Leaderboard

A Very Bumpy Start This trip was booked back in June based solely on vague optimism that ‘things will improve’. The January timing was a matter of habit. When test-and-go was announced I lacked Vinapu’s prescience and instead of going immediately kept to the original schedule. Traveling in the Time of Covid it should come as no surprise that this trip has been the most difficult trip to keep on the rails that I have ever experienced. The airline canceled all flights to Thailand and I had to re-book. I went through the hoops of completing all the ThaiPass paperwork. To be sure of passing the first of four PCR tests I withdrew from Christmas celebrations. Double-guessing the Thai Government’s announcement that it was considering suspending Test-and-Go, I re-booked all the accommodation and internal flights, at some cost. The day I am due to leave I lie in bed, dawn light coming around the edges of the curtains, and Bangkok Guy pings me on Line. He has developed the habit of pinging me in the morning if he wants to talk as he knows I am up early, but this is a little early. “There is a Big Problem”. On the bright side, his English is coming along. He used the indefinite article. When he answers my call he looks serious and without talking faces his phone toward his wrist. There is an intravenous drip attachment. Back to his face and, while he is looking good, I see he is in bed and the pillow has a blue hospital paper cover. He has Covid. It seems to be a moderate case. He looks good, a cough but no problems breathing, and once we talk his smile is as bright as ever. His personality is also unaffected. His main concern is not his health but the cost of cancelations as he will not be out of quarantine in time to join me on Koh Samui. A leading indicator that I have crossed the line from under-the-weather to truly ill is the loss of my vanity. For Bangkok Guy it would be the loss of frugality. With his frugality intact he is on the right side of the health line. However, the third time I tell him he is looking good – a mechanical reassurance to myself as much as to him – he corrects me. “Outside look good, inside not good”. He is sick enough to be feeling it. He is happy that I am still coming and that we will eventually meet in Bangkok. He will get out of the ten-day quarantine the day before I arrive in Bangkok from Koh Samui and I offer to extend our hotel booking so he can go there, be comfortable and have room service. He is not sure. In case Omicron gathered speed, in Bangkok I re-booked into a hotel with a lot of outdoor space by the river which, if necessary, we can use as a resort and use the river to get around rather than the Sky Train or Metro. I have four PCR tests to pass during the trip and failing any of the three in Thailand will land me in hospital for ten days, which I have no intention of letting happen, so crowded spaces are verboten. The hotel is very high end (I got an attractive deal) and I suspect Bangkok Guy is not comfortable with the idea of being there alone. I will play this by ear and possibly leave Koh Samui early (and expensively as it is too late to alter the reservation).

Pass 2nd PCR Test, Free! (at least until the 3rd PCR Test) 8:30am I answer the phone and am greeted with a very cheerful ‘Congratulation you pass test! Welcome! Please come have breakfast!’. Freedom begins with an excellent Thai stir fry and coffee on a grassed terrace, after which I visit the spa and book a Thai massage and a facial. My request for a manicure and pedicure is received with an expression which indicates I have crossed some line of logic and a muddled suggestion that I can simply walk outside. Muddled to me, as on arrival the street appeared to be nothing but trees, a few restaurants and the landscaped entrances to resorts. Rejuvenated by the massage and facial I head to the beach-side restaurant for lunch, after which I walk the long crescent of white sand between two bluffs which my hotel shares with several others. The walk reveals the confusion at the spa as the beach is home to two local massage-relax-and-make-you-beautiful establishments. After my first manicure, pedicure and sole-smoothing in I-don’t-know-how-long my feet are fit to be seen unshod, and at a price which explains why the hotel does not bother to compete. I Finally Acclimate The build up to this trip had been stressful enough that it was only on the third day that I began to chill out and really enjoy myself. Stunning weather, good food, over a mile of white sand beach – how can I not eventually unwind despite the issue of further PCR tests and Bangkok Guy’s health? Four high-end hotels and three mid-level ones share the long crescent of white sand. The deeper pockets of the high-end owners are reflected in continued pristine maintenance, versus signs of deferred maintenance at the mid-level places. While far from crowded, there are enough tourai to give a sense of life and action. After walking the beach for three days it is clear that none of the hotels is anywhere near full occupancy. At one end of the crescent a local beach bar hides in the trees. Here at high tide you sip your Campari Spritz while the waves wash around your ancles, and it pays to watch how the incoming water is breaking over the end of the bluff as a noticeable boiling of white indicates a large swell which, in a minute or two, will wash over the top of the old sailboard serving as a low drinks table. On-going confinement with no distractions but his cell phone is getting on top of Bangkok Guy, and my having fun in the sun and sand without him rubs salt in the wound. One of his messages has a strange meme suggesting great frustration. I move my flight forward a couple of days and extend the hotel in Bangkok so that I will be there when he is released. The tone of his communications improves subtly after I tell him of these changes: I will be there for him and this makes him happy.

