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Trip to Phuket, Khao Lak, and Ao Nang on the Andaman Sea coast
TMax and 8 others reacted to daydreamer for a topic
The next day after breakfast at the Furama, we went to the MBK Mall to buy a few clothes for N for the trip. There was nearly no clothing for young men at MBK, as many of the shops appeared to be permanently closed. It looked like less than 50% of shops were open. Two years ago, all the shops in MBK were open and it was very busy with customers. I suggested we go to Pratunam market the following day. N liked that idea. There was no shortage of selection at Pratunam, with hundreds of small stalls and shops open for business. The open air market at Pratunam turned out to be the perfect place for N to buy everything he needed for the trip to the south, a few nice looking T-shirts for 80 baht each, a nice button up shirt for 250, shorts at 120 each, and a pair of knock off Nike shoes for 350 baht. N seems to be very aware of prices, and he is careful in spending my money, and he looks for the bargains. A few pair of stylish underwear and socks from a Silom open air market, and he was set for the two week trip. Everything a Thai boy wears seems to look great on them, regardless of the price paid for the clothing. BTW, I just stood in the shops as his personal ATM, without providing any input on his choices for clothing, unless he asked for my opinion. After buying 2 pair of socks for 100 baht in a market area, he later spied 4 similar pair for 100 baht on the sidewalk in Silom, and he was dismayed that he had spent more per pair for his recent purchase, even though he wasn't spending his own money. He even mentioned later that he overpaid for his socks. Also, I had bought a nice backpack, and a pair of sunglasses for him at home before I left on my trip, and carried them to Bangkok to give to N. We flew Thai Smile to Phuket,a subsidiary of Thai Airways. The airline staff wanted to see our vaccination records and my Thailand Pass at the check in counter at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The Boeing 737 was about 35% full going to Phuket. Even though I had booked two seats for us together, at check in, there were enough empty seats that they gave us each a window seat in two adjoining empty rows. Takeoff from Suvarnabhumi: We flew over Phang Na Bay a couple minutes before final approach to Phuket. The unusual karst mountains appear to be melting into the sea. Upon final approach into Phuket, the plane flew over Khao Lak, with it's endless miles of unspoiled beaches. The water is so clear, you can see coral reefs below the surface. As you can see below, Khao Lak is still very undeveloped. There are many small resorts, but they are mostly tucked under the tree cover. No tall concrete buildings, and no condo towers. Let's hope it stays that way. Upon arrival in Phuket, I picked up the pre-booked rental car at the domestic arrivals hall, and we headed for Patong. I had reserved a Toyota Vios sedan, a perfect sized car for the trip. By the end of three weeks in the south, I clocked about 2,000 kilometers of driving the car to the many different spots we visited. We traveled to parts of four provinces in all; Phuket, Phang Na, Krabi, and Surat Thani provinces. I had bought an inexpensive smart phone windshield suction cup holder to use for driving navigation before leaving home. That and a cigarette lighter socket USB plug I brought with me were invaluable in providing GPS navigation in English for free to navigate through the four southern provinces in the rental car. I used the HereWeGo phone app, and downloaded the free maps for south Thailand. For a free app, it's about as good as you can get for Thailand. I toyed with a couple other navigation apps while still in Bangkok, but I liked HereWeGo the best. A British lady's soothing voice gives the directions. There was a USB port on the stereo, but I used that for a USB stick that I had loaded with many hours of current music for the road trips we had planned. N liked the western music I had brought on the USB stick. One huge benefit of the music I brought was it caused him to turn the volume off on his phone at all times while in the car. That way we both had something enjoyable to listen to, and while driving, I was saved from hearing his various phone feeds. We were surprised at the large number of farang wandering around Phuket without masks upon arrival in Patong. I read in the Bangkok Post on January 20th that the governor of Phuket had finally decided to crack down on the many mask violators with two fines of 20K + 40k, and plans to have the police arrest the unmasked, to set examples. I don't know if he followed through with this, or if he was only blowing hot air. We stayed three nights at the Phusita House 3 Hotel in Patong Beach. The small hotel is fairly new, and very clean, with SHA certification. It's located very near the Paradise area which is the hub of gay activity in Patong. They offered free parking for the rental car. Patong is very congested, similar to Pattaya, and parking can be an issue at some of the hotels close to the Paradise complex. We drove to the southern part of Phuket to see the Big Buddha. It sits on a mountaintop, with a superb view out over the southern part of the island