I am around a lot of HK tourists recently and they behave reasonably

in my mind, taiwan is above HK but only by a little

Thoughts on China's belt and road project?

Its based

Should've just pulled through Russia and ignored the middle east tbh.

imo

Yeah but what about that debt trap diplomacy?

US Japan and WB have been doing it for years

China finally learned from the IMF I guess. But that doesn't make it any less unsettling.

It's rather a game of bomb trap diplomacy

But China presents as some warsaw-pact-tier shit.

For the goverments

Doesn't mean so trainwrecks aren't going to do shit anyway

I mean if it works, good for everyone involved, but so far i only see this with a lot of bad press and somaly pirate tier shit coming up.

I dunno. I guess I just kinda assume the worst bcuz China. But even if it's benevolent, I expect at least a free press to take a hit in the countries involved because why piss off the country that's stimulating your economy? It's in their interest right now to do everything to avoid pissing off Chinese Winnie the Poo and I'm worried what kind of effects that will have.

A lot of BRI contracts are as much about relieving china's massive industrial overcapacity and steel surplus as they are about leashing smaller economues around them

I hope at least some of the countries involved will try to develop some economic independence instead of sitting on their laurels.

Oh, no. I don't think that China will be the bad boy in any of that. They play American world police on a smaller scale with no contestans...

On top of that the AIIB which provudes at least 1/3 of the funding involved has multilateral contributors from across the globe

Nobody in Asia wants to be China's bitch and they dont have any misconceptions about the real intentions behind Xi's "shared destiny" message

China is going to have a hell of a time getting over the PR issues (especially in the south china sea) if they want this movement to have any of the geopolitical heft they want

Maybe. Who knows, maybe some of the beneficiaries are playing 3d chess.

Real question imo; does china's shared destiny catch on quick enough before china themselves get fucked over by automation?

twould be hilarious especially if said automation was precipitated by their insane IT boom

Rather bought in, but i guess it results the same.

I'm sure China would have an economic boon, only the workers will be fucked. Which is to say most everyone. I guess political stability could still be a challenge though.

I feel like hong kong was the first place in asia where expats started to settle down in

less people are doing this these days I think

@transience are hostels in bangkok okay?

I kinda wanna try it

@plasticsword Depends if you can deal with other people being around

mine is okay

no obvious sleazy western men

is it usually just a curtain?

also are there lockers?

yeah, I share a room with four chinks and one white guy but there are curtains you can pull down

and also a locker

I don't think I pay more than 4 quid a night

First sip of the day

6 hours sleep, so I guess I need it

<:alismirk:230784726615588865>

also, yes, I'm wristlet

6 year energy

*ssiiiiipppp*

damn hot in thailand today

Not only there

@transience are you wearing virgin over knee shorts?

virgin jeans

sigh

and virgin tshirt

Virgin skinny jeans

sigh

Are white t shirts Chad?

I should have brought my shaver over so I can wear shorts with trap tier legs

virgin grey sigh

Tfw Chad white

at least they are not virgin black

Yes, that's true. Ur fine, fam

Some pajeets and mainland chinks got told off at golden Buddha temple for not covering leg

<:alismirk:230784726615588865>

also it's very comfy temple

Holy kek

two fat white neck beards in fedoras

you can't make this up

don't go to the museum siam

it is shit

the exhibit is thainess and lgbt

So hard to get a bus to stop in bangkok

They don't look around to see if anyone e is waiting unlike taiwan

So better get their attention early somehow

does Grab taxi normally take a while to find a driver? <:thonk:288060975775612929>

Sometimes

Took ten mins to find one but I'm in now

Hopefully, weather doesn't go to shit too soon

@transience are there several golden buddha temples in bangkok?

thats not the one I mean

lets see what my memories + google will say

yes, I think there's several

I went to this one

Wat? Traimit

cant find it anymore. it was a smaller temple with no tourists. only monks and books everywhere

top comfy

Scam notice <:thvnk:332928260004642827>

I like how they have to tell this to dumb farangs

@transience a lot of churches have these signs too

Stupid tourists

I'm in arun now

Pretty comfy

Nice temple

Nice pictures

always liked the style of their cultural buildings

There was a group of thais talking about kathoey (traps)

<:alismirk:230784726615588865>

on my way now to find a bus that might not even stop, knowing things here

I got on

<:aliOK:251417852156837888>

need to be quick in bangkok

@Tribit @JHWH

that hat?????

