Dont travel to Thailand Now

[LoongFred]

I don't want her to work and we have more money now than we can spend. 

We have a great Thai house that's teakwood and overlooks the river with a mountain view as well. It's also air-conditioned so the hot season is covered. The local builders are amazing and can do almost anything. I could do it myself but these guys are great. 

[DesperateOldHand]

13 hours ago, LoongFred said:

I don't want her to work and we have more money now than we can spend. 

We have a great Thai house that's teakwood and overlooks the river with a mountain view as well. It's also air-conditioned so the hot season is covered. The local builders are amazing and can do almost anything. I could do it myself but these guys are great. 

Cheaper and more talented than you might find at home.

[LoongFred]

On 1/7/2022 at 6:11 AM, DesperateOldHand said:

Cheaper and more talented than you might find at home.

Exactly. The only problem is we need to paint/stain the outside every three or four years to keep it looking nice. 

We've had a number of custom cabinets built to order locally. They are all old Teak and look great. 

[Sateeb]

On 1/1/2022 at 6:12 AM, LoongFred said:

No use talking about it and move on. Like voting with your feet. If you think that Thailand should be like the UK,  it never will be (hopefully). Things change over the years. Some are better some not so. However I've seen great progress. However I'm a glass half full kind of person that focuses on the good. Spain is probably more falang friendly because they're falangs. Thailand will always be awkward for some who want to compare life with back home.

 

I hear you Fred, But I'm not comparing with Back home in the UK. I'm comparing the facilities, the friendliness, the will to please, the infrastructure and so on with another Tourist dependant Island, Tenerife. No way would I want LOS to be the same as the UK...

[LoongFred]

On 1/4/2022 at 1:15 PM, Marc26 said:

Thailand has always been unwelcoming to expats compared to other Asian countries 

And yes, as most expats are older, good medical facilities are a must

We had a great time in Luang Prabang and met a great girl from Canada living there but she said she had to fly out for anything more than simple procedures 

Thai medical facilities offer first rate service and care. In fact  maybe because I'm paying the doctors go out of their way to explain everything (I speak Thai also) in English. I am also a health care professional with 40+ years experience in US in private hospitals. 

As apposed to western health care, I rarely have to wait for service. Understanding heath care in Laos is much more basic than Thailand.

[Marc26]

18 minutes ago, LoongFred said:

Thai medical facilities offer first rate service and care. In fact  maybe because I'm paying the doctors go out of their way to explain everything (I speak Thai also) in English. I am also a health care professional with 40+ years experience in US in private hospitals. 

As apposed to western health care, I rarely have to wait for service. Understanding heath care in Laos is much more basic than Thailand.

My point was that although those places are good alternatives to Thailand 

 

They don't have the medical facilities that Thailand has, so I definitely agree with you. 

 

I've been impressed with Thai hospitals the few times I've personally used them 

 

As well as when my Thai family has needed to

 

Our niece fainted on a school trip to a University in Issan last year 

Ended up she had a brain tumor

And the Suranaree University hospital did a fabulous job in taking care of initially and her brain surgery 

[AussieBob]

From Richard Barrow's newsletter:

One of the reasons that they have been talking about having a cut-off date for Test & Go is that the infection rate for international arrivals has been rising. This is the rate for people testing positive on arrival for the last three months:

• November: 0.13%
• December: 0.45%
• January: 2.79%

Some countries like the UK and the US are even higher. Most of these positive cases are from the Test & Go scheme:

• Test & Go: 2.98%
• Sandbox: 1.60%
• Quarantine: 2.24%

The future of Phuket Sandbox was also under question this last week as there were urgent meetings to discuss what to do with the growing number of people testing positive. But then on Friday, the Thai government announced that they would be adding three more provinces to the Sandbox scheme. Which made it look like Phuket Sandbox’s future was assured. But is it?

Just yesterday, there was a record 635 new cases in Phuket. 416 were local cases and 219 were international arrivals. I have said this before but I want to repeat it here. It is not really wise to go on an international holiday during a global pandemic. Anything could change at short notice. Of course, I hope they honour your Thailand Pass if you already have flights and hotels booked. But if you really need to come, I would strongly urge that you come sooner rather than later. I have a bad feeling about this. I just hope I am wrong.

https://www.getrevue.co/profile/richardbarrow/issues/letters-from-thailand-13-960497

 

[Vince]

On 11/8/2021 at 6:01 PM, AussieBob said:

IMO there is too much complication and too much risk to travel to Thailand right now.  The risks are not only catching Covid in a place where the medical system is not always the best overall, and is very much at breaking point - but there is the huge risk of testing positive on arrival or during the trip.  

Richard Barrow has just published this story about someone that tested positive.  They are a family of four who came here for a 13-day holiday. The father tested positive and was sent to a hospital for ten days. The mother and the two children, aged two and four, are close contacts and so were told to stay in the quarantine hotel. Obviously at their own expense. He believes they will have to do another test on day 3 or 4 and if they test negative, then they might be able to go. But they would have to go without him as he is expecting to stay in hospital for at least ten days. He doesn’t have any symptoms and he is really hoping his insurance will cover the cost. He thinks it will cost him around 350,000 baht. What a nightmare and not really a good advertisement for coming to Thailand. 

