View Full Version : General Reports
PedroMorales
11-03-20, 19:31
Here is links to a danish story (there are plenty in English but you should learn a second language https://ekstrabladet.dk/flash/livsstil/porno-protester-i-thailand/8352884) telling us Pornhub, one of Thailand's most popular sites, is blocked.
Please note on the Danish site there are women protesting about the ban. Why are Thai women protesting against Pornhub being banned?
Here is links to a danish story (there are plenty in English but you should learn a second language https://ekstrabladet.dk/flash/livsstil/porno-protester-i-thailand/8352884) telling us Pornhub, one of Thailand's most popular sites, is blocked.
Please note on the Danish site there are women protesting about the ban. Why are Thai women protesting against Pornhub being banned?Get a VPN like SurfEasy and you can watch PH from anywhere.
https://www.surfeasy.com/us/en/
PedroMorales
11-05-20, 14:35
It seems the Thai king is running out of Bavarian road and he might be asked to bugger back home to Nana Plaza. It seems the colour coded revolution cannot be too far away. God knows what is happening in the shadows but I fear a big blow up is on the way between the red and yellow shirts. It makes a change from EPL football.
Banana Boi
11-07-20, 05:58
USD dropping like a rock vs the Baht. It dipped under 31 baht yesterday. It's currently at 30.5342 baht and dropping. Per XE.com, the lowest it's been was 29.28 baht in April 2013.
US elections fiasco is shrinking the dollar worldwide.Since the topic is not Pattaya specific I am replying here.
It's not just the USD. The Thai baht continues to rise against other countries.
https://www.ft.com/content/251d8aea-6939-4166-afe6-2df0176e0f8f
The king's money: Thailand divided over the $40 bn question.
The role and wealth of the Germany-based king is under unprecedented scrutiny amid national protests.
Having accelerated China's punishment before elections he now takes aim at Thailand.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-suspends-duty-free-access-022212941.html
How is this going to impact US mongers'relations with personnel in their favorite destination?My suspicion is that IF it actually goes into effect, it will be reversed in less than a month or so.
I hope everyone who has an interest has lots of popcorn, the next 60-90 days will be quite the show I expect.
Banana Boi
11-08-20, 05:25
The Chinese tourists are expected to spend 400 k in their 1 month stay in Thailand. I'm not too impressed if they are not including the 14 day quarantine in the 1 month stay because that's about how much I used to spend as a weekend millionaire tourist before. Now if they are spending 400 k baht in 16 days then I'm impressed. That would work out to 25k baht per day. At 500 baht per Beach Road FL in Pattaya that's 50 sessions per day! That would be 8 gogo girls per day at 3k each. I only maxed out at 4 gogo girls at the same time, 8000 baht bar tab at Sapphire, and a couple of Kinnaree sessions during the day. These Chinese are making me look like chump change.
This is so ironic that the Chinese have become the rich tourists Thailand is hoping to revive their economy. All I ever heard in my years of living in Thailand are how cheap the Chinese from China are and how they don't spend anything.
HorseTrader
11-08-20, 07:52
The Chinese tourists are expected to spend 400 k in their 1 month stay in Thailand. I'm not too impressed if they are not including the 14 day quarantine in the 1 month stay because that's about how much I used to spend as a weekend millionaire tourist before. Now if they are spending 400 k baht in 16 days then I'm impressed. That would work out to 25k baht per day. At 500 baht per Beach Road FL in Pattaya that's 50 sessions per day! That would be 8 gogo girls per day at 3k each. I only maxed out at 4 gogo girls at the same time, 8000 baht bar tab at Sapphire, and a couple of Kinnaree sessions during the day. These Chinese are making me look like chump change.
This is so ironic that the Chinese have become the rich tourists Thailand is hoping to revive their economy. All I ever heard in my years of living in Thailand are how cheap the Chinese from China are and how they don't spend anything.My last trip to Thailand was 32 days and total expenses were about 320,000 baht, which included everything. There was absolutely nothing I wanted that I didn't get. Spending an extra 80,000 baht would not have increased my enjoyment. I have simple tastes. I’m not the target tourist. But, if it was required to spend 400,000 baht to gain entry, I would do it.
In February I met a Chinese business owner who rented a beautiful villa for his wife, young daughter, and babysitter. He also rented a beachfront room in a fancy resort so he had a place to escape family and bring as many as 5 bar girls for evening recreation while the family stayed at the villa. Everything first class. I'm sure that he spent over 2,000,000 baht per month for the family and babysitter. He is the target tourist.
Two of my non-P4P Thai girlfriends worked in fancy hotels and resorts (4,000 to 8,000 baht per night places). Both of them commented that their Chinese customers were the big spenders. These are target tourists.
I also see a good number of Chinese who do bus tours and stay in simple hotels. I doubt those people spend much money. Clearly not the target tourists.
PedroMorales
11-08-20, 09:43
Chinese tour / Triad gangs control the Chinese tour buses, bring them into Chinese shops etc.
All countries have to adopt a tourist model. The USA has cheap shopping, Disneyland stuff, rock / Hollywood tours, Las Vegas and so on. Different strokes for different folks.
Bhutan has two: very rich folk like Liz Taylor and Queen Elizabeth (who spends zilch and does not monger), and poor NGO volunteers. Next to no one else. Nepal has Everest "climbers" and riff raff.
Thailand has beaches, food, lots of shopping. I still use watches I bought thee in the last century.
You are saying they should ditch that so a handful of rich Chinese can walk Pattaya and Nana Plaza on their own, and that their Chinese women can have entire shopping malls all to themselves. One thing then is for sure. We will have plenty more love struck clowns writing here about the love of their life they left behind in an Isaan knocking shop.
On the upside, there should be a great rice harvest this year, with all the extra hands returning from the brothels.
My last trip to Thailand was 32 days and total expenses were about 320,000 baht, which included everything. There was absolutely nothing I wanted that I didn't get. Spending an extra 80,000 baht would not have increased my enjoyment. I have simple tastes. Im not the target tourist. But, if it was required to spend 400,000 baht to gain entry, I would do it.
In February I met a Chinese business owner who rented a beautiful villa for his wife, young daughter, and babysitter. He also rented a beachfront room in a fancy resort so he had a place to escape family and bring as many as 5 bar girls for evening recreation while the family stayed at the villa. Everything first class. I'm sure that he spent over 2,000,000 baht per month for the family and babysitter. He is the target tourist.
Two of my non-P4P Thai girlfriends worked in fancy hotels and resorts (4,000 to 8,000 baht per night places). Both of them commented that their Chinese customers were the big spenders. These are target tourists.
I also see a good number of Chinese who do bus tours and stay in simple hotels. I doubt those people spend much money. Clearly not the target tourists.
This is so ironic that the Chinese have become the rich tourists Thailand is hoping to revive their economy. All I ever heard in my years of living in Thailand are how cheap the Chinese from China are and how they don't spend anything.
What would Thailand be like if the King was forced to divest half his wealth with 20 b going to his citizens / subjects?. He would still be one of the richest men in the world and perhaps then would enjoy a certain amount of respect in his country. Just saying.
There are 70 mm Thais so do the math.
https://www.ft.com/content/251d8aea-6939-4166-afe6-2df0176e0f8f
The king's money: Thailand divided over the $40 bn question.
The role and wealth of the Germany-based king is under unprecedented scrutiny amid national protests.
Tripadvisor takes action regarding Thai hotel responsible for jailing American who posted harsh review of the hotel. https://www.yahoo.com/news/thai-hotel-jailed-american-gets-153324553.html.
What would Thailand be like if the King was forced to divest half his wealth with 20 b going to his citizens / subjects?. He would still be one of the richest men in the world and perhaps then would enjoy a certain amount of respect in his country. Just saying.
There are 70 mm Thais so do the math.Thailand wouldn't be any different. $20 be spread to every Thai would be $285 each. Absolutely nothing. His wealth would be held in property and other assets, not just cash in the bank.
Franciscass
11-13-20, 04:54
Tripadvisor takes action regarding Thai hotel responsible for jailing American who posted harsh review of the hotel. https://www.yahoo.com/news/thai-hotel-jailed-american-gets-153324553.html.Good for you Tripadvisor. While this guy's online rant was hard to take for any establishment the way to deal with him was either ignoring him or simply explaining their side of the story. Bad reviews whether true or not are part of doing business nowadays. Using the police and locking him up is sadly just one more nail in the coffin in Thailand losing its Land Of Smiles appeal which charmed and enchanted us when we first arrived.
PedroMorales
11-14-20, 13:17
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfF3CGVwrs4
60 Minutes have a spicy piece on the Thai King, his live-in mistress and 4 legged the poodle he appointed to head up the Thai air force.
What would Thailand be like if the King was forced to divest half his wealth with 20 b going to his citizens / subjects?. He would still be one of the richest men in the world and perhaps then would enjoy a certain amount of respect in his country. Just saying.
There are 70 mm Thais so do the math.Despite all his moolah the king has borrowings from city of London investment funds and banks, in the millions for investments somewhere, which is surprising. Another greedy thai billionaire which owns 50% of everything thai and promotes a feudal system which keeps Thais poor.
Banana Boi
11-17-20, 06:28
$100,000 medical insurance, 14 day quarantine, and proof of 500,000 baht in assets during the last 6 months to apply. If approved, before your flight you'll need a PCR Test.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johannaread/2020/11/12/new-thailand-tourist-visa-you-can-now-spend-60-days-in-paradise/?sh=6d561300369aForbes is an American publication so it wants to give hope to Americans. Let's face it, Americans aren't getting in to Thailand. I am now predicting 2023, if that. Key to article is that people from any country can APPLY. Reality is China only for the foreseeable future. I have yet to read any Thai publication that gives any glimmer of hope that US citizens are even on the radar, with good reason.
Forbes is an American publication so it wants to give hope to Americans. Let's face it, Americans aren't getting in to Thailand. I am now predicting 2023, if that. Key to article is that people from any country can APPLY. Reality is China only for the foreseeable future. I have yet to read any Thai publication that gives any glimmer of hope that US citizens are even on the radar, with good reason.Thai embassies and most of the travel websites have the same story. Forbes was the easiest to read and understand. They left out the prison like quarantine rules though.
Diplomats, business visa, retirement visa, and married to Thais are being allowed back into Thailand from the US. So why would the Thai government stop regular American tourists from joining them with all the hoops (safety precautions) people have to jump through.
It's good business. Maximize profit and minimize risk. 15 k baht in Covid testing. 100 k to 200 k baht for hotels. And each person volunteers to be locked up, checked twice per day, and monitored on their cell phones for 15 days. And if they get sick, they have a minimum 500 k baht in the bank plus a $100 k USD insurance policy.
Not for your casual traveler but die hard mongers Thailand is open for your money.
Member #4698
11-17-20, 14:25
Let's face it, Americans aren't getting into Thailand. I am now predicting 2023, if that. Key to article is that people from any country can APPLY.BB, That is a rather dark forecast. While I concede that the Thai Government might choose to keep Thailand in lockdown mode, I think there is much higher degree of probability that they will allow certified vaccinated North Americans, Australians, and Europeans in dropping the 14 day quarantine and other prohibitive restrictions. I could be wrong, but as I keep saying, There are plenty of extremely viable alternatives, it will be Thailand's loss if they act against their own interests as other Asian countries will most definitely open for certified vaccinated travelers and add to the growing list of some very nice countries that are already open (no quarantine).
BTW, there are some great pay later / free cancellation BKK hotel deals available for March, April, May. For example, I saw the JW Marriott for $35/ night, the Sofitel Sukhumvit for $60/ night, and the Grand Hyatt for $60/ night. Normally I am not a big fan of these hotels, but those rates are real deals.
Franciscass
11-17-20, 17:13
I wouldn't bet the farm on Thailand opening up with just a vaccination cert no matter where you originate from.
I get the buzz around vaccines but this country is so paranoid of even a single infection it's hard to know if even they will be sufficient to change the mindset here.
So you get vaccinated, Moderna 95% effective Pfizer 90% none are projected to be 100% which means a percentage of people vaccinated could still be infected and become transmitters.
Will they still require 72 hours before you fly negative PCR test, a straight into 14 day quarantine where you have to test negative twice again plus insurance, fit to fly certificates yada yada.
PedroMorales
11-17-20, 19:14
I am not taking any vaccine shot to be allowed back in to bonk LBFMs and I don't think the Thai government will worry about that. They could do well allowing in Chinese, Japanese and Korean groups and excluding Cheap Charlies, who only spend pennies on pussies and beer.
Mongers are not even a consideration in all this. Better to get the shop shop shop brigade in, than the LBFM addicts. It is a golden opportunity for those who matter to go up market.
BB, That is a rather dark forecast. While I concede that the Thai Government might choose to keep Thailand in lockdown mode, I think there is much higher degree of probability that they will allow certified vaccinated North Americans, Australians, and Europeans in dropping the 14 day quarantine and other prohibitive restrictions. I could be wrong, but as I keep saying, There are plenty of extremely viable alternatives, it will be Thailand's loss if they act against their own interests as other Asian countries will most definitely open for certified vaccinated travelers and add to the growing list of some very nice countries that are already open (no quarantine).
BTW, there are some great pay later / free cancellation BKK hotel deals available for March, April, May. For example, I saw the JW Marriott for $35/ night, the Sofitel Sukhumvit for $60/ night, and the Grand Hyatt for $60/ night. Normally I am not a big fan of these hotels, but those rates are real deals.
Forbes is an American publication so it wants to give hope to Americans. Let's face it, Americans aren't getting in to Thailand. I am now predicting 2023, if that. Key to article is that people from any country can APPLY. Reality is China only for the foreseeable future. I have yet to read any Thai publication that gives any glimmer of hope that US citizens are even on the radar, with good reason.I can't say here, but I know for a fact you are not well informed. Check with the Thai Embassy Web pages for who and how people can get back. It is not easy and expensive. But there are at least 2 avenues for retirees (not tourists) to return. They are the only group motivated enough to go through the hellish process.
HorseTrader
11-17-20, 22:21
So you get vaccinated, Moderna 95% effective Pfizer 90% none are projected to be 100% which means a percentage of people vaccinated could still be infected and become transmitters.I doubt that a vaccination certificate will be sufficient to gain entry into Thailand without quarantine. But, I believe that vaccines will be the path to regained Thailand tourism.
Right now each Western infected person infects more than one other person, the number of COVID patients increases. I've read rates anywhere between 1.5 and 3.5 newly infected people for each new patient. As long as that rate is above 1.0, COVID builds. Drop the rate below 1.0 and the number of new COVID cases reduces. By vaccinating people, this rate of new infections goes down.
My personal projection is about 70% of the population of Western nations will be vaccinated by August 2021. Gradually, the number of new COVID cases will be small enough so the Thai government will allow visitors. Perhaps they will require vaccination certificate. My guess is Thailand travel will be easy by about October 2021.
I doubt that a vaccination certificate will be sufficient to gain entry into Thailand without quarantine. But, I believe that vaccines will be the path to regained Thailand tourism.
Right now each Western infected person infects more than one other person, the number of COVID patients increases. I've read rates anywhere between 1.5 and 3.5 newly infected people for each new patient. As long as that rate is above 1.0, COVID builds. Drop the rate below 1.0 and the number of new COVID cases reduces. By vaccinating people, this rate of new infections goes down.
My personal projection is about 70% of the population of Western nations will be vaccinated by August 2021. Gradually, the number of new COVID cases will be small enough so the Thai government will allow visitors. Perhaps they will require vaccination certificate. My guess is Thailand travel will be easy by about October 2021.Once any vaccine from a reputable company is "finalized", J&J, Pfizer or Moderna, the businesses around the world will demand that everything return to normal in order for national economies to begin to rebound. Every government will want "normalcy" and those vaccines will provide the justification for reliance on modern science to allow the world economic situation to begin again. To wait according to your belief that only a 100 percent vaccine will allow return to normal activity will be the death knell for that country's economy.
Your belief that it would take until August 2021 to get the world completely vaccinated will not apply to the western world. The United States will be completely vaccinated by the end of March 2021 based on the latest news. Other western countries will follow suit. (Interestingly, the PRC company that was conducting test trials of their "vaccine" in Brazil was halted by the Brazilian government recently due to "adverse reactions" to the "vaccine". So I don't think any PRC produced vaccine will be "accepted" by any nation as a free pass to enter. LOL!
The United States will be completely vaccinated by the end of March 2021 based on the latest news. No way the US will be 100% vaccinated by March. First, they won't have 700 million doses ready by then (The Pfizer vaccine requires 2 doses). More important, they can't even convince half the country Covid is real and to wear a mask. People in South Dakota are dying in ICUs still thinking Covid is fake. People in the US fight measles vaccines. They don't even get flu shots. California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada won't even accept a vaccine until they've independently tested it. Blue states don't trust Trump and big pharma. Red states don't believe in science. LOL.
Personally, I'm waiting to make sure the cure isn't worse than the disease.
LittleBigMan
11-18-20, 04:03
BB, That is a rather dark forecast. While I concede that the Thai Government might choose to keep Thailand in lockdown mode, I think there is much higher degree of probability that they will allow certified vaccinated North Americans, Australians, and Europeans in dropping the 14 day quarantine and other prohibitive restrictions. I could be wrong, but as I keep saying, There are plenty of extremely viable alternatives, it will be Thailand's loss if they act against their own interests as other Asian countries will most definitely open for certified vaccinated travelers and add to the growing list of some very nice countries that are already open (no quarantine).
BTW, there are some great pay later / free cancellation BKK hotel deals available for March, April, May. For example, I saw the JW Marriott for $35/ night, the Sofitel Sukhumvit for $60/ night, and the Grand Hyatt for $60/ night. Normally I am not a big fan of these hotels, but those rates are real deals.I'm more in agreement with you? If people check there is and never has been a vaccine that is 100%, Trump whether you like him or not and he is no longer President so leave him out of the discussion people want to think like Harris that she wouldn't take it because Trump made it is one of the reasons I wouldn't ever vote for the dump two face *****. Every expert article I read from science that the vaccine yes made and name by Trump " Warp Speed " is 90% effective and that is damn good in their opinion the best in history has been only 95%. In the USA Freedom reigns and at times too much is the problem nothing ever gets done.
Right now USA Has already made an agreement with several sources they will get a minimum of 100-300 million doses does anyone expect by spring 2021 everyone will get vaccinated in the USA I say wake up and get real or get your head out of the sand or stop watching too many fantasy movies. The objective will never be made to get everyone vaccinated but to slow it down so once it is out if it starts to work and does slow down you will see more and more people get it that is just common sense if that is in the equation.
As for Thailand, they have already arranged with a company to make it here doing so means money and recognition knowing Thailand they aren't going to make something and then say we aren't going to certify it because it isn't 100% effective I being stuck here is hoping they will lower the restriction or completely remove them so I can travel abroad and return to Thailand without jumping through the hoops. Being Thailand, let's leave out the corruption even the stupidity from their leaders, and say they will go this route. Continue to lock down like they are now no matter how much of a brush they want to paint how wonderful their country is to invest, how low their rate of infection and death no country can be an island. Their poor are suffering and dying.
When the vaccine comes out I was hoping that it gets some certification from Thailand to catch a flight home to the U.S. arrange my vaccine but it looks now if I need to get two shots based on the time I was staying that wouldn't be possible. So my hope is Thailand has it I will take it if they certify it for me to return with no strings attached otherwise my wait continues like the rest of you. When and if it is certified I will take the 10% chance to me that is good odds to getting off this fucking rock for two weeks.
People complain about the effectiveness of the vaccine but not being available isn't really an option how long you think the world can go on like this? Thailand should be more attentive to how many are dying from road accidents and Dengue fever!
No way the US will be 100% vaccinated by March. First, they won't have 700 million doses ready by then (The Pfizer vaccine requires 2 doses). More important, they can't even convince half the country Covid is real and to wear a mask. People in South Dakota are dying in ICUs still thinking Covid is fake. People in the US fight measles vaccines. They don't even get flu shots. California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada won't even accept a vaccine until they've independently tested it. Blue states don't trust Trump and big pharma. Red states don't believe in science. LOL.
Personally, I'm waiting to make sure the cure isn't worse than the disease.Big pharma have nothing to do with the vaccine anymore. The US government wil most likely pay a single price per vaccine.
Banana Boi
11-18-20, 06:10
You are WRONG
I can't say here, but I know for a fact you are not well informed. Check with the Thai Embassy Web pages for who and how people can get back. It is not easy and expensive. But there are at least 2 avenues for retirees (not tourists) to return. They are the only group motivated enough to go through the hellish process.
Clearly my comment was to the general TOURIST population of Americans but you are making some claim that you can't say that I am wrong and your claim is ONLY related to RETIREES and not 99% of the guys who read this thread.
What is written on a web page and reality are 2 different things. Do you actually know Americans who have gotten back in to Thailand recently? I'm sure we are interested in hearing stories. Maybe some of the other guys fall in to the same category as some of these fortunate Americans who got back in. Married to Thai wife. Kids in Thailand. Significant business/property owners in Thailand.
With its current status of being number 1 in active cases, the general US population will be last in to many countries, not only Thailand. I will put money on that. Germany borders have been open to a list of non-Schengen countries for months. Americans are not welcome.
