Jump to content

gazzzz

Member
  • Posts

    30
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by gazzzz

  1. Warning to anyone who has already booked their hotel under the old rules but been waiting for the Thailand Pass website to be updated before applying.  You will need to contact your hotel and obtain a new booking confirmation letter before you can apply for Thailand Pass using Test & Go.

     

    The updated Thailand Pass website states that the booking confirmation must include the antigen test kit.

     

    Paid AQ / SHA Extra+ hotel reservation confirmation for 1 day (Day 1), and the booking must include the fee for 1 RT-PCR test, 1 ATK self-test kit and airport transfer.

     

    Has this been confirmed, cannot use original booking Thai Pass.

     

    Thank you.

  2. 14 hours ago, pookondee said:

    Obviously this will garner a whole lot of the usual responses about what Thailand does wrong, so let me add a few differing viewpoints:

     

    At the end of the day, who is going to risk diving into the unknown when a real pandemic is going on?

    (unless you REALLY have to)

     

    Would i rather stay in my own country (relatively Covid free) 

    OR

    go somewhere i might get trapped without flights or exit. 

    have to worry about getting trapped without a visa and have to stay long term in expensive accomodation..

     

    Then there is always the unknown with Thailand...

    If i do end up with Covid, will i be forced into a private hospital, even if i dont have symptoms?

    Any number of ways this could pan out, and they all sound bad.

     

    For the average traveller Its all about confidence and risk.

     

    Do i stay at home, where we are looked after, no visa issues, no exclusions because of racism and nationalism..

    AND able to work and even get welfare..

     

    or travel to Thailand and go through countless hoops and expense,

    in the end, to be treated not much better than a short term visitor, even if married or on retirement.

     

    Then there is the issue of those of us (Australian) are not even allowed outward travel as tourists)


    I dont really get why this endless debate keeps going.

    Its all pretty much a no brainer id say.

    Most sensible comment I have ever read on here... and elsewhere come to that.

  3. On 1/23/2021 at 7:57 AM, spidermike007 said:

    What will the future of tourism look like here? I am guessing 5 to 20 million annually, at most, during our lifetimes. If Thailand is fortunate. That means thousands of hotels will go under. Trillions of dollars in tourism infrastructure lost? It will have a minor effect on some very wealthy people. But, who will carry the burden of most of this? The common man. Tourism is not returning to Thailand anytime soon. If you think about it, the group that comprised perhaps 80% of all arrivals (lower to middle income Chinese, Malaysian and Indians) are the ones who have been hardest hit by this idiotic worldwide economic shutdown. Tourism in Thailand will never recover to even close to it's former levels, and that leaves millions out of work. Most countries will still be required to have Covid letters, as the virus is still raging in many countries. And some countries will not issue that letter (impossible to get in the US). Plus, will the mandatory health insurance still be required? Vaccinations? Will it be even stricter than before? And just what are people returning to, or coming to? Will restaurants be open? How about nightlife? Trillions of baht are going to be lost here. Annually. Tourism will NEVER fully recover. Not in our lifetimes. Too much timidity. Too much cowardice. Too little juice and creativity. Such small minds. Expect 300,000 tourists in the 12 months following the end of restrictions. 2 million the following year, and no more than 5 million tourists a year for several years after that. This is realistic. International tourism here will never be the same, post Covid. 

     

    And apart from those who die of hunger due to the economy shutdown, hundreds of millions are driven into severe poverty, suicide, in Scandinavia cancer screening and other important things are beng postponed due to the corona, most likely resulting in a higher death rate for some diseases, people are losing their businesses, their homes, more divorces, more drinking, etc., etc., etc. - just so that the 96 old blind, deaf, and senile Olga can live 6 months longer. Those dying of starvation are mostly children with a long life ahead of them.
     

    Will take some time to see how this all shakes out, but it is my opinion that the economic fallout from the inane economic shutdown, is going to be 200 times worse than Covid itself, and the recovery "ramp up" will be long and excruciating. Far longer than they say. It will not just bounce back. In the history of the world, as far as we know, there has never been a deliberate worldwide economic shutdown. It is light years beyond dumb. The "slowdown" will last well into 2021, for certain. And some industries may never come back, or will be a pale shadow of their former selves. No doubt homelessness will skyrocket in the US. Tourism in Thailand will never recover to even close to it's former levels, and that leaves millions out of work.