of Phuket. The huge statue is made of concrete, and is entirely covered with small white marble tiles. The inside is hollow, and visitors are welcome to walk inside and view different displayed items. There are not many sightseeing attractions on Phuket, so the big Buddha is one of the more heavily visited points of interest on the island. Most tourists to Phuket come for the beaches and/or the nightlife. The adjoining provinces of Phang Na and Krabi offer loads of things to see and do, however. The Phi Phi islands are a very popular day trip amongst Phuket visitors, but Phi Phi is actually located in Krabi province, it is not part of Phuket. Soi Bangla is the main nighttime entertainment street in Phuket. It is located in Patong Beach, and is similar to Walking Street in Pattaya. Soi Bangla was filled to the rafters with people occupying every bar stool, and spilling out onto the surrounding sois. While the bars in Bangkok were closed at this time, bars in Phuket were allowed to open until 9 PM daily. And none of that facade of having to sell food to camouflage as restaurants. These bars and clubs were jam packed with customers, and were operating as real bars, not pseudo restaurants. We walked the length of Soi Bangla two nights, and at 9 PM each night, police vehicles with red lights flashing started crawling forward from one end of the street to the other end to ensure the bars stopped selling alcohol, and turned the loud music off. Customers were allowed to stay in the bars, to finish their drinks. I would estimate there were at least 4,000 - 5,000 customers in the myriad of open air bars and clubs in Soi Bangla and connecting sois every night that we were in Phuket. This is Karon Beach, the next beach a couple miles south of Patong Beach, on Phuket: Somehow, on day 6 in the country, the Morchana app on my phone changed from orange "medium risk" to green "very low risk". This was before the second required PCR test that was supposed to be administered on my 7th day. WTF?? How is this possible? Our second evening in Patong, we went to the Paradise Complex, and watched an outdoor ladyboy show in front of the Zig and Zag bars. I don't really enjoy these shows, but N wanted to see it. Kudos to the ladyboys for a show well done. Everything went smoothly until a boy performer poured a full bottle of kerosene in a large circle on the cobblestone plaza, and then repeatedly attempted, but failed to ignite the fuel. That left the odor of petrol fumes as the fuel slowly evaporated throughout the duration of the show. The seating at the show was outdoors, with only a couple feet between tables. No one was wearing masks except for the bar staff. The outdoor seating arrangement was similar to the outdoor seating plan at the Soi 4 restaurants (bars) in Bangkok.9 points -
Trip to Phuket, Khao Lak, and Ao Nang on the Andaman Sea coast
TMax and 2 others reacted to daydreamer for a topic
I just returned from a one month holiday trip to Thailand. Since there are very low numbers of international tourists in Thailand at this time, I decided to focus my travel on some of the very popular southern areas on the Andaman Sea. These regions are usually overrun with sun seekers and are heavily crowded in the high season, so I thought this would be a good time to take advantage of lower hotel costs, and of not being swarmed with tourists and day trippers from the nearby resort areas. The last time I was in Thailand before this was in Jan/Feb 2020, just two years ago. It was on this trip that I met N. For nearly two years since that last trip, I had been planning to see N again on my next trip. In the interest of anonymity, I will refer to my friend as N in this report, by initial only. Because I did not see other boys during this most recent trip, this report mostly covers our travels together. Sorry, but no details of boy bars and massage shops, as I did not visit any. For this current trip, I intended to see only this boy for the entire month in Thailand. He pushes all my buttons, and I said why not? This is the first time I have had only one boy stay with me for my entire holiday. Although I didn't spread my baht amongst many boys as is usual for me on my trips, I surely made a very large difference to this one boy's finances. I did tip generously in hotels, taxis, etc in most cases, but the only tips given to a boy was to N. As luck would have it, the Bangkok bars were ordered closed again before I arrived in Thailand in early January. With the ever-changing rules, and opening times teetering back and forth, I hadn't planned to be bar hopping on this trip anyway, so I didn't really miss making my usual rounds of the nighttime haunts and go go bars. I had applied for the Thailand Pass in December 2021, and I entered through the airport with no issues. I won't bore you with the details, as the entry process, paperwork requirements, the blue chairs at Suvarnabhumi, etc have already been reported in this forum by other members. I entered the country under the original 7 day Thailand Pass program, but with the amended version requiring two PCR tests, one upon arrival, and a second test on the 7th day. Under the amended rules, the second PCR test was to be paid for by the Thai government. N had taken two ATK tests 3 weeks apart before my arrival, and sent