GammaGlobulin

Yes. For sure. He wanted to have a completely cleaned room, fresh linen, every day, but with no extra charge. Most hotels will only fully change linens once every few days. Or, maybe he was just restless.

So then, in the end, he finally did check out? Also, what was the point of the ritual of checking out, and then in again, every 24 hours? This might have been a strategy to get full room service, and a freshly cleaned room, every day. Also, fresh linen, every day. To do this, one would probably need to check out of one room at noon, then walk around for awhile, and then return to the hotel, and then check in, again. But also, one might need to choose a different room number, preferably at random so that the hotel would not provide a room that was not fully cleaned. Still, this seems like a lot of work. It might be better to just pay extra for full maid service, and then tip the maids. Iceland is a beautiful place with sheep that stand around individually, and separated from other sheep. While there, I never saw a flock of sheep, and only marveled at sheep standing by themselves, independently. Sheep are not sheeple in Iceland.

I can only say that, in my view, Women make the best wives.

As I recall, my grandfather was born in 1885, probably in Massachusetts. He was a medic in France, and in the trenches, during WW One. I doubt he ever met Lord Nelson in the trenches, in France. But, there exists the possibility that he saw good old... Manfred von Richthofen fly by, overhead. A Real Fokker,... The one below!

So, as I say.. I would not wish to be around such dissatisfied and unhappy people during my holidays.

Hawaii is a dump. Anyone here actually been there? Extremely poor education, and most of the housing is nothing more than falling-down shacks. Then, you have your homeless living in canals beneath the streets. You have roosters everywhere infesting all the islands! Then, you have vagabond tourists flocking in, and even lower class than Pattaya. This is not an exaggeration. Pattaya tourists are mighty refined, by comparison! I am just saying that Hawaii has become a complete dump. IF I had a time machine, I would probably leave Thailand, six months of every year, to live in Hawaii, the Hawaii of 1939, before WW2. I am OK with CM of 2024, at least the good parts of CM. But, Hawaii of 2024???.... It's a DUMP! And, also, that Airhead Zuckerberger is on Kauai, as you know. What a phony !!!

I am sure that you are correct about the existence of such properties in Phuket. There is a whole world, separate from ours, which is reserved for the super rich. Yet, they still get bored, just like everyone, but... They are the ones locked inside... And we are the ones outside, roaming free. They are the prisoners of their wealth and warped way of life.

When I was their age, I never took selfies. People were happier then, without taking selfies to show the world.

Yes. And, to the tourists fresh off the plane... All Asians look alike, too.

Thanks. I think it's quite beautiful.

OK. When the heat lifts, and when the noise and the smoke subside, I definitely will. Until then, the windows stay closed.

That is BEAUTIFUL. Where IS that cottage? Please post the link. Really a beautiful environment, this....! I have always wanted to visit Scotland. But, the Scottish people I meet always tell me not to go.

So...Thank you very much for the advance warning! I mean, if I wanted to buy alcohol, then there is still plenty of time to stock up, in advance. And I would, too. But, instead, I think I will save the money, and invest it in some other pleasure. For me, at my age, the suspense of the ever-changing no-sale-of-alcohol days is now too much. Also, at my age, I often forget what I had been trying to remember. If I were stocking up, then I would probably just buy three cases of the Leo beer, large bottles, for a total of 36 bottles. Leo is cheap and good. Then, I would sit on the front porch, and drink the first case, beginning in the morning, maybe, just because I had a day off, once per year. However, in my view, this would be sort of a waste of money for me. Because, the day after, the beer would be gone Gone where? I would probably have forgotten, by then. So, stock up early, And stock up BIG, Because, otherwise, things can get stressful. The reason it's stressful is that anytime human behavior is restricted, then humans become stressed. We can avoid this stress by buying early...even more than we will need.

OK. But, sorry. I guess I did/do not catch your meaning, entirely.

Yes. Thank you for your corroboration. We know what is true. Also, let's also not forget what happened to Gus Grissom, during one of his launches into orbit.. And, I am not referring to the capsule fire tragedy, either!

