Rants, Stupid Shit and Coronavirus in Thailand

[Breadman]

Is there a tube? That sounds like is a ductless range hood which is pretty common these days. My house was built in 2002 and there is no duct for it to vent to outside.

No tube, just air being blown directly into the cabinet. Maybe its meant to filter the air like you are implying but half of the steam from the stove gets diverted to either side.

[HorseTrader]

Then he booked his 2 SHA hotels at the Landmark hotel in Bangkok and they too took their time confirming his reservation. Finally all of the documents needed to apply for the Thai Pass was in his possession. He uploaded all of them to the Thai Pass website, hit send and just over 2 hours later was approved. What does that tell you? Tells me there are very few people applying for this 2 day testing crap. There will be no big flows of tourists coming in March. It will be a trickle.

I had same problems with slow confirmation from hotels. Brief telephone calls prompted them to send proper confirmations quickly.

I applied for Thailand Pass and EVisa about 2 weeks ago. It took 3-4 days to get Thailand Pass and 5-6 days to get EVisa. Back channel contact with another board member indicates he had similar response time. Don't rely on 2 hour response.

I also expect a trickle of tourists in March, but my reasoning is hotter weather and increasing COVID. Still, some resorts are doing well, the premium villas at my favored resort are fully booked through March 22. I suspect there are plenty of standard rooms available.

[Mr Enternational]

I changed condo's and I go to cook some food and all the steam is rising and I pull out the exhaust fan. Fan kicks on but its not clearing up the steam. So I open the cabinet to see what the deal was and realize they never hooked up the tube to vent the fan, it was just blowing into the upper cabinet.

Is there a tube? That sounds like is a ductless range hood which is pretty common these days. My house was built in 2002 and there is no duct for it to vent to outside.

[LookingLooking]

From March 1 it looks like the Test and Go entry program will involve being PCR tested on arrival, staying at an approved hotel on your first night and once your test results come back negative you are free to go.

There is some mention that the current 2nd hotel stay and test on 5 will be replaced by a normal Antigen test that does not require a hotel stay. The exact details of the second test are a little murky at this stage.

The official notice will become law and the 2nd test clarified when it is published in the royal gazette in the next few days.

Yes the 2nd test quarantine is not required from 1 March. 5th day a self atk test and upload result via app.

No don't ask me if you can just take a negative result photo and upload it. Up to your own imagination.

[Member #4753]

From March 1 it looks like the Test and Go entry program will involve being PCR tested on arrival, staying at an approved hotel on your first night and once your test results come back negative you are free to go.

There is some mention that the current 2nd hotel stay and test on 5 will be replaced by a normal Antigen test that does not require a hotel stay. The exact details of the second test are a little murky at this stage.

The official notice will become law and the 2nd test clarified when it is published in the royal gazette in the next few days.

[Breadman]

It took my buddy over a week to get all of the documents ready for the Thai Pass. He tried buying the insurance from Thai insurance companies but they never charged his credit card. He finally used a link I found that compares travel insurance packages and got a fast purchase and the documents. Then he booked his 2 SHA hotels at the Landmark hotel in Bangkok and they too took their time confirming his reservation. Finally all of the documents needed to apply for the Thai Pass was in his possession. He uploaded all of them to the Thai Pass website, hit send and just over 2 hours later was approved. What does that tell you? Tells me there are very few people applying for this 2 day testing crap. There will be no big flows of tourists coming in March. It will be a trickle.

[Breadman]

Something to consider, hotels have been closed for a good long time. Same goes for condos that are devoid of tenants because they are stuck waiting for the country to re-open. And what is that one thing you should realize before making the trip back over here before things 'settle down'? Why its the cockroaches. Hotels that couldn't stay open sure didn't keep spraying to keep the pests away. Thousands upon thousands of vacant rooms letting these little devils run loose for the last two years, it will take some time before their numbers drop. I've been in an SHA hotel and spotted them in my room, been in two condos and once again spotted them here and there. Just the other night I had to pee, turned on the light and I start to pee into the toilet and I thought to myself "man I sure don't remember taking a crap and not flushing" and then the 2 inch cockroach started to swim his way to safety. Ten flushes later I was sure he wasn't coming back up.

Now on a slightly different subject. I changed condo's and I go to cook some food and all the steam is rising and I pull out the exhaust fan. Fan kicks on but its not clearing up the steam. So I open the cabinet to see what the deal was and realize they never hooked up the tube to vent the fan, it was just blowing into the upper cabinet.

[Explorer8939]

This is part of Thai culture, not just P4P industry. Many farang with Thai wives have similar complaints. Thai wives tell husbands they need to be more flexible. That attitude ended a 2-year live-in relationship I had with a Thai-USA citizen. Even Thai business meetings in professional environments are frequently 15-30 minutes late. Many Thais live for right now. Don't try to fight it.