You are correct. I am not well informed about Thailand. I've only ever been there once for a 12 hour layover. Somehow I know 1000s of Thai gogo/bar girls though.
Banana Boi
11-18-20, 06:19
it will be Thailand's loss if they act against their own interests as other Asian countries will most definitely open for certified vaccinated travelers and add to the growing list of some very nice countries that are already open (no quarantine).
That's funny because just tonight I started making sure the gogo girls I wanted to see had valid passports so when countries like Japan and Korea open up, we will meet in those countries rather than Thailand.
Franciscass
11-18-20, 10:22
Really when you think about it because vaccinations are not 100% effective it can be more about whether the local population is vaccinated in sufficient numbers to create herd immunity. If they are then there would be less need for extreme caution around allowing visitors in and could responsibly make do opening up with a simple vaccination certificate.
The science is still out on what the percentage is but 70% has been floated as a threshold which means 40 to 45 million Thais will need to be vaccinated. Question is, is the will there to provide the financial investment and can the system cope with procuring and delivering.
On a pure return on investment metric getting back the multi trillion baht Thai tourist industry screams absolutely. Whether the system can deliver on vaccinating that many people in a short space of time umm TIT.
..... Somehow I know 1000s of Thai gogo/bar girls though.Is that 'know' in the biblical sense, if so you are phenomenal.
Member #4698
11-18-20, 14:22
I'm more in agreement with you? Yeah, I think we agree. I hope you can travel shortly.
That's funny because just tonight I started making sure the go go girls I wanted to see had valid passports so when countries like Japan and Korea open up, we will meet in those countries rather than Thailand.Ha Ha, why not? I am sure your sexy friends would love to go to Japan on holiday. Consider the Maldives as well. Thai girls are enthralled by what they have heard about the Maldives. It's beautiful, peaceful, no distractions, and it's open.
https://visitmaldives.s3.amazonaws.com/ywDeXNYN/qblrrq08.pdf
https://visitmaldives.s3.amazonaws.com/EoAj21w9/ahpfkwoq.pdf
Pimpampoumpipo
11-18-20, 15:18
(Interestingly, the PRC company that was conducting test trials of their "vaccine" in Brazil was halted by the Brazilian government recently due to "adverse reactions" to the "vaccine". So I don't think any PRC produced vaccine will be "accepted" by any nation as a free pass to enter. LOL!A study published Tuesday in The Lancet shows that the vaccine against the coronavirus developed by Chinese Sinovac, one of the most advanced, does trigger an immune response and did not cause serious side effects.
After that of the Pfizer and BioNTech laboratories, that of Moderna and that of the Russians at the Gamalea Institute, it is the turn of the "CoronaVac" vaccine from the Chinese laboratory Sinovac Biotech to (re) make people talk about it. And better than in October, when clinical trials were suspended days in Brazil after the death of a participant, which would ultimately be suicide.
A preliminary study published Tuesday in the British journal "The Lancet", shows that this vaccine, which is among those which are at the most advanced stage, phase 3, where the effectiveness of the vaccine is measured on tens of thousands of volunteers on several continents, "is safe and does elicit an immune response in healthy patients. ".
Sud Ouest.
Posted on 11/18/2020.
This is just a political feud between Bolsonaro, who wants the federal government to buy a western vaccine for all Brazil, and the governor of Sao Paulo, who wants the State of Sao Paulo to procure the Chinese vaccine for his State. This is political, not medical, and may of course be related to kick-backs.
This is just a political feud between Bolsonaro, who wants the federal government to buy a western vaccine for all Brazil, and the governor of Sao Paulo, who wants the State of Sao Paulo to procure the Chinese vaccine for his State. This is political, not medical, and may of course be related to kick-backs.There are medical reasons for not wanting a Chinese vaccine. China doesn't have a good track record with vaccines and their regulatory authorities don't have the same transparency as western countries so it's understandable other countries would be reluctant to accept it. If I had to choose between a vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca and some unknown Chinese manufacturer, I know what I'd choose and I'm pretty sure you would too.
There are medical reasons for not wanting a Chinese vaccine. China doesn't have a good track record with vaccines and their regulatory authorities don't have the same transparency as western countries so it's understandable other countries would be reluctant to accept it. If I had to choose between a vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca and some unknown Chinese manufacturer, I know what I'd choose and I'm pretty sure you would too.Yes, everybody with a TV knows that. I was just supplying some local info everybody might not be cognisant of.
This is just a political feud between Bolsonaro, who wants the federal government to buy a western vaccine for all Brazil, and the governor of Sao Paulo, who wants the State of Sao Paulo to procure the Chinese vaccine for his State. This is political, not medical, and may of course be related to kick-backs.
I appreciate your comments and information on the political aspects of the situation of the Chinese vaccine trials. I was not aware of that situation.
However, I will not trust my life on a Chinese Community Party / PRC approved and manufactured vaccine. I don't think any one with any common sense would either. Phizer, Moderna or J&J for me. Maybe even all three vaccines to be absolutely safe!
It should be criminal keeping these vaccine's a secret. If someone has an effective vaccine it should be shared with every possible manufacturer. Government's should step in and compensate the Pfizer's or Moderna at a reasonable profit but make them share the formula for this pandemic and any in the future.
HorseTrader
11-19-20, 04:44
It should be criminal keeping these vaccine's a secret. If someone has an effective vaccine it should be shared with every possible manufacturer. Government's should step in and compensate the Pfizer's or Moderna at a reasonable profit but make them share the formula for this pandemic and any in the future.I agree regarding Moderna, that was largely funded by the USA government. At a minimum, USA government should have rights to it. Moderna didn't risk their own money in the development.
Pfizer is different. They didn't get funded by the government, they only had an advanced agreement to purchase a certain number of dosages if it worked. Pfizer risked all their R&D money and I feel they should be entitled to the vaccine design.
I'm making these statements based on little bits of information gathered from various sources. If somebody has a link to some real funding information, I would appreciate seeing the link.
LittleBigMan
11-19-20, 08:01
I agree regarding Moderna, that was largely funded by the USA government. At a minimum, USA government should have rights to it. Moderna didn't risk their own money in the development.
Pfizer is different. They didn't get funded by the government, they only had an advanced agreement to purchase a certain number of dosages if it worked. Pfizer risked all their R&D money and I feel they should be entitled to the vaccine design.
I'm making these statements based on little bits of information gathered from various sources. If somebody has a link to some real funding information, I would appreciate seeing the link.It has been a while where I read it but I believe the USA Also dump billions into helping Pfizer it wasn't just in the production. I also feel any imports from China should have additions added to compensate the countries around the world for their pandemic! Like most world events they never step up and put in their fair share!
It should be criminal keeping these vaccine's a secret. If someone has an effective vaccine it should be shared with every possible manufacturer. Government's should step in and compensate the Pfizer's or Moderna at a reasonable profit but make them share the formula for this pandemic and any in the future.I don't think you can just "share the formula" of a vaccine like you can with a medicine. They each have their own unique manufacturing, storage and distribution process that would be beyond the capability of some generic manufacturer.
.......... So I don't think any PRC produced vaccine will be "accepted" by any nation as a free pass to enter. LOL!Why LOL? I am not happy about this. I think the more successful vaccines there are the better for the world.
HorseTrader
11-19-20, 19:22
... So I don't think any PRC produced vaccine will be "accepted" by any nation as a free pass to enter. LOL!
Why LOL? I am not happy about this. I think the more successful vaccines there are the better for the world.I don't think any vaccination alone will be accepted as an entry pass. The home nation will also need to demonstrate reduced COVID infections, which should happen shortly after vaccines are widely distributed.
I’d like to think that there will be at least a few different vaccines available. If one has long term problems it would nice to have another ready for use. We don’t know how often we will need to get vaccine boosters, if ever.
LittleBigMan
11-20-20, 01:34
I don't think any vaccination alone will be accepted as an entry pass. The home nation will also need to demonstrate reduced COVID infections, which should happen shortly after vaccines are widely distributed.
Id like to think that there will be at least a few different vaccines available. If one has long term problems it would nice to have another ready for use. We dont know how often we will need to get vaccine boosters, if ever.I agree, as for Thailand, it will have to be a number of combinations before they open up after a vaccine and that will also be the ability to control the spread and provide quick medical solutions which right now in my opinion there is none in place outside of Bangkok.
Over a month ago I was reading an article on the two leading vaccines and CDC (USA) assigned to make the distribution and they were already putting out notices to those who would provide the doses like Pharmacy like Walgreen. Of the two one had to be given two shots and both must be handle in a specific manner (temperature) one due to the low temperature most likely can only be given by City Health Departments due to the storage equipment. Having spoken to my cousin and nephew who works for the Veterans and City Health Department in our conversation say they are already set up once it is shipped.
From what I have already read not all are just vaccine there are many others which aren't just banking on a shot or shots?
Banana Boi
11-20-20, 01:44
So this proposal is actually picking up steam. You have to have the Thai Elite Visa which costs 1 million over 5 years. You must also invest 1 million in a business or property. So 2 million baht gets you in. Not difficult to swallow if you really want to be in Thailand long term. They will likely add something like you need 1 or 2 million in a Thai bank account as well. So if you have 3 or 4 million in liquid assets there is hope.
Hopefully I don't get called out again by a board member that I am wrong and know nothing about Thailand. Then tell me he can't tell me why I'm wrong.
Consider the Maldives as well. Thai girls are enthralled by what they have heard about the Maldives. It's beautiful, peaceful, no distractions, and it's open.
I've always wanted to go to the Maldives as well but am too cheap to do so. Maybe when I win the 30 million Thai lottery.
LittleBigMan
11-20-20, 03:06
So this proposal is actually picking up steam. You have to have the Thai Elite Visa which costs 1 million over 5 years. You must also invest 1 million in a business or property. So 2 million baht gets you in. Not difficult to swallow if you really want to be in Thailand long term. They will likely add something like you need 1 or 2 million in a Thai bank account as well. So if you have 3 or 4 million in liquid assets there is hope.
Hopefully I don't get called out again by a board member that I am wrong and know nothing about Thailand. Then tell me he can't tell me why I'm wrong.
I've always wanted to go to the Maldives as well but am too cheap to do so. Maybe when I win the 30 million Thai lottery.Anyone who calls another member out that he is wrong is an ego idiot and if I did I would be included in that list. No one really knows it is just " opinions " derive from what we are reading like FH story does one read something and really get it?
As for all these ideas it never has really picked up steam the Thai leaders come out with all these made-up numbers to make people think it is? The last article I read Embassy in the USA And Europe have voiced their dissatisfaction about needing to have 500,000 in a bank account and must be proof for last six month. Things are suggested that just fall apart, then some other person picks it up and runs with it again!
In the last month, I've been contacted by Cathay my flight to the US has been canceled, today my hotel in S. F. Said they are canceling my reservation for Feb, I was hoping for the best 6 months ago but I already knew based on everything being thrown out that just hasn't worked my trip wasn't going to happen. So now I cross my finger regardless of the crazy outbreak in the USA Something bright will happen so I can plan for June?
Banana Boi
11-20-20, 05:29
I was talking to a gogo girl and she was under the impression that anyone can get in to Thailand now but no one wants to sit around for 14 days. She asked why I don't come because I have nothing else to do and 14 day quarantine would be easy for me. I told her it was only for China at the moment and she argued that my country can get in. This girl watches the news constantly so who knows what Thai people are being told on Thai news.
GettingFedUp
11-20-20, 08:01
I was talking to a gogo girl and she was under the impression that anyone can get in to Thailand now but no one wants to sit around for 14 days. She asked why I don't come because I have nothing else to do and 14 day quarantine would be easy for me. I told her it was only for China at the moment and she argued that my country can get in. This girl watches the news constantly so who knows what Thai people are being told on Thai news.Banana Boi,
I think things may be quietly changing. I happened on an article which said the list of eligible categories had expanded for the Royal Thai Embassies in UK and US. A quick dig on the London Embassy website and at first glance it looks like no update since August. However, go to the list at https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/119247-requirements-for-certificate-of-entry-during-travel-restriction?page=5d6636cd15e39c3bd00072dd&menu=5f4b6eb3f6ae4b236972c562 and eligibility for Certificate of Entry now include:
For long-stay visa holder (Non-Immigrant O-A / O-X).
For retirement (Non-Immigrant O).
For Elite Card holders.
For non-Thai who own property in Thailand.
For tourism purpose (single entry tourist visa only).
The single entry tourist visa is a sixty day visa (one 30 day extension permitted). I have also read that the previous requirement of B500 k in a Thai bank is no longer applicable. The UK Embassy just says proof from a UK or Irish bank of sufficient funds to cover the trip.
One small issue for readers in England. You are probably breaking the Lockdown v2 laws by going to the airport between now and early December as "leaving the country" (except for work) is not a permitted reason to leave home.
When I get a bit more time I'll check the Thai Embassy US to see if the criteria are the same. The article said the change happened on 18-Nov, but it seems the Embassy website dates don't update when the pages are updated (the link says August, the page July and the change was recent).
GettingFedUp
11-20-20, 08:29
Banana Boi,
The list on the Royal Thai Embassy DC (https://thaiembdc.org/covid-19inthailand/) appears to be the same.
They also provide a list of repatriation flights and allowable flights operating on a "semi-commercial" basis (their phrase, whatever it means), although the latter would probably mean connecting either in Europe or the Middle East (Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai). Be careful on connections. I think if you're anything more than in transit in places like London you will be required to self-isolate for 14 days whilst there.
One additional thing - there is some uncertainty as to whether the 60 day tourist visa can be "flipped" onto another visa type once in-country. As so often there are agents trying to say that they can do it (for a hefty fee) but whether this is strictly kosher or involves a brown envelope and the back door of the immigration office is open to debate.
All other requirements (pre-flight rt-PCR test, fit-to-fly cert, $100k insurance and 14 day quarantine remain in place). I have read of people having difficulty with their existing Health Insurance including Covid19 cover but it not being accepted by Embassies. There is a Thai General Insurance Association portal where the cover is on offer (https://covid19.tgia.org/).
I have read of people having difficulty with their existing health insurance (including Covid coverage) not being accepted by embassies.
There is a Thai General Insurance Association portal where the cover is on offer (https://covid19.tgia.org/).The Royal Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C. advises those wishing to apply for a O-A retirement visa: "You may use your existing insurance coverage if it meets this requirement." Elsewhere on the same page, the Embassy advises the required health insurance must "cover a minimum of 100,000 USD (or equivalent in other currencies) of medical costs incurred by the applicant in Thailand, including medical costs in the event that the applicant contracts COVID-19" and "the insurance must cover the whole duration of stay in Thailand." https://thaiembdc.org/2020/11/17/oalongstay/.
Obviously, everybody's health insurance is different. But I checked my policy for so-called "overseas coverage" and it does cover medical care (including hospitalization) when I am outside the United States. By way of contrast, Medicare generally does *not* cover seniors who require medical care outside the United States. Obviously that's just one data point. And I admit that I have excellent health insurance through and employee group plan.
It doesn't surprise me that some Thai consular officials cast a gimlet eye upon health insurance that wasn't purchased through the government-approved portal. That would require them to interpret the coverage and make a decision on whether it met the COVID coverage rule. Far easier to verify the visa applicant purchased coverage through the portal. And, I might add, far more profitable for the Thai insurance companies.
It is possible that the vaccine might prevent us from getting sick from covid but still allow us to spread the disease. If that is the case Thailand would need to be widely vaccinated across country before they open up. Guy on rogan said about effects of vaccine.
HorseTrader
11-21-20, 00:44
It is possible that the vaccine might prevent us from getting sick from covid but still allow us to spread the disease. If that is the case Thailand would need to be widely vaccinated across country before they open up. Guy on rogan said about effects of vaccine.Yes, it is possible. That topic was briefly discussed on tonight's edition of the PBS news hour.
HorseTrader
11-21-20, 03:52
Yes, it is possible. That topic was briefly discussed on tonight's edition of the PBS news hour.I want to clarify my response. It is possible in a sense that it is unknown. Not in a sense that scientists know that it will happen some or all of the time.
GettingFedUp
11-21-20, 04:57
It doesn't surprise me that some Thai consular officials cast a gimlet eye upon health insurance that wasn't purchased through the government-approved portal. That would require them to interpret the coverage and make a decision on whether it met the COVID coverage rule. Far easier to verify the visa applicant purchased coverage through the portal. And, I might add, far more profitable for the Thai insurance companies.Bunky,
The issue, from what I have gathered, is that a lot of health insurance policies may cover Covid19 as it is not excluded but unless the policy specifically states that Covid19 is covered to the level of $100 k or more this may not be acceptable to the consular officials. How many health insurers have updated their wordings to specifically state that the condition is covered?
I have heard anecdotal evidence of some officials accepting letters from insurers to confirm it is covered, others insisting if the policy itself does not specifically state the Covid19 cover exists they cannot accept this. This apparent discrepancy is even quoted as happening with two officials from the same Embassy.
LittleBigMan
11-21-20, 07:58
Banana Boi,
The list on the Royal Thai Embassy DC (https://thaiembdc.org/covid-19inthailand/) appears to be the same.
They also provide a list of repatriation flights and allowable flights operating on a "semi-commercial" basis (their phrase, whatever it means), although the latter would probably mean connecting either in Europe or the Middle East (Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai). Be careful on connections. I think if you're anything more than in transit in places like London you will be required to self-isolate for 14 days whilst there.
One additional thing - there is some uncertainty as to whether the 60 day tourist visa can be "flipped" onto another visa type once in-country. As so often there are agents trying to say that they can do it (for a hefty fee) but whether this is strictly kosher or involves a brown envelope and the back door of the immigration office is open to debate.
All other requirements (pre-flight rt-PCR test, fit-to-fly cert, $100k insurance and 14 day quarantine remain in place). I have read of people having difficulty with their existing Health Insurance including Covid19 cover but it not being accepted by Embassies. There is a Thai General Insurance Association portal where the cover is on offer (https://covid19.tgia.org/).The problem isn't the list, which is in fact the same. The problem is each Thai Embassy seems to have a different interruption of what is listed. This is consistent in Thailand every immigration has a different requirement for example when they started enforcement of the TM-30 every province had their own rule this is why the reference of left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing!
It is possible that the vaccine might prevent us from getting sick from covid but still allow us to spread the disease. If that is the case Thailand would need to be widely vaccinated across country before they open up. Guy on rogan said about effects of vaccine.If you don't get sick, you cannot spread the virus. The virus is spread by human to human close proximity, either by direct contact or breathing in the virus from a sick person. Therefore, a person who is vaccinated cannot get sick and cannot spread the virus. That is the whole purpose of vaccination, stopping the spread of the disease.
That seems common sense but is not necessarily true. That's why I posted it. It's similar to asymptomatic spreading of disease. No symptoms but still able to spread covid.
If you don't get sick, you cannot spread the virus. The virus is spread by human to human close proximity, either by direct contact or breathing in the virus from a sick person. Therefore, a person who is vaccinated cannot get sick and cannot spread the virus. That is the whole purpose of vaccination, stopping the spread of the disease.
A lot of health insurance policies may cover Covid19 as it is not excluded. But unless the policy specifically states that Covid19 is covered to the level of $100 k or more this may not be acceptable to the consular officials. How many health insurers have updated their wordings to specifically state that the condition is covered?Probably very few. But that's not how health insurance works. Usually the coverage extends to all professional medical treatment that's "reasonably necessary" or some similar definition. There are an infinite number of maladies that can require professional medical treatment. And COVID shows that new sicknesses are being discovered every day. There is no way the insurer could list them all in the insurance contract. To the contrary, the contracts typically contain a list of "exclusions" to make it clear what is *not* covered. For example, experimental treatment, cosmetic treatments and treatments from people who aren't professional health care providers. (There are also requirements to get advance approval for certain expensive treatments and tests, but let's set those aside.)
As Mr. Up cogently notes, the fact that COVID is not specifically mentioned in health insurance documents gives Thai consular officials an easy way to force visa applicants to buy insurance from a Thai company through the official online portal. Sounds like some determined applicants have been able to get their health insurer to supplement the standard documents with a written statement emphasizing that they are, in fact, covered if they come down with COVID while in Thailand. At that point, it seems to me, it's up to the consular officer to decide whether the COVID insurance requirement is met. Those officers who interpret the requirement in a way that protects the Thai health care system from sick falang who run up big bills they can't pay will probably call it good. Those officers who interpret the requirement in a way that lines the pockets of Thai insurance companies selling expensive single-purpose policies to rich falang will probably take a different view.
LittleBigMan
11-22-20, 02:32
Probably very few. But that's not how health insurance works. Usually the coverage extends to all professional medical treatment that's "reasonably necessary" or some similar definition. There are an infinite number of maladies that can require professional medical treatment. And COVID shows that new sicknesses are being discovered every day. There is no way the insurer could list them all in the insurance contract. To the contrary, the contracts typically contain a list of "exclusions" to make it clear what is *not* covered. For example, experimental treatment, cosmetic treatments and treatments from people who aren't professional health care providers. (There are also requirements to get advance approval for certain expensive treatments and tests, but let's set those aside.)