I'm not sure that this is a good announcement for me, while I would want to know if I did get covid so I can keep away from bars/crowds, the added PCR test raises the risk of asymptomatic hospitel/hospital. I understand the day 1 test, but what does a day 7 test accomplish when there is already so much community transmission. It seems like the health ministry might still be stuck in the mindset that they can isolate away cases and reach covid zero again, or it is a cash grab. The way they are describing the desire to increase testing and make sure everyone has lots of insurance coverage, with some of the Health Minister's previous comments about farangs, maybe I'm cynical but it gives me a bad impression of the motives.

Pass PCR Test, Will Travel I pass the first of four PCR tests, don my N95 mask and away! After allowing for empty seats to separate passengers, both my flights are fairly full, in contrast to the terminals which are ghost towns. No taxiing delays with a que of one for the first flight and two for the second. Passengers all following covid safety protocols. I had been warned that my ears would ache from the N95 mask and this was very true, but the only negative until the leg to Koh Samui. Thai health and immigration were very pleasant and efficient and it took only around 40 minutes from disembarkation to being seated in the departure gate for the five hour wait for the official quarantine connecting flight. The health officials in Koh Samui were also very efficient, so the whole process of checking papers to record who sat where on the plane, getting the PCR test and getting into the hotel’s single-party transport went smoothly. Bangkok Airways, not so much efficient. The flight is supposed to be a quarantine one. However, the plane was not parked at the gate but some distance away. To get there we crowd into a bus, not a hope of distancing. Long drive, then a wait inside the bus until we can board. Among my fellow passengers were a group who were somewhat lax in masking, as though the mask itself was a powerful talisman regardless of how it was worn. I avoided them in the lounge, but no hope of doing so in the bus or on the small plane. Grrrr….. Efficiency resumed at my hotel. They had me pre-register on-line a few days before arrival. On arrival I was taken directly to the room, shown how to get the room service menu from the TV and told to stay in the room until my test results arrived around 8am the next morning. I was not given a key, so if I left the room it would be obvious as I could not get back in, in theory. In practice my hosts had left me access to my private terrace from which I could slip directly into the pool and swim to freedom. Not wanting to abuse their hospitality or be a selfish idiot I content myself on the terrace with sunshine, fresh air, the smell of flowers, excellent Thai food and a Chang beer.

Prologue During Covid I have been consistently too optimistic about the probability of international travel. I repeatedly book trips only to eventually cancel them. I carry on regardless and book the next trip, but my expectations have slowly diminished, to the point that I was not really expecting to make this trip to Thailand. It was only after the e-tickets arrived that I truly believed that this trip was a Go. I should have been elated, but after the initial euphoric rush I was strangely flat. I organized the mechanics of travel down to the last detail and took steps to eliminate anything within my power that could cause problems. I imposed a self-quarantine for the seven days prior to my PCR test, excusing myself from pre-Christmas events and Christmas dinner itself. I booked a limo service to the airport as Uber have become a little less reliable. But I did not get into the usual personal preparation or have a plan of what to do other than seeing Bangkok Guy. I continued to drink and eat a little too much and not exercise enough. My mood should have been up, but pre-Christmas socializing was leaving me flat. One evening, returning home after a fabulous dinner party, the flat feeling really struck me – what was going on? I know myself well enough that if I take the time to stop and reflect I find the patterns that point to the problem. When I am flat something is weighing on my subconscious, and the trick is to identify what it is so that I can deal with it. I realized I was very concerned. Very concerned that something would prevent the trip. Very concerned that after two years of Line-only contact the chemistry between Bangkok Guy and I will not be the same. Behind the concern is the fact that Bangkok Guy is deeply under my skin. Possibly too deeply. Many things have kept me bouncing along and sane during the disruption of the last two years and my connection with Bangkok Guy is one of them. Forced separation has intensified the importance of the connection. There is no point in letting an anticipated problem which may or may not eventuate weigh you down. You need to do what you can to ensure the outcome you want and then hope for the best, but be mentally prepared for the worst and have an attractive Plan B. So I took charge of my drinking, eating and exercising. I can stroll the beach confident that I look presentable in swim shorts. I went through the Koh Samui guide and found things to see and do. For the days in Bangkok I have a list of restaurants to try and possible overnight trips. The trip is now in shape to be an excellent holiday and a great first encounter with the World after the last two years. And if the chemistry with Bangkok Guy is still good, that will be the icing on the cake. But if I am honest with myself, the icing is of more interest than the cake.

there’s a saying in the region where i live. “If you dont like the weather, just wait a few minutes.” So if i dont like thai government’s ever changing entry rules, i am gonna just for a few days.