I did actually have a Nana Butterflies girl run to me in March 2020, tourists were starting to be fewer and fewer and she knew it. We had plans to meet for 3rd time and she was late. My line messages said I was leaving and she said she was running. Off in the distance I could see she was running. She was a sweaty mess, first order of business was shower and hair washing.

This summer, when everything was closed, I was having ladies come over to my condo. There were virtually no other customers, and I was amazed that the ladies were not only always on time, they would come early.

Then, some places opened in September, and the ladies started coming later, or canceling altogether.

[Banana Boi]

My favorite freebie girl has absolutely no concept of being on time. It got to the point that I went to WS or LK instead of waiting around for her. I would update her whenever I switched gogo bars so she could find me. When she showed up you could tell she went to get her hair and nails done. She's been up to 2. 5 hours late but I guess I get what I pay for.

[HorseTrader]

Haven't you arrived on time at a designated meeting place and had them tell you they are almost there, running just a little bit late, please wait blah blah only to find out 30 minutes later they just stepped out of the shower?

The last thing a Thai girl wants to happen is for her to arrive first and have to waste 10 minutes of her valuable time waiting for you. Since your time is utterly worthless, it is much better for her to make sure you are actually standing at the meeting place before she opens her closet to decide what to wear.

Then she is wide open for all kinds of interruptions and alternate plans from her girlfriends, other guys, family, whatever. Whether or not she informs you about it isn't important.

So I can't say what is happening to you is some kind of fake account scam. It just sounds like normal Thai dating site behavior to me.

This is part of Thai culture, not just P4P industry. Many farang with Thai wives have similar complaints. Thai wives tell husbands they need to be more flexible. That attitude ended a 2-year live-in relationship I had with a Thai-USA citizen. Even Thai business meetings in professional environments are frequently 15-30 minutes late. Many Thais live for right now. Don't try to fight it.

I did actually have a Nana Butterflies girl run to me in March 2020, tourists were starting to be fewer and fewer and she knew it. We had plans to meet for 3rd time and she was late. My line messages said I was leaving and she said she was running. Off in the distance I could see she was running. She was a sweaty mess, first order of business was shower and hair washing.

[EihTooms]

Something odd has happened several times with 4 different Thai Friendly girls. Do the chat on LINE, get a photo or two and then they no show. Had one say she got in taxi but that was 45 minutes late, then 20 minutes later taxi had low tire pressure and she would be later than usual. Some just don't show at all, no chat nothing. Had one this afternoon say the location I gave her brought her to a place 3 km's from where I gave her my location and condo name. She then sent me a photo of her on her way but with google maps streetview you can grab 'photos' from anywhere in the world and say you are there. So I'm waiting and then she says she's 5 km's further past my condo. Now if anyone knows LINE locations you can easily change your location by moving the dot. Its not a huge deal when your living here but if your on a 2 week vacation that time wasted is a big deal. Have to wonder if someone is creating fake accounts on TF along with fake LINE accounts just to scam people. Even had one 'girl' ask me for money so she could come to Pattaya. Maybe video chats are the only way to weed out the scammers?

Now if you don't know LINE has private chat groups (up to 500 people) and they promote bars, general conversations. I think anyone can create a group and invite people to it. I did hear a story that there are LINE chat groups with the working girls who share info on clients, bad clients etc. And these no shows makes me wonder if this is true and somewhere in time I pissed off a girl and now my profile is on said chat. Its possible. Luckily there are thousands more here who aren't in those chat groups if they do exist.

I have encountered ditzy girls like that on TF for years. Maybe a little more during the Covid era because many profiles say they live in Bangkok and they haven't been in Bangkok since March 2020. Probably the same with Pattaya.

I think out of boredom in their boring outer provinces they are curious to see how many guys they can get to say "Good morning" and "Good night" to them every day, how many they can convince to transfer money to them for travel to your area which they'll never do. The latter is a whole new industry for hookers who had to move from bars and streets to the phone over the past couple of years. Those 200-300 baht transfers add up to a decent income for them if they can scam 2-3 each day.

Even when they aren't really outright scamming you for money, many Thai girls live to waste your time, ruin your night or weekend. Nothing short of winning the lottery makes them happier.

Haven't you arrived on time at a designated meeting place and had them tell you they are almost there, running just a little bit late, please wait blah blah only to find out 30 minutes later they just stepped out of the shower?

The last thing a Thai girl wants to happen is for her to arrive first and have to waste 10 minutes of her valuable time waiting for you. Since your time is utterly worthless, it is much better for her to make sure you are actually standing at the meeting place before she opens her closet to decide what to wear.