As Mr. Up cogently notes, the fact that COVID is not specifically mentioned in health insurance documents gives Thai consular officials an easy way to force visa applicants to buy insurance from a Thai company through the official online portal. Sounds like some determined applicants have been able to get their health insurer to supplement the standard documents with a written statement emphasizing that they are, in fact, covered if they come down with COVID while in Thailand. At that point, it seems to me, it's up to the consular officer to decide whether the COVID insurance requirement is met. Those officers who interpret the requirement in a way that protects the Thai health care system from sick falang who run up big bills they can't pay will probably call it good. Those officers who interpret the requirement in a way that lines the pockets of Thai insurance companies selling expensive single-purpose policies to rich falang will probably take a different view.One thing Insurance here in Thailand isn't like in the West it is what I consider Ala Carte the same insurance you would buy for a dog exists here for humans! " similar definition " if it isn't mentioned one can construe it can also be covered but I learn from experience here what are you going to do " nothing " " fight " go to a rights lawyer class action like in the West? Insurance companies here know the chances are slim and none the reason if you ever read the fine print on a policy it is clear they want the money and not to cover you at all. My Thai son policy 1. 5 million compared to what I use to have with the same company included lots of things that wouldn't cover for me just based on from I was from. His policy no mentioned of Virus when I call is covered just like the flu normal but now all of a sudden for foreigners policies it isn't and you need to get extra coverage? It is a joke call it what you want but many things here are just laced with discrimination and prejudice it has been in their thinking for centuries and it isn't going to change not in my lifetime.
Can you imagine having insurance in the USA Being diagnosed with Lyme Disease and they tell you " oh it isn't covered " they would be doing the policyholder a favor $$ just like when I'm home I make sure to take public transit hoping it messes me over before I even get on my departure flight the City would be calling and telling me " don't leave we are sending you a check ".
Banana Boi
11-22-20, 05:39
Personally if I am applying for an OA Visa or even traveling to Thailand I would be purchasing the Thai insurance approved to satisfy Immigration rules. After you're in then work around getting insurance from your home country. The last thing I would want is to think I had everything lined up only to be turned back at Immigration because an IO doesn't understand what exactly is required. You may be 100% certain you have met all the requirements but the wrong IO will make you purchase the next available flight home and once you get home you likely have to look for a place to rent as you have rented your house for a year. Health insurance is not a big ticket item in the the scheme of things. Why chance it?
LittleBigMan
11-22-20, 06:01
Get it right and look it up yourself!
It is reported that Pfizer with German partner BioNTech, has made the first Emergency request to put out the Vaccine with the FDA, Moderna the second leader will be following suit. Both vaccines are rated effective 994% effective, the final review of data of testing started in July will be done by mid-December if approved the vaccine will be provided to the front line and senior home care facilities already authorized is CVS and Walgreens the USA And it will be free. Both companies have also applied to other countries like Canada, Australia, Britain, Japan, and the list is growing for their approval, I believe and more hopeful than any visa program Thailand government comes out with if successful to slow it down and application requested with Thailand is approved and Thailand like to follow and this is what they have been waiting for while coming with all these visa ideas to make it look like they are actually doing something? We might have something to celebrate about?
It has been a while where I read it but I believe the USA Also dump billions into helping Pfizer it wasn't just in the production. I also feel any imports from China should have additions added to compensate the countries around the world for their pandemic! Like most world events they never step up and put in their fair share!Pfizer has not accepted money from US but they have signed an agreement to provide vaccine when it becomes available.
Get it right and look it up yourself!
It is reported that Pfizer with German partner BioNTech, has made the first Emergency request to put out the Vaccine with the FDA, Moderna the second leader will be following suit. Both vaccines are rated effective 994% effective, the final review of data of testing started in July will be done by mid-December if approved the vaccine will be provided to the front line and senior home care facilities already authorized is CVS and Walgreens the USA And it will be free. Both companies have also applied to other countries like Canada, Australia, Britain, Japan, and the list is growing for their approval, I believe and more hopeful than any visa program Thailand government comes out with if successful to slow it down and application requested with Thailand is approved and Thailand like to follow and this is what they have been waiting for while coming with all these visa ideas to make it look like they are actually doing something? We might have something to celebrate about?It has been reported that CVS and Walgreens have no idea how the distribution process would work and that needs to be solved.
PedroMorales
11-22-20, 09:25
Under no circumstances will I take a c19 vaccine. If that means no more travel, so be it. Friends whose opinion I value are of the same mind. Others just March blindly along, like unthinking sheep. There are countless posts here on "the vaccine. " There is no silver bullet and posting uninformed messages on obscure web sites like this does not change it.
I sent messages to Thai hookers on various sites. Their replies are much more informed and relevant than repetitive, uninformed, syntax-free posts on "the vaccine".
LittleBigMan
11-22-20, 11:53
Pfizer has not accepted money from US but they have signed an agreement to provide vaccine when it becomes available.
It has been reported that CVS and Walgreens have no idea how the distribution process would work and that needs to be solved.I guess it is how you what to look at it? From what I read you are right but the USA Has made a contract for 1. 95 Billion to them for 100 million doses I guess that contract would keep Pfizer ability to obtain loans to continue to develop the vaccine. Then you got the CDC given the assignment of outlining the distribution and CVS and Walgreen has already applied for the distribution and been approved that approval of course requires them to follow the outlines of the CDC for distribution.
Franciscass
11-22-20, 11:58
. Health insurance is not a big ticket item in the the scheme of things. Why chance it?Actually BB it can be, depending on age and how long it's for.
I guess it is how you what to look at it? From what I read you are right but the USA Has made a contract for 1. 95 Billion to them for 100 million doses I guess that contract would keep Pfizer ability to obtain loans to continue to develop the vaccine. Then you got the CDC given the assignment of outlining the distribution and CVS and Walgreen has already applied for the distribution and been approved that approval of course requires them to follow the outlines of the CDC for distribution.Pfizer 's partner BioNTech is based in Germany. It is German government financed several hundreds of millions for the vaccine development. Pfizer CEO has said they do not want to accept the US government money so there is not string attached and the scientists can do their work without being influenced by the US government.
Things always proceed faster in thought, but much slower in execution. What you read is only a thought or a plan that lacks detail. Wall streets analyst who tried to find the detail on how the distribution to the pharmacy level will be done can't find anybody who knows.
John Traveller
11-22-20, 13:15
If prices for girls were THE SAME everywhere which cities / countries would you be visiting the most to hobby? Based on girl's looks, service, attitude and the overall ease of hobbying.
I personally haven't included many cities like Prague / Budapest / London / Montreal / Toronto, etc with escorts only because imo not being able to see the girl before she appears at the door is not ease of hobbying.
Mine would be:
1. Dusseldorf / Frankfurt / Berlin.
2. Las Vegas
3. Switzerland
4. Tokyo / Osaka.
5. Bangkok / Pattaya.
An interesting question since prices around the world are converging.
In general I would list these countries. Just ordered into three groups, not ordered within the groups (too complicated).
BEST.
Thailand (looks, attitude, ease).
Japan (looks, ease) ?
Macao (looks, ease).
Philippines (attitude, ease).
Indonesia (looks, attitude).
Emirates (looks, ease) ?
Germany, Switzerland (looks, ease).
Mexico (looks).
Brazil (looks, attitude, ease).
SECOND.
Hong Kong (looks, ease).
Malaysia (looks).
Cambodia (looks, ease).
Myanmar (looks).
Spain (ease).
Dominicana (looks, ease) ?
Colombia (looks, ease).
Kenya (looks) ?
THIRD.
Vietnam (looks) ?
Emirates (looks, ease) ?
Costa Rica (ease).
Panama (ease) ?
Argentina.
Ethiopia.
Australia (ease).
Prattaya66
11-22-20, 13:54
I'm surprised there aren't more reports from Greece, in particular Athens. There are two rather famous (or perhaps that should be infamous streets in Central Athens Odoz Fyllis and Odoz Kolonou. To locals, Odoz Fyllis is affectionally known as 20 euro Street and Odoz Kolonou as 10 euro Street. Yup, in Odoz Fyllis you can get a BJ and full sex for a mere 20 euros and in Odoz Kolonou it can be as low as only 10 euros.
Now you might think that for a mere 10 euros, the lady whose services you were buying would be a double-bagger or even a triple bagger. And in many cases you'd be right. But there are also some very attractive ladies willing to do a CBJ and then a CGFE for just 10 euros to 20 euros.
Just as a comparison, a plate with small pork souvlaki skewers, some chips and a bit of salad in a basic restaurant / taverna also costs about €10 euros. Add in some house wine and it's probably nearer 20 euros.
So in Greece you can now get a quick full service (no more than 10 minutes) for the price of a kebab plus trimmings.
This sounds pretty bad. But, in fact, the situation is even worse. You see, these ladies are not freelancers working for themselves. They work in brothels probably run by Russian, Bulgarian and Albanian gangs. (I'm not sure the Greeks are sufficiently organized or hard-working to even run a brothel properly). This means that from every 10 euros a customer hands over, the girl is probably only getting around 5 euros if she's working voluntarily and probably less than that if she's been trafficked from some Eastern European paradise. At busier times, there are usually small queues of men in each brothel waiting for their turn. So I imagine each reasonable-looking girl is probably turning at least 20 and possibly closer to 30 tricks a day.
LittleBigMan
11-22-20, 14:21
Pfizer 's partner BioNTech is based in Germany. It is German government financed several hundreds of millions for the vaccine development. Pfizer CEO has said they do not want to accept the US government money so there is not string attached and the scientists can do their work without being influenced by the US government.
Things always proceed faster in thought, but much slower in execution. What you read is only a thought or a plan that lacks detail. Wall streets analyst who tried to find the detail on how the distribution to the pharmacy level will be done can't find anybody who knows.All they got to do is comtact the CDC they were chosen because of their experience with dealing with the Sars. As I noted CDC has already put out the guidelines as to the handling temerature requirements and handling shipment would basically shipped in pizza side boxes with a number of viles that once open must be used in a specfic time provide something like six shots therefore Pharmacy should make appointment arrangement accordingly. The vaccine that requires much lower temperature storage currently only City Heallth Department and large hospital have which as I noted much of that information comes from family member who are in the health professions at a large city health department and west coast VA facility who I been in contact. EverythingI noted is of public why it can't be found?
An interesting question since prices around the world are converging.
In general I would list these countries. Just ordered into three groups, not ordered within the groups (too complicated).
BEST.
Thailand (looks, attitude, ease).
Japan (looks, ease) ?
Macao (looks, ease).
Philippines (attitude, ease).
Indonesia (looks, attitude).
Emirates (looks, ease) ?
Germany, Switzerland (looks, ease).
Mexico (looks).
Brazil (looks, attitude, ease).
SECOND.
Hong Kong (looks, ease).
Malaysia (looks).
Cambodia (looks, ease).
Myanmar (looks).
Spain (ease).
Dominicana (looks, ease) ?
Colombia (looks, ease).
Kenya (looks) ?
THIRD.
Vietnam (looks) ?
Emirates (looks, ease) ?
Costa Rica (ease).
Panama (ease) ?
Argentina.
Ethiopia.
Australia (ease).Interesting. I'm going to state my best in each of your categories. The best in looks is Germany. The best in attitude is Brazil. The best in ease is Thailand. The overall best mongering spot in the world is one of these three.
All they got to do is comtact the CDC they were chosen because of their experience with dealing with the Sars. As I noted CDC has already put out the guidelines as to the handling temerature requirements and handling shipment would basically shipped in pizza side boxes with a number of viles that once open must be used in a specfic time provide something like six shots therefore Pharmacy should make appointment arrangement accordingly. The vaccine that requires much lower temperature storage currently only City Heallth Department and large hospital have which as I noted much of that information comes from family member who are in the health professions at a large city health department and west coast VA facility who I been in contact. EverythingI noted is of public why it can't be found?It will be great if it is as easy as you described, and I hope you are right.
LittleBigMan
11-23-20, 02:57
It will be great if it is as easy as you described, and I hope you are right.I never said it would be easy! But I'm not in the camp that believes that no one has an idea what to do or it must be " solved " prior to its distribution. These companies are all tied into the open market which is mostly Nasdaq, you follow them and one can see in the last year their stock rise and fall based on the news that comes out from their CEO as to their progress. The backing or purchasing power of 190 Billion from the USA Allows a company to use that rise to fuel their research as we know none of these companies are going to develop something that doesn't increase their bottom line. Does the USA Have a direct say in Pfizer to force them to put out a product that isn't safe not even Trump or Warp speech can! You also look indirectly into all the hands needed to make it happen down to the box or containers that will be used to transport and store the vaccine. I remember my former supervisor after 9/11 who went to established TSA on the West coast feeding information that they were in the process of inking a deal for bomb detection equipment under the terminal lots of inside trading nothing so big the SEC could prosecute.
Solved it has been nearly a year no perfect solution to everything they will roll it out based on what they have and fix what is necessary on the way that is how I'm looking at it. Every country will have to figure it out as for Thailand I cross my fingers that the rate starts to lower so we can start to get back to what we all do best which is come and go as we please once that happens I hope that kiss ass Biden continue to put the squeeze on China.
I know we're not supposed to post these loosening of the requirements to get back into Thailand news items here without qualifying that it should not be believed until it has been verified by first hand testimony.
But it does look like the bank requirement will be reduced from USD $17,000 to $700/$1500. That's a huge reduction (if it happens). In my judgement, those reduced amounts would not exactly be deal killers for many Western tourists. And the 14 day quarantine on arrival might be reduced to 10 days. True, a 10 day quarantine on arrival will still cost something without a lot of value for the money in it other than getting very, very well adjusted to the time change before hitting the bars, malls and temples.
https://www.traveldailymedia.com/thailand-drops-hefty-bank-requirement-for-tourist-visas/
So far there are no rumors or reports of a reduction of the minimum USD $100,000 insurance policy requirement, including coverage for Covid-19. But it seems to me that is something an adult world traveler ought to have anyway.
No mention yet of only passport holders from certain countries qualifying for these visas while others are not.
Banana Boi
11-27-20, 06:52
I know a few of you guys like EVA Air. Be wary that in order for you to board any EVA Air plane that stops in Taipei you are now required to produce a negative COVID test dated no more than 72 hours prior to your boarding time.
2020..........year of the pandemic.
2021..........year of recovery.
2022..........year of getting back to normal.
2023..........normal.
I think any discussion of best mongering destinations needs to include The Netherlands. Amsterdam has 3 RLD's and multiple Prive Houses (brothels) to choose from, and there is some action to be found in the smaller cities. So ease is high, and looks can also be high with both native Dutch and Eastern / Western European ladies in the mix.
SL.
HorseTrader
11-27-20, 21:32
2020..........year of the pandemic.
2021..........year of recovery.
2022..........year of getting back to normal.
2023..........normal.From the perspective of the common Thai workers and small business owners, I agree. From the perspective of world travelers with money to spend, things will be almost normal in 2022. In future years I expect that world travelers will need to carry proof of vaccinations.
Member #4733
11-28-20, 13:17
2020..........year of the pandemic.
2021..........year of recovery.
2022..........year of getting back to normal.
2023..........normal.I don't think so. Sectors that are hit hardest are very much consumer driven and in Thailand: tourist driven. Once they return everything will be normal very soon. Only caveat is how to check the tourists got a vaccine in a reliable, easy way. We see it in Holland already. Economy recovered quickly before the second wave.
I think any discussion of best mongering destinations needs to include The Netherlands. Amsterdam has 3 RLD's and multiple Prive Houses (brothels) to choose from, and there is some action to be found in the smaller cities. So ease is high, and looks can also be high with both native Dutch and Eastern / Western European ladies in the mix.
SL.If you are serious about that than why don't you contribute to the Dutch part of this forum. Many people asking for advice. And to be honest: most contributors to Dutch prostitution sites left for FKK Germany. To me that means 300 to 600 kilometers instead of 15. And I gladly do that.
I think any discussion of best mongering destinations needs to include The Netherlands. Amsterdam has 3 RLD's and multiple Prive Houses (brothels) to choose from, and there is some action to be found in the smaller cities. So ease is high, and looks can also be high with both native Dutch and Eastern / Western European ladies in the mix.
SL.If you've actually mongered in the Netherlands I don't think you'd say that. Very expensive with lots of tourist traps.
If I am vaccinated in June, what do people here think. Can I go to Thailand from USA in June? Will they require quarantine or health insurance?
I know it's just a guess. Thanks.
2020..........year of the pandemic.
2021..........year of recovery.
2022..........year of getting back to normal.
2023..........normal.
If you've actually mongered in the Netherlands I don't think you'd say that. Very expensive with lots of tourist traps.Not sure where that came from. I have dozens of trips to Holland under my belt. As for tourist traps: I never experienced any in the NL, but they likely exist wherever mongering exist. Hazard of the hobby.
And FWIW the premise of the original question was if prices were THE SAME everywhere. Please try to keep up:
If prices for girls were THE SAME everywhere which cities / countries would you be visiting the most to hobby? Based on girl's looks, service, attitude and the overall ease of hobbying.
I personally haven't included many cities like Prague / Budapest / London / Montreal / Toronto, etc with escorts only because imo not being able to see the girl before she appears at the door is not ease of hobbying.
Mine would be:
1. Dusseldorf / Frankfurt / Berlin.
2. Las Vegas
3. Switzerland
4. Tokyo / Osaka.
5. Bangkok / Pattaya.
I think any discussion of best mongering destinations needs to include The Netherlands. Amsterdam has 3 RLD's and multiple Prive Houses (brothels) to choose from, and there is some action to be found in the smaller cities. So ease is high, and looks can also be high with both native Dutch and Eastern / Western European ladies in the mix.
SL.The mongering scene in the NL has been dying for over a decade now. Amsterdam RLD now smaller and less interesting than Brussels'. NL authorities now largely hostile to sex, as the forced closure of FKK Yinyang has shown. FKK Golden Times across the NL border in Brüggen full of Dutch punters for a reason.
Today's trend in NL Society has been towards a return to prohibitions (magic mushrooms banned in Amsterdam since a few years, and cannabis sale in coffee shops officially restricted to Dutch citizens).
The mongering scene in the NL has been dying for over a decade now. Amsterdam RLD now smaller and less interesting than Brussels'. NL authorities now largely hostile to sex, as the forced closure of FKK Yinyang has shown. FKK Golden Times across the NL border in Brggen full of Dutch punters for a reason.
Today's trend in NL Society has been towards a return to prohibitions (magic mushrooms banned in Amsterdam since a few years, and cannabis sale in coffee shops officially restricted to Dutch citizens).The 'scene is not what it used to be' is a common veteran monger refrain. It is the same here on the Thailand board. Generally stated: quality down, prices up, options diminished. Over on the FKK threads they thought the world was coming to an end when the new law prohibited bareback sex. But based on ease and quality Amsterdam was still quite viable. The future is to be determined though, and dependent on the inevitable post-CoVid reset.
SL.
If I am vaccinated in June, what do people here think. Can I go to Thailand from USA in June? Will they require quarantine or health insurance?
I know it's just a guess. Thanks.That all depends on the Thai Tourism Minister. I'm sure once the vaccines start showing improvement in the countries for incoming visitors, the country will slowly reopen. That said, after reviewing Pattaya One News, there is no mention on the status of vaccines for Thais. That will be key as well. I don't imagine anything happening until late Spring of next year. I also imagine there will be calls that those entering have proof of a vaccine and still purchase Thai travel insurance. It could be years before a pre-COVID Pattaya is back to normal. IMHO.
I also imagine there will be calls that those entering have proof of a vaccine and still purchase Thai travel insurance. It could be years before a pre-COVID Pattaya is back to normal. IMHO.If you're coming from a first world country then I would think you would need proof of vaccination before you leave. If not, you would need it on your return or have to go into quarantine. That will be the case here in Australia. Being vaccinated probably won't be compulsory but I'd imagine the airlines would prefer it. Qantas gave already said they won't take bookings from people who haven't been vaccinated.
Banana Boi
12-03-20, 07:16
I personally really enjoy walking around the Amsterdam RLD. However, being so near Germany I don't find any urge to go with a girl unless she's very hot. Most of the time I do 0 or 1 girl but there was 1 night I did 4 girls years ago when the girls were Hungarian. Still, it's a lot of fun for a night if I happen to be in Amsterdam.
NL authorities now largely hostile to sex, as the forced closure of FKK Yinyang has shown. FKK Golden Times across the NL border in Brggen full of Dutch punters for a reason.
I believe Sixsens remains open. I preferred Sixsens over YY anyways.
That all depends on the Thai Tourism Minister. I'm sure once the vaccines start showing improvement in the countries for incoming visitors, the country will slowly reopen. That said, after reviewing Pattaya One News, there is no mention on the status of vaccines for Thais. That will be key as well. I don't imagine anything happening until late Spring of next year. I also imagine there will be calls that those entering have proof of a vaccine and still purchase Thai travel insurance. It could be years before a pre-COVID Pattaya is back to normal. IMHO.The Thai gov has pre-purchased some vaccines but nowhere near enough for all citizens.
I'm betting mid 2021 it will be vaccine + insurance + maybe a week quarantine or some other restriction.
