countries. Like Qatar last year, Japan and South Korea which hosted in 2002 built mostly new venues. Each had 10 World Cup stadia in 10 different cities from Seoul to Seogwipo in Jeju Island, and from Oita in Kyushu to Sapporo in Hokkaido. Some ASEAN stadia could no doubt be upgraded. Most will likely have to be built from scratch. Then there has to be consideration for the fans. Most will probably be coming from South and North America, Europe, Japan and Australia. So their basic flight and hotel costs to get to the region will be higher than for previous World Cups. Having then to travel to matches between countries could become an expensive logistical nightmare. The hosting costs may not be quite as high as hosting an Olympics. Montreal in 1976 ended up with a $1.6 billion deficit and a massive white elephant of a stadium that itself had bled 69% of the total budget. It took the city 30 years to pay off the debts. Athens in 2004 cost a staggering $11 billion and most of its specially built sports facilities have been rotting for years. Like Montreal, hosting a FIFA World Cup will provide wonderful oopportunities for one of South East Asia's favourite occupations - corruption. I predict it will also end up with major debts. It's definiitely a vanity project that will become a huge headache for the region and not a few of its individual countries.

I would insist he stop, show him the taxi ticket receipt and point to the compaints number. Before he can leave that official taxi area, he has to pass through a barrier and give his entrance ticket (remember this includes his taxi number and driver's name) to the guy who mans it. If he has not turned on the meter in the short time it takes to turn on the meter, I'd also shout to that guy and point to the meter. Also you should note that taxi rates have quite recently risen and so the drivers are already making more for airport runs. SInce BKK opened, I have arrived back in BKK probably more than 100 times. Twice I have been in a taxi with a doctored meter. In those cases I pointed very obviously to the meter and said loudly "meter broken". Even though the drivers might not have understood English, they got the message. I then took photos with my phone of the meter, the driver's permit by the windscreen, the taxi number on the back left door and the driver himself. One then turned off the meter and said in English "pay usual amount, OK?". The other waived the fare altogether. I suspect he was afraid I'd register a complaint which could cause him problems! But my solutions are less easy if the taxi is hired unofficially from the arrivals area.

Apologies to @DenverDude. There are of course two roads next to each other at the arrivals area and taxis have to be in the one further from the entrances. There are indeed barriers there and one way revolving entrances. But not all are in operation and so it is easy just to wak through these.

Presumably he had not checked in in advance. Because there I think almost all airlines require passport details. Get one detail wrong and you cannot change it or change to a new passport. Result - either denied boarding or need to purchase a new ticket.

Well, he has to say something like this, doesn't he? A way of justifying the massive cost of renting his huge Thai plane to get to New York! Let's hope those words don't come back to haunt him next year. This rather contradicts the earlier part of that release. Doesn't the journalist realise that World Cups are vanity projects which cost host countries massive amounts of cash? Sure they generate a lot of tourism revenues but not nearly enough to cover costs. Estimated losses from the last 3 world World Cups - Qatar: US$229 billion, Russia: $16 billion, Brazil : $19.7 billion. Discount Qatar because it had to buld a totally new infrastructure. But Thailand would need to construct several totally new stadia and spend a great deal of cash upgrading others. Plus all the required infrasructure costs. If it decided to combine with other nations, the last joint-country World Cup was Japan/South Korea in 2002. Estimated losses - US$7 billion. No doubt the PM is merely parrotting what the previous PM had said in June 2019 that all 10 ASEAN nations would bid for 2034. By November that year, the number of nations had rather suddenly dropped to 5. By June 2022, the Cambodian Chairman of ASEAN weakened this further by suggesting either 2034 or 2038. With Saudia Arabia and is trillions also ready to bid for the 2034 World Cup, ASEAN doesn't stand a chance. This is like the Thai businessman who years ago informed the media he was going to bring a Formula 1 Grand Prix night race to the streets of Bangkok. It was sheer fanciful idiocy and could never happen. Singapore's annual F1 Grand Prix costs the city state in the region of $150 million. 60% is paid for by the government. Admittedly, tourism revenues help defray the bulk of the private sector costs. But with average hotel room rates before tax and service in 2022 at S$440 - 11,590 baht at today's rates - how many are going to flood into the region to pay those rates plus inflated air fares? An 1 race in Bangkok was never going to happen - and it didn't!