me emailed photos of them, so I felt confident that he was being safe, and taking the required precautions to avoid the virus. Upon arrival, and before exiting the baggage claim area to face the gauntlet of awaiting private car drivers at the airport, I purchased a DTAC Sim card in the baggage claim hall, right after passing through immigration. To answer a previous question from a board member, I did see a True Sim card kiosk in the baggage claim hall as well. I didn't see an AIS kiosk, but I wasn't looking for them. Surely they would have a presence there too, as they are a major telecom player in the Thai marketplace. Insurance - I bought a 100k USD policy from a US company before the trip. I know only 50k was required, but I wanted the higher limit, and the price difference was minimal. The policy I chose was also a "cancel for any reason" policy. I'm usually not inclined to purchase travel insurance, as my health insurance plan covers me overseas anyway. But since the Test & Go program required it, I opted for a decent US based plan. I considered the options, and figured that it would also cover any pre-paid hotels and or flights I might have to cancel if testing positive for covid during my travels. I compared insurance policies on Squaremouth.com before deciding on which one to buy. The policy I chose gives me 90 days after an event to submit a claim. I thought this would allow me plenty of time to sort it all out at home, if it came to submitting a claim. My Test & Go hotel was The Quarter Silom. The driver took me in a private car to Paolo Hospital in Saphan Kwai, where a nurse came out to the car for the obligatory swabs, then off to Silom. The time at the hospital was about 7-8 minutes. The Quarter Silom is in a very good location on Soi Tarntawan, nestled in between Silom and Suriwong Roads. It is a new hotel, and very clean. It is not a place I would normally stay due to the small rooms, but they offered a 6 hour PCR test window package for a very low price, along with a private car from the airport, and breakfast was included. The fact that the only meal in the Test & Go package was breakfast gave me confidence that they intended to usher me out of the room before noon the following day. Upon checking in about 1 AM, the boy at the front desk asked if I needed anything else, and I jokingly said "Yes, I'd like two cold Singha beers, but I know you won't allow me any alcohol per the Test & Go regulations." I only wanted a shower and about an hour to wind down before a long awaited sleep after crossing through 12 time zones, on three flights to reach Bangkok. The boy at the hotel reception replied "the bar is closed, but just take what you want from the bar refrigerator, and we'll charge you in the morning when you check out". I got my nightcap of two cold Singha beers from the bar fridge. Amazing Thailand!! The next morning after breakfast was delivered to the room, I called reception, and they confirmed that my test was negative, as I expected. N had already emailed me. I sent him an SMS, and he was in my arms less than 45 minutes later. My plan was not to look for luxury in a Test & Go hotel, but for a fast PCR test turnaround time, and to be on my way after a few hours of shut eye. The Quarter Silom was very close to my next hotel, so the taxi the next morning was only about 60 baht. Upon check out, a Quarter Silom hotel employee introduced me to the Bolt car and motorbike taxi app. He called a Bolt car for us to move to the next hotel. Bolt is similar to Uber, with some very attractive prices. A Bolt car for us in some cases in Bangkok was no more expensive than skytrain tickets for the two of us would have cost, to cover the same distance. I believe Bolt is subsidizing their shorter rides to generate business, since it's a fairly new service. I suspect prices may go up in the future, once they have established a solid customer base. The total price for The Quarter test & go package was 3,899 baht inclusive of the room, a 6 hour PCR test, a private car from the airport, and breakfast. I booked the package through Agoda. I checked out, and into the Furama Sathorn, into an executive suite. Very large quarters, and a beautiful view of the Bangkok skyline, especially at night, from the 12th floor room. I only book rooms with balconies, as I enjoy sitting in the open air in the morning for a bit after I wake up. We sat on the balcony a couple evenings as well. Only staying in rooms with balconies eliminates a large percentage of available hotels for me to choose from, but I don't like being trapped inside, behind glass windows. The breakfast buffet at the Furama was included in the room price. The food was a mix of Thai and western fare, changing each day. Clear plastic food service gloves were provided for guests for touching the spoons, tongs, and opening the food warmer bin lids at the buffet tables. As with masks, many customers ignored the hotel request to wear the disposable gloves when filling their plates with food. Much as I like Bangkok, a few days on both ends of my trip is usually enough for me. To me, the big city is not a beautiful place for a holiday. I like to visit a different area of the country on each trip. N and I stayed at the Sathorn Furama for four nights before flying south. Here is the view of the city skyline from the balcony of the Furama. A perfect view of the Maha Nakhon building. If you look closely, you can see a number of people out on the glass platform at the top of the skyscraper in one photo. To be continued...3 points -