I personally really enjoy walking around the Amsterdam RLD. However, being so near Germany I don't find any urge to go with a girl unless she's very hot. Most of the time I do 0 or 1 girl but there was 1 night I did 4 girls years ago when the girls were Hungarian. Still, it's a lot of fun for a night if I happen to be in Amsterdam.I still like visiting Amsterdam and its RLD. But it seems the girls are primarily Romanian or Bulgarian and they don't appeal to me. I loved it when the girls were Polish, Czech, Hungarian, etc. Alkmaar is always a fun side trip, more for walking around town than its RLD.
LittleBigMan
12-04-20, 02:33
The Thai gov has pre-purchased some vaccines but nowhere near enough for all citizens.
I'm betting mid 2021 it will be vaccine + insurance + maybe a week quarantine or some other restriction.There is an article today on TV, that the government has purchased 26 million doses for Baht 6 billion for AstraZeneca? The mass distribution will start in May 2021, it should also be noted previous an article that the government had signed a contract or agreement to produce their vaccine here in Thailand, how that will affect whether they get more is anyone guess? It also has been noted if the vaccine works not all the population needs to have the vaccine for example I read for the USA Something like 60% of the population really needs to have it?
Funny from the article on TV, it seems they have a grasp on who will get the vaccine first until more is on the way. It was noted the purchase was by the government and that distribution will be free referring to Thais? No mention of those who are retired or reside in Thailand did note that a private hospital can purchase on their own.
What happens is any guess but I think it really depends on how well it works by May and I cross my finger we are talking 90 plus % of this working England the first to be given I take a guess in a month depending on the side effects if a nonfactor numbers start to go down by May there will be many more vaccine out the one many people are looking at is the Johnson and Johnson which only requires one shot.
I think it would be pretty tough for Thailand to still required any of the quarantine or insurance they will just go back to their corrupt ways of obtaining their red envelopes? Business as usual?
My hope was to get vacine in summer and go to Thailand but this news may mean that's not going to happen. Thailand residents would need to be vaccinated.
https://thehill.com/news-by-subject/healthcare/528619-pfizer-chairman-were-not-sure-if-someone-can-transmit-virus-after
My hope was to get vacine in summer and go to Thailand but this news may mean that's not going to happen. Thailand residents would need to be vaccinated.
https://thehill.com/news-by-subject/healthcare/528619-pfizer-chairman-were-not-sure-if-someone-can-transmit-virus-afterDon't book anything but don't give up hope either. Visa rules about covid seem to change day by day so who knows what they will be in 6 months.
Banana Boi
12-04-20, 07:01
But it seems the girls are primarily Romanian or Bulgarian and they don't appeal to me. I loved it when the girls were Polish, Czech, Hungarian, etc. Romanians and Bulgarians. Some are ok and pretty but most are like machines. Limited personality. I dated a Moldavian for a few years when I was younger and wasn't too happy that they became the staple of Germany FKK clubs. A far cry in looks, GFE feel from Hungarian, Polish, Czech, Germans, Estonians, and even some of the Russians back in 2012.
There is an article today on TV, that the government has purchased 26 million doses for Baht 6 billion for AstraZeneca? Interesting that's only 230 baht per dose. Seems rather cheap.
I assume everyone knows that if they say the vaccine is 95% effective it doesn't mean that the vaccine cures 95% of the people who have COVID. It only means that it reduces your chance of getting COVID by 95%.
Banana Boi
12-04-20, 07:27
Thailand has increased the pricing of the Thai Elite Visa from 500,000 to 600,000 baht. Reason is that too many people are applying to Thailand which is a COVID haven.
Interesting that's only 230 baht per dose. Seems rather cheap.
Pfizer BioNtec vac will be priced around $20 per dose, Moderna about twice that and the Oxford version less than $5. J&J version will be around $10 and the one from Novavax will be around $16.
Seems they overpaid.
Member #4698
12-04-20, 15:47
I assume everyone knows that if they say the vaccine is 95% effective it doesn't mean that the vaccine cures 95% of the people who have COVID. It only means that it reduces your chance of getting COVID by 95%.This is a critical point. It means that virgin countries like LOS with quarantine measures in place are going to be very reluctant to open their borders even to vaccinated travelers until a significant percentage of their own population has been inoculated. This may postpone travel to Thailand for most of 2021. I sincerely hope I am wrong.
On the subject of store front girls in AMS (I used to lay over in AMS on my way to BKK a lot when there were Martin Air nonstop flites to AMS): the best looking AMS girl I ever had was a Russian (she was a solid 8* but the best service was with a Australian girl and a Dutch girl. I repeated twice with both girls. I also had many Romanian girls and one Thai girl in AMS.
I really used to enjoy walking around the AMS RLD's high on Nederhash (55% thc) joints. That made up for the fact that my AMS storefront sessions were usually not nearly as good as what I was going to get in BKK a few days later. I hear the Dutch are no longer so THC friendly as they once were. Oh well. It is a fond memory I have from back in the day (1996 to 2010).
My hope was to get vacine in summer and go to Thailand but this news may mean that's not going to happen. Thailand residents would need to be vaccinated.
https://thehill.com/news-by-subject/healthcare/528619-pfizer-chairman-were-not-sure-if-someone-can-transmit-virus-afterBetter to get the vaccine, than to not.
HorseTrader
12-04-20, 16:34
My hope was to get vacine in summer and go to Thailand but this news may mean that's not going to happen. Thailand residents would need to be vaccinated.
https://thehill.com/news-by-subject/healthcare/528619-pfizer-chairman-were-not-sure-if-someone-can-transmit-virus-afterMaybe vaccinated people can transmit, maybe not. At this point that is an unknown. That question will be answered after a good portion of a population has been vaccinated. I doubt there is a practical way to answer that question any sooner. Because of this and other unknowns, the Thai government will have reasons to maintain travel restrictions beyond just certification that tourists have been vaccinated.
Member #4698
12-04-20, 16:42
Better to get the vaccine, than to not.This is how it's going to work once the vaccine becomes widely available: no vaccine certification. No flying on any major airline, no room at any 4 & 5 star hotel, and even many restaurants, shopping malls, and office buildings will choose to deny access to people without proper vaccine certification.
Mr Enternational
12-04-20, 17:33
THAILAND WILL REMAIN CLOSED TO TOURISTS UNTIL AT LEAST March NEXT YEAR, ACCORDING TO THE COUNTRY'S TOURISM MINISTER.
The announcement means tourist visas besides the new Tourist Visa (TR) and Special Tourist Visa (STV) will be on hold for now, thwarting hopes of a turnaround in the 2020-2021 season.
https://www.travelweekly.com.au/article/thailand-to-stay-closed-until-at-least-march-next-year/
LittleBigMan
12-05-20, 01:48
THAILAND WILL REMAIN CLOSED TO TOURISTS UNTIL AT LEAST March NEXT YEAR, ACCORDING TO THE COUNTRY'S TOURISM MINISTER.
The announcement means tourist visas besides the new Tourist Visa (TR) and Special Tourist Visa (STV) will be on hold for now, thwarting hopes of a turnaround in the 2020-2021 season.
https://www.travelweekly.com.au/article/thailand-to-stay-closed-until-at-least-march-next-year/You talking 2021?
This is how it's going to work once the vaccine becomes widely available: no vaccine certification. No flying on any major airline, no room at any 4 & 5 star hotel, and even many restaurants, shopping malls, and office buildings will choose to deny access to people without proper vaccine certification.We learned that lesson in2020, but this glass is a little too half full. Ever hear of money?
This is how it's going to work once the vaccine becomes widely available: no vaccine certification. No flying on any major airline, no room at any 4 & 5 star hotel, and even many restaurants, shopping malls, and office buildings will choose to deny access to people without proper vaccine certification.I hear China is already working overtime printing vaccination certificates. LOL.
Franciscass
12-05-20, 06:16
How the vaccines will play into future policy allowing visitors back into Thailand I feel right now nobody knows. I live here so personally I admit to be selfish but also happy with the current zero tolerance policy and if the polling is to be believed so also are most Thais. The recent uproar surrounding the infected working girls sneaking back in from Tachileik presumably to avoid quarantine shows the level of concern of even a handful of infections. That said if they want to get the economy back on tract and the millions suffering hardship back to work they need to change their mindset and use the vaccines as a way to do this. For those missing Thailand hopefully it will happen but if all they do is add vaccination certificates to the already burdensome list of requirements, special visas, quarantine, negative tests, fit to fly certificates, insurance and so on 2021 will sadly look no different than 2020. Just have to wait and see I guess.
Not sure where that came from. I have dozens of trips to Holland under my belt. As for tourist traps: I never experienced any in the NL, but they likely exist wherever mongering exist. Hazard of the hobby...¨This makes me want to put out my top five!!
But I'm not going to do them and rank order; I'm going to explain that you get different experiences at different places. You can't compare a seafood restaurant to a steak restaurant. It depends on what you want to eat that night.
- London. The incall game at divas is expensive and worth it. Plus you get a world class city to spend time.
- Tijuana. It's raunchy and dirty. I would not fly to get here, but if you live in California, it's well worth it. The food and beer scene is amazing. This is like the mongers version of bad tv. It has its place in your life.
- German FKK. It's not the best experience, but it's an experience you have to have. Like a Vegas buffet. You're not mad you did it, but you don't necessarily want to do it all the time.
- Montreal- very attractive European-ish girls for when you can't get to Europe. City is decent.
- Spain. Wide range of girls to choose from, and great cities (barca and Madrid) to enjoy food and culture.
And the sh*t list.
- Amsterdam. Just not a very interesting city, and the monger game is contrived and forced. This is like going to Vegas for culture. ¨.
Vaccine is only expected to work for 3 months and then its not known what will happen after that time. , will there be herd immunity or do you need more jabs is unknown.
LittleBigMan
12-06-20, 02:18
Vaccine is only expected to work for 3 months and then its not known what will happen after that time. , will there be herd immunity or do you need more jabs is unknown.I doubt that is the case in fact I would be surprise to hear any medical professional even suggest with the data available with previous data on other vaccines or even flu shots? The progression for the development takes stages (3?) that takes months in this case (warp speed) in past cases years and requires thousand being tested during these stages after development they don't just forget these people they are required to be constantly tested in stages for the next two year which I believe is the case now if the current vaccine just developed only expected to work 3 months I believe that information would be clearly out by now.
I believe recently there was an interview with Dr. Faci, a very similar question was asked " how long " certainly there was no indication that it is expected to work only 3 months although his answer was vague for me I came away 10-12 months depending on the individuals and past history might be even longer time will only tell but 3 months?
Vaccine is only expected to work for 3 months and then its not known what will happen after that time. , will there be herd immunity or do you need more jabs is unknown.You are so full of it. Don't spread fake news, please. They do not know 10% of total knowledge. Can it be spread from those with vaccine or not? No one knows that and a 100 other questions.
What pisses me off is after the elderly, health care workers, and first responders, who should get in line next. The f'ing liberal have a plan to reward those whose poor behavior has put the world in this situation. This is not an ethnically transmitted virus, so race color, or creed should not be part of the equation.
If vaccine is only effective for three months no one would get it. If it's only good for three months and a person can still spread disease it's a totally worthless vaccine for most. And most Americans would refuse to take it. It would be seen as only for money and would push conspiracy theories.
You are so full of it. Don't spread fake news, please. They do not know 10% of total knowledge. Can it be spread from those with vaccine or not? No one knows that and a 100 other questions.
What pisses me off is after the elderly, health care workers, and first responders, who should get in line next. The f'ing liberal have a plan to reward those whose poor behavior has put the world in this situation. This is not an ethnically transmitted virus, so race color, or creed should not be part of the equation.
I just met a tourist on the new or latest requirements last night in Nana Plaza, the first I have met since the lockdowns and tentative reopenings.
From the USA. About 30-35 years old I'd say. He said this was his first night of freedom after being released from the 14 day hotel quaratine that he spent in a hotel near Victory Monument and could I recommend any of these go-go bars. LOL.
I really didn't have time to chat much beyond the info I am sharing here now since I was on my way out of Nana Plaza as he was just arriving around 9pm. Just passing it along.
If vaccine is only effective for three months no one would get it. Don't speak for everyone else.
If it's only good for three months and a person can still spread disease it's a totally worthless vaccine for most. And most Americans would refuse to take it. It would be seen as only for money and would push conspiracy theories.Why do you want to start a conspiracy theory here?
For one noone knows how long it'll be effective, nor how often it'll require a dose and how much of a dose to repeat its validity.
While for most coronavirus, antibodies usually remain detectable 3 months after contagion it doesn't mean it will be the case for vaccination.
Most of all, you have to keep in mind that lack of antibody detection does not mean you're not immune as when exposed again to the virus, your body will have remembered this virus and will have a fast response of generating new antibodies in mass.
If we find out the vaccine only protects its hosts and does not prevent spreading it to others, it does not make the vaccine worthless.
It just means the vaccine will have to be given to old people and younger people with a side condition (over weight, diabetes, etc.) as it will lower their risk from developping a deadly or damaging version of the covid.
That is surelly not worthless since it means people get to live a normal life without seeing 2 to 3000 dead per day as the US currently faces.
Franciscass
12-06-20, 12:17
You are so full of it. Don't spread fake news, please. They do not know 10% of total knowledge. Can it be spread from those with vaccine or not? No one knows that and a 100 other questions.
What pisses me off is after the elderly, health care workers, and first responders, who should get in line next. The f'ing liberal have a plan to reward those whose poor behavior has put the world in this situation. This is not an ethnically transmitted virus, so race color, or creed should not be part of the equation.This 3 month efficacy is most likely being peddled by the anti-vaxers and can be filed alongside the conspiracy that Bill Gates wants to use vaccines to implant microchips in people. Back in the real world as I understand it the vaccine does not stop you from becoming infected. What it does is 95% of the time prevent the virus from spreading and becoming a disease so for me the real question becomes whether a vaccinated person who contracts covid can still be a transmitter. If essentially a vaccine only protects the person vaccinated it means a vaccination certificate is not a free pass and presumably visitors would still need an accompanying recent negative test. Hopefully the data will eventually show vaccinated persons cannot transmit the virus and are safe to travel freely. That would indeed be a game changer. At the end of the day It may be that in order to get back to some semblance of normality the answer lies in inoculating a sufficient number of people generally understood to be 70% of the population to get to herd immunity which would then be sufficient to accept a level of infection that can be effectively treated and contained.
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/coronavirus-vaccine-give-people-immunity-23118841
Coronavirus vaccine may only give people immunity for 90 days, say scientists.
The government's scientific advisors have suggested immunity may last 90 days, however in a study they explained a high proportion of people are likely to get immunity.
The coronavirus vaccine may give people immunity from the bug for 90 days, according to scientists.
Research conducted by the government's scientific advisors suggests vaccine immunity is not fully understood.
In a paper published by the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group, experts say the duration of "natural or vaccine induced immunity is not yet fully understood".
You are so full of it. Don't spread fake news, please. They do not know 10% of total knowledge. Can it be spread from those with vaccine or not? No one knows that and a 100 other questions.
What pisses me off is after the elderly, health care workers, and first responders, who should get in line next. The f'ing liberal have a plan to reward those whose poor behavior has put the world in this situation. This is not an ethnically transmitted virus, so race color, or creed should not be part of the equation.
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/coronavirus-vaccine-give-people-immunity-23118841
The coronavirus vaccine may give people immunity from the bug for 90 days, according to scientists.
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/coronavirus-vaccine-give-people-immunity-23118841
The coronavirus vaccine may give people immunity from the bug for 90 days, according to scientists.Wow, 90 days, kool the virus has a calendar and know how to keep time and so convenient that it is a nice round number. Are you sure it is not 3 months? Oh! But then not all months have 30 days.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/us-vaccine-chief-thinks-covid-19-shots-will-long-lasting-effect-13712990
LittleBigMan
12-07-20, 02:07
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/coronavirus-vaccine-give-people-immunity-23118841
Coronavirus vaccine may only give people immunity for 90 days, say scientists.
The government's scientific advisors have suggested immunity may last 90 days, however in a study they explained a high proportion of people are likely to get immunity.
The coronavirus vaccine may give people immunity from the bug for 90 days, according to scientists.
Research conducted by the government's scientific advisors suggests vaccine immunity is not fully understood.
In a paper published by the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group, experts say the duration of "natural or vaccine induced immunity is not yet fully understood".I think you should go back and read the article carefully again.
TheNileRiva
12-07-20, 02:25
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/coronavirus-vaccine-give-people-immunity-23118841
The coronavirus vaccine may give people immunity from the bug for 90 days, according to scientists.As someone who works in the field, that tabloid headline is not technically false, but very misleading.
They're saying it provides immunity for 90 days because 90 days of data is all they have. Researchers cover their asses when speaking to the media, so they won't say the vaccine provides immunity beyond what the current data tells them. Expect the length of immunity to go up as time drags on and they get more data on its efficiency.
Franciscass
12-07-20, 03:09
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/coronavirus-vaccine-give-people-immunity-23118841
Coronavirus vaccine may only give people immunity for 90 days, say scientists.
The government's scientific advisors have suggested immunity may last 90 days, however in a study they explained a high proportion of people are likely to get immunity.
The coronavirus vaccine may give people immunity from the bug for 90 days, according to scientists.
Research conducted by the government's scientific advisors suggests vaccine immunity is not fully understood.
In a paper published by the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group, experts say the duration of "natural or vaccine induced immunity is not yet fully understood".Yup got to be true, I read it in that most credible of UK tabloids the Daily Star.
LittleBigMan
12-08-20, 13:29
This report continues from a post I made on the Bangkok Thread.
As I noted I've known this Thai woman for a long time in our meeting in Bangkok it was agreed I would give her my old cell phone it was checked by the shop and all green lights were given. Even my brother's kids play with it while I was visiting, the night before I checked it again before placing it in the box and into my backpack. When I saw her the next day I pulled it out of the box and put the battery, turn it on and went through all the features then change the language to Thai. It all went back into the box since she didn't have her True sim card didn't notice it then because I'm not very techno about phones I was wondering why when putting in the battery then putting the cover on it didn't seem to fit the same not very tight? She told me if necessary she would put a rubber band over the phone she was just grateful to have a phone now basically something was better than nothing having to borrow her friend's phone not being able to talk to her sons etc.
The next morning she got up early took a shower put the phone in her purse I got her a taxi to Mo-Chit to try to catch the first van out to her village I felt bad didn't know it was a 4 plus hour ride since the van stops and pick up and drop off riders throughout her trip. As noted in my Bangkok post since she got into the taxi I felt something come over me like a rain cloud something just didn't feel right. Hours later when I didn't hear from her I started to worry but I just wrote it off as me being paranoid? Days went by I didn't hear anything, not like her when I tried her friends' phone there was no answer but her friend would see my number and tell her I called thereafter I get a callback but this time nothing. By now 5 days have gone by but I just figure Thai style but I was hoping for the best inside?
Now it is Sunday, Dec 6th, I was having my usual morning coffee with my ex-pat group next thing I get a translated message on my phone asking me if I was a friend of his mother. I responded back and the next message shocks me to the core and I'm not easily shocked? The message " my mother has been in the hospital for 4 days the phone I gave her the battery exploded in her face " of course the thing that crosses my mind and when I told my coffee buddies all said " scam " I wasn't born yesterday I've known this girl for 10 years although she was a hardened BG she has never shown that kind of behavior or side of her to scam me. Back and forth the messages finally the son tries to call me but my limited Thai we weren't connecting it was actually better although slower to use their translation program which I thought wasn't bad. Basically, although she is under the government health care program this particular procedure wasn't she was scarred badly and possibly blind she needed an operation for both the cost was 80,000 baht. Although shocked and very concerned I was thinking of money naturally so I turn to a few guys who I knew were Thai but raised in the States and spoke Thai and English well.
Back and forth with the son in the end the son wasn't asking me for 80,000 nor blaming me directly and I was liable that they needed 80,000 for the operation he and his brother could raise only 68,000 their backs were up against the wall the friend mentioned me and my number was on her phone that I might be able to help out with the rest there is no doubt also that I gave her the phone. It just happened that the call was made on my Thai friend I-Pad which was a video that enables me to verify that it wasn't some scam the son even ask the Doctor to speak to us. No matter what I wasn't going to make a bad situation into a pissing contest by asking more questions if it was a scam I told the son I would gladly cover the difference. I placed the amount into her mother's account and they proceeded with the necessary operation. Right now the last message I got her mother is badly scarred and her eyesight might never return if lucky 50%.
Her mother after the operation is heavily sedated and very upset wishes to die doesn't understand why so many bad things happen to her? The last year her mothers pass away in July she gets into a bad motorbike operation hospitalized for a broken arm that required pins and months of rehab just when things were getting better and the rainy season over with the flooding in her village over she was starting to be able to sell her second-hand clothes out of the trunk of her old car now this! The latest message from the son was to thank me for the money adding he felt this was his fault if he had only purchased a phone for his mother this wouldn't have happened to her.
I've met the two of the son when they were young they are good kids I responded it is no one fault how does anyone know this would happen. It was checked several times I wonder if it had gone off when my brother's kids were playing with it or even when we were together in Bangkok in the room it had gone off?
GUILTY FEEL LIKE SHIT!