Not true - unless it's happened in the last couple of months. You can go up in the people movers, escalators or the lifts. Years ago, I always used to go to departures up to get a taxi which had just dropped off passsengers. The only problems now are that there are airport cops trying to stop this (not effective in my experience) and the taxi will not be registered for airport returns. At the official taxi stands you get the printed notice with the taxi number and other details. This may (but only my guess) lead to a problem if for any reason you wish to complain about the taxi you get from upstairs.

I agree with @vinapu that the train is extremely convenient, provided your hotel is not far from one of the Skytrain stations. It's fast (about 26 minutes), cheap (45 baht) and the only other negative I can think of is that at peak times you might have to wait for one or two trains to fill before you can board, but they do depart every 10-15 minutes. Against that, if you have a suitcase and a carry-on, the station changes and having to get a taxi from the Skytrain to the hotel can be bothersome. Taxis are well organised now. You go down to the taxi level and join a queue. Once you reach the head of the queue there are 3 or 4 ticket dispensers. Each ticket has a station number and taxi number. You walk over to that station for your taxi. Fares have recently gone up and I'm not sure what the cost is likely to be, the more so as I do not know the location of your hotel. With the airport surcharge, I expect not much more than 400 baht. Others can advise. But if you want a taxi early in the morning with rush hour in full swing (basically 7:00 am to 9:30 am), the expressway into town will be completely jammed with traffic. The air conditioning will be nice, but your crawl into town can take a good hour or more - and all the time the meter is creeping upwards.

Very happy I'd think! LOL Apart from those who think they should have won more 😵

I suggest this is what we disagree about in general. How other people spend their money and wherever they spend it is almost always of no interest to me. Do you seriously believe that "nothing excites more than other people's money and how they spend it?" Or is this another of your little jokes?

I'm sorry to disagree, but I do not see what you mean. My meaning is I suggest perfectly clear. Some will like it. Others will have reasons for not liking it. Fair enough. But the constant requests from those new or returning to Thailand after a long period for information on what sort of tips to give is, to me, a waste of space when it could easily be imparted on one sticky note. That does not stop discussion. It merely reduces and minimises it.

7 years is a long time. The graduate crisis that has become serious in China is post-covid. Covid caused deep fissures in the country's economy. Almost everything in China has been changing rapidly since 2019. Look at the real estate market. We know that the debts of the two largest companies, Evergrande and Country Garden, are over US$500 billion and the inventory of unsold properties is rising daily. 53 smaller developers have collapsed in little more than two years. $14 billion of Country Garden's outstanding local and foreign currency bonds have lost at least 90% of their face value. We know that Chinese banks are owed over US$3 trillion by the property sector as a whole. Bloomberg estimates that the real estate development sector as a whole has debts worth 12% of GDP which are at risk of default. According to Bllomberg estimates, this places "a massive burden that could curb growth in the world’s second-largest economy for years to come." https://news.bloomberglaw.com/capital-markets/china-faces-property-debt-defaults-worth-12-of-gdp-be-says Most local and regional governments in China depend for a large chunk of their income from the property sector. These local government bodies are vital to China's economy. But overspending on major infrastructure projects and plummeting returns from land sales have increased local government debt levels to US$12.8 trillion in 2022 - up by 50% from 2019. But these are only reported figures on balance sheets. Experts say the central government does not know the level of hidden debts. After decades of increasing prosperity virtually each year, much economic activity in China has crashed dramatically. In such a scenario, it is absolutely the case that employment in better jobs has decreased substantially because the jobs are no longer there. Hence the graduate job crisis and hence the general youth unemployment crisis. China's economy is virtually in uncharted waters.

If price is not really a factor, the 5-star Sukhothai Hotel on Sathorn has amazing breakfast buffets.

