daydreamer

I visited Bagan in January 2010. Below is a photo I took in a covered archway of one of the temples in 2010. Directly below it is a current photo taken in nearly the exact same spot, showing the roof in the foreground has collapsed, where I was standing when I took the 2010 photo. From what I have read, most of the original ancient structures remain intact. Much of the recent damage was to modern restorations, that was not of the highest quality. Also, I found a photo (below) of another temple, taken during the violent shaking.

Certainly many new innovations and inventions have been pioneered by the military. But these are the result of extensive research and development efforts, in specialized labs and proving grounds, not by common infantry troops. In military combat units, it would be detrimental to the mission of the unit to question orders or attempt to re-invent the plan of attack that superiors have directed.

I'm not answering for @reader, but this video from The Nation Thailand is about the new Lao museum.

I concur with the comments written above by @PeterRS and @a-447 regarding the lack of independent thinking and the absolute avoidance of challenging superiors in Japan. I lived in Japan for nearly a decade, and I observed numerous examples of this behavior at work amongst Japanese co-workers over the years, during my time in Japan. And, as @bkkmfj2648 said, this behavior extends to some other countries in Asia as well. A stark example of the consequences of this mindset can be seen in the findings of the Korean Airlines B-747 aircraft that crashed into Nimitz Hill on Guam in 1997, on final approach, killing 228 people on board. The captain of the B-747 made some critical errors, and the two junior flight officers in the cockpit failed to challenge and overrule the captain's flawed decisions, leading to the airliner crashing into the mountain, within sight of the airport. If the First Officer and Flight Engineer had challenged and overruled the Captain, a horrific loss of lives could possibly have been prevented. Below are three key paragraphs from the findings section of the 226 page Aircraft Accident Report from the NTSB: 11. As a result of his confusion and preoccupation with the status of the glideslope, failure to properly cross-check the airplane’s position and altitude with the information on the approach chart, and continuing expectation of a visual approach, the captain lost awareness of flight 801’s position on the instrument landing system localizer-only approach to runway 6L at Guam International Airport and improperly descended below the intermediate approach altitudes of 2,000 and 1,440 feet, which was causal to the accident. 12. The first officer and flight engineer noted the ground proximity warning system (GPWS) callouts and the first officer properly called for a missed approach, but the captain’s failure to react properly to the GPWS minimums callout and the direct challenge from the first officer precluded action that might have prevented the accident. 13. The first officer and flight engineer failed to properly monitor and/or challenge the captain’s performance, which was causal to the accident. https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/accidentreports/reports/aar0001.pdf National Transportation Safety Board. 2000. Controlled Flight Into Terrain, Korean Air Flight 801, Boeing 747-300, HL7468, Nimitz Hill, Guam, August 6, 1997. Aircraft Accident Report NTSB/AAR-00/01. Washington, DC

Sir Ian McKellen has appeared on the US comedy show Saturday Night Live many times. The short video below featuring Ian appearing as Dame Maggie Smith is one of the most memorable and priceless.

The photo from Google maps I posted is time-stamped 2021, during the pandemic. At the time, customers were not allowed inside the store. Orders were placed outside, and the items were delivered to tables placed on the sidewalk. As for the monk, I don't know what he was buying, but his saffron satchel is loaded with something.......

Yes, Chula MD pharmacy has a queue system. You take a number, order, and then pay at a different counter, just a few feet away. This is the old Thai-Chinese style, where only family members handle the money, and other employees wait on customers. The shop is busy with Thai customers, as @macaroni21 says, but I see that as a good thing. Also, in a pharmacy with many customers, items don't sit on the shelf for long, ensuring a fresh stock of medicines, due to rapid turnover.