To be blunt, the loss of days or weeks in some sort of medical imprisonment is more of a worry than the money.3 points
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From The Thaiger Thailand Pass hotlines, emails for assistance with registration process Thailand Pass hotlines were launched to assist travellers with registering for the various programs to enter the country at the moment. We know aspects of it are a pain in the arse, but for people wanting, or needing, to get back into Thailand at the moment, the Thailand Pass is not that difficult to navigate. And The Thaiger has some useful contacts if you need help or have questions. The Thailand Pass has three programs – Test & Go, for fully vaccinated travellers who only have to spend 2 nights (Day 1 and 5) in a pre-paid SHA+ hotel. Sandbox, which is a ‘regional’ quarantine for 7 days. But you can wander and explore around that region for the 7 days before then being allowed to travel anywhere else in Thailand. There’s also the Alternative Quarantine which allows unvaccinated travellers to enter Thailand, but with a 7 – 10 day hotel quarantine, at your expense. Registration for the Thailand Pass is free, but the government spokespersons have been warning travellers about third party websites asking for a fee for Thailand Pass registration. (Here’s the official website by the Department of Consular Affairs… https://tp.consular.go.th/) To be clear, registration is FREE. For entry into Phuket, Krabi, and Phang Nga, travellers can email thailandpass.hkt@gmail.com for assistance. Those registering for the Phuket Sandbox can call +66 (0) 7653 220 or email phuket.thailandpass@gmail.com. Travellers are also asked to fill in a Thailand Pass Follow Up Form on Google Docs. For other destinations, travellers can contact the Department of Consular Affairs at +66 (0) 2572 8442 or email testgo@consular.go.th. Travellers entering under the Test & Go or Sandbox program must book accommodation at a hotel or resort with a SHA+ certification from Thailand’s Safety and Health Administration. For Test & Go travellers, a SHA+ hotel booking is needed on Day 1 and Day 5 of their stay. A hotel needs to confirm the booking before the Thailand Pass can be verified by the Department of Disease Control. For enquiries about hotel booking authentication, call the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s hotline at 1672. https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/tourism/thailand-pass-hotlines-emails-for-assistance-with-registration-process3 points
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Shockingly, I have seen them all! One day I want to rewatch "Dark Blue Kiss", if there is time. Currently watching: "Not Me", great so far! "The Player", this is not a BL, but a real Thai Drama full of intrigues around sex and sexual orientation. I love it! With many actors we know from the BL series. "Something in my room": This is the only real BL series I am currently watching. The ghost is cute!2 points
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# me too, story may is weird indeed but very well played and boys are so handsome I can watch it again right away. One with clear pronunciation is my favorite here. If he slept with me , I'd definitely stay . LOL2 points
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they picked up good timing since I'm stuck at home for a few months. I like to go there few times every trip, no idea what needs to be renovated , glass was holding up nicely in December2 points
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You're not going to find country-specific detail in policies that cover many different countries. You can ask agent by phone for clarification, but the protocols followed in Thailand can be interpreted differently from hospital to hospital and hotel to hotel. I would anticipate that if I tested positive and was asymptomatic that I may well end up eating the extra expense myself. You can try to minimize the uncertainties but you can't protect against all of them. It's an inherently cumbersome process. At some point you have to leave the outcome to fate.2 points
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4. one is so horny that can't wait until gets to hotel 5. shy to be seen by hotel staff or other guests as serious debauchee, gay at that, or stays in hotel prohibiting guests or charging for them .2 points
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From Coconuts Bangkok Located on the 74th floor of the King Power Mahanakhon at 314 meters up, the Mahanakhon Skywalk will be closed tomorrow until April 11. It will open again at 10am on April 12. The nature of the renovations were not specified. The skywalk has been popular among tourists and locals for its magnificent, panoramic 360-degree view of the capital. Coconuts was there when it opened, you can read our experience here. https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/mahanakhon-skywalk-closed-for-renovation/1 point
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Poor, poor Whoopi Goldberg.