Then she is wide open for all kinds of interruptions and alternate plans from her girlfriends, other guys, family, whatever. Whether or not she informs you about it isn't important.

So I can't say what is happening to you is some kind of fake account scam. It just sounds like normal Thai dating site behavior to me.

Yes, insisting on a video chat first avoids many issues. But not all. Designating your apartment or a place very nearby is also a plus. Now I tell them I have arriced, to Line me when they arrive and I know I can get there in less than 10 minutes, tell them I was in the toilet. Meanwhile, I go about my business, do other things and I am only willing to allow 30-45 minutes late "due to traffic" before I agree to meet someone else and do something else.

[Breadman]

Something odd has happened several times with 4 different Thai Friendly girls. Do the chat on LINE, get a photo or two and then they no show. Had one say she got in taxi but that was 45 minutes late, then 20 minutes later taxi had low tire pressure and she would be later than usual. Some just don't show at all, no chat nothing. Had one this afternoon say the location I gave her brought her to a place 3 km's from where I gave her my location and condo name. She then sent me a photo of her on her way but with google maps streetview you can grab 'photos' from anywhere in the world and say you are there. So I'm waiting and then she says she's 5 km's further past my condo. Now if anyone knows LINE locations you can easily change your location by moving the dot. Its not a huge deal when your living here but if your on a 2 week vacation that time wasted is a big deal. Have to wonder if someone is creating fake accounts on TF along with fake LINE accounts just to scam people. Even had one 'girl' ask me for money so she could come to Pattaya. Maybe video chats are the only way to weed out the scammers?

Now if you don't know LINE has private chat groups (up to 500 people) and they promote bars, general conversations. I think anyone can create a group and invite people to it. I did hear a story that there are LINE chat groups with the working girls who share info on clients, bad clients etc. And these no shows makes me wonder if this is true and somewhere in time I pissed off a girl and now my profile is on said chat. Its possible. Luckily there are thousands more here who aren't in those chat groups if they do exist.

[EihTooms]

Has anyone recovered from covid within 90 days, travelled to Thailand and got tested positive before?

What happens in this case? Do you still have to go through minimum of 10 days quarantine?

It didn't happen to me, I've been here without leaving Thailand throughout the entire Covid era so far.

But a very good friend from Belgium who owns a condo in Bangkok and his pattern was to spend half the year in Thailand returned to Thailand about 6-7 months ago. He tested negative on arrival then did his 14 days in a quaratine hotel. He continued to test negative for the next 14 days.

On his 15th day, ready to be released from quarantine, his test came up positive and he was immediately taken to a hospital for a 10 day stay.

How could that be? And he felt fine, no symptoms at all.

It took him 2-3 days at that hospital to convince them to either look closer or perform another test to make sure they weren't just detecting traces of Covid antibodies he'd acquired from a case of Covid he'd fully recovered from in Belgium months before returning to Thailand.

They did. That's what it was. They released him.

This was 6-7 months ago so by now the tests might be better at detecting the difference, the quarantine times have changed, maybe not the same chance of that happening.

[Member #4753]

I recommend doing both the Thailand Pass and the Thailand E-Visa applications using a computer with a decent monitor. Using a smartphone or tablet would be a pain in the neck. After you have all the required documentation gathered, allow yourself an hour to complete the Thailand Pass application and a couple of hours to complete the Thailand E-Visa application. It's a bit more complex than it was in early December.

https://tp.consular.go.th/
https://www.thaievisa.go.th/

The Thai Government loves to make paperwork as complicated as possible. If you live here and have to do any official business / government paperwork it is mind numbing!

[HorseTrader]

One of the Thailand Pass online help pages includes the following text: "What is highly advised to travelers is to choose insurance companies or hotels in Thailand that produce a 1-page document as a receipt or proof of purchase and confirmed booking." Apparently they want us to research the format of confirmation receipts before we buy. Same issue is present for your airline booking. 555 TIT. Actually, the Thailand Pass webpage allows submitting limited supplemental documentation in *. Pdf format, but not in the locations where the required confirmations are uploaded.

The Thai E-Visa webpage also has some quirks, one of which is submitting your picture in a very specific form. My pictures were rejected multiple times because their automated system thought there were more than one person in the picture (it was just me). It took me an hour to figure out exactly how to crop my picture to make their software happy.

I recommend doing both the Thailand Pass and the Thailand E-Visa applications using a computer with a decent monitor. Using a smartphone or tablet would be a pain in the neck. After you have all the required documentation gathered, allow yourself an hour to complete the Thailand Pass application and a couple of hours to complete the Thailand E-Visa application. It's a bit more complex than it was in early December.

https://tp.consular.go.th/
https://www.thaievisa.go.th/