<:thenk:329322130804047872> <:thenk:329322130804047872> <:thenk:329322130804047872> <:thenk:329322130804047872>

I just taken from bus window

it's not just the Buddhist symbol

the tilt is just right

<:thvnk:332928260004642827>

>the tilt

What about the colors and overall design?

<:thenk:329322130804047872>

its perfect 👌🏻

Virgin walking MBK center now

Bottom floor, the most boring one I think

The upper floors seem better

Dried food store

Seems comfy

@transience get some dried fruits

There's a similar shop in Chatuchak that has quality dried fruits 👌

Edgy tshirt for 45 year olds

😍

Knowns

Is that legit english kek

For @JHWH

@fedora

Huohhh dont remind me

Is knowns english?

My wife knowns everything

@fedora yes we get it

Why y remind me of bald though

They made a typo

because thais can fix it

@fedora

in their shitty tourist shirt

😊

Huohhh

Are u going @transience

Bought pork floss rice crackers from dried food store

50 baht

Tastes good

@transience never tried those

@Tribit do you remember when train market closes?

wondering how long I should virgin walk MBK for

Mon–Sun
5:00 PM–12:10 AM

seems like a huge place

not bad

maybe I can still make it

is it anywhere near MBK?

or sukhumvit?

wew

it's on the far eastern side of bkk

yeah you're not going to make that then

100 baht, okay price?

who cares, it tastes nice

<:alismirk:230784726615588865>

what is it

Dried fruit in thailand

looks like green pepper strips

jungle asians can into good food

@fedora fake /fa/ggot clothes

That supreme logo is way too big

You'd know

<:thenk:329322130804047872>

@Tribit

400 baht (about 10 euros) fair?

They wanted 600 at first

@transience why you want it

/shrug

I spent way more in Taiwan on tourist trap souvenirs

There's nicer souvenirs to get

like?

It's too expensive for a souvenir

You mean these?

Dicks pointing right at the Buddhas

If you want it get it

<:thvnk:332928260004642827>

there's nicer stuff at night markets and tourist spots of interest like chatuchak

better to get stuff there

@transience that statue is not even Thai lel

I'll have a look this weekend

it's Indian

hindi stuff

ain't a trip to thailand without a scam

Poo

get a ganesh statue

🇮🇳

@fedora saw WMWF couple where F was taller than M <:benis:239668961011040257>

maybe u can make it after all

huohh but im not white

how many times do i have to tell

@transience is it cast bronze?

probably is

but i didnt check

Thats a great deal

Probably hollow cast so you can chip out the bottom and hide money and shit in tere

If its solid then it is probably worth that amount at UK scrap prices

20 baht dried seaweed

I dont think about non currencies whatvis that in real money and why are you eating it without rice lile a subhumaan

it's flavoured <:thvnk:332928260004642827>

@johnfrum it's a snack

What?

Thats gross

@transience buy as much dried fish as you can just leave all your clothes there and stuff garbage bags full lf fish

what's wrong with dried fish <:thvnk:332928260004642827>

Its great, hence why you shouldntake as much with you as possible

Dried seaweed is gross but dried fish yum full up my suitcase <:wholesomethonk:373550351082848267>

Makes sense

No, eating dried seaweed by itself is groos

Also don't fill it with dried or preserved meats

dried seaweed stinks and is disgusting

Yeah, theyll probably seize it at customs

Depends on your customs

Britbongistan so they'll probably take it and send him tob20 years of being ahmed's onahole

i bought pork floss back from jungle chink country once

nothing happened

How much?

like a few packets

Never liked pork floss. Went to a chinese bakery once, they put it on a milkbun with whipped creme

🤢

is there anything that you do like?

<:thvnk:332928260004642827>

Dont tell me you would actually eat that

I took a bite and put it in the trash.

i would and i just did the other day

finished the whole pack actually

<:thonk:288060975775612929>

Its pork and whipped cream burn your british passport and become a burger

i dont get whats wrong with it

its nice

Its okay on top of rice but not ina sweet

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-44700473

Taiwanese engineering

seems like asia in general

in thailand as well, they just tape down shit they dont want ppl to move

My gf did that because she didn't find the window isolation

So she taped kitchen foil around the window

And sticked the AC tube through

Have to admit, it works

I'm surprised you actually got an AC to begin with.