From Bangkok Post Test & Go for overseas arrivals to be restored, fine-tuned The Test & Go programme will be reintroduced soon while entry rules under the scheme will be tweaked to allow close monitoring of overseas arrivals' health, said Gen Supoj Malaniyom, head of operations at the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). Gen Supoj, also secretary-general of the National Security Council, added that Test & Go rules need to be tightened. The CCSA is looking into ways to monitor the health of overseas arrivals during the first seven days of entry. It appears that under the tightening of the programme, arrivals will undergo two RT-PCR tests during their initial seven days, the first upon arrival and the second on the fifth or sixth day. Before the programme was suspended earlier this month due to the emergence of the Omicron variant, overseas visitors only had to spend one night at a hotel. If their Covid-19 test was negative, they were free to leave their accommodation and enjoy their holidays. Gen Supoj said the CCSA on Wednesday assessed the pandemic situation in the kingdom and found that daily caseloads, which had shot up previously, were now stabilising. The centre is considering adjusting areas with varying degrees of Covid-19 prevalence and easing some restrictions to allow greater mobility. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has insisted measures should be modified where necessary to help revive the economy. Also on Wednesday, the Public Health Ministry suggested that overseas visitors take out comprehensive health insurance that covers all Covid-19 treatment cases. Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit, the public health permanent secretary, said visitors must ensure they are fully covered for all types of Covid-19 treatments. Partial insurance coverage leaves the government to pick up the rest of the bill. So far, 100 million baht of state funds have been disbursed. "We will no longer subsidise. The visitors must buy insurance that covers all treatments or purchase additional health insurance when they arrive here," Dr Kiattiphum said. "The measure will take effect when Test & Go is reintroduced." https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2250235/test-go-for-overseas-arrivals-to-be-restored-fine-tuned

No. i heard we are getting Omega strain in May and thailand government is implementing Test, Test, Test and Go program with SHA+++++ hotels.

no , just go as planned , in May we may have 'ro' or 'sigma' variant, why take a chance ? You can always go in May again

You can't apply for your Thailand Pass until ! February and I suspect that the site will be under heavy pressure for a few days. I'd be surprised if the arrangements change much in the time leading-up to May; indeed, a new variant , or a cluster or two may even make the rules tighter. I wouldn't change my dates but there are two aspects for me which may not apply to you; firstly, an awareness of the fact that my age is such that I may not have many trips ahead of me; and secondly, I have someone waiting for me there whom I am desperate to meet.

Sorry for being so judgmental in the topic, but it is how I feel about the escort situation here in Morocco. Escorts are everywhere and I have nothing against them. In fact, I love them, as long as they are honest about what they do, have a sense of service and be more or less fair. They are not here! The economy in Moroco is bad, so bad that few young guys have a real job and those who do make barely their rent. With the typical Arab horniness and their welcoming nature on one side, and the affluent tourists from Europe and Middle east, it could have developed a healthy and booming escort market. But unfortunately, it hasn't the been the case. The main problem is the lacking of work ethic in the whole region. I can't help comparing the situation to Cuba. Moroccans are as hot as Cubans, equally open to homosexual sex, but far less educated and ethical. Something good which came out of the communist years of Cuba is people understand in order to get something, they need to deliver something in return. Here in Morocco, they just grab and run. Which made things worse is the illegal immigration from the neighboring black African countries. Desperate situations made lots of them rotten. Several points can illustrate the issue here: First, Morocco is a muslim country. The escorts here somehow made this their avantage. Most of them are miserable and have nothing to loose, so they are not afraid of making a scene, especially the foreign black guys from Mali, Niger, etc. I met a young Moroccan cardiological doctor in Marrakech, who told me that two weeks earlier, he was obliged to pay 2000 dh (200 euros) to a disguised black escort when he refused to leave. Second, they never say they are escorts. Actually most of them deny that when you ask. You really need to be vigilant and dig really hard to get the truth. They have ambiguous way of answering your questions, such as: - I'm not escort. (But I still want some money for cab, and I paid 100 times more than normal because I was in such a hurry to get to you) - I just want to have fun. (But you have to pay) - Dont be silly, not everyone's escort. (But I am) ... When you try to let them answer just 'yes' or 'no' to a very specific question such as 'Are you going to ask me for money?', they would become silent, maybe for a day. Then they will come back talking to you as nothing had happened, until you ask them specifically again. Third, they lie about everything, they send fake photos, and they don't perform sexually. Again, if I take some examples of how they answer your questions: - They are my photos. (But they are not of me, but of a 'friend') - I'm always hard. (As hard as I can get, while you keep on sucking me) - My cock measures 25 cm. (Seriously you believe that? How fool) Just to resume, the escort market here is sick and disgusting. And it spoils the normal fun market, too. When people don't have any ethical bottom line, anything can happen. I personally would not recommend Morocco to those who want to meet local boys for fun.