.....I responded back and the next message shocks me to the core and I'm not easily shocked? The message " my mother has been in the hospital for 4 days the phone I gave her the battery exploded in her face " of course the thing that crosses my mind and when I told my coffee buddies all said " scam " .......To my instincts the very first thing I would have done before anything else would have been to go see her.
Yup got to be true, I read it in that most credible of UK tabloids the Daily Star.Sir Patrick Vallance warns Brits could still be wearing face masks next winter because it will 'take quite a long time' to vaccinate everyone and jabs might not stop the virus spreading.
The chief scientific adviser said people must still follow social distancing rules.
No proof that vaccination will stop people transmitting the coronavirus.
Studies have only proven so far that jabs can prevent Covid-19 disease.
Britain today became the first country in the world to vaccinate citizens.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9030263/Brits-wearing-face-masks-winter-Patrick-Vallance-warns.html
Mr Enternational
12-08-20, 20:03
I responded back and the next message shocks me to the core and I'm not easily shocked? The message " my mother has been in the hospital for 4 days the phone I gave her the battery exploded in her face "Wow. That is fucked up. I used to always have those thoughts when I would buy the Chinese batteries off ebay for Samsung. They seemed to be thicker than the original. I was thinking those mfs may overheat and explode or whatever. Are there any phones these days that you can remove the battery without the proper tools and know-how? Maybe they no longer make them that way for this very reason.
Crocodilexp
12-08-20, 20:25
GUILTY FEEL LIKE SHIT!
It's a shitty situation, and anybody would feel like shit, but you're not guilty of anything. No more guilty than someone who gifted a car in which someone proceeded to have an accident due to a mechanical problem. If anything, it's the shop that should have spotted the problem, if you paid them to check it. Shit happens, and it's rather nasty shit in this case, but certainly not your fault.
Wow. That is fucked up. I used to always have those thoughts when I would buy the Chinese batteries off ebay for Samsung. They seemed to be thicker than the original. I was thinking those mfs may overheat and explode or whatever. Are there any phones these days that you can remove the battery without the proper tools and know-how? Maybe they no longer make them that way for this very reason.It may have been a cheap charger without the intelligence shut off features. Without the shut off feature on the cp or charger the battery keeps charging and will overheat. The overheating will cause the battery to expand and quite possibly explode.
I have seen many expanded cp batteries from cheaper cp chargers. Once the battery is bloated it is best to throw it away.
Other thing to be aware of is to not mismatch chargers with the cp. Most cp will charge at 1 amp. The Samsung charger will charge at 2.0+ amp. Using a Samsung charger on another cp can overheat the battery. If your cp feels warm or hot from charging then you are using the wrong charger.
Member #4698
12-08-20, 21:00
GUILTY FEEL LIKE SHIT!LBM,
It is only natural to feel real bad about what happened to your friend. But you are not guilty of anything. In fact you stood tall and helped the family out in their time of real need. The guilty people are management of the company that manufactures & sells such dangerous products. You can bet your last baht that this was not the first time their product malfunctioned, exploded and hurt someone.
I have a long time American female friend that was a front seat passenger in an auto accident. Some asshole ran a stop sign and plowed into her side of the vehicle she was riding in. She suffered internal injuries. After 3 operations she is still not completely well. Shit happens to good people!
I hope your friend fully recovers.
Other thing to be aware of is to not mismatch chargers with the cp. Most cp will charge at 1 amp. The Samsung charger will charge at 2.0+ amp. Using a Samsung charger on another cp can overheat the battery.Many Samsung phones now have a rapid charge feature which increases the charge voltage from 5 v to 9 v. Over voltage on a li-ion battery is far more dangerous than over current as it can lead to a thermal run away. This is not too hard to imagine in a faulty or knockoff old phone / charger.
HorseTrader
12-08-20, 22:54
If your cp feels warm or hot from charging then you are using the wrong charger.Or there could be something wrong with your device or the device's battery. About a year ago that is what happened to my very old iPad Mini (original version). It got very hot to the touch while charging and then it wouldn't boot. The charger was fine and was subsequently used on multiple devices.
In any case, if your cell phone gets hot while charging, unplug it and investigate the problem without holding it to your face.
Banana Boi
12-09-20, 05:50
I remember seeing horror stories in Thai news of people sleeping with their phone beside their head while it's being charged, then the phone explodes or catches fire killing the victim. This was not a one time incident. I never charge my phone in a 220V socket and leave it near me.
I bought an extra battery at Tukcom. Charged it a couple times and it was fine. Then one time it was super hot. Threw the battery away. Buy OEM guys.
Christian G
12-09-20, 09:55
Seems STV will be available in any countries.
https://www.posttoday.com/economy/news/639819?fbclid=IwAR2bkLsCk2ThN_HmlbKT1NQGBKUWmtSOvEAHWMC87zIBXDwTvopenu9pOlM
Franciscass
12-09-20, 12:13
Seems STV will be available in any countries.
https://www.posttoday.com/economy/news/639819?fbclid=IwAR2bkLsCk2ThN_HmlbKT1NQGBKUWmtSOvEAHWMC87zIBXDwTvopenu9pOlMI read the headline this morning and thought at last some sanity.
I continued reading, oh oh yes it broadens the STV from the original list of 24 for all countries but does nothing to ease the requirements for the visa itself.
Now the old list included among others China, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Finland and Norway which one might imagine had enough population to attract a reasonable number of visitors. How many came. Total 825.
So with the conditions to obtain and comply with the terms of the visa unchanged what makes them think there will now be tens or hundreds of thousands arriving from the countries added to the list.
What am I not getting?
HorseTrader
12-09-20, 15:58
I read the headline this morning and thought at last some sanity.
I continued reading, oh oh yes it broadens the STV from the original list of 24 for all countries but does nothing to ease the requirements for the visa itself.
Now the old list included among others China, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Finland and Norway which one might imagine had enough population to attract a reasonable number of visitors. How many came. Total 825.
So with the conditions to obtain and comply with the terms of the visa unchanged what makes them think there will now be tens or hundreds of thousands arriving from the countries added to the list.
What am I not getting?There wont be tens of thousands. Maybe double the number of tourists. They cant expect anything better.
Very few people will agree to 14 day quarantine. The other requirements are reasonable, but pains in the ass. Being open to all nations will help, but not enough to restart the tourist economy.
I would agree to do a 2 or 3 days quarantine. No more than that.
Last night a friend of mine in Chiang Mai told me that COVID is starting to spread in Thailand. I asked how many and she said 19. I dont know if that is daily cases or total active, maybe Chiang Mai, maybe all of Thailand. In any case it is more than it had been and can’t be ignored.
There wont be tens of thousands. Maybe double the number of tourists. They cant expect anything better.
Very few people will agree to 14 day quarantine. The other requirements are reasonable, but pains in the ass. Being open to all nations will help, but not enough to restart the tourist economy.
I would agree to do a 2 or 3 days quarantine. No more than that.
Last night a friend of mine in Chiang Mai told me that COVID is starting to spread in Thailand. I asked how many and she said 19. I dont know if that is daily cases or total active, maybe Chiang Mai, maybe all of Thailand. In any case it is more than it had been and cant be ignored.While people from somewhat safe other asian countries will hesitate going to thainland due to double quarantine, I'd say people from affected regions can actually see 2 weeks quarantine as a better outcome compared to weeks of curfew or lockdown. After 2 weeks you get to enjoy full freedom in a less exposed country than where you're coming from. So for retired people, people working from home whom don't need to be physically in their home country, I'd see it as a good option.
I saw several quarantine hotels full till end January when I was checking last week too.
Mr Enternational
12-09-20, 19:30
I'd say people from affected regions can actually see 2 weeks quarantine as a better outcome compared to weeks of curfew or lockdown. After 2 weeks you get to enjoy full freedom in a less exposed country than where you're coming from.Negative. I was in Thailand for the curfew. What really did I need to do after 9,10,or 11 pm? Not a damn thing. I am usually in bed at 10 anyway. Compare that to 2 weeks in quarantine, which is basically jail. I am not trying to be cooped up in a room or compound for 2 weeks all by myself or with nobody else for that matter buddy.
I remember seeing horror stories in Thai news of people sleeping with their phone beside their head while it's being charged, then the phone explodes or catches fire killing the victim. This was not a one time incident. I never charge my phone in a 220V socket and leave it near me.
I bought an extra battery at Tukcom. Charged it a couple times and it was fine. Then one time it was super hot. Threw the battery away. Buy OEM guys.Yes, I recall reading an article, which I think was in PattayaOne News of a young guy, maybe a teen, who was charging his phone while he sleeping in his bed. The phone exploded and killed him. I believe that this story was posted a few months ago. I was surprised to see something like this could happen. In Europe or the USA, this type of accident would be completely unacceptable to the general public but TIT.
Negative. I was in Thailand for the curfew. What really did I need to do after 9,10,or 11 pm? Not a damn thing. I am usually in bed at 10 anyway. Compare that to 2 weeks in quarantine, which is basically jail. I am not trying to be cooped up in a room or compound for 2 weeks all by myself or with nobody else for that matter buddy.Ditto to the nix on the quarantine. I'm heading back to the USA next month and I'll get jabbed and head on back to SE Asia when it opens up without quarantines. If that doesn't happen by next Fall, well there will be plenty of other warm destinations that won't quarantine ya.
Banana Boi
12-10-20, 05:48
Let's be clear that APPLY does not mean ACCEPTED.
Why not let everyone apply? Doesn't hurt Thailand at all. Who gets in will be another story. Leave your yacht at home guys. Only 6 boats are allowed to enter Thailand, including yachts.
14 day quarantine is no big deal. Aren't many of us basically under a 14 day quarantine in our home country anyways? Personally I'd rather get a reward at the end of my 14 day quarantine than the semi lockdown I have in my home country for the foreseeable future.
Let's say you are accepted for a STV. Has anyone from France/Belgium or the USA looked in to what current flight options there are to fly to Bangkok?
Has anyone here actually applied for any type of Visa for Thailand since COVID began?
Franciscass
12-10-20, 06:57
Let's be clear that APPLY does not mean ACCEPTED.
Why not let everyone apply? Doesn't hurt Thailand at all. Who gets in will be another story. Leave your yacht at home guys. Only 6 boats are allowed to enter Thailand, including yachts.
14 day quarantine is no big deal. Aren't many of us basically under a 14 day quarantine in our home country anyways? Personally I'd rather get a reward at the end of my 14 day quarantine than the semi lockdown I have in my home country for the foreseeable future.
Let's say you are accepted for a STV. Has anyone from France/Belgium or the USA looked in to what current flight options there are to fly to Bangkok?
Has anyone here actually applied for any type of Visa for Thailand since COVID began?Life in quarantine depends on where you quarantine in other words the quality of the hotel. Am acquaintance of mine on a work permit recently stayed at the BDMS wellness center on Wireless Road and found it painless enough. His company paid roughly 80000 for the 14 days which included testing, 5 star accommodation and service, all meals with good food and lots of massages. Some other therapies such as yoga and meditation classes were available. The first few days while waiting for the test result meant confinement to his room but after the negative result he was allowed not unlimited but greater freedom to move around. Lower valued packages at some other approved hotels I read are less pleasant but as with a lot in life you get what you pay for. The whole process was handled by an agent here in Bangkok.
I agree with your comment even if you check all the boxes applying does not mean getting. It seems some embassies in the same way some immigration offices here treat applications differently.
Overall I guess extending the STV to all countries is a step in the right direction and we will have to wait and see how a certificate of vaccination might change requirements such as cutting out the $100,000 insurance.
PedroMorales
12-10-20, 10:17
https://www.bangkokairportonline.com/flight-status-arrivals-departures/https://www.bangkokairportonline.com/flight-status-arrivals-departures/
Planes from Amsterdam, Tokyo, HK, Manila, Indonesia, some other places. Maybe if you refresh the link, other flights will show up.
Many cancelled flights, I imagine. Guess you might have to develop some social skills in these asocial times. Thailand and similar places are off the menu until at least summer 2021. Mongers wanting to shoot their load are not a priority.
Let's be clear that APPLY does not mean ACCEPTED.
Why not let everyone apply? Doesn't hurt Thailand at all. Who gets in will be another story. Leave your yacht at home guys. Only 6 boats are allowed to enter Thailand, including yachts.
14 day quarantine is no big deal. Aren't many of us basically under a 14 day quarantine in our home country anyways? Personally I'd rather get a reward at the end of my 14 day quarantine than the semi lockdown I have in my home country for the foreseeable future.
Let's say you are accepted for a STV. Has anyone from France/Belgium or the USA looked in to what current flight options there are to fly to Bangkok?
Has anyone here actually applied for any type of Visa for Thailand since COVID began?
LittleBigMan
12-10-20, 11:30
Let's be clear that APPLY does not mean ACCEPTED.
Why not let everyone apply? Doesn't hurt Thailand at all. Who gets in will be another story. Leave your yacht at home guys. Only 6 boats are allowed to enter Thailand, including yachts.
14 day quarantine is no big deal. Aren't many of us basically under a 14 day quarantine in our home country anyways? Personally I'd rather get a reward at the end of my 14 day quarantine than the semi lockdown I have in my home country for the foreseeable future.
Let's say you are accepted for a STV. Has anyone from France/Belgium or the USA looked in to what current flight options there are to fly to Bangkok?
Has anyone here actually applied for any type of Visa for Thailand since COVID began?Not sure this helps? But two of these cases I will be the first to admit age might have caught up with them I think you will understand what I'm getting at?
I drink coffee with a guy who left in March he was supposed to be gone a month he is still in Boston. Based on his Line message he has tried a number of times he said the list is long and confusing to follow? He went to the airport mid-November and got turn back next line message said it will be Christmas after he gets his shot? You get the idea here?
3rd hand, again guy not the sharpest tool in the shed? He has a Thai wife only speaks English, started in late July still not here. They contacted the Thai Embassy in L. A. Never got a reply finally they got lead to the right track contact an Embassy back East coast. Said much of the information was confusing one day it was this next something else and she was talking to a Thai representative on the phone in Thai. She for whatever reason booked a flight on Eva her normal airline of choice for Dec 5th, in the end, the Embassy contacted her and said you can only go on this airline which is Korean with a long layover and they have scheduled her for Dec 23rd so I will know then?
Today, at my brother's house he lives in a project a Thai ladies run the complex speak great English married to a German goes back and forth she has been gone since May? She has been out of quarantine for 5 days once I heard I put my mask on she startd to laugh. She said even for a Thai national she went through hell to get back said the list is extension and confusing even for her charge her a arm and a leg for testing and quarantine. She said " don't leave "!
Not sure this helps? But two of these cases I will be the first to admit age might have caught up with them I think you will understand what I'm getting at?
I drink coffee with a guy who left in March he was supposed to be gone a month he is still in Boston. Based on his Line message he has tried a number of times he said the list is long and confusing to follow? He went to the airport mid-November and got turn back next line message said it will be Christmas after he gets his shot? You get the idea here?
3rd hand, again guy not the sharpest tool in the shed? He has a Thai wife only speaks English, started in late July still not here. They contacted the Thai Embassy in L. A. Never got a reply finally they got lead to the right track contact an Embassy back East coast. Said much of the information was confusing one day it was this next something else and she was talking to a Thai representative on the phone in Thai. She for whatever reason booked a flight on Eva her normal airline of choice for Dec 5th, in the end, the Embassy contacted her and said you can only go on this airline which is Korean with a long layover and they have scheduled her for Dec 23rd so I will know then?
Today, at my brother's house he lives in a project a Thai ladies run the complex speak great English married to a German goes back and forth she has been gone since May? She has been out of quarantine for 5 days once I heard I put my mask on she startd to laugh. She said even for a Thai national she went through hell to get back said the list is extension and confusing even for her charge her a arm and a leg for testing and quarantine. She said " don't leave "!Thai embassies worldwide are basically stand alone, and have always made up their own rules about visas. With all the requirements the past couple months I'm betting its gotten a lot worse and led to some embassies trying to get $ for getting people approved and others who deny everyone so they don't have to do any work.
HorseTrader
12-10-20, 18:43
Thai embassies worldwide are basically stand alone, and have always made up their own rules about visas. With all the requirements the past couple months I'm betting its gotten a lot worse and led to some embassies trying to get $ for getting people approved and others who deny everyone so they don't have to do any work.Even the embassy in Washington DC does things differently than the consulate in Chicago. Just getting 60 day visas in December 2019 was a different experience for me and one of my buddies. They also change their policies without quickly updating their web pages.
That was back in normal times. I can only imagine how different it will be for the next many months.
NicFrenchy
12-11-20, 04:35
Come back guys, the economy needs the support of tourists 😊.
https://sea.mashable.com/culture/13554/thailand-is-opening-its-borders-to-everyone-regardless-of-their-countrys-covid-situation
Mr Enternational
12-11-20, 05:31
Come back guys, the economy needs the support of tourists 😊.
https://sea.mashable.com/culture/13554/thailand-is-opening-its-borders-to-everyone-regardless-of-their-countrys-covid-situationGood to see you back.
Banana Boi
12-11-20, 05:40
https://www.bangkokairportonline.com/flight-status-arrivals-departures/https://www.bangkokairportonline.com/flight-status-arrivals-departures/
Planes from Amsterdam, Tokyo, HK, Manila, Indonesia, some other places. Maybe if you refresh the link, other flights will show up.
Many cancelled flights, I imagine. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but if you are from the USA you can only catch a connecting flight from the above listed countries if you are allowed entry in to those countries. I'm not sure about PI but I'm pretty sure Americans are not allowed to fly in to Japan, HK, Indo, etc.
we will have to wait and see how a certificate of vaccination might change requirements such as cutting out the $100,000 insurance.
A few airlines are starting to include COVID insurance if you fly with them. Cathay as an example offers 200k USD COVID insurance through AXA.
Got excited when I saw the news below but there is still a 14 days mandatory quarantine at designated hotels so unlikely to be many taking up that except retirees with lots of time and the intention of staying in Thailand a few months. For me I am a few days trip type. Wait till vaccine roll out and relaxed restrictions. Now if they really want to boost tourism and they offered quarantine in a suite of a hotel with 5 girls of your choice then I think they might see tourist numbers shoot up.
Mr Enternational
12-11-20, 06:29
Someone correct me if I'm wrong but if you are from the USA you can only catch a connecting flight from the above listed countries if you are allowed entry in to those countries. I'm not sure about PI but I'm pretty sure Americans are not allowed to fly in to Japan, HK, Indo, etc.You do not have to be allowed entry in order to catch a connecting flight.
Note that foreigners (from the countries and regions where the entry bans do not apply) are not denied to enter Japan when they arrive in Japan via any of the following 152 countries or regions, which are subject to denial of permission to entry, for refueling or transit purpose. Those who entered those countries or regions will, however, be subject to the entry ban.
https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html
NicFrenchy
12-11-20, 07:49
Good to see you back.Thank you and likewise 😊.
Good to be back. So much I have to re-learn LOL.
GettingFedUp
12-13-20, 08:46
https://www.bangkokairportonline.com/flight-status-arrivals-departures/https://www.bangkokairportonline.com/flight-status-arrivals-departures/All,
Be very wary of using the airport arrivals as a guide to which airlines you can travel to Thailand on. The flights may be arriving but that doesn't mean that they are carrying passengers. A number of airlines (notably Qatar, KLM and Swiss) have been operating into and out of BKK pretty much throughout but not for passengers. I'm guessing mainly for freight inbound to Bkk and both freight and passengers outbound.
The link on the Thai Embassy Washington DC site for the list of approved "semi-commercial" (whatever that means) flights to Swampy seems to have broken, but via the Thai Embassy Kazakhstan site it appears at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ijBJOTgFJPAuWUfkPIA60iniXB9j9Ba2XHafXzA6JCw/edit#gid=686263740 (says last updated 7 December).
On a side note the Thai hot air factory (Ministry of Tourism / TAT) has floated a proposal that the duration of the Visa Waiver be extended from 30 to 45 days from September next year. Note Visa Waiver is what most short term visitors from Europe, North America, Australia and NZ travel on. It is sometimes referred to as a "Visa on Arrival" but that is actually a different species for visitors from China, India, etc.
PedroMorales
12-13-20, 13:23
There would be, I imagine, in some of those planes, a small number of passengers, Thais who managed to get repatriated, key officials etc. But few of them are Nana Plaza bound. Mongers are so far down the list we are not on the list. Thai muff, for the foreseeable future, is off the menu, for me, maybe forever as I am not taking any half cooked vaccine.
All,
Be very wary of using the airport arrivals as a guide to which airlines you can travel to Thailand on. The flights may be arriving but that doesn't mean that they are carrying passengers. A number of airlines (notably Qatar, KLM and Swiss) have been operating into and out of BKK pretty much throughout but not for passengers. I'm guessing mainly for freight inbound to Bkk and both freight and passengers outbound.
The link on the Thai Embassy Washington DC site for the list of approved "semi-commercial" (whatever that means) flights to Swampy seems to have broken, but via the Thai Embassy Kazakhstan site it appears at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ijBJOTgFJPAuWUfkPIA60iniXB9j9Ba2XHafXzA6JCw/edit#gid=686263740 (says last updated 7 December).