Do not travel to Thailand now is my advice - too complicated and way too risky.  We will be travelling to Thailand when/if they make it easy to apply and get a Tourist Visa (as in the past), when there are no tests required on arrival or at anytime during the stay (unless one gets sick), when more things are open and all the curfews are dropped, when inter-provincial travel is again easy and no worries about new rules suddenly emerging, when airfares are again at a reasonable level, when we do not have to book and pay for hotels etc all in advance before even applying to travel there, when we do not have to provide all of our private data to a Thai organisation that is IT illiterate, and when we do not have to load a Thai tracking app on our smartphones for the duration of the visit (like in China). 

Happy to have vaccination certificates provided (here) and happy to test negative (here) and have travel insurance (from here) - but nothing else.  

 

If you want to wait until things are close to the old days you're gonna be looking at 2023 or 2024 maybe? And if you want them exactly like the old days it might be never. 

A (travel or health) insurance requirement is actually a good idea in any event, COVID or not. 

Proof of vaccination is likely to be the norm going forward afaict.  If the destination country doesn't require it the airlines might. 

 

 

 

[AussieBob]

3% of arrivals are now testing positive. On a plane of 300 people - that means an average of 9 people test positive. Then add the up to 18 others (either side) that are close contacts, then add the kids, then add anyone sharing the van/bus to the hotel with them.

Here is the reality :- Travel 10-20 hours on a plane for a 2-3 weeks holiday - but at random, about 25 people on your 300 people plane are going to be isolated and/or treated for 7-14 days. That is the reality. And as more and more others are finding that out, TAT and all the other Govt bodies associated with toursim are scrambling to play it all down. 

The positive rate of arrivals is going up with the skyrocketing number of new cases worldwide.  There is not a chance in Hell I would get on that plane and risk all that trouble and wasted expenses - just for a short holiday.  More and more srae starting to realise that. But some are chosing to ignore it like a young fool who thinks 'it wont happen to me' - until it does. As us wiser? old buggers know - it can and it does. 

Additionally, as detailed in Richard's newsletter mentioned above, there is a lot of 'pressure' building on the Thai Govt to completely abandon the test and go process for those who have been already approved.  If case numbers keep going up in Thailand, they may very well do that - and probably at short notice. Sure - they will do even more damage to the Thai tourism industry, but there is a power play between Prayut and Anutin going on. They both know that many Thais see 'foreigners' as the reason for the massive increase in cases - because they have both been playing politics and blaming them for the last 2 years - especially Anutin - who Prayut removed from the running of the pandemic response which started the powerplay. 

[AussieBob]

Just now, Vince said:

If you want to wait until things are close to the old days you're gonna be looking at 2023 or 2024 maybe? And if you want them exactly like the old days it might be never. 

A (travel or health) insurance requirement is actually a good idea in any event, COVID or not. 

Proof of vaccination is likely to be the norm going forward afaict.  If the destination country doesn't require it the airlines might. 

Good point about the airlines. All it takes is someone travelling, who tests negative before departure and positive on arrival, to sue the airline for it - if the airline is allowing non-vaccinated and non-tested people on board. I expect when the 'new normal' arrives, that a RAT will be a mandatory part of the boarding process - like being scanned and having luggage searched. 

[Sarisin]

I have read these threads but still don't know what the current hoops are you have to jump through arriving from UK as I will be in a couple of months. Can somebody point out somewhere the new requirements are set out that are not confusing? is it still register some place online, 50 k insurance, PCR test pre flight back home and 7 days in a SHQ+ hotel here? Not doing any sandbox on some island.

[LoongFred]

33 minutes ago, Sarisin said:

I have read these threads but still don't know what the current hoops are you have to jump through arriving from UK as I will be in a couple of months. Can somebody point out somewhere the new requirements are set out that are not confusing? is it still register some place online, 50 k insurance, PCR test pre flight back home and 7 days in a SHQ+ hotel here? Not doing any sandbox on some island.

That seems like most of it. Things change rapidly so checking the Thai embassy website or contacting them is best. If you plan for quarantine you'll be OK,  sort of plan for the worse.

 

[AussieBob]

2 hours ago, Sarisin said:

I have read these threads but still don't know what the current hoops are you have to jump through arriving from UK as I will be in a couple of months. Can somebody point out somewhere the new requirements are set out that are not confusing? is it still register some place online, 50 k insurance, PCR test pre flight back home and 7 days in a SHQ+ hotel here? Not doing any sandbox on some island.

I agee with @LoongFred- wait and see what happens for a while.  If you are coming in a couple of months for a short holiday - IMO do not.  But if for longer, or you must, then IMO going to Phuket under their sandbox model and waiting/hoping for a 2nd negative test result is currently the best option.   Either way, under the current rules, you should allow for an unwanted 7-10 day quarantine or treatment in your plans (just in case).  But - IMO you should wait and see what happens over the next month or two.