Excellent report @CurtisD looking forward for the next chapters !

This is so true... Even the latest SurfacePro (or whatever it is) provided my employer at great expense "has its moments" and either locks up or crawls along at snails pace - usually at the most inconvenient moment. Yep - absolutely don't need more speed and power, just solid reliability, please. I still remember the excitement as a child waiting for the game to load from the tape into the Spectrum. The sounds it made whilst loading, were enchanting, too!

There is much confusion in the Thai media at the moment about the resumption of Test and Go. Articles appear to contain incomplete details or in at lest one case inaccurate details. Everything remains very fluid. From Richard Barrow's website: FACT CHECK: Someone asked me about the story in The Nation regarding the updated rules for Test & Go. I can confirm that it isn’t true that you must book at least five nights in a hotel and show receipts to get a Thailand Pass. You only have to book for Day 1 and Day 5. ========================= The language about changes in insurance requirements is ambiguous. The official Thai Pass website contains no new information. ========================== From Pattaya Mail The CCSA also agreed to reimplement the “Test&Go” scheme for vaccinated international arrivals under nearly quarantine-free conditions. Two RT-PCR tests are required on Day 1 and Day 5 of the arrival. Travelers must stay at SHA+ hotels while waiting for the PCR results. These must be paid for in advance and there will be a system in place to ensure that tourists check into hotels, especially on Day 5. One will need to only stay at the hotel until the results of their test arrive. There does not appear to be a country restriction on the Test and Go program based on the preliminary information. Upon arrival in Thailand, travelers must present receipt or booking records of the SHA+ hotels on the nights after the PCR tests. The registrations of “Thailand Pass” for entering the program under Test and Go would reopen on February 1st. You will not be able to register for Test and Go prior to this date. There was not a specific time announced for when this will open on this day. The Test and Go program will need to be officially released as law in the Royal Gazette, like all major laws, before becoming “official”. Specific regulations will also be clarified when this happens, although there is not a “promised” date or time for the release of the changes and could be anytime before February 1st. For individuals interested in Sandboxes versus Test and Go, Chonburi (Banglamung, Pattaya, Sri Racha, Koh Sichang, Sattahip(only Na Jomtien and Bang Saray) will be added. Additionally, so will Trat (Koh Chang only), and additional travel links will be opened between Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Surat Thani(Koh Samui, Phangan, Koh Tao). This is effective February 1st in terms of registration, but will also need to be published in the Royal Gazette. TPN notes that with Test and Go reopening there is not a significant difference between sandbox and test and go plans, although one needs to stay at a qualified hotel for their entire sandbox stay. In other changes, high-risk contacts will now be isolated/quarantined for only 7 days versus previously having to be quarantined for up to fourteen days. They will need to have several negative rapid Covid-19 tests both before their release from isolation (Day 5/6) and after being released (Day 10). The guidelines for what entails a high-risk contact are also much more clear than before, specifying that to be considered a high-risk close contact one must have been with the positive case in question on the day of the onset of the illness or 2-3 days before the onset of symptoms in a closed place for more than 30 minutes. Not wearing masks during contact or close moments is also considered high-risk. https://thepattayanews.com/2022/01/20/thailand-covid-19-center-announces-major-covid-19-preventive-measures-changes-including-resumption-of-testgo-scheme/

A step forward, but the 2nd PCR makes this a non starter for me. I'm by nature a worrier and I'd have a week of torment thinking about the 2nd test. I still don't understand why asymptomatic people would need to attend hospital. As one poster said, I'll just keep waiting until the rules change again.