But I think all of the above many times over will not go anywhere near spending your $1 million. Surely there must be something else that would eat up the rest? Or are you going to donate that to @TotallyOz's welfare fund? 😵

In my suggestion I stressed "the most frequently used range of tips." I totally fail to understand how a frequently used range of, say, from 1,500 to 2,000 baht can be set in stone. As for overpaying, how many times have we read in recent weeks of customers who were more than satisfied and payed extra? More than a few! A range is precisely that - suggested top and bottom (oops!). It suggests nothing is set in stone.

With respect that shows how little you know of Xi and his ways of controlling his Party leaders.

I'm curious. What would you spend it on - apart from bigger tips to the boys in Pattaya 🤣

Forgot to add that the weather in December is very pleasant. It should be warm and sunny during the days but could be a bit chilly at night - so a sweater is definitely advised. The crop burning season does not usually start until later in January so no problem with pollution - apart from the usual traffic pollution.

Agree with the recommendation about PJ's Place. Only stayed once but enjoyed it and the owners really looked after their guests. Excellent breakfast cooked to order. It's also relatively close to Adam's Apple. My Way and Circle bar. The owners will also arrange an airport pick-up if you wish. https://pjs-place.com Also not far is the old town bordered by the moat. This is packed with temples from the very old Wat Chedi Luang in the centre - and the large Wat Phra Sing - to many smaller temples in and around the old city, including the relatively unknown Wat Chedi Liam. Well worth exploring over 2 days. In the grounds of Wat Chedi Liam As @vinapu suggested, a trip up the hill to Doi Suthep is a must. You can find cheap songthaews or local drivers prepared to take you up and back after your visit. There are also official taxis which will be considerably more expensive. But the trip is well worth it. Once you arrive, there is a longish staircase before you get to the temple itself. @forky123 has mentioned Doi Inthanon National Park and again I totally agree. Again you'll need transport to get there but it's not too far out of town. Since December is quite recenty after the rainy season, the waterfalls should be spectacular. Doi Inthanon is to the south. Go north and see an orchid farm and take a ride on an elephant around one of the elephant sanctuaries (although the authorities prefer you not to do this!). Also as suggested by @forky123 you can consider a trip to the hilltribes. My one disappointment was the gay bars located in a soi across the road from Le Meridien hotel near the Night Bazaar. But that's just my view!

A suggestion. One of the most posted topics is the issue of tips. Could the moderator consider a sticky at the top of the Gay Thailand section of the forum that gives the most frequently used range of tips for Bangkok and Pattaya? Obviously these would be average ranges but I think readers would undersand that. It would also save the question being asked and answered so many times.

That one trillion baht cost seems an underestimate to construct two container ports and all the expresway and train infrastructure required to link them. Even though it's not much more than 120 kms, I imagine the estimated costs do not include all the fat brown envelopes that have to be passed on to various officials before it gets the final go-ahead. No doubt such a landbridge will result in considerable savings for the shipping companies. On the other hand, they will be faced with additional Thai docking, manpower and transport costs, plus two ships where one had previously been required. But I guess that's not a major logistical issue, the more so given the time savings by not having to round Singapore. And with 300 ships presently taking that sea route daily, some will prefer the Thai solution.

For those who have won a lottery, I see the Peninsula Group has finally opened a hotel in London. It has a great location at Marble Arch but rooms rates start at £1,300. No idea if this incudes tax and service, but I suppose if you have to ask you can't afford to say there. 🤣 Incidentally, for those with shorter memories, the Peninsula Group built a hotel in Bangkok on Rajadamri at the end of the 1970s. It opened at a time of economic recession and the Group sold it only a few years after opening. It then became The Regent which many years later sold it to The Four Seasons. It's now named the Anantara. It's lobby is modelled almost exactly on that in its flagship Peninsula Hong Kong hotel. Forgot that i did actually spend one night with a client at the Peninsula Hong Kong. Soon after my bag had been delivered to the room, there was a knock on the door. It was the roomboy with a silver platter of designer soaps from which I had to choose the one I wanted. "Roomboy" was somewhat of a misnomer. The Peninsula had a policy of keeping its staff as long as possible. My roomboy looked around 70! But the soaps were all large bars in their original plastic boxes. Lasted me many weeks! https://edition.cnn.com/travel/peninsula-hotel-london-opens/index.html