On a side note the Thai hot air factory (Ministry of Tourism / TAT) has floated a proposal that the duration of the Visa Waiver be extended from 30 to 45 days from September next year. Note Visa Waiver is what most short term visitors from Europe, North America, Australia and NZ travel on. It is sometimes referred to as a "Visa on Arrival" but that is actually a different species for visitors from China, India, etc.
COVID vaccine roll-out could take months to curb spread of virus says PROF Karol Sikora.
So today is the day. A Covid-19 vaccine is being rolled out across the country and by the time you're reading this, thousands and thousands of people will have already received their first dose.
https://www.express.co.uk/comment/expresscomment/1369681/vaccine-roll-out-coronavirus-spread-virus
And every country has differing roll out dates over years and some have no roll out dates at all.
Let's be clear that APPLY does not mean ACCEPTED.
Why not let everyone apply? Doesn't hurt Thailand at all. Who gets in will be another story. Leave your yacht at home guys. Only 6 boats are allowed to enter Thailand, including yachts.
14 day quarantine is no big deal. Aren't many of us basically under a 14 day quarantine in our home country anyways? Personally I'd rather get a reward at the end of my 14 day quarantine than the semi lockdown I have in my home country for the foreseeable future.
Let's say you are accepted for a STV. Has anyone from France/Belgium or the USA looked in to what current flight options there are to fly to Bangkok?
Has anyone here actually applied for any type of Visa for Thailand since COVID began?For the STV, I know that you have to pre pay for your Q but it reads like you have to choose your hotel and pre-pay for the whole stay. Your thoughts?
I am curious about the costs of flights. I'd be going from USA.
GettingFedUp
12-14-20, 05:07
All,
There are Provincial Administration Office (PAO) elections this Sunday, 20th December which probably means no alcohol sales.
https://thepattayanews.com/2020/12/13/local-elections-are-this-upcoming-weekend-in-thailand-and-a-booze-sales-ban-is-nearly-certain/
The article above says that entertainment businesses in Pattaya have been told unofficially at this stage that they will have to close from early evening on Saturday until after the polls close at 5 pm Sunday. It is unclear whether this will apply to Bangkok which has no PAO but is run by the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA), elections for which are not taking place.
GettingFedUp
12-14-20, 05:41
Let's say you are accepted for a STV. Has anyone from France/Belgium or the USA looked in to what current flight options there are to fly to Bangkok?For France / Belgium options would involve travelling via another country e. G. Amsterdam (KLM or Eva), Frankfurt (Lufthansa or allegedly Thai), Zurich (Swiss), Doha (Qatar), Dubai (Emirates), Abu Dhabi (Etihad).
I am curious about the costs of flights. I'd be going from USA.Emirates quote around USD 1,000 - 1,100 for NY JFK-DXB-BKK (25 hours including 6 hour layover in Dubai) return for outbound mid-January, return late March. Other options from the east coast would be Qatar (via Doha) or connecting at one of the European hubs listed in my response of BB.
West coast options would take some work to find connections on https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ijBJOTgFJPAuWUfkPIA60iniXB9j9Ba2XHafXzA6JCw/edit#gid=686263740. Options might be via Taiwan (although there is a maximum layover of 8 hours), Hong Kong, Seoul. Possibly Singapore or Tokyo-Narita (although I'm not sure how reliable Thai Airways flight schedules are and the flight may be reserved for "returnees". Be aware you almost certainly need to be thru-ticketed I. E. Just transit not actually going through passport control to check in for the next flight.
Banana Boi
12-14-20, 06:38
For the STV, I know that you have to pre pay for your Q but it reads like you have to choose your hotel and pre-pay for the whole stay. Your thoughts?Things may have changed by now but last I read it was from a list of select government approved hotels and you end up paying more than normal for the hotel. You can Google if you really want to know which hotels are approved but I'm sure that will all change by the time you will be allowed in.
Things may have changed by now but last I read it was from a list of select government approved hotels and you end up paying more than normal for the hotel. You can Google if you really want to know which hotels are approved but I'm sure that will all change by the time you will be allowed in.I have not done any research on it myself but the guy I met very briefly in Nana Plaza from the USA who had just finished his 14 day quarantine on arrival in Bangkok said he stayed in the Princeton (Downtown?) Bangkok Hotel near Victory Monument and his total cost was $1,000 USD/30,000 THB, including all tests, food, whatever. He said after the first 7 days he was allowed to roam around outdoors on the hotel property, around the pool area and such, for 40 minutes per day.
I have not done any research on it myself but the guy I met very briefly in Nana Plaza from the USA who had just finished his 14 day quarantine on arrival in Bangkok said he stayed in the Princeton (Downtown?) Bangkok Hotel near Victory Monument and his total cost was $1,000 USD/30,000 THB, including all tests, food, whatever. He said after the first 7 days he was allowed to roam around outdoors on the hotel property, around the pool area and such, for 40 minutes per day.This might have been posted before but here it is again.
List of Thailand government approved quarantine hotels.
https://thaiest.com/blog/list-of-alternative-state-quarantine-asq-hotels-thailand
I have not done any research on it myself but the guy I met very briefly in Nana Plaza from the USA who had just finished his 14 day quarantine on arrival in Bangkok said he stayed in the Princeton (Downtown?) Bangkok Hotel near Victory Monument and his total cost was $1,000 USD/30,000 THB, including all tests, food, whatever. He said after the first 7 days he was allowed to roam around outdoors on the hotel property, around the pool area and such, for 40 minutes per day.I'm not asking about the paying for the quarantine hotel. From what I've read, you need to pre-pay for the hotels after quarantine. Do you have to give them an itinerary? I'm sure that your application would be denied if you told them that you want to spend your time in Pattaya. Not really finding any information on the process. I'm thinking that it's probably best to wait for the vaccine before traveling.
... Do you have to give them an itinerary? I'm sure that your application would be denied if you told them that you want to spend your time in Pattaya. Not really finding any information on the process. I'm thinking that it's probably best to wait for the vaccine before traveling.I would be surprised if an application was denied because you listed a post-quarantine hotel and destination in Pattaya on an itinerary as though saying so is no different than telling them you intend to stay full time in "a brothel."
Sure, they know why many if not most single men travelers are ultimately booked in a hotel on Walking Street in Pattaya or on Sukhumvit Soi 4 in Bangkok instead of a quiet little hotel in Ayutthaya or even a hotel in On Nut. But I don't think they'll need to know in advance what you'll be up to on an hour by hour basis while you are here.
Does anyone else know? Aren't the usual "To visit friends", "To visit historic sites", "To tour the country" or "To research business opportunities" acceptable on these itineraries as they have been in the past?
From what I've read, you need to pre-pay for the hotels after quarantine. Do you have to give them an itinerary?You may need to tell the authorities where you will be staying after you leave quarantine depending your visa but it is not necessary to prepay just make sure that you have hotels booked for your stay and report them but I would expect that this would be an ordinary reservation so you would not need to pay up front.
Banana Boi
12-16-20, 05:36
Hotels have a legal obligation to inform Immigration that you are staying there. Thai Immigration will always know where you are. This even applies to a ST hotel but I'm guessing ST hotels don't do it. One of the reasons Thailand is against AirBNB because an AirBNB owner is not going to go to the Immigration office to file a TM30 for someone staying at their condo for 1 day.
There will be no issues in booking a hotel in Pattaya unless Thailand implements a provincial lockdown like it did when COVID began. Maybe just book a Bangkok hotel for 1 night the day after you are finished quarantine so you can report that as your residence after quarantine. The Form only asks where you will be staying, not for how long. It's not the worst thing in the world to stay 1 night in Bangkok. Really, it isn't.
However, all this information is irrelevant. Who knows what the rules will be when we are allowed to return to Thailand in 2022.
Franciscass
12-16-20, 10:05
I'm not asking about the paying for the quarantine hotel. From what I've read, you need to pre-pay for the hotels after quarantine. Do you have to give them an itinerary? I'm sure that your application would be denied if you told them that you want to spend your time in Pattaya. Not really finding any information on the process. I'm thinking that it's probably best to wait for the vaccine before traveling.Apologizes if this seems too negative but as the mindset of the government here seems to be to take no chances it may perhaps be worth considering the following in making decisions about when you intend trying to travel.
As I understand it neither Pfizer nor Moderna vaccines while reducing the odds do not prevent Covid infection. More relevant the data is not yet clear whether a vaccinated person who becomes infected can be a transmitter. Consequently its possible vaccines will not change requirements to quarantine. We may have to wait for herd immunity for that.
For those waiting to visit hopefully this is not be how it goes, data will show vaccinated people cannot be spreaders and a certificate of vaccination will allow normal entry. Hopefully.
Mr Enternational
12-16-20, 14:25
Hotels have a legal obligation to inform Immigration that you are staying there. Thai Immigration will always know where you are. One of the reasons Thailand is against AirBNB because an AirBNB owner is not going to go to the Immigration office to file a TM30 for someone staying at their condo for 1 day.Which is the dumbest shit ever. I arrive at the airport and put all that information on my form. Then when I get to Pattaya, because I have a place there, I have to go down to the local immigration office within a certain time frame and fill out a form with the same information that was on the one I gave them at the airport. What is the purpose of filling the damn thing out at the airport if you have to self report or the place you are staying has to report you? Waste of paper and time.
HorseTrader
12-16-20, 16:20
...As I understand it neither Pfizer nor Moderna vaccines while reducing the odds do not prevent Covid infection. More relevant the data is not yet clear whether a vaccinated person who becomes infected can be a transmitterI understand the same thing. That bad part is vaccinated people won't know they are infected and they could become the super spreaders of late 2021.
People should understand that COVID is the disease that is caused by a certain virus. Preventing someone from getting the disease does not necessarily stop the virus. We hope it does, but at this point in time we really don’t know.
Does anyone else know? Aren't the usual "To visit friends", "To visit historic sites", "To tour the country" or "To research business opportunities" acceptable on these itineraries as they have been in the past?A mate of mine that has done a ton of traveling gave me the advice that when filling out an immigration card for any country list "tourist" as what you're doing there and "Grand hotel" as where you're staying. Works in every country because there's always a grand hotel.
BTW I definitely do not think they will turn anyone down just because they only want to visit Pattaya.
Banana Boi
12-16-20, 19:05
Which is the dumbest shit ever. I arrive at the airport and put all that information on my form. Then when I get to Pattaya, because I have a place there, I have to go down to the local immigration office within a certain time frame and fill out a form with the same information that was on the one I gave them at the airport. What is the purpose of filling the damn thing out at the airport if you have to self report or the place you are staying has to report you? Waste of paper and time.What actually happens if we don't go to Jomtien to report that we have arrived back to our Pattaya condo after a 3 month visit to Japan or a 1 night visit to Bangkok? Unless a guy reads Thai Visa how do people know to even do this? Not like they explain it to us when we get our Visa, at Immigration when we arrive, or rent/buy our condo.
Agree. No idea why we fill out the Arrival Card at the airport then have to go duplicate the information in Jomtien when we arrive in Pattaya.
HorseTrader
12-17-20, 00:02
As I understand it neither Pfizer nor Moderna vaccines while reducing the odds do not prevent Covid infection. More relevant the data is not yet clear whether a vaccinated person who becomes infected can be a transmitter. Consequently its possible vaccines will not change requirements to quarantine. We may have to wait for herd immunity for that.Saw some good news today related to the Moderna vaccine. Preliminary results show it's better at preventing COVID disease (94.1% but also has substantial effect on preventing COVID infection (60%-70% Results based on swab testing of vaccine test participants versus placebo test participants). Pfizer expected to produce same kind of data in about February.
Which is the dumbest shit ever. I arrive at the airport and put all that information on my form. Then when I get to Pattaya, because I have a place there, I have to go down to the local immigration office within a certain time frame and fill out a form with the same information that was on the one I gave them at the airport. What is the purpose of filling the damn thing out at the airport if you have to self report or the place you are staying has to report you? Waste of paper and time.Isn't there an app to submit the TM30 form now? When I renewed my retirement visa in May the Bangkok Immigration Officer didn't mention that form and I'd heard they stopped bothering with it. Not that they officially dropped it. Just that they stopped bothering with it for now and the near future.
That was not the case the previous year I renewed. They were going nuts hassling everyone about that form in 2019.
And even though the onus to submit the TM30 form or pay a fine is on the owner or manager of the rental unit, not on the tenant, when the Immigration Officer tells you on the day you are trying to renew your visa that your landlord fucked up, didn't submit it and you'll need to go get the 800 baht or whatever fine from him before you can renew, the solution is YOU pay that 800 baht fine right then and there so you can finish everything that day and deal with your landlord about it later.
YetAnotherGuy
12-18-20, 05:36
This is a critical point. It means that virgin countries like LOS with quarantine measures in place are going to be very reluctant to open their borders even to vaccinated travelers until a significant percentage of their own population has been inoculated. This may postpone travel to Thailand for most of 2021. I sincerely hope I am wrong.
My guess (definitely only a guess), from following Thai news, is that they'll continue to require a 14 day quarantine long into 2021, even for vaccinated tourists. There's widespread popular support in Thailand for taking this conservative approach, and they may smart to do so, since we probably won't know whether vaccinated people can transmit the disease for quite a while. That said, it might be worth suffering through a 14 day quarantine.
Your information is dated. Just yesterday in Bangkok Post, government officials said they are considering lowering the quarantine days to 10 and will make a decision around mid January. They already have decided to allow low risk countries (including the US) to enter Thailand with an automatic 45 days, instead of the usual visa on arrival of 30 days. This is intended to compensate for the current 14 day quarantine, which is actually 16 days because your first day at the designated ASQ hotel is considered day zero, then 14 days in Quarantine and you check out the 16th day.
It still possible to ask for a longer stay by requesting a 60 day visa, which you can extend after that expiration up to 270 days. 10 days or 14 days, it's still too much for me. The expense for this ASQ stay plus the prison like circumstances is just too much at least for this hombre.
My guess (definitely only a guess), from following Thai news, is that they'll continue to require a 14 day quarantine long into 2021, even for vaccinated tourists. There's widespread popular support in Thailand for taking this conservative approach, and they may smart to do so, since we probably won't know whether vaccinated people can transmit the disease for quite a while. That said, it might be worth suffering through a 14 day quarantine.
YetAnotherGuy
12-20-20, 03:06
Your information is dated. Just yesterday in Bangkok Post, government officials said they are considering lowering the quarantine days to 10 and will make a decision around mid January. ... 10 days or 14 days, it's still too much for me. The expense for this ASQ stay plus the prison like circumstances is just too much at least for this hombre.True, though there's a lot of pushback on the quarantine reduction proposal. I'll be surprised if they do it, though I've been surprised a lot of times, so who knows? I've been thinking the same thing about the expense, though I do really miss Thailand.
NicFrenchy
12-20-20, 04:16
government officials said they are considering lowering the quarantine days to 10 and will make a decision around mid January. With the 500 reported new cases yesterday, they may rethink that one.
With the 500 reported new cases yesterday, they may rethink that one.Yes. A lot of dating site girls come from that Bangkok metropolitan area.
Thailand reports daily COVID record of more than 500 cases.
A sharp rise in cases mostly linked to shrimp market in Samut Sakhon, bringing Thailand's infections to more than 4,800.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/19/thailand-reports-daily-covid-record-of-more-than-500-cases
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2037767/quarantine-golf-courses-to-be-named
This would make quaratine more bearable.
Banana Boi
12-20-20, 05:29
With the 500 reported new cases yesterday, they may rethink that one.Wow. Just checked. 576 new cases in 1 day. Total cases up until yesterday was 4,331. Thailand has done 1.2 million tests for 69 million people. Compare this to some countries with similar population. UK 60 million tests. France 30 million tests. Italy 24 million tests.
Wow. Just checked. 576 new cases in 1 day. Total cases up until yesterday was 4,331. Thailand has done 1.2 million tests for 69 million people. Compare this to some countries with similar population. UK 60 million tests. France 30 million tests. Italy 24 million tests.Then a question arises regarding the reason for 24-60 times more testing in those other countries. Was it because 24-60 times more of those people were exhibiting symptoms, sick enough to visit a doctor or go to a hospital where they would then be given a test?
These lastest Thai tests appear to have been routine tests for migrant workers in the food industry, primarily from Burma, 90% of whom exhibited no symptoms.
The new and deadly strain from south Africa could be a problem in future and may not have a vaccine possible to handle it.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1374779/covid-strain-latest-new-coronavirus-variant-south-africa-young-adults
Franciscass
12-21-20, 05:24
The new and deadly strain from south Africa could be a problem in future and may not have a vaccine possible to handle it.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1374779/covid-strain-latest-new-coronavirus-variant-south-africa-young-adultsDaily Express umm not exactly the Lancet when it comes to medical science.
All virus's mutate, covid has already done so several times. The problem with the new variant is it's increased contagiousness which impacts the are factor. Almost all epidemiologists familiar with the science behind the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines which work by attacking the protein spikes ability to attach to the infected host do not believe this new variant impacts that efficacy.
GettingFedUp
12-21-20, 09:51
Then a question arises regarding the reason for 24-60 times more testing in those other countries. Was it because 24-60 times more of those people were exhibiting symptoms, sick enough to visit a doctor or go to a hospital where they would then be given a test?
These lastest Thai tests appear to have been routine tests for migrant workers in the food industry, primarily from Burma, 90% of whom exhibited no symptoms.This round of tests was triggered by a 67 year-old lady who ran a stall at the seafood market going to hospital with symptoms, getting tested and proving positive. The Thai track and trace mechanisms then kick in and they test anyone who is likely to have been in contact, or even could possibly been in contact. This was how they bought the last cluster in the first outbreak under control at Cherng Talay in Phuket. Lock down the area and test repeatedly. It also what they did in Pattaya during lockdown on the hunch that it could be a hotbed of infection (it wasn't).
Banana Boi. Testing numbers as a measure are a very blunt tool. Thailand had around 500,000 negative domestic (I. E. Not quarantined inbound travellers) tests between late May (the last Phuket case) and the next domestic case which was the Bangkok DJ. If you test the symptomatic, those that seek a test and even anyone who is admitted to hospital for whatever reason (certain hospitals did this as a precaution) and they are all coming back negative, there is very little appetite from either the Health authorities or the general public for imposing the regular sticking of a 15 cm Q-tip up peoples nostrils against their will.
Banana Boi
12-22-20, 04:59
The new and deadly strain from south Africa could be a problem in future and may not have a vaccine possible to handle it.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1374779/covid-strain-latest-new-coronavirus-variant-south-africa-young-adultsI read the strain is from the UK. UK is basically cut off from the world at the moment.
Funny reading about all those travelers in the UK freaking out because they can't get home now. I have no sympathy. They shouldn't have been traveling to the UK to begin with! If I travel to Thailand and they had a lot of cases before I travelled I wouldn't be botching about it. If you can't afford to take 6 months off work or work abroad don't travel internationally. Simple.
If you can't afford to take 6 months off work or work abroad don't travel internationally. Simple.Sums it up perfectly.
CenTexCrash
12-25-20, 00:38
I'm pressing civilian sources, but thought maybe hobby sources might have boots on the ground intel.
Does anyone in the grapevine foresee any easing of travel restrictions by February?
I could almost swear I read somewhere if you apply for entry 60 days in advance, you get in with PCR test. Maybe I'm mistaken idk.
Had two flash sale $380 flights Dallas-BKK via Delta in August then November one by one both canceled and refunded. Have another $410 Houston-BKK via American. Third time's a charm?
Edit: if I bring an entire YETI cooler of individual vaccines, will that butter them up?
NicFrenchy
12-25-20, 01:35
Does anyone in the grapevine foresee any easing of travel restrictions by February?Not at the moment, no. With the incidents of the last few days, it may delay things a bit.
Will we go back to ease of travel? Yes, but February may be a bit early.
For now BKK is in the orange zone https://www.timeout.com/bangkok/news/there-wont-be-lockdown-prayut-confirms-122420.
HorseTrader
12-25-20, 04:28
Does anyone in the grapevine foresee any easing of travel restrictions by February?
I'm certainly not "boots on the ground", but look at some well published information. (1) Experts are predicting the worst is yet to come in the northern hemisphere. (2) Thailand is starting to see an outbreak in one area, which we hope gets quickly controlled. (3) There are far too few vaccines for everybody. (4) We don't know if vaccinated people will transmit the virus (though preliminary findings for Moderna look promising). I don't see anything now that would make me think travel restrictions will be eased in the near future. To me, the biggest travel restriction is the 10 to 14-day quarantine. I'm thinking October before we can easily return to Thailand.
Perhaps Thailand will become so desperate for tourists that the authorities ignore public health in hopes of helping the economy. I wouldn't bet on that.
GettingFedUp
12-25-20, 04:28
I'm pressing civilian sources, but thought maybe hobby sources might have boots on the ground intel.
Does anyone in the grapevine foresee any easing of travel restrictions by February?
I could almost swear I read somewhere if you apply for entry 60 days in advance, you get in with PCR test. Maybe I'm mistaken idk.CTC,
If by "easing of travel restrictions" you mean an end to the quarantine requirement then not a chance in the next few months.
