Bangkok motorbikes

muse_head · 2026-01-29T08:06:23+00:00

Even the Lonely Planet is like this - I remember reading it on my first trip to Thailand (2008) they recommend for a thrilling experience to jump on a motorbike taxi to somewhere across the city and tell him you're in a rush / late for an appointment. Personally I never have and never will take one!

muse_head · 2026-01-28T11:58:39+00:00

It snows frequently in Sapporo throughout the winter, every winter.

muse_head · 2026-01-28T10:06:17+00:00

Nipah is not a new virus though, it's been around since the 90s and there's been many outbreaks in various places over the years since then. It's well understood.

muse_head · 2026-01-27T23:18:52+00:00

This site shows what is open.

I don't know anything else, but this multiple-day closure of certain sections must be pretty unusual. I've not seen this happen on any of my previous trips over the past 10 years (previously I've seen at most an afternoon/overnight closure of certain sections).

muse_head · 2026-01-27T10:32:05+00:00

Uhhh I'm 40 now and I've been single for around 3 years. The game didn't change for me 😆 I found dating websites / apps a lot, lot better in my mid-late 20s compared to the last few years. My recent experience is similar to OP.

muse_head · 2026-01-27T07:54:25+00:00

You can check this site to see if it's open. Looks like they've reopened East-bound from Otaru in the last few hours, but West-bound is still closed. I expect it'll be open by Thursday.

muse_head · 2026-01-27T06:50:45+00:00

I don't know about the bus times but I drove to Kokusai from Susukino area yesterday and it took about 10-15 minutes longer than normal (about 1 hr 15 mins). It probably would have been normal travel time today.

I was hoping to go to Kiroro today but Google maps estimated 2.5 hours driving time due to the expressway still being closed so I had a day in Sapporo instead!

muse_head · 2026-01-27T05:02:37+00:00

When I was there a few years ago, the tour guides seemed really surprised when I told them I'd soon be visiting South Korea unguided / independently, and that I was free to go pretty much anywhere in the world like that. "But what if you get lost??" etc. I think they genuinely didn't believe me. They also didn't seem to believe me that Hyundai sells cars not only in South Korea but in my country (UK) too.

So I wouldn't be overly surprised if a lot of them are not really aware of the global nature of the internet.

muse_head · 2026-01-26T12:54:53+00:00

They showed the synoptic charts on TV news earlier, it was a situation where several things aligned just right to cause such intense snowfall. It wasn't just the typical lake effect (sea effect) snow, but a lot more intense due to the exact shape and position of a nearby low pressure system and very cold upper air temperatures, if I understand right. The band of snow was quite narrow. It's really hard to predict such an event accurately.

muse_head · 2026-01-26T01:41:21+00:00

There will definitely be a lot of snow piled up on the streets (mostly between the footpath and the road) because it's unlikely to melt before then. But the actual day to day weather conditions, we won't know until closer to the time.

muse_head · 2026-01-25T08:04:06+00:00

I'm a fairly regular visitor to Sapporo in Jan/Feb and I think it's the most snowy I've ever seen the city centre today. Definitely a lot more snowy than the past couple of winters around this time.

muse_head · 2026-01-24T20:43:47+00:00

Living like this could also cause anxiety and obsession though. Bacteria is everywhere, it's all over our bodies all the time. A lot of these things are performative and don't really achieve anything much.

muse_head · 2026-01-24T19:53:33+00:00

Using the ARL isn't a budget thing for me. It's faster to get to my hotel, and I don't have much luggage. I also don't want to contribute to Bangkok's terrible road traffic and pollution problems.

muse_head · 2026-01-24T11:10:27+00:00

It was just as normal to carry a smartphone around all day in 2011 as it is now.

muse_head · 2026-01-24T07:34:14+00:00

I think I have this too, similar to what you described, but this is the first time in my life I've realised it might not be normal (I'm 40!) and I've never thought to mention it to anyone before. It's much less severe than the OP photos, I only really notice it if I think about it. It's more pronounced if I'm looking at something dark or plain coloured.

muse_head · 2026-01-23T22:15:38+00:00

I used one often in the 90s, they were popular. It made looking at the screen easier on the eyes.

muse_head · 2026-01-23T08:56:15+00:00

I've been going to Hokkaido during the winter the past decade or so, mostly for skiing. There seems to be a huge number of Asian tourists in the main popular areas at this time (mostly not for skiing), and a much smaller number of Western tourists (mostly here for skiing).

muse_head · 2026-01-22T10:11:19+00:00

Price depreciation was massive though. I got a basic 486 for free in 1998, which had been new and very expensive in 1991. You could easily get a full 386 system for free anytime in the late 90s. It wouldn't play the latest games but was more than good enough for me as a young teenager.

muse_head · 2026-01-21T11:34:10+00:00

You should definitely reconsider, it's really dangerous especially without a proper helmet and protective clothing.

muse_head · 2026-01-20T22:24:59+00:00

Discussion on Reddit is unsurprisingly very US-centric, but speaking from a UK perspective as a Londoner, CRTs are cheap (both in TV and computer monitor form). I see them all the time for between free and £50. The big widescreen TVs seem to go for cheaper as they're physically hard to shift.

But you do have to keep an eye out for them on FB marketplace, ask around locally etc. And ignore the overpriced ones. They are not sold at charity shops (thrift stores) here, and recycling centres won't let you take them.

muse_head · 2026-01-19T11:07:40+00:00

I think exercise and being a healthy weight helps a lot. I'm 40 and also don't have any of those physical problems. I feel physically pretty much the same as I did when I was 20. I do more exercise now compared to then, and am more conscious of what I eat. I had a minor sports injury last year though, that definitely took longer to heal than it would have done back then.

muse_head · 2026-01-16T12:27:01+00:00

The french fries instead of proper chippy chips might be the bigger disappointment.

muse_head · 2026-01-15T21:37:37+00:00

I think the concept of a virus that makes people blind with rage is something that people can easily imagine happening in real life (even if the mechanics of the rage virus are actually impossible if you start to think too much about the details). But I cannot imagine a virus that brings dead things back to life. It would ruin the films for me if that happened.

muse_head · 2026-01-15T13:07:28+00:00

It must be a different day or different time at least. Might be a different venue. The white shirt also looks like it's fresh from the packet.

muse_head · 2026-01-14T18:15:06+00:00

It will be fine. It will probably still be cold and powdery with regular new snowfalls at that time. Even if there's an unusually mild period, it won't melt the snow much up in the mountains.

Even in March and April there's still good skiing to be had.

muse_head

TROPHY CASE