Latbear4blk reacted to RockHardNYC for a topic
I apologize to those board viewers who aren't subscribers to The New York Times. I happen to believe it's one of the most important news outlets in the world, so I highly recommend joining the online service. Their business is at an all-time high, which generally means they have the money to invest in good reporting. Due to the new board rules concerning copyrighted material, you won't see me posting copyrighted material anymore, which includes text from published articles of interest. I don't like the new rules, but I prefer to show respect to the board's owner. Maybe the day will come when Oz feels like making a Fair Use case for his little playpen, and the rules will change. Fingers crossed. If you Google the article's title, sometimes you can find the article printed elsewhere for free. I'm happy to share newly found anecdotes that strike me as interesting topics of conversation, but I can't breast-feed everyone. For those who refuse to join NYTimes.com, for whatever reason, you may have to work a little harder to enjoy some of my posts.1 point -
Insurance companies exaggerating cover requirements
daydreamer reacted to reader for a topic
It's becoming more apparent by the day that some of the more reliable information on this topic is being provided board members who actually worked their way through the process, or are in the process of doing so. This article about authorities attempting to get insurers interested in offering 10 days of coverage for those who test positive illustrates the confusion that exits between ministries, hotels and hospitals. From Bangkok Post Insurers avoid travellers after heavy Covid losses Insurance companies have become reluctant to offer Covid-19 coverage to foreign tourists as the industry was beset by a liquidity crunch after issuing many policies and experiencing a high number of cases the past year. Tourists remain interested in the country, as new registrations for the Test & Go programme reached 119,807 as of Feb 8. Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, deputy governor for marketing communications at the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said following discussions with the Office of the Insurance Commission (OIC) over optional Covid-19 insurance for international tourists, only a few companies expressed an interest in joining the programme. Only 4% of inbound tourists have tested positive for Covid-19, most of which have been mild cases. Many insurance companies are facing losses from Covid-19 claims from local cases and are unsure about offering policies to foreign tourists, particularly in terms of reimbursement based on possible scenarios, he said. The Public Health Ministry is dealing with insufficient or expensive hospital beds in major provinces by allowing each provincial communicable disease committee to grant permission to hotel operators to establish isolation rooms on their properties to host asymptomatic guests. Mr Siripakorn said the 10-day hotel isolation price starts from 20,000 baht, including three meals a day and telemedicine from a partner hospital. "While waiting for the OIC to conclude an insurance package, we have to increase affordable hotel isolation as an option for infected tourists so they don't have to pay more than 100,000 baht for treatment, as happened before," he said. Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, president of the Thai Hotels Association, said hotels in many provinces have not yet applied for isolation rooms as they are unsure about the procedures. Hotels in Bangkok are still waiting to hear from the Department of Health Service Support regarding rules, she said. "We were told there is an act that grants permission to hotels to serve as isolation centres, but according to provincial authorities, the partner hospital has to take charge of this process, not hotels. At present, few hospitals are aware of this rule," said Mrs Marisa. She said the obstacles of Covid-19 insurance and hotel isolation are weighing on the domestic situation, with local cases rising sharply to 13,182 on Wednesday. After Test & Go resumed on Feb 1, the flow of tourists has not been as strong as in November, when the scheme was first introduced. "The fifth-day compulsory Covid test is hampering tourism," Mrs Marisa said. "Locals may hesitate to book trips if infections spike." https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2261703/insurers-avoid-travellers-after-heavy-covid-losses1 point -
Insurance companies exaggerating cover requirements
daydreamer reacted to Lotusleaf for a topic
A list of some insurance companies can be found here. https://asq.in.th/thailand-covid-insurance It indicates those policies that cover you for asymptomatic covid. NOTE: This is a company that provides a service for acquiring Thailand Pass for a service fee. I assume you can purchase the policies directly without using the service.1 point -
BKK Test n Go
GoldMember reacted to vinapu for a topic
that waiting when everything is set up already is worst part of any trip but you will have fun and Bangkok to yourself to a degree. With Tawan and Moonlight opened even more fun than those of us who were in December1 point -
BKK Test n Go
Ryanqqq reacted to GoldMember for a topic
This Pass received about 12 hours after I submitted it. Now just have to wait 20 days1 point -
Poor, poor Whoopi Goldberg.