The only easing currently on the agenda is possibly reducing the quarantine to 10 days. A couple of months ago a group of Thai soldiers returned from UN Peacekeeping in South Sudan and were tested more regularly than is the standard regime here. They found that all positive cases were picked up by day 9. They are now testing in quarantine 3 times. Day 3-5, day 8-9 and day 12-13 (previously just the first and last of these) and if this confirms that all cases are picked up in the first two tests they may cut the quarantine period. A decision on this is expected mid-January.
To clarify the restrictions as they currently stand the requirements are a visa (see below), flight and Alternative State Quarantine reservations, US $100 k Covid insurance for the duration of your stay (these will allow you to get a Certificate of Entry from the Thai Embassy / Consulate) and a negative PCR test and doctors "fit to fly" letter no more than 3 days before departure.
Visas. The Visa Waiver (30 day stamp on entry) which was the standard method for most travellers (ex-China and India) is suspended until further notice so you'll need to apply for a visa from the Embassy / Consulate. Current options:
Single Entry Tourist Visa 'TR' - 60 days with one extension of 30 days in country.
Special Tourist Visa (STV) - 90 days which can then be extended twice by 90 days each giving a total of 270 days.
The various longer term visas. Retirement, Thai Elite, Spouse, Business, Volunteer, etc.
As to when and in what circumstances the restrictions will be lifted substantially it is very difficult to give any certainty. Will proof of vaccination allow the avoidance of quarantine? In the next 6 months I doubt it. The authorities here are ultra cautious and will await firm scientific evidence that the vaccine prevents people from becoming carriers. Bear in mind that at the moment the vaccine is not scheduled to be available at all in Thailand until mid-2021 and so the population will remain vulnerable well into 2022. Stickman Bangkok's column last week made a guess at 4th Quarter 2021 for a return to anything approaching normal travel into Thailand. That seems plausible to me although I wouldn't be at all surprised if it were six months later than that.
Banana Boi
12-25-20, 06:56
Does anyone in the grapevine foresee any easing of travel restrictions by February?Possibly by February, 2022 but don't hold your breath.
As for "boots on the ground" a gogo girl has just advised me that the recent COVID surge west of Bangkok has now hit Pattaya. Everyone is panicking now. Lots of anger against the illegal Myanmar workers. Heads are going to roll at the IO who took money to let these illegal workers in.
Christian G
12-25-20, 10:25
Visas. The Visa Waiver (30 day stamp on entry) which was the standard method for most travellers (ex-China and India) is suspended until further notice https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30400034
Does anyone in the grapevine foresee any easing of travel restrictions by February?
I could almost swear I read somewhere if you apply for entry 60 days in advance, you get in with PCR test. Maybe I'm mistaken idk.This link might be of help: https://coethailand.mfa.go.th/regis/step?language=en.
To my novice interpretation it says:
1) Apply for a Certificate of Entry (COE).
After the COE is processed:
2) Provide flight, quarantine hotel (ASQ) and proof of valid CoVid health insurance coverage inside Thailand info.
After your COE has been approved:
3) Obtain a negative CoVid test and a Fit to Fly certificate within 72 hours of departure.
SL.
GettingFedUp
12-25-20, 18:29
https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30400034Christian,
There's a bit more detail on https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/2040115/thai-immigration-where-do-things-stand-.
Have admit I overlooked the latest change because the original proposal was for the extension to be available from September next year.
Banana Boi
12-27-20, 05:41
I'm starting to hear actual stories of guys I know through a friend from various countries are getting in to Thailand now via STV. So as long as you can work virtually and can endure the 14 days in a quarantine hotel looks like a green light to go to Thailand. I think most of us work from home now anyways so take 1 or 2 vacation days to fly to Thailand and you're set. Hurry now before the new variant messes things up.
If you're waiting for the 14 day quarantine hotel to disappear any time soon I wouldn't hold my breath on that.
Christian G
12-27-20, 10:13
I'm starting to hear actual stories of guys I know through a friend from various countries are getting in to Thailand now via STV. So as long as you can work virtually and can endure the 14 days in a quarantine hotel looks like a green light to go to Thailand.
I wonder if all coutnries have the same policy for STV but I doubt it.
For my country: To apply for a visa, submit:
1) Criminal Certificate issued by the country of residence or by one's country of origin (validity not exceeding 3 months);.
2) Medical Certificate, issued in the country of submission of the visa application, certifying that you are not suffering from diseases not allowed in the territory as per Ministerial Regulation No. 14 (B. E. 2535) (validity of the Certificate not exceeding 3 months).
3) Health Insurance Policy with the following requirements: minimum validity of 90 days (from the date of arrival) or the entire period of stay in Thailand; Coverage for outpatient services in Thailand of no less than 40,000 THB; Coverage for hospitalization in Thailand of no less than 400,000 THB; coverage for all medical expenses, including COVID-19 not less than $ 100,000.
To purchase insurance from Thai Companies approved by the Office of Insurance Commission of Thailand, visit https://longstay.tgia.org/home/companiesstv.
4) Confirmation of long-term accommodation, between:
- hotel reservation confirmed with advance payment for the entire duration of the stay in Thailand (after the 14-day quarantine). The reservation must be issued by the hotel and must indicate the length of stay, the hotel contacts and the Hotel Tax Code;.
- Residential lease with advance payment for the entire duration of the stay in Thailand (after the 14-day quarantine). The lease contract must be issued by the landlord and must indicate the length of stay, the landlord's contacts and the tax code of the same;.
- Installment purchase agreement or real estate loan agreement; OR deed of ownership of a condominium.
Point 1 is not free and need some time to get it in my country.
Point 2 check the pdf file.
Point 3 ok.
Point 4 this is a no go. Sure, I don't pay in advance the accomodation for 6 or 9 months.
Jimmy Boy 99
12-30-20, 05:43
https://thepattayanews.com/2020/12/29/thai-public-health-ministry-announces-all-covid-19-vaccinated-people-will-still-need-fourteen-day-quarantine/
What regular tourist is going to do 14 days locked in a hotel room when he has been vaccinated?
NicFrenchy
12-30-20, 08:34
https://thepattayanews.com/2020/12/29/thai-public-health-ministry-announces-all-covid-19-vaccinated-people-will-still-need-fourteen-day-quarantine/
What regular tourist is going to do 14 days locked in a hotel room when he has been vaccinated?Being Vaccinated does not mean anything at the moment, it's not proven to work. Give it a few months, things may change. It's too early to speculate about 2021.
LittleBigMan
12-30-20, 09:42
Being Vaccinated does not mean anything at the moment, it's not proven to work. Give it a few months, things may change. It's too early to speculate about 2021.I agree with " welcome back stud " I would normally not agree with anything a Thai leader is saying but he is pretty much on the mark reading the article he basically is saying it to too early which is correct as you noted. Thailand doesn't even have their hands on it none and won't until January when AstraZ is approved by their FDA? Then you got the countries out there who got it and it requires two shots put that inline it really is too early to start letting people in even if they got the two shots. We are talking 2 months easily if it works the rules will come down accordingly?
GuyBrusg1957
12-30-20, 12:31
I apologize if this isn't the right place for it but is anyone able to recommend any reading on Thailand views on human sexuality? Or basically, why is there so much of a sex trade in Asia beyond simply economics.
I can't find it at the moment but there was one poster who mentioned how it was insulting so many Westerners assume that many of the women are all from poor farming villages. When I read this, I immediately agreed but I'm having trouble articling my feelings on that.
To explain further, I'm that weird American trying to understand a different cultures perspective. For example, when kids hit puberty do Thai parents have the "talk" like Western Parents? What is taught in school for sex ed?
Mr Enternational
12-30-20, 13:00
I apologize if this isn't the right place for it but is anyone able to recommend any reading on Thailand views on human sexuality? Or basically, why is there so much of a sex trade in Asia beyond simply economics.A better question would be why is it suppresed in other places. Fucking is a bodily function. For some reason Americans act like it is more than it is, while still managing to miss their own mark. A few years back a monk spoke publicly saying these foreigners are coming and paying you for sex; don't miss your blessing.
I saw a video the other day from a Los Angeles news station about an increase in SW there. At the end the cop said we are getting nowhere arresting these chicks, so we will stop arresting them and instead concentrate on arresting the guys that come looking for them. Ain't that some shit? https://m.worldstarhiphop.com/web/video.php?v=wshh9f90EyL71VxrH97G
I can't find it at the moment but there was one poster who mentioned how it was insulting so many Westerners assume that many of the women are all from poor farming villages. When I read this, I immediately agreed but I'm having trouble articling my feelings on that.You said many and all. Well "many" would be true, while "all" would not be. Don't know why people would find the truth insulting.
To explain further, I'm that weird American trying to understand a different cultures perspective.Well good luck with that if the Thais' perspective of anything is the one you are trying to understand.
Luckyguy7198
12-30-20, 13:15
I apologize if this isn't the right place for it but is anyone able to recommend any reading on Thailand views on human sexuality? Or basically, why is there so much of a sex trade in Asia beyond simply economics.
I can't find it at the moment but there was one poster who mentioned how it was insulting so many Westerners assume that many of the women are all from poor farming villages. When I read this, I immediately agreed but I'm having trouble articling my feelings on that.
To explain further, I'm that weird American trying to understand a different cultures perspective. For example, when kids hit puberty do Thai parents have the "talk" like Western Parents? What is taught in school for sex ed?https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4706588/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4208941/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3272438/
https://kinseyinstitute.org/pdf/ccies-thailand.pdf
A later (online) version of the above encyclopedia requires institutional access: https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199754700.001.0001/acref-9780199754700-e-55.
Luckyguy7198
12-30-20, 13:20
A better question would be why is it suppresed in other places. Fucking is a bodily function. For some reason Americans act like it is more than it is, while still missing their own mark. A few years back a monk spoke publicly saying these foreigners are coming and paying you for sex; don't miss your blessing.Enough said. Can't add more. Thank you.
GuyBrusg1957
01-01-21, 06:40
A better question would be why is it suppresed in other places. Fucking is a bodily function. For some reason Americans act like it is more than it is, while still managing to miss their own mark. A few years back a monk spoke publicly saying these foreigners are coming and paying you for sex; don't miss your blessing.We already know the answer to that it's conservative cultural norms largely driven from Christianity and the Nuclear Family. So my question is, what is different about Thailand?
Well good luck with that if the Thais' perspective of anything is the one you are trying to understand.I'm not attempting to be factious.
Mr Enternational
01-01-21, 14:51
We already know the answer to that it's conservative cultural norms largely driven from Christianity and the Nuclear Family. So my question is, what is different about Thailand?Thailand is not Christian nor is it governed by nuclear families. It is a collective. There are some collective cultures where the men fuck the same women. Does not matter who the father is because the kid will be raised by the village regardless.
I'm not attempting to be factious.I think you are saying you were not trying to be facetious. Me either! If you are trying to understand the Thai perspective of anything then you are a glutton for punishment. It will not make sense to you because you are not Thai people.
A buddy of mine has lived in Thailand since the 80s. A woman in a Mercedes rear ended him. She told the police it was his fault because he had no business driving in Thailand anyway. Nevermind he has lived in Thailand since before she was even born.
Another buddy's car was recently hit by a kid on a motorbike who was underage with no license AND had taken the bike without permission. The kid was badly injured, the motorbike was totalled, and my friend needed a new car door. My friend negotiated a payment a little over $1000 for the kid and the bike repairs.
The next example is adjusted for a country that drives on the right. You come to an intersection and you are about to turn left. The cars from the cross street that are about to turn left onto the street you are on will turn in on your right hand side then cross over to the proper lane once they have passed you.
This is the Thai perspective. Are you understanding any of this yet?
GuyBrusg1957
01-03-21, 06:03
There's excessive nationalism and corrupt law enforcement in every Country. That doesn't make much sense.
Thailand is not Christian nor is it governed by nuclear families. It is a collective. There are some collective cultures where the men fuck the same women. Does not matter who the father is because the kid will be raised by the village regardless.
I think you are saying you were not trying to be facetious. Me either! If you are trying to understand the Thai perspective of anything then you are a glutton for punishment. It will not make sense to you because you are not Thai people.
A buddy of mine has lived in Thailand since the 80s. A woman in a Mercedes rear ended him. She told the police it was his fault because he had no business driving in Thailand anyway. Nevermind he has lived in Thailand since before she was even born.
Another buddy's car was recently hit by a kid on a motorbike who was underage with no license AND had taken the bike without permission. The kid was badly injured, the motorbike was totalled, and my friend needed a new car door. My friend negotiated a payment a little over $1000 for the kid and the bike repairs.
The next example is adjusted for a country that drives on the right. You come to an intersection and you are about to turn left. The cars from the cross street that are about to turn left onto the street you are on will turn in on your right hand side then cross over to the proper lane once they have passed you.
This is the Thai perspective. Are you understanding any of this yet?This does happen to farang but more likely its either a old expat with a former BG wife who doesn't speak Thai or a tourist. A expat that can converse in Thai and has Thai friends is less likely to have stuff like this happen. Its very much a country of who you know. The typical older expat knows his wife and her family and that's it when it comes to Thai people.
LittleBigMan
01-03-21, 10:59
There's excessive nationalism and corrupt law enforcement in every Country. That doesn't make much sense.Really a lousy justification! We aren't talking about other countries we are talking about what is relative and that is Thailand. It is a no brainer but if you live here and not just visit it would make sense!
Franciscass
01-04-21, 05:05
Being Vaccinated does not mean anything at the moment, it's not proven to work. Give it a few months, things may change. It's too early to speculate about 2021.Actually Nic not sure why you say that. Are you dismissing the data that depending on which vaccine you are talking about you will have up to 95% immunization against becoming sick from the virus.
LittleBigMan
01-04-21, 10:41
Not surprised! Cross your finger today in the news Thailand signed a contract with the Chinese their vaccine (Sino?) 200,000 coming in January and to be distributed in Feb also to produce their vaccine in Thailand. I don't plan to be first in line for sure.
Even when you have had a jab there is no idea how long it will last, it may fade after 3 months and you need another booster, or it won't work on the south African strain. For sure you will need a mask for a long time until things become clearer.
Banana Boi
01-07-21, 21:29
For those of you living in Thailand, effective immediately you must download the Contact Tracing app. This is mandatory for everyone, including Thai. Legal action will be taken if you are not using the App and later test positive to COVID.
Not everyone in all of Thailand owns a smart phone so does that mean a Thai farmer in his 70's in Buriram who tests positive for COVID will be sued for not using the App. I can also see people who were not using the App to refuse to voluntarily take a COVID test even if they have COVID symptoms.
For sure you will need a mask for a long time until things become clearer.
I wear a mask, a face shield, and a gaiter. I'm pretty fly for a white guy.
NicFrenchy
01-08-21, 00:19
For those of you living in Thailand, effective immediately you must download the Contact Tracing app. This is mandatory for everyone, including Thai. Legal action will be taken if you are not using the App and later test positive to COVID.No, this is not accurate information. Not installing the app is not a criminal offense. Not checking-in and checking-out (and therefore concealing your whereabouts) is.
https://www.thaipbsworld.com/not-installing-tracing-app-is-not-a-crime-but-concealing-information-is/
Banana Boi
01-08-21, 05:13
No, this is not accurate information. Not installing the app is not a criminal offense. Not checking-in and checking-out (and therefore concealing your whereabouts) is.
https://www.thaipbsworld.com/not-installing-tracing-app-is-not-a-crime-but-concealing-information-is/"Contact tracing applications are now compulsory for people living in Thailand and those who do not use them and later test positive for COVID-19 could face legal action. " Source Thai Visa.
edit - my post was referring to an article posted yesterday. Your post is updated today after the Thai government realized that not every old person has a smart phone. Tomorrow we can expect another change after angry Thai people take to Facebook about the government knowing their whereabouts at all times. TIT.
Its more likely they can't afford to top up their sim as large numbers of sims have lapsed due to no top ups as they're broke.
PedroMorales
01-08-21, 13:59
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WIPQO6yKEk
This Thai guide (nice boobs) updates us on vaccine situation in The Land of Smiles (and pert boobs).
She is well worth listening to about the vaccine. Nice boobs too.
LittleBigMan
01-09-21, 01:55
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WIPQO6yKEk
This Thai guide (nice boobs) updates us on vaccine situation in The Land of Smiles (and pert boobs).
She is well worth listening to about the vaccine. Nice boobs too.I saw the video a few days ago it got me interested but once she started with the love for? I moved on.
NicFrenchy
01-14-21, 02:05
Bangkok, 13 January, 2021 – The Ministry of Public Health's Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) for COVID-19 recently announced a list of government-approved golf resorts to allow foreign golfers with advance arrangements for golfing in Thailand an opportunity to undergo a golf quarantine as an alternative local state quarantine option.
Foreign golfers wishing to visit Thailand during this time will be allowed to spend their two-week quarantine period at any of the six certified golf resorts and move around in the resort environment and also play golf, rather than just having to isolate in their rooms..
https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1201389-golf-quarantine-in-thailand-now-available-at-six-government-approved-golf-resorts/?utm_source=newsletter-20210114-0542&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news
Bangkok, 13 January, 2021 The Ministry of Public Health's Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) for COVID-19 recently announced a list of government-approved golf resorts to allow foreign golfers with advance arrangements for golfing in Thailand an opportunity to undergo a golf quarantine as an alternative local state quarantine option.
Foreign golfers wishing to visit Thailand during this time will be allowed to spend their two-week quarantine period at any of the six certified golf resorts and move around in the resort environment and also play golf, rather than just having to isolate in their rooms..
https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1201389-golf-quarantine-in-thailand-now-available-at-six-government-approved-golf-resorts/?utm_source=newsletter-20210114-0542&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsAnyone know the prices?
NicFrenchy
01-15-21, 05:05
Anyone know the prices?Not yet, project was approved but now they have to work with the Golfs to set the ASQ rules and regulations.
Yesterday Governor of Kanchanaburi has issued a statement to close hotels, some other provinces may follow.
https://t.co/jBenVfN0MX
Not yet, project was approved but now they have to work with the Golfs to set the ASQ rules and regulations.
Yesterday Governor of Kanchanaburi has issued a statement to close hotels, some other provinces may follow.
https://t.co/jBenVfN0MXHow it compared to the highway robbery I had to pay for 2 weeks and could not leave my jail cell, I mean room.
Banana Boi
01-15-21, 05:53
The golf resort will not be cheap. Think about you staying, eating, and playing golf at your local golf resort for 2 weeks. Green fee should be around 3000 baht per day and a lot more for accommodations and food. My conservative guess will be 100-150k for your quarantine depending on the course and accommodations.
On top of that Thailand is now charging a new 300 baht fee for every tourist that enters Thailand.
Franciscass
01-18-21, 05:17
As my posts are subject to review by admin so don't appear for about a day after I send. I imagine this will already have appeared on the forum but on the off chance it hasn't.
According to a document published in the Royal Gazette, the Immigration law for Section 12 (4) and Section 44 (2) is being changed to include the need for the foreigners to have a #COVID19 test done in order to stay in Thailand. I imagine this will have to how negative to get the extension. Details as usual are unclear but worth keeping in mind when renewals are coming up.
A 50+ year old friend of mine from Europe (I will skip some immaterial details, just in case, to better protect his privacy and others) who owns a condo in Bangkok and usually lived half the year here but who has been stuck outside of Thailand since last January was just about to finish his 14 day quarantine in a lower Sukhumvit area ASQ hotel when he tested positive.
No options, no alternative, he was immediately taken to a hospital on the outer edges of Bangkok where he will remain in quarantine and receive several more tests for at least another 10 days. And that is even if his very next test result is negative. The one he got at his hotel might have been a false positive, but that doesn't matter. I suppose the hospital can't know if the next negative test result he gets is a false result as well.
Anyway, a few things that might be pertinent, I don't know. He actually had Covid-19 months ago in Europe but recovered well enough to get all the negative test results he needed in order to qualify for his return visa and board a flight. And then he tested negative on arrival and throughout most of his stay in the hotel. Until day 12. He has not been vaccinated yet. He feels perfectly fine as of this writing about 36 hours after he tested positive at the hotel.
He also sort of "cheated" a little. I don't see how this could have been the reason he tested positive again. But, you never know. I'll explain it here anyway. He hated the food at his hotel. The rules allowed that he could get other food delivered to him but only by friends, not by a restaurant or other delivery service, and only certain kinds of food designated in the rules; certain canned goods, uncooked packaged items and so on. But he did manage to get a girlfriend to deliver hot cooked food items not necessarily on that list of allowed items from a local western restaurant. That one restaurant was an exception made for him by the hotel at his repeated request.
Personally, I would not have strayed from any of the rules and just stuck to it by the letter no matter how shitty the food was at that hotel. Oh well. His girlfriend never entered the hotel with the food. She would only hand the bag to a member of the staff and that person would leave it outside his door and return to the elevator.
On the assumption that his positive test at the hotel was not a false result and that he has indeed tested positive for coronavirus again the most logical conclusion is he got re-infected sometime around the time he got the 72-hour pre airport arrival test, the pre-flight test, the Bangkok arrival test in or around the airport, en route to his hotel or somehow when he first arrived at the hotel. I suppose he could have gotten it from someone at the hotel. But those people get tested often enough including the on duty nurses and, as far as he knows, none of them has tested positive for it.
