CG1 Blue

I think you're over reacting. I would have said the same if an ex teacher was dating a girl 51 years his junior. The gender/sex was not the central point, it was the occupation. He was probably a perfectly decent bloke, but some (including parents of his former pupils) might raise an eyebrow reading about this. And that's probably why the newspaper made a big deal of the occupation + age gap - to get more clicks.

No I didn't.

That said, him being an ex-teacher having had a career surrounded by young boys, and then ends up dating a man 51 years his junior might cause some concern to people. If he'd been an ex-plumber or accountant less so. In any case RIP to them both. I hope the old chap was having the best time of his life before he met this untimely end. And as for the 27 year old - he had his whole life ahead of him ????

They've done the lock-in pee testing at tourist venues too over the years. I just don't think it's a good look. I haven't been to Jakarta, but I'm quite well travelled. Thanks for your concern though.

Yes

In all my years I have never carried a passport with me on a night out. It's too valuable to risk losing it. Also, in all my years and in all the countries I've ever visited, I've never been held captive in a bar / club by police and forced to pee in a jar. I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest the Thai authorities should rethink this strategy if they want the tourist sector to fully recover.

I get the feeling we're seeing the result of 3 years of Thailand withdrawal symptoms coming to a head all of a sudden, with a mad rush to get over there on top of fuel price increases and the airlines trying to make up Covid losses. Let's hope once the surge is over, fuel crisis is over, BA reinstate the route, etc. we'll get back to some normality in 2023/24.

That's insane. I hope you're wrong too!

Sadly I think the days of finding good flight deals direct from UK to BKK are gone. Since BA removed that route from their schedule there are fewer flights, which means the cheaper seats with the other airlines go too quickly. I imagine you'd need to book a long way in advance to get a good deal. I booked business class with Thai in early Oct for just over £3k.

Very helpful, thanks!

Wait, so earlier you said: "I have been here a long time. I have been attacked unprovoked on 3 occasions." And now you say: "I have personally witnessed more than a dozen foreigners killed on the roads here." I suggest you think hard about who you upset in the past. You're clearly cursed ????

Normal is no mask on the flight, get off the plane and walk to immigration, show your passport, get your bags, go outside and join the taxi queue. There were a lot of extra measures during Covid

My friends are flying into BKK from London in a couple of weeks. They haven’t been to Thailand since before Covid. I wondered if those who have recently arrived at BKK on an international flight could give any advice on what they can expect. Is it back to how it was pre-Covid now? More specifically: Vaccination status. Is this being checked at the airport on arrival? They’ve had 3 jabs, the last ones in December 2021. AstraZeneca and Pfizer. NHS app barcode expires May 2023. Masks – will they need to wear a mask after disembarking? Will they need to wear a mask for the duration of their flight with Thai Airways? Insurance – they have a good travel insurance policy through their bank accounts in the UK. Will this be sufficient? Will they be asked to produce a paper copy of the policy upon arrival? Taxi – is the taxi rank operating as normal at Swampy? Anything else to be aware of? Just trying to avoid any nasty surprises for them! Many thanks

And you are living in denial

I mentioned them because I don't think the kids of those immigrants are achieving in the way that you described. I think you were being selective. Am I wrong?

These kids acing their school work, winning places at the top universities, acing their studies and landing well paid jobs across all sectors of business, are these the kids of immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean, or only kids from certain parts of Asia? If it's the latter perhaps you can explain why - without being racist of course.

How would they achieve all this in a racist and xenophobic country?

An anti-Brexit propaganda video proves nothing. If the world wasn't preoccupied with Covid and the resulting 'cost of lockdown' crisis, plus the Ukraine war, post-Brexit UK would be in a very different position now.

Covid brought about a lot of division in society between pro-mask and anti-mask people. If I'm somewhere not wearing a mask (e.g. in a shop) and I notice others in the shop are masked up, I do still feel uncomfortable. I feel like they're probably angry with me for not wearing a mask, or are scared to go near me. Of course a lot of people don't give a monkeys what others think of them, but I do. That's why I'd prefer it if everyone stopped wearing masks (unless vulnerable etc)

Just been listening to LBC. Apparently these are the approximate numbers regarding the three candidates and the number of MPs that have officially backed them so far: Mordant 22 Boris 54 Sunak 62 It's looking like Boris and Sunak will fight it out, and that would be a bloodbath. It'll all be concluded by Friday 28th Oct, so at least it'll be quick.

The Thai guy definitely could've / should've walked away after being knocked down the first time. I guess pride / loss of face got the better of him. The French guy looks like he's been trained to fight, maybe Muy Thai training? Leading with a kick then punch, doesn't look like a typical farang move. So unlucky the Thai guy landed on the kerb. Hope he pulls through. Just shows why it's never worth getting involved in street scraps. One probably heading for jail and the other one fighting for his life.

This is purely opinion. To present it as fact would be arrogance, and I'm sure you're not arrogant.

Except for the ones who try to sell you tailored 'Armani' suits on the street

I expect that there are some older Thais in Thailand saying similar things about Pattaya (with just a few words changed) I don't think Pattaya is now full of Christian churches and farangs running around stabbing each other and dealing drugs.

You must have missed this bit: "He was "sorting out his affairs" in Thailand with a view to moving back in with his daughter."