     

    This is certainly the first time in history (first wave excluded) that most of the worlds economies were deliberately shut down. Even during all 51 of the major bubonic plagues, between 541AD In Europe and Western Asia, and the last one to happen in China in 1946, the Japanese smallpox plague of AD735, the Mexican smallpox plague of 1519, the massive influenza plague of 1616, which took an estimated 50% of more, of the local populations in Europe, and North America, the Russian cholera epidemic of 1846, the worldwide flu pandemic of 1889, and of course the infamous Spanish flu of 1918, which took out an estimated 20-100 million people, ports were locked down, and some isolation was done, but economies were never totally shut down. Makes one wonder what it truly going on. 

    Looking into the future, one can only guess what it will look like. What about concerts? Will people be willing to hang out with crowds of 20,000, at a cost of hundreds of dollars for a crappy seat? Same with sports. Will people be willing to go into a stadium or an arena with 20,000 to 100,000 people close together, and pay crazy money for a seat? Movie theaters? Cruise ships? Will the hordes just start descending on restaurants again, and pay inane prices for a gourmet meal? The list goes on, and on and on.

     

    And in the end, hundreds millions worldwide could end up far poorer than they were before. And tens of millions could end up starving to death, compared to perhaps 500,000 or so total deaths worldwide from Covid. OK. The rich stay safe and financially secure. And the rest of us? And those of us who are self employed, without fortunes in the bank?

    There are so many unanswered questions, it boggles the mind. One thing is for certain. Thailand will be feeling the effects of this for a very, very long time. So will the rest of the world.

    Tend to agree with all you have written. Here in the UK the lock down is mainly aimed at the hospitals not having the sight of people in car parks being treated i.e. overflowing, and not enough staff to cover all the patients if we open up the economy. It's not helped by people not following the rules/guidance especially in supermarkets. British attitude to masks, "I'm not wearing one it makes me look stupid!" Regarding pubs I don't care what anybody says when you are on the lash there is no such thing as social distancing. I haven't been since the week before the first lock down and I love going to the pub. At least in Thailand I can sit in an open air bar, the weather in the UK is too **** for that.

     

    I will come to Thailand when I can but I don't think it will be before September, more likely December.

     

    And as a lot of people are pointing out we can't go on holiday to quarantine for two weeks when we only get 4-5 weeks holiday per year. I am in the fortunate position of home-working but if the UK brings in hotel quarantining for 2 weeks that's 6 weeks for a 2 week holiday - as pointed out on numerous occasions it ain't gonna happen.

     

    I was planning on finishing work at the end of the year to try teaching in SE Asia, (I just passed my TEFL course) but I might as well carry on working here until it all pans out because there is no point in making forward plans at this time. This has put my plans/ideas back by about 18 months but at least I am lucky to have a job and can make decisions when things are looking better. It will I'm sure, but as you say, nothing is going to be the same again... ever.

    • Thanks 1
  4. Nice photo, where is this? It looks very similar to where my wife is from, Wung Din near Uttaradit. I am aware Thailand has many rice growing areas!

    Phaya Mengrai, which is east of Chiang Rai. If you would like to see more of my photos, there is a link to my Google+ page at the bottom of my Profile Page here on TV.

    Thanks, I will look at your photos's and try and find some of mine to post to show what I mean about the similarities, when I get home from work!

  5. We are surrounded on three sides by rice and love it. We are close enough that access, water, power and internet are not a problem, however. Make sure you look at all the costs before you decide. It can work but the location has to be right and you need to do your homework.

    Test1%2B%2B005.jpg

  6. ExPratt, on 10 Jan 2015 - 01:52, said:

    Because despite what other people tell you the UK is finished. Its a rat race to work in the weather is shit for 8 months of the year followed by the winter, Australia is a beautiful country and Thailand isnt much of a "Step up" as it is to us inner city Brits. That will be the last time I ever say anything positive about Australia

    The comment about the weather made me laugh out loud on a cold morning here in the UK, the sun's out for a change though! Yes the UK is <make up your own word here> now, the only thing keeping me here is youngest sons imminent exams, when he goes to Uni, me and my Thai wife will be moving to our house which I built 20 years ago!

  7. Hi All,

    I'm new to this site, but not Thailand, my wife is from Uttaradit and we currently live in the UK and coming over to Thailand in August. Problem is her passport runs out end of October and it looks like we won't have time to renew it here. I didn't know you can't extend e-passports! Anyway my question is, is the Chiang Mai passport office open and can you get a passport in one day. The reason I am asking is that it I keep seeing references to passport offices being closed trawling the internet but nothing about them re-opening! Please advise smile.png

×
×
  • Create New...