Mr Enternational
01-18-21, 17:37
According to a document published in the Royal Gazette, the Immigration law for Section 12 (4) and Section 44 (2) is being changed to include the need for the foreigners to have a #COVID19 test done in order to stay in Thailand.How does that even make sense? If it is positive they can't just put them on a plane and throw them out of the country. And what about the 66 million Thai people that could have Covid? No mandatory test for them? What if the foreigner got his Covid from a Thai person? It is a human thing, not a foreign/Thai thing.
He hated the food at his hotel. The rules allowed that he could get other food delivered to him but only by friends, not by a restaurant or other delivery service, and only certain kinds of food designated in the rules; certain canned goods, uncooked packaged items and so on. But he did manage to get a girlfriend to deliver hot cooked food items not necessarily on that list of allowed items from a local western restaurant. That one restaurant was an exception made for him by the hotel at his repeated request.I don't understand the rule disallowing outside food to be delivered. Surely it can be done safely without personal contact. It would help out the local restaurants and the hotels would still get the same rates.
A 50+ year old friend of mine from Europe (I will skip some immaterial details, just in case, to better protect his privacy and others) who owns a condo in Bangkok and usually lived half the year here but who has been stuck outside of Thailand since last January was just about to finish his 14 day quarantine in a lower Sukhumvit area ASQ hotel when he tested positive.
No options, no alternative, he was immediately taken to a hospital on the outer edges of Bangkok where he will remain in quarantine and receive several more tests for at least another 10 days. And that is even if his very next test result is negative. The one he got at his hotel might have been a false positive, but that doesn't matter. I suppose the hospital can't know if the next negative test result he gets is a false result as well.
Anyway, a few things that might be pertinent, I don't know. He actually had Covid-19 months ago in Europe but recovered well enough to get all the negative test results he needed in order to qualify for his return visa and board a flight. And then he tested negative on arrival and throughout most of his stay in the hotel. Until day 12. He has not been vaccinated yet. He feels perfectly fine as of this writing about 36 hours after he tested positive at the hotel.
He also sort of "cheated" a little. I don't see how this could have been the reason he tested positive again. But, you never know. I'll explain it here anyway. He hated the food at his hotel. The rules allowed that he could get other food delivered to him but only by friends, not by a restaurant or other delivery service, and only certain kinds of food designated in the rules; certain canned goods, uncooked packaged items and so on. But he did manage to get a girlfriend to deliver hot cooked food items not necessarily on that list of allowed items from a local western restaurant. That one restaurant was an exception made for him by the hotel at his repeated request.
Personally, I would not have strayed from any of the rules and just stuck to it by the letter no matter how shitty the food was at that hotel. Oh well. His girlfriend never entered the hotel with the food. She would only hand the bag to a member of the staff and that person would leave it outside his door and return to the elevator.
On the assumption that his positive test at the hotel was not a false result and that he has indeed tested positive for coronavirus again the most logical conclusion is he got re-infected sometime around the time he got the 72-hour pre airport arrival test, the pre-flight test, the Bangkok arrival test in or around the airport, en route to his hotel or somehow when he first arrived at the hotel. I suppose he could have gotten it from someone at the hotel. But those people get tested often enough including the on duty nurses and, as far as he knows, none of them has tested positive for it.I remember the story from a few years ago about a posable serial killer in Europe. The DNA of the killer turned up at several crime scenes. After awhile someone checked the swabs and they had been contaminated with the DNA of the lady who did the packaging.
Christian G
01-18-21, 23:31
I don't understand the rule disallowing outside food to be delivered. Surely it can be done safely without personal contact. It would help out the local restaurants and the hotels would still get the same rates.A friend of mine is actually in quarantine at the Sunshine Garden Resort in Pattaya, first test on 3rd day and after that from forth day spend a lot of time around the garden / swimming pool (the hotel is almost empity) and no problem with food delivery from restaurant or friends.
A 50+ year old friend of mine from Europe (I will skip some immaterial details, just in case, to better protect his privacy and others) who owns a condo in Bangkok and usually lived half the year here but who has been stuck outside of Thailand since last January was just about to finish his 14 day quarantine in a lower Sukhumvit area ASQ hotel when he tested positive.You can still shed virus cells months after having the virus. One of the tennis players who can to Australia for the Open had covid in November and tested poitive just before his flight last week. He was still allowed in because it was just old cells shedding.
I don't understand the rule disallowing outside food to be delivered. Surely it can be done safely without personal contact. It would help out the local restaurants and the hotels would still get the same rates.My guess is the hotel does not know if they are helping to deliver food to someone with Covid-19 that has simply not yet shown up in a test and might be so far asymptomatic or not. So they must err on the side of utmost caution when it comes to food that might promote coughing as some milk products can or food that is not fresh or fully cooked in a way that might make someone sick anyway but especially sick if he is about to show up in a test with full blown Covid-19.
Food can be delivered. But only certain kinds of food on a list of approved items that apparently does not include pizza from wherever, barbecue ribs from here and there, boiled chicken or whatever when they don't know at what temperature or how long it sat out in the open air.
Remember, these ASQ hotels are in many ways stand ins for an actual hospital room and environmment, nurses on duty, assuming responsibility for 24 hour medical attention, if needed, what you are fed, how you are tested and so on.
I don't think it is so much about a fear of infection by or from a delivery process but more about what kind of food would or should be given to someone as if they were in a hospital bed and could show signs of a serious, potentially debilitating or deadly disease any minute.
My guess is the hotel does not know if they are helping to deliver food to someone with Covid-19 that has simply not yet shown up in a test and might be so far asymptomatic or not. So they must err on the side of utmost caution when it comes to food that might promote coughing as some milk products can or food that is not fresh or fully cooked in a way that might make someone sick anyway but especially sick if he is about to show up in a test with full blown Covid-19.
Food can be delivered. But only certain kinds of food on a list of approved items that apparently does not include pizza from wherever, barbecue ribs from here and there, boiled chicken or whatever when they don't know at what temperature or how long it sat out in the open air.
Remember, these ASQ hotels are in many ways stand ins for an actual hospital room and environmment, nurses on duty, assuming responsibility for 24 hour medical attention, if needed, what you are fed, how you are tested and so on.
I don't think it is so much about a fear of infection by or from a delivery process but more about what kind of food would or should be given to someone as if they were in a hospital bed and could show signs of a serious, potentially debilitating or deadly disease any minute.All I can tell you, based on my experience. If you're looking to lose a little weight, 15 nights of ASQ will do the trick. They should use this as part of their advertising campaign.
All I can tell you, based on my experience. If you're looking to lose a little weight, 15 nights of ASQ will do the trick. They should use this as part of their advertising campaign.LOL. Yes, that is what I said to him when I learned he was getting outside food delivered that might or might not be on their approved list. So you walk out 3 kilos lighter if you stick to the list! Not that he needs to lose any weight.
On that topic, I should also say he is 50+ years old, non smoker, light drinker, not overweight at all, works out regularly and has no notable pre existing health conditions.
On that topic, I should also say he is 50+ years old, non smoker, light drinker, not overweight at all, works out regularly and has no notable pre existing health conditions.I'm in the same boat, except under 50. Absolutely don't need to lose the weight. That being said, my biggest fear was a false positive test.
Not sure if this is true, but I was told that if the COVID test comes back positive, it's best to tell the insurance company that you HAVE symptoms, even if you don't. It was said that if you do not have symptoms, the insurance company will refuse to pay for your hospital stay. Would be interesting to find out if this is true or not, although I wouldn't want to find out first hand.
Franciscass
01-19-21, 05:10
How does that even make sense? If it is positive they can't just put them on a plane and throw them out of the country. And what about the 66 million Thai people that could have Covid? No mandatory test for them? What if the foreigner got his Covid from a Thai person? It is a human thing, not a foreign/Thai thing.This came from a Richard Barrows tweet who is usually a reliable source. He included the accompanying notice which appeared in the Royal Gazette on December 25th so I am assuming it is correct but nowadays who knows what's real.
Like a lot of what goes on with immigration in Thailand the devil is in the detail and whether what's actually on the books get implemented or not.
For example if presumably it has to be a negative test taken within 72 hours before applying for renewal what happens if it is positive. In 72 hours without a renewal you are overstaying your visa and technically subject to deportation. Will they allow you to quarantine until you test negative.
Christian G
01-19-21, 10:30
Not sure if this is true, but I was told that if the COVID test comes back positive, it's best to tell the insurance company that you HAVE symptoms, even if you don't. It was said that if you do not have symptoms, the insurance company will refuse to pay for your hospital stay. Would be interesting to find out if this is true or not, although I wouldn't want to find out first hand.You must to choose a insurance company that cover you in any case with symptoms and without. Some company don't cover your hospital bill if you are asymptomatic. Plenty of guys had problems because their insurance don't respond in case you are asymptomatic. So you need to choose your insurance carefully.
The bad part is that all embassies should check your insurance company and approve your COE only if your insurance company cover you with and without symptoms. But in fact many travelers got scammed by the insurance company. It's seems that embassy don't give a fuck if you have the right company or not.
All I can tell you, based on my experience. If you're looking to lose a little weight, 15 nights of ASQ will do the trick. They should use this as part of their advertising campaign.You cannot go or do anything but eat. I gain wt.
You cannot go or do anything but eat. I gain wt.Well you must have had better food that I did.
True, you can't really do anything or go anywhere, but I did have some workout equipment and a jump rope.
PedroMorales
01-19-21, 20:40
Thai woman jailed for record 43 years for criticizing monarchy: Thai woman has been jailed for 43 years for criticizing the royal family, the country's harshest ever sentence for insulting the monarchy.
The former civil servant, known only as Anchan, posted audio clips from a podcast on social media.
The 63-year-old said she had simply shared the audio files and had not commented on the content.
Thailand's lèse-majesté law, which forbids any insult to the monarchy, is among the strictest in the world.
After a three-year break, Thailand revived the controversial law late last year in an attempt to curb months of anti-government protests, with demonstrators demanding changes to the monarchy.
Full story at https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55723470.
Are Thai Go Go Bars like the Hong Kong Club in Tijuana Mexico?
Hong Kong Club in Tijuana is like a strip club where you can watch them pole dance, get a lap dance, talk with them on the seat etc.
You can also take a room with them for 30 minutes in a hotel which is right next door.
Are Go Go Bars similar to that?
Also do the Girls have bodies like Mexican girls? Thick round asses etc.
Hi,
Are there a lot of girls that are thick (round big asses like Mexican / Latina / blacks) there?
Or are they mostly skinny flat girls?
Is there a particular club or area where there are a lot of thick girls?
My type are the thick Mexican looking girls working in Hong Kong Club or Adelita's in Tijuana by the way.
Thanks.
Mr Enternational
01-20-21, 04:08
Are Thai Go Go Bars like the Hong Kong Club in Tijuana Mexico?No.
like a strip club where you can watch them pole dance, get a lap dance, talk with them on the seat etc.Yes.
You can also take a room with them for 30 minutes in a hotel which is right next door.Depends.
Are Go Go Bars similar to that?Kinda sorta, but not really.
Also do the Girls have bodies like Mexican girls? Thick round asses etc.Not in gogos, but in discos and some bars yes.
Franciscass
01-20-21, 04:27
This came from a Richard Barrows tweet who is usually a reliable source. He included the accompanying notice which appeared in the Royal Gazette on December 25th so I am assuming it is correct but nowadays who knows what's real.
Like a lot of what goes on with immigration in Thailand the devil is in the detail and whether what's actually on the books get implemented or not.
For example if presumably it has to be a negative test taken within 72 hours before applying for renewal what happens if it is positive. In 72 hours without a renewal you are overstaying your visa and technically subject to deportation. Will they allow you to quarantine until you test negative.Update to above. Foreigners in Thailand will not be required to undergo a COVID-19 test in order to renew their extensions of stay, an immigration spokesperson clarified on Tuesday. Earlier, Khaosod English reported that foreigners would need to take a COVID-19 test in order to renew their visas / extensions of stay. However, a little over an hour later, Immigration spokesperson Archayon Kraithong confirmed to Khaosod that COVID-19 tests are not required. Mr Archayon apologised for the misunderstanding.
How is it that immigration screw up so often?
HorseTrader
01-20-21, 05:11
Hi,
Are there a lot of girls that are thick (round big asses like Mexican / Latina / blacks) there?
Or are they mostly skinny flat girls?
Is there a particular club or area where there are a lot of thick girls?
My type are the thick Mexican looking girls working in Hong Kong Club or Adelita's in Tijuana by the way.
Thanks.For the most part I agree with MrEnternational, but will offer some additions.
If you like the bigger builds of Hong Kong Club and Adelita's, you might be disappointed with Thailand. I prefer the thinner girls so I have challenges finding my type in Tijuana but am very happy in Thailand. You might have to search a bit to find a selection of Thai girls built like Mexicans.
Some of the agogo places in Thailand do have adjacent rooms, but not all. The 30 minute Mexican sessions where the cum boy knocks on your door at 18 minutes can be replaced with more relaxing 2 hour Thai sessions in your hotel room. Thailand offers a much more relaxed session for about the same money.
I seldom feel safe in Tijuana, especially at night. I always feel safe in Thailand, but I usually stick to the well populated tourist areas. In Tijuana you see police constantly, in Thailand you seldom see them. Thailand culture stresses respect, they don't need pickup trucks full of armed men.
Even though Zona Norte is only about 1 mile from USA, I find the Thai girls have a better command of the English language.
Don't expect to find the Thai agogo clubs open in the morning like Hong Kong Club and Adelita's. Thai agogo places open up in the evening. You will find plenty of other things to do in Thailand during the daytime.
Thai agogo clubs might have 15 girls on stage wearing bikinis, not just one or two like Tijuana. I've never seen a Thai agogo place have shaving cream shows with props like dildos mounted on a Makita reciprocating saw. Though, I must admit I haven't been in every Thai agogo.
Hi,
Are there a lot of girls that are thick (round big asses like Mexican / Latina / blacks) there?
Or are they mostly skinny flat girls?
Is there a particular club or area where there are a lot of thick girls?
My type are the thick Mexican looking girls working in Hong Kong Club or Adelita's in Tijuana by the way.
Thanks.If that's your taste, then Thailand is really not the place for you. Stick to Central and South America.
LittleBigMan
01-21-21, 12:07
Update to above. Foreigners in Thailand will not be required to undergo a COVID-19 test in order to renew their extensions of stay, an immigration spokesperson clarified on Tuesday. Earlier, Khaosod English reported that foreigners would need to take a COVID-19 test in order to renew their visas / extensions of stay. However, a little over an hour later, Immigration spokesperson Archayon Kraithong confirmed to Khaosod that COVID-19 tests are not required. Mr Archayon apologised for the misunderstanding.
How is it that immigration screw up so often?In this particular case from what I've read, it wasn't this time Thai Immigration was spread through a guy and his forum Richard or Ken Burrows? He supposedly read or had it translated a Thai announcement in December and came to his conclusion this is what it meant that testing was necessary or being purposed? From what I saw he got a lot of hate responses!
LittleBigMan
01-21-21, 12:19
You cannot go or do anything but eat. I gain wt.That might be the case but if you are gaining weight it is more about your diet and what you might be eating. There is lots of sugar in Carbs two years ago after a blood test and after some simple research cut ice cream and chips each night and within 2 months to my surprise I dropped close to 10 Kilos.
My daughter in law and her little brother (10) grew up like many Thais on 7/11 snacks and food all process and sugar she has to be over 90 Kilos although 10 he is close to 80 Kilos they didn't get that big eating Thai food.
Franciscass
01-21-21, 16:29
In this particular case from what I've read, it wasn't this time Thai Immigration was spread through a guy and his forum Richard or Ken Burrows? He supposedly read or had it translated a Thai announcement in December and came to his conclusion this is what it meant that testing was necessary or being purposed? From what I saw he got a lot of hate responses!LBM not that it makes any real difference but the name is Richard Barrow. He is a controversial figure who sometimes sails close to the wind on his twitter account. That said I have found him in the past to be usually well informed and here it seems to come down to the interpretation of the December 25th notice. Interesting if there was no there there why the apology offered by immigration for the "misunderstanding". No biggie, for me all that matters is knowing there is no need for test to renew.
LittleBigMan
01-22-21, 02:21
LBM not that it makes any real difference but the name is Richard Barrow. He is a controversial figure who sometimes sails close to the wind on his twitter account. That said I have found him in the past to be usually well informed and here it seems to come down to the interpretation of the December 25th notice. Interesting if there was no there there why the apology offered by immigration for the "misunderstanding". No biggie, for me all that matters is knowing there is no need for test to renew.I understand at times when I speak to Thais it could be for a number of reasons including just being polite and agreeing when they have no idea what they are really agreeing to? One of my pet peas is they might be able to speak some English but comprehension is another thing so they act as if they understand to double-check I ask the question in another way and I get a different response majority of the time.
When I heard of the so-called news it just happened the next day I was to do my Extension 20th, always 30 days in advance rain or shine, first one in line in by 8:30 am out by 8:40, no test required!
Franciscass
01-22-21, 04:35
I understand at times when I speak to Thais it could be for a number of reasons including just being polite and agreeing when they have no idea what they are really agreeing to? One of my pet peas is they might be able to speak some English but comprehension is another thing so they act as if they understand to double-check I ask the question in another way and I get a different response majority of the time.
When I heard of the so-called news it just happened the next day I was to do my Extension 20th, always 30 days in advance rain or shine, first one in line in by 8:30 am out by 8:40, no test required!Further on how best to communicate with Thai people I learned early on when important never ask a question in a manner where the answer can a simple yes or no. Why? The answer will invariably be yes because they feel a no will need pain in the ass further explanation. Much simpler a kha or krap with a smile and everybody happy.
I'm open to correction by my understanding of the Thai language is that there is no single word for no. The closest is mai chai meaning not yes.
LittleBigMan
01-23-21, 01:56
Further on how best to communicate with Thai people I learned early on when important never ask a question in a manner where the answer can a simple yes or no. Why? The answer will invariably be yes because they feel a no will need pain in the ass further explanation. Much simpler a kha or krap with a smile and everybody happy.
I'm open to correction by my understanding of the Thai language is that there is no single word for no. The closest is mai chai meaning not yes.Yes, agree! I keep learning daily with my son and daughter in law the point you are making! It is frustrating and challenging at the same time.
HorseTrader
01-23-21, 04:31
Further on how best to communicate with Thai people I learned early on when important never ask a question in a manner where the answer can a simple yes or no. Why? The answer will invariably be yes because they feel a no will need pain in the ass further explanation. Much simpler a kha or krap with a smile and everybody happy.
I'm open to correction by my understanding of the Thai language is that there is no single word for no. The closest is mai chai meaning not yes.What I've seen is not so much a problem with yes versus no, it is more that Thais answer a question in whatever way will minimize confrontation right now. They don't worry about consequences that come later. I've seen this many times with several different Thai women, mostly in USA. I know very few Thai men.
Franciscass
01-25-21, 04:50
The Immigration Bureau has urged people to make an online booking for visa extension due to the virus before January 29. Applicants such as foreigners who have stayed in the Kingdom for over 90 days and tourists who need short-term visa extension service for Tourist visa (TR 60) and Special Tourist Visa (STV) are urged to book an appointment online. For appointment visit www.bangkokimmigration.com.
Also been reading that there are current difficulties with the 90 day report online facility so in person visit required. This has always a bit of a hit and miss process so perhaps best to at least try online before scheduling a visit.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/thai-police-raid-island-resort-111054152.html
Thai police raid island resort arresting 89 foreigners, including Britons, for violating coronavirus regulations.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/thai-police-raid-island-resort-111054152.html
Thai police raid island resort arresting 89 foreigners, including Britons, for violating coronavirus regulations.What were they thinking.
What were they thinking.4000 baht fines.
2 years jail.
https://twitter.com/StickboyBangkok/status/1355293841549647872/photo/1
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/thai-police-raid-island-resort-111054152.html
Thai police raid island resort arresting 89 foreigners, including Britons, for violating coronavirus regulations.Stupidity at its best. Breaking a serious violation and rule that country trying to contain virus spread to their own people. Then act like they have no consideration for the rules. And this in a country that just sent a woman to jail for over 40 yrs just for insulting a king.
Stupid foreigners, they all deserve what's coming down on them. These are people that will never learn they can't get away with shit unless the sentence is harsh and then will beg and cry to the govt and the embassies for mercy.
Stupidity at its best. Breaking a serious violation and rule that country trying to contain virus spread to their own people. Then act like they have no consideration for the rules. And this in a country that just sent a woman to jail for over 40 yrs just for insulting a king.
Stupid foreigners, they all deserve what's coming down on them. These are people that will never learn they can't get away with shit unless the sentence is harsh and then will beg and cry to the govt and the embassies for mercy.Imagine that. The local just shook down a bunch of tourists for $1300 apiece. I wonder if it will be deducted from the covid deposit they paid when they entered the country.
Jimmy Boy 99
02-01-21, 01:01
Imagine that. The local just shook down a bunch of tourists for $1300 apiece. I wonder if it will be deducted from the covid deposit they paid when they entered the country.4,000 baht is about US $ 130, not 1,300.
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