The Thailand GPO (Gov't Pharmaceutical Org) produces a version of sildenafil marketed under the name Sidegra. It is a generic version of Viagra, with the same ingredients. It is available in 50 and 100 mg tablets. The official government price for a box of 4 - 100mg tablets is 180 baht. This being Thailand, many drug stores charge as much as they can for Sidegra. If you are in Silom, a store that sells it for the correct price of 180 baht is the Chula MD Pharmacy, on Rama IV, between Silom and Suriwong. If you are coming from the Silom / Rama IV intersection, pass the Crowne Plaza Hotel on your left, and soon you will see the Chula MD Pharmacy. I have attached a photo of the shop front below from Google maps. If you buy Sidegra from Chula MD Pharmacy, you know it's the genuine item, not a questionable counterfeit drug. The Thai government began making Sidegra more than 10 years ago, and selling it for a low price to stamp out counterfeit brands of Viagra that were being sold at higher prices.

You should see an ophthalmologist as soon as possible. An ophthalmologist will check to make sure there is no damage to the retina. You should make this your priority, to rule out problems that left unchecked, can lead to vision loss. You may have a common condition called Posterior Vitreous Detachment. I am not dispensing medical advice, however this condition affects well over half the population, usually beginning in their mid-sixties, as they age. There are many ophthalmologists in Pattaya. I would see the first one available. Here's a good explanation from the Cleveland Clinic: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14413-posterior-vitreous-detachment

Karma achieved. At his trial, the police chief admitted that he tortured the 24 year old suspect, by placing a plastic bag over his head, while trying to extort 2 million baht from him.

It was the same in 2023, we were not allowed to cross the bridge into Tachilek from Mae Sai. At that time, nobody, even locals were allowed to cross. There was a large barricade blocking the bridge. I believe the bridge had not re-opened at that time from the pandemic border closure. I did cross into Tachilek about 20 years ago, paying the same $10 fee @vinapu mentioned. Don't worry, you didn't miss much. I walked around a few streets and was glad to be back in Thailand after an hour or so. I have traveled into Myanmar, to Yangon and Bagan, and I enjoyed that, but Tachilek has nothing much of interest.

I visited that same tea plantation in 2023. It is the Choui Fong Tea Plantation, in the Mae Chan district of Chiang Rai province. There is a small tea house amongst the tea bushes, seen below. There is also a very large snack bar on the grounds, serving all kinds of tea inspired desserts and drinks. This place is very busy on weekends, with mostly Thai tourists.

I have exchanged a couple older style $100 in Bangkok, but it was a few years ago. The following very recent posts from Reddit may help you. The Royal Ivory Nana Hotel mentioned below is on Sukhumvit Soi 4 (Soi Nana), just a short distance from the BTS Nana station. Certainly worth a try. Also you might try a Bangkok Bank currency exchange booth. After being refused at other money changers, Bangkok Bank changed my older style $100 (a few years ago). Hope this helps.

Here is a photo provided by the AOT, showing the current signage for the Priority Lane. at the right side of the main immigration arrivals hall.

For flights arriving at Tokyo's Narita Airport from the US, Japan has reverted back to no security checks for connecting international passengers on flights that originate in the US, the same as it was a few years ago. If you land at Narita, and are connecting to another international flight (Bangkok), at the terminal end of the air bridge, it is imperative to look for the temporary moveable sign @reader mentioned. The sign will direct you into a departure gate, and up a flight of stairs. These stairs lead you to the sterile (already screened) departures concourse of the terminal, where you simply walk to your connecting gate, or airline lounge. If you walk straight ahead off the air bridge into the terminal, and miss the small sign posted at one side, you will have to go through security screening (carry-on bag X-rayed, body scan). This entails lots of unnecessary walking, and wasted time waiting in a security line. There are also announcements made, but after a very long flight, you could easily miss those, and you could be well into the main terminal before the announcement is repeated. I suspect more than a few international passengers arriving from the US at Narita do not notice the temporary sign, and in a rush, head in the direction of the large signs marked International Arrivals and Connecting Flights. This only applies to flights arriving from the US into Japan. Entering Narita from Bangkok, all passengers are required to go through Japanese security screening.