@z909's estimate is reasonably accurate. Re room sizes, in the days not so long ago when I travelled on business I was able to stay quite close to Shinjuku Station in a decent sized room in a 4 star hotel for around 5,700 bt. Since those days, I have found two hotels in the Kabuki-cho district (nearer the bar area) where I get B&B for 4,200 bt. The rooms are a bit smaller but nothing like the much smaller rooms you'll get if your budget is nearer 2,000 bt. And it's true that being restricted to only Japanese tourists, all Tokyo hotels presently have big discounts. But as he points out, there are deals to be had if you are prepared to check around for them. Another area where Tokyo is much cheaper than people assume are food and transport. There are so may small restaurants/cafes where you can get a nourishing main course for little more than 200 bt. The public transport system is amazing and amazingly cheap. You can get virtually anywhere in that huge city and be just 200 meters or so from your destination. The one problem is that almost all of it shuts down before midnight. So location becomes important because taxis are horribly expensive. I suggest a stopover is the best way of sampling some of what Tokyo offers. When I first moved to Asia, I wanted to visit many countries, but for whatever reason not Japan. On a Tokyo business stopover from the USA I found I was hooked. Not only have I worked there but I have visited at least 40 other times. Each time is a joy and anew exploration.

It was a little scary my husband and I were actually talking about it today. The last thing anyone traveling abroad wants is to have an issue with a local. Especially since they speak the language and could better explain their part of what happened. That guy from the video on twitter had an amazing dick and they must have been horny and just didn't give AF. that video was recorded across from park Durante. This is the park where all Of the guys and hustlers hangout on the weekends in the evenings. It is LIT! LIT! A lot of hustlers are there on the sex apps as well. It's veryyyyyyy crowded and EXTREMELY CRUISY from 6 IN the evening til about 1 a.m. if you ever go male sure you check out park Durante in the evening. The area is electrifying. I was walking through the alley and they were just sitting there playing with each others dicks. As you can see from the video the guy has a HUGEEEEE hard dick. My husband saw the video and said, "knowing you, you probably sucked his dick on the steps, slut!" Lol! I would have loved to because it looked like a prime piece of meat.

If I didnt mishear it, the CCSA said in the "Thailand daily Covid update on January 19 2022" that tomorrow (thursday 20) there will be made decision about easing restrictions as well as resuming Test&Go. So soon we should know more.

There's nothing like a killer pandemic to bring out the CRAZY in most everyone. And I agree, Đoković got what he deserved. IMO, any famous person who goes public with his/her anti-vax bullshit (especially their lies) deserves to die from the most deadly form of Covid (thankfully, some are dying). I can't tolerate famous, wealthy people who choose to show their ignorance of science or science denial. If for some life-threatening reason your body can't tolerate a vaccine, then excuse yourself from society and work, and sit the pandemic out. It's the right thing to do. What is going on in our own Supreme Court is despicable. Neal Gorsuch deserves to have his balls kicked with steel-toed shoes for his anti-mask behavior aimed at Justice Sonya Sotomayor. Supreme Court veteran, Nina Totenberg, writes about it HERE. This revealing article should be read by everyone. When I saw the recent rant by asshole Rand Paul against Dr. Fauci (one of many), and Paul had the nerve to say, "There have been more Covid deaths under Joe Biden than Donald Trump," implying that Trump was the "leader" for less covid deaths, I wanted to VOMIT. Shameless mother-fuckers. Trumpers are to blame for EVERY Covid death because of their behavior. They blew their reputation with their disastrous handling of this disease. Had Covid been handled properly from the beginning, the United States could have led the world on eradication and/or control of this virus. Thankfully, Fauci pointed out that Rand (and others) are raising lots of money with their dangerous Covid rhetoric, and it this evil money that is keeping Covid (and every future mutation) alive for many years to come. In the United States, we can't get rid of Covid because of Republican behavior. And worst of all, it is this evil money and rhetoric that is killing many of their voters, since most of the dying are the unvaccinated living in red states. This is a MORAL DISGRACE that America will have to live with for a long time. (Sorry to bring politics into this thread, but sadly, Covid is political now. You can't put that nasty cat back in the bag.)

Look for Praça da República. I was there back in the 80s. All my friends recommended me to avoid the area. Fortunately, I ignored their advise and hang out there before and after going to a nearby disco. I am not sure of the dance club name, I think it was Homo Sapiens. I made a few acquaintances in the Praça and ended hiring the first GP of my life, and the only one for several decades. He took me to a seedy hotel a couple of blocks away, and delivered not very good sex. Sweet memories.

Let the Right One In (The original swedish film is awesome.) The Big Lebowski \