Spilornis

Many cities in India are limited to electric tuk tuks. (auto rickshaws). They are very slow. Wonder if the newer models are faster Having taken many on the sub continent you become expert at checking out the back suspension to ensure a smoother ride. It's a shame that in Bangkok they have become synonymous with rip offs. If ever in India a good pricing rule... 50 rupees ..short ride...up to 5 minutes. 100 rupees for ten minutes. Anything over 10 minutes= uber/ola

Air charges included in ticket prices are common everywhere. Charges that have to be paid on arrival or departure (visa on arrival is another example) are just a pain and impact on the visitor experience. Malaysia has a 10 ringgit per night tourist tax for foreigners at hotels. Has to be paid in cash usually. An absolute nuisance. If they said they were going to use the money to invest in biometric egates for foreigners I'd be happier

Interesting thing to know. My first thought of a buffalo is "strong and dependable" not to mention a source of wealth through milk and working of fields. Never really thought of monitor lizards beyond the fact that they're... "monitor lizards". While some have made reference to the cow terminology in English the reference to being bullish (as opposed to a bully) in English is not derogatory. A strange thing... language

What in the blazes are "measures". Obviously includes countries that require tests but Malaysia has introduced temperature testing again. Is that a "measure"?

Rules have just been published... " 1. Passengers over 18 years old are required to present vaccination certificate or a letter from a doctor certifying that they have recovered from COVID-19 no longer than 6 months (180 days). 2. Passengers coming from countries with measures to prevent people infected with COVID from returning to the country must have health insurance covering COVID treatment throughout the duration of the trip in Thailand. Expats with Thai social security are exempt. 3. Passengers holding Thai passports are exempt from having documents checked for vaccination and health insurance. 4. Passengers who are in transit are exempt from checking vaccination documents and health insurance documents. 5. The airline must check the documents as mentioned. If the Passenger is unable to present these documents, the carrier should refuse the passenger to board. 6. Airlines must adhere to relevant requirements and follow guidelines as appropriate, such as asking passengers to wear masks throughout the journey. Except during the meal or in an emergency. 7. Passengers with symptoms of COVID-19 during the journey will be advised to undergo a test upon arrival at their destination. This will start from 9th January at 1:00 a.m. until 31 January 31 at 4:59 p.m."

Apparently the inclusion of Singapore on the list was a media error but I'm bewildered as to why Thailand made the list.

With China reportedly lifting quarantine requirements from 8 January brace for an enormous influx of tourists over the next few months. Airfares aren't going down in the next 6 months that's for sure

As Nan Laew says... there's a process (known generally as substituted service). The details vary from case to case but can involve advertising, writing to last known address etc. In simple terms it requires one to take all reasonable steps to contact the ex husband. It may not be cheap but equally it's not mind blowingly expensive. Cost is in proving you have taken all the reasonable steps which may require affidavits from foreign process servers and the like. Good luck

Self drive holidays in Thailand are great. I often mention it to tourists but most are too fearful to try it. The small tourist hotels designed for locals are good quality and great value Driving in Malaysia is even easier but I find the off route hotels okay but not as good as Thailand. Border crossing is a pain with the car permits etc

Nothing against mask wearing (personal choice) but I find the level of mask wearing by locals in South East Asia bewilderingly high. I would think between 25 and 50% high in a non mandated setting but here we are months after mandates are lifted and it's more like 90%. Sure one can point to culture, history etc but the adherence levels are still difficult to explain. I no longer wear one except for the occasional trip by Grab and I've not had any issues or looks that I've noticed

When removing indoor masks in Singapore and Malaysia both governments emphasised how important it was to get masks off children in schools. Message ignored with almost 100% of school children still in masks a month later

Travel Agents have been able to make bookings and pay later for years. Not sure how many times they can refresh a booking but I recall that the booking was good for around five days and that it could be refreshed for around a month before payment. Perhaps this is how the phantom ticket agencies work

Came across an announcement that Thai AirAsiaX will be flying twice a week direct to Tbilisi Georgia. (From October 8 ) Tbilisi is a lovely city but one wonders if it has anything to do with Georgia having open borders with Russia. The flights are charter and bookings are done through a travel agent. (An unusual model for AirAsia) https://newsroom.airasia.com/news/thai-airasia-x-to-fly-direct-to-tbilisi-georgia-2-times-a-week-from-oct-2022

So true but many want to think that it's the more deadly 2020 version. I often ask myself would the World close down for Omicron.

Something strange here. Korea is one of the most honest places around. Perhaps not your normal tour group Clicked on the full article... Especially the last paragraph "Hundreds of Thais have, in recent weeks, been detained by South Korean immigration officials and many of them were deported back to Thailand after they were suspected of entering Jeju to work illegally in South Korea"

Thanks Had it in Russia when I was there for the World Cup. Delicious and not cheap. It was boiled but very tender

Here it's cats everywhere. Just strays breeding prolifically. Eating dog... so what. A bit like the aversion in the UK and elsewhere to horse meat

You guys haven't lived until you've taken the Rocket Paddle Steamer in Bangladesh. US$5 gets you a first class cabin. On the subject of trains Bangladesh banned travel on the roof of trains recently. What a spoiler

Singapore is a very heavily masked society but their recent per capita case numbers are some of the highest in the world at over 12k cases per day. Numbers can be skewed by a greater willingness to report positive cases but masks aren't the silver bullet. In Singapore they invariably use N95 masks and they know how to wear them.

Saudi Arabia could halve the barrel price of oil within a month or two but it's enjoying the bonanza of record prices. These sanctions were never thought through and it's just a matter of time before many more countries start to ignore them. Cooking oil and wheat shortages are fast becoming a flash point for developing countries

Being reported that masks are to remain in air conditioned buildings which would mean malls and supermarkets, offices etc “Only fully vaccinated persons in non-high-risk groups can go mask-free in public places, though facemasks will still be required in certain places like air-conditioned buildings, entertainment venues, hospitals, public gatherings and in areas with poor ventilation.” https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2022/06/26/thailands-no-mask-mandate-comes-with-conditions-warns-ministry-2378-covid-19-new-cases-on-sunday-june-26