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Just flew with ANA(BKK-NRT-LAX and back) Masks were mandatory. All passengers were constantly advised that you can only take the masks to eat or drink. I flew Singapore Airlines last fall and masks were optional. It looks like in some places "masks are here to stay".

Thai woman and an American Citizen. Thailand and the US have an extradition treaty so she really did not have a choice. She fled after hitting the victim with her vehicle. The case against is weaker now because any possible charge of DUI is not possible. She will be tried for Vehicular Manslaughter and Felony Hit and Run by the Oakland County District Attorneys office. Doubt she has a criminal record so at best 3 to 5 years in prison.

Just a heads up for anyone planning on an international trip out of BKK and returning in the near future. It was in a word a “Zoo” when I returned today. The two halls were open for immigration arrival. It was elbow to elbow but surprisingly things were efficient and it took an hour to get through. My luggage was waiting at the carousel and the entry process took about 75 minutes.

Actually I could not find a seat down restaurant inside Terminal 3 at Haneda. There was a lack of variety. Ironically the international departure terminal at LAX was better than Haneda Terminal. 3 I thought I would never say anything good about LAX. The terminals at Changi, Incheon and even Narita have variety and 7-11’s. I did not find these things at Haneda’s terminal 3. I will be back at either Changi or Incheon for my next trip.

No. Just pointing out some differences from my past experience. Very disappointing. Also, on ANA mask on unless one is eating or drinking. Flew with SIA Sep 2022 and masks were optional. This time ANA felt like a low budget carrier. The $765 fare was advertised as a “Super Sale for Japan” as the pandemic was winding down last fall. Been flying with Singapore and Korean for years and this experience has made me realize how good these two airlines actually are and there are worth the higher fares they usually charge. If this still makes me sound “entitled” then I would not disagree with you.

I am writing this inside of Terminal 3 at HND. For anyone considering flying with ANA(All Nippon Airways) for future international travel I would consider other options. 1. The airfare from BKK to LAX and back was really low. Now I know why the entire tripe was only $765. I booked it back in October 2022. 2. The B777-300ER(from HND to LAX) was really old and in economy there were 10 seats jammed in the cabin. I am 145 pounds and the seat felt tight. 3. The food was very disappointing. The portions were small, the quality was like American High School cafeteria food. Getting a second beer took a long time(maybe the airline wanted to limit the consumption of alcohol.) 4. For the return 12 hour flight from LAX to HND only one alleged meal was served. The first serving was a box that contained a mystery meat sandwich, a banana and a cookie. The actual meal was 9 hours later and it was a single shrimp tempura over rice, some noodles, 4 pieces of small fruit and water. At that time no more alcohol, only Pepsi or Diet Pepsi. After the service I had the worst coffee I have had in a long time. Truly disappointing because I had a good experience with ANA in the past. 5. Haneda is not connection friendly airport unless you want to shop at Hermes. At 0700 most the food venders were closed. Also, most of the food venders only served Japanese Food. Could not find a place to just to get some eggs, toast and coffee. Really never liked having udon soup for breakfast. 6. HND Terminal 3 did not have a convenience store like a 7-11. So in order to buy water I had to use a vending machine. The Vending machines only took Yen and my American Credit Cards did not work and even my Bangkok Bank Debit Card did not work. Had to exchange some dollars for yen to just to get some water and a cookie. Next time I will pay more an go with Singapore or Korean.

Quickest way to gauge the demand in an area is look at hotel prices. For instance in Chiang Mai the tourist season is good but not great. Presently it is supposed to the middle of high season but plenty of availability and some of the high end hotels can be had for $100 pre night. In the past the same hotel would go for $200 to $300 per night. Overall high season 2023 will be good but not even close to what it was like before Covid. Like any recovery the road will be rocky and certainly not smooth. In mid January 2023 I got a single night at a hotel in the middle Nimman for $100. This hotel had all the high amenities(big room with a bathtub and shower, modern gym, pool, sauna and a great breakfast buffet). Of course the best way to stimulate more demand is to add a 300 Baht arrival tax on all foreign air arrivals???###$ TIT.

