Icon - Torpedo closed about 6 weeks ago. The lease was up and the owner of the building chose not to renew it. So, Torpedo is no more. I did here that they were to open another Torpedo upcountry but I cannot remember where.

Torpedo was one of three places owned by the same person - the other two places being Cruising and Dejavu.

The closure was discussed in several threads at Cruising-Torpedo-Dejavu • หน้าแรก - a forum for the three saunas.

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Thanks.

RIP.

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Is this far-flung Hercules sauna still worth a visit ? I had great fun in their roof top natural garden during my last vist years ago. I like places with high concentration of asian.

Can anyone recommend any new sauna with asian as their theme?

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"asian as their theme" ? Ur in Asia so all sauna's are packed with Asians. Once they have a farang nite only will post it

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I was wondering what that meant myself.

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-- I'm but an infrequent visitor to BABYLON SAUNA, but there I'd guestimated that the Thai:farang ratio is approx. 45:55..
-- As an aside should one differentiate between Asians & Orientals?
--

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"Oriental" is considered an antiquated and somewhat offensive term in the US these days. Kind of like "Negro".

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-- Looking at the number of businesses, establishments, hotels etc. etc. wch. feature that word: 'Oriental.' possibly your news hasn't arrived hereabouts yet?
- What word would you propose to be substituted and used in stead?
--

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-- The 'HERCULES SAUNA.' and its neighboring hotel used to be advertised regularly on the back covers of many of the freebie & monthly magazines; but now that you happen to mention it I've not seen their adverts. for quite some time.
--

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It's still sometimes used for inanimate and abstract things like restaurants, hotels, art, music, etc. But no longer to refer to people, at least in the US.

The preferred term now is simply "Asian".

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3 nations divided by a common language.

In UK "Asian" would be associated with ethnic Indo- Pakistani races, while "Oriental" (literally 'eastern') with ethnically Chinese / Japanese and East Asian races. "Oriental" would be seen as higher status than "Asian".

In Australia there are many less complimentary terms used for any-one of non caucasian backgrounds !

Having said the above, I guess it's harder to pidgeon-holes Thais as the race is such a mixture of 'east meets west', with strong influences from both Chinese and Indian cultures and races. I think Thais are just unique and are simply , Thai !

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And while we are on the politically correct line, the term race is no longer used. You refer to people belonging to an ethnic group.

And why should some ethnic groups have a higher status than others? That seems to me as blatant racism.

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Perception is everything. If I explained the reasons why UK attitiutes / perceptions differ towards "ethnic groups" I would be blasted as a racist, (which I'm not).

A visit to parts of Radjistan will show that the Indian history of culture and intellect can match (or even exceed) that of the Chinese but perception is that the Chinese were in every way a superior "race". (Indian astonomy was already highly developed when the English were just a bunch of feudal peasants.)

I personally believe in valuing people for who they are, regardless of ethnic origins.

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-- Not forgetting, either, Indian mathematics, (it was well-developed even before the Normans bequeathed the Feudal System to the English.), wch. gave us the ZERO - 0., Our present days' numerals arrived in the Occident, eventually, via Middle Eastern astrologers, astronomers, mathematicians and similar others - hence our mis-calling them 'Arabic numerals.'.

- True, the Indians may have enjoyed an higher civilisation then - but then civilisation - like Omar Khayyam's 'Finger.' - moves on and on ... .

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And I fear slowly leaving our shores .....

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