[Poolie]

21 minutes ago, AussieBob said:

I agee with @LoongFred- wait and see what happens for a while.  If you are coming in a couple of months for a short holiday - IMO do not.  But if for longer, or you must, then IMO going to Phuket under their sandbox model and waiting/hoping for a 2nd negative test result is currently the best option.   Either way, under the current rules, you should allow for an unwanted 7-10 day quarantine or treatment in your plans (just in case).  But - IMO you should wait and see what happens over the next month or two.

So you arent really sure?

[AussieBob]

18 hours ago, Poolie said:

So you arent really sure?

Wait and see what happens - my advice in November remains the same advice today - different reasons but same scenario: too risky and too many unknowns and too many potholes - just for a short holiday. Wait and see Poolie - wait and see. 

 

 

[AussieBob]

20 hours ago, Sarisin said:

I have read these threads but still don't know what the current hoops are you have to jump through arriving from UK as I will be in a couple of months. Can somebody point out somewhere the new requirements are set out that are not confusing? is it still register some place online, 50 k insurance, PCR test pre flight back home and 7 days in a SHQ+ hotel here? Not doing any sandbox on some island.

Watch the Thaiger News on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheThaiger/videos

And read Richard Barrow on Twitter:https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author

Between those two sources you will have the latest and 'best interpreted' information available. 

 

 

[LoongFred]

19 hours ago, Poolie said:

So you arent really sure?

You're correct. Things are very fluid now.

[Poolie]

36 minutes ago, LoongFred said:

You're correct. Things are very fluid now.

Feint heart never won fair lady. As the old song goes.

[AussieBob]

2 hours ago, Poolie said:

Feint heart never won fair lady. As the old song goes.

Go right ahead an ride that motorbike without a helmet as fast as you can - that will impress her !!

[Lyp14 [ctxa]]

On 11/9/2021 at 9:05 AM, billywillyjones said:

Reasonable points.  I cannot understand why someone living for instance in North America would even consider Thailand right now when they have easy options like Mexico or the Carribean.  

Maybe because in Mexico you can easily be given "plomo" (lead)?

[Marc26]

4 hours ago, ctxa said:

Maybe because in Mexico you can easily be given "plomo" (lead)?

I love Mexico

Up there as one of my favorite countries 

But too much violence now 

 

If I didn't have a Thai wife

I would consider South America most likely 

Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia

I like the Italian influence in those countries 

 

South America just seems a bit more upmarket than other Latin American countries 

 

Although I think the Caribbean is beautiful I find the culture lacking a bit 

And really don't get excited about the food 

[Lyp14 [ctxa]]

1 hour ago, Marc26 said:

I love Mexico

Up there as one of my favorite countries 

But too much violence now

Mexico is great, amazing. But if you are unlucky enough to come across the wrong people at the wrong time, you could end up dead. 

In Mexico, to those people a life ain't worth nothing. They wouldn't mind killing to steal your $50 sneakers let alone your $1,000 iPhone so to speak. 

That's why I wouldn't move there.

[Vince]

4 hours ago, ctxa said:

Maybe because in Mexico you can easily be given "plomo" (lead)?

Plato O Plombo! (Silver or lead!). Worked for Pablito. 

[Marc26]

43 minutes ago, ctxa said:

Mexico is great, amazing. But if you are unlucky enough to come across the wrong people at the wrong time, you could end up dead. 

In Mexico, to those people a life ain't worth nothing. They wouldn't mind killing to steal your $50 sneakers let alone your $1,000 iPhone so to speak. 

That's why I wouldn't move there.

Actually I don't ever worry about robbery or something like that

 

But the cartel violence is crazy

 

An extremely popular high end restaurant in Tulum in one of the best areas on Beach Rd got shot up a week after I was there 

 

Very well known bars and restaurants in Tulum are closing down because of being targeted for payments

 

And the cops are extremely corrupt

I got scammed in Cancun at a traffic stop 

 

And like you, I love Mexico but just too shady now 

[AussieBob]

Just saw the numbers from the CCSA briefing today.  Since 1 January 2022 there has been 4,517 people arriving into Thailand who tested positive. I know I dont need to say I told you so - but I do feel the need to keep saying it - 'dont come to Thailand now for a short holiday - wait'. The risks are now eebn higher than before that you will test positive - and that risk is growing and growing every day, because Omicron is rampant worldwide. 

Thailand - by all means mandate Vaccines and negative tests before boarding plan and covid hospital insurance - but do not test us when we arrive and mandate hospital or hospitel or quarantine (which one depending on what Hotel and in what Province).  If we do get covid and are sick, then that is what the insurance is for is it not. Happy to wear a mask just in case, especially indoors, but there are literally over a million asymptomatic Thais walking freely around every day.  If someone decides to visit Thailand for a short holiday now, when you desperately need the economy to recover, then stop quarantining thousands of us on arrival.  Otherwise, if it really is a serious health issue (and it is), then shut to borders to tourists until a certain level of Thais/Expats are vaccinated (80%).