Dear Folks, There are many reasons I prefer Chiang Mai to Bora Bora, and let me just begin by showing you two: https://www.lindsaysilberman.com/four-seasons-bora-bora-review/ What I am attempting to convey to you is just how much I love the people in Chiang Mai, and in Thailand, too. AND, I am sure that if I were locked on Bora Bora, at places like this...without a paddle... Then I would have no choice but to either swim out to sea, or bury my head in the sand. So, what about you? Are you the Bora Bora class of human being? Or, are you not insane.... Because, living in close quarters with the type of people that frequent very UPSCALE QUALITY-TOURIST destination can be hazardous for one's health...maybe... What I am saying is that I take great pleasure just living my life in Chiang Mai, simply, unpretentiously, and unostentatiously. I believe that there are many long-term Farang, some on TV, who are much like me in this respect. We come here to enjoy the culture, the interaction with Thai neighbors, and probably the Thai food. We do NOT need ever-increasing levels of stimulation in order to feed our insatiable need to satisfy our addiction to dopamine. After all... We are not status seekers, are we? And, we are NOT narcissists, either, are we? We do not post on social media pretending to be beautiful people, in order to impress those we either know or do not know. We do not want to live such an artificial existence, do we? NO, we do NOT! So, what about you? Why do you choose either Chiang Mai, or some other part of Thailand, for your home, and for your holidays, rather than... Some lousy artificial experience....on.. BORING BORA BORA? So, this Topic is NOT a Joke Topic. This just happens to be the way I feel about this entire sorry state of affairs, meaning this endless search by so many people for either the fountain of youth, or The fountain of what is useless. Happy Holidays....! Best regards, Gamma

No, not unless I am mistaken, I think. Seems that Cheek has not directed his research towards formation of beliefs, nor to uncovering the extent to which genetics influences belief formation, which was what I was commenting upon. Cheek is more interested in narcissism, as you know... I find associating with flaming narcissists to be rather tiresome. In fact, these days, I do not even know any....

This behavior is quite alright for farmers, of course. If in a car, do not stop by a busy thoroughfare. Instead, just carry some suitable container. Then wait to pass by a suitable place, before dumping over the side. Also, in years past, I would see this kind of thing in both Taiwan and China, and still do. But, just before, or during, urination, .... One should whistle. Regarding this whistling.... a. It helps males to get the flow started. b. It helps to distract oneself from feeling any shame. When you whistle, do not whistle a tune. You just whistle short repeated toots, of whistling... Just as our mothers in China taught us... When we were very young, Urinating on the side of the road, Or into a road grating, Or, just about anywhere.

Everybody says that, actually....

If what you say is true, then this is a shame. It just becomes a competition between neighboring countries, ...and.... A race to the bottom. Maybe you (we) just need to tour paths less traveled, to paraphrase Robert Frost....? If we go to places that advertise their attractions on social media, and on sites that appeal to the lower classes, then Pai is an example of just how far things can quickly deteriorate. Pai should do what other places do. Make Pai super expensive. And, invest in Pai's infrastructure in order to justify the much higher expense of staying there. Keep the riff-raff out. In fact, Pai should really take a lesson from BORA BORA. Bora Bora has upped its image to appeal to a more exclusive group of tourists and clientele. I would suggest that Pai spend its tourism advertising in the world's university graduate schools, for example, In order to attract smarter visitors who are more interested in protecting and respecting Pai's cultural heritage. Meanwhile, Pai should really take a harder look at Bora Bora to see the kind of competition for a better class of visitor which they are... Up Against....

It is difficult to say, for sure. That individual is wearing a bullet-proof vest. So, from the waist up, often male and female agents look quite similar. A bun is acceptable on a woman, in my view. But a bun on a male is repugnant, at least to me. And, rarely will a male have a bun in the oven.

OK. I think I understand you.... But then, does this also mean that nobody on Earth is Really ALIVE, since it now seems likely that life migrated (not immigrated), from some other point in our galaxy, and fell to Earth, like Bowie, but at a time about 3.5 billion years ago?

Yes, of course. And, I was talking about formation of beliefs, and opinions, political or otherwise. So that when you stated, to another member, that "I disagree with just about everything you post but with this I agree", I was attempting to comment on the fact that "your" opinions, and "what you agree with" or disagree with, is not under your "conscious" control, but more an artifact and a bias created by genetic predisposition, as well as some environmental factors affecting gene expression, and other influences of your environment which are not part of what we are able to perceive. You can think of it this way: We are very much affected by ultraviolet light, even though we are unable to perceive it with our eyes, NOR are we able to detect UV, until after the fact, and after exposure. There is much going on under the surface which causes us to agree or disagree with any view or any given person's views, and these factors are both important and also unknown to us. I hope this is too deep for you, actually.

Excuse me, but.... How is that even possible? Were they wearing their shirts upside down, or what?

Let's all keep in mind that much of what we "believe in", many of our basic preferences and biases... Are genetically determined. This means that we do not actively take part in, or make conscious decisions about, what we choose to believe. And let us not forget that it is not "we" who form the opinions that we hold. Rather, opinions that we hold are formed for us, through brain processes that are heavily influenced by genetics, and by environmental influences which remain below our conscious awareness, and beyond what we are able to consciously perceive. Nobody knows why, really, they vote for Trump. Their choice has been made for them, at the subconscious level, and therefore it's not, actually... A choice based on logic. Same with all political decisions, more or less...