0900 but before 1100(when the actual mall opens) one is able to get in through one of parking lots. I could not figure out how so I went when the mall was open. I got a reentry permit in about 30 minutes. It was not very busy when I went last month.

What about a foreigner who makes a video in Thailand and a foreign viewer makes a donation like “buying a coffee”? “Buying a coffee” is the latest version of donating to YouTube vlog makers. I can’t see how a foreigner in Thailand being taxed for a donation from a foreign source. But as always TIT. Does the concepts of Logic or Fairness ever come into play?

Real world example is this. I have a neighbor who is in his mid 60’s. He thought about applying for a 1 year Self Defense (Maury Thai) Visa. He spoke to an agent and was advised a Non Imm O Based Upon Retirement was a better option. The neighbor later told me if he had applied for an Education Visa to study Thai Language then it probably would have been approved. I could see an Immigration Officer becoming suspicious if an old foreigner(not in the best physical condition) were to apply for a Self Defense Ed Visa. Of course this is just the example I know of. Others might know of different examples.

Kad Suan Kaew closed July 2022 and it looks like a Zombie movie could be filmed there.

At 3 hours it was too long. James Cameron had to show all the money spent on SFX. The story was good and it could have been told in 2 hours. Not looking forward to the sequelsthat are coming next few year.

200 is actually good. I have True 5G with a 5G capable phone and fastest I have had was 150.

I think if my next Grab driver was Vitaly from Moscow or Xi from Shanghai this would be breaking news. I think this goes back to the default position of some in LOS: Blame a foreigner or foreigners.

This just gave the MAGA more ammo. In essence NORAD failed to detect airborne intrusion. But NORAD did a great job in tracking Santa in December. 800 Billion Dollar Defense Budget and could not detect a slow moving balloon.

Did not state there was a conspiracy. Intelligence can be gathered in two ways: Covertly and Overtly. I think a big balloon allegedly “drifting” in the jet stream from China sounds like a great story. Of course by chance it just drifted over major SAC(Strategic Air Command) bases in Montana and the Dakotas(South and North). Of course SAC controls land based nuclear capable ICBMs. What would have China done if a foreign balloon had “drifted” into its airspace?

Satellites fly. A balloon can loiter. Big difference in terms of gathering information. Most weather balloons ascend to a designated altitude and not fly across the Pacific Ocean.

Why does China need to monitor the weather in Alaska, Canada and the continental US? Weather balloons are launched by many countries everyday. I have not heard of a foreign “wealthier” balloon flying over Chinese Airspace.

Does include "safest" sidewalks to walk as well?

This might not be such a great idea anymore. On Jan 27 2023 I left BKK on a flight to Tokyo and then onto Los Angeles. I arrived at 0430 and check-in at the ANA counter was completed at 0600. The line was long and slow. I waited in line for 80 minutes and the actual check-in process took 10 minutes. This might the norm at BKK now. I then went through security and immigration. This took an additional 20 minutes. I got to the gate at 0635. By now boarding had started. This is why I always get the reentry permit at immigration. I did not have any time to even stop for a cup of coffee or even get something to eat. On this day all check-in lines for international flights were long and moving slowly.

It would be expensive but consider setting up cameras or even improvise mobile phones at checkpoint and record these contacts. This would be one way to prevent “misunderstandings”.

Did you pay? Go Dutch or did the Thai Police pay? Was it pizza or burgers?

My point was when was the last time you shared Pizza or any other western with the Thai Police?

“Perception is reality and reality is perception”. The Genie cannot be put back into the bottle. Depending on how many followers she has back in Taiwan this could have negative consequences. On an unrelated matter yesterday I saw an EVA Air Airbus 330 takeoff corm CNX airport. My guess is traffic to and from Taiwan is pretty good. We shall see if this negatively affects arrivals from Taipei.

Pizza?