Latbear4blk reacted to Londoner for a topic
This was why US Zionists claimed that Trump was a reincarnation of Cyrus. Figuratively speaking, of course...though Q anon followers may well have believed it literally! Iran's enmity is due to the fact that Zionists colonised a predominantly Muslim and Christian country, expelled, displaced and massacred a million plus people and turned a Jewish 7% minority in the early thirties into a 55% majority by 1970, a majority which has 95% of the power, land and wealth. The small Jewish community in Iran is an accepted minority; unlike some here in the West, Iranians are aware that Zionists, not Jews, are the perpetrators of crimes against Palestinian Christians and Muslims. And I met many heroic Israeli Jews, including Rabbis, who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Palestine.1 point -
So unsurprisingly Nathan Chen ran away with the Gold Medal - and deservedly so. Hanyu Yuzuru did well to rise from 9th after the short programme to 4th overall. The fall on his first quad jump probably killed his chances of the bronze. My dark horse, the Korean, also fell and came in 5th. But surely it was the silver medal winner 18-year old Japanese Yuma Kagiyama who surprised everyone with a free skating exhibition as good as his short programme two days ago. He will be one to beat in the coming years. I still cannot understand why Brian Orser was not with Hanyu. I can only assume that Hanyu had decided to dispense with his coaching and go it alone. Now 27, he will almost certainly be too old for the next Winter Olympics. But then he doesn't need them. He's already an icon and a legend of the sport.1 point
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Insurance companies exaggerating cover requirements
reader reacted to daydreamer for a topic
My suggestion to you is to narrow your choices to just one or two policies. Then email your question to them. That is better than phoning the insurer, as you will have a written record as proof. I believe your symptoms are irrelevant to some insurance companies. As I replied above, they told me "if a health authority or government orders you into quarantine, we will pay the cost of your stay regardless of whether it is a hospital or hotel". Based upon that, they did not mention symptoms, but only mandated quarantine as the qualifying factor for them to pay out on the contract. If it were me, I would phrase the question as to mandated quarantine, and not be focused on symptoms. For tourists in Thailand that test positive, quarantine somewhere is mandatory. If you are in good health, with no or with minimal covid symptoms, you will most likely be sent to a hospitel. If you have underlying health issues, and/or significant covid symptoms, you will most likely be admitted to a hospital as an inpatient. Your temperature and blood oxygen levels will be monitored daily, and if they warrant, you may be moved from a hospitel to a hospital room. Upon testing positive, a nurse or doctor will interview you as to your health history, and then assess the level of your covid symptoms to determine where you will be quarantined, it will not be your choice of hospitel or hospital. That is how quarantine currently works in Thailand for overseas visitors to the country. The Thai health authority doesn't care whether you are asymptomatic, or have obvious symptoms. You will be ordered into quarantine in either case. The determining factor is do you have a high enough viral count to trigger a positive test result. A positive test result means quarantine in one of the two locations outlined above. Mandated quarantine is not based on symptoms, but on your test result. Again, this is the way it works for tourists. For Thais, some are allowed to isolate at home, based on their situation. As a tourist, you will not be given that option. But you should verify the terms yourself before purchasing any policy, as things can and do change to suit the present covid situation. My insurance policy and airline tickets were purchased in November, before the Omicron variant was even in the news.1 point -
And now rumors are that the Russians have been caught doping again and their ice skating gold medal may be on the line.1 point
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BKK Test n Go
splinter1949 reacted to daydreamer for a topic
For anyone looking for a less expensive option, I used The Quarter Silom hotel on Soi Tarntawan for my Test & Go hotel last month. The package was 3,899 baht inclusive of the room, a PCR test with results in a 6 hour window, a private car from the airport, and breakfast. I booked it through Agoda.1 point -
BKK Test n Go
reader reacted to GoldMember for a topic
Just an update on this - I talked to lots of hotels in the Silom area and in other areas reagarding a Rapid RT-PCR test upon arrival that will hopefully secure the option of going out at the late evening of the same day (Landing in Suvenabhumi at 3PM). All Silom/Sathorn hotels told me that is not an option, one of them told me that it used to be an option but the hospital that covers the area - BNH hospital - recently stopped doing Rapid RT-PCR. Having taking that into consideration, I started exploring out side of Silom and in many other areas that are covered by other hospitals, the rapid test is an available option (Specifically I checked Siam area and Sukhumvit Area). So, first night is booked in the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok in the Siam area with a rapid test option. I found several hotels that offer that. If anyone is interested in rates and info, I'm attaching the brochure they sent me.1 point -
It is revealing that the media (even here in the UK) consider a remark by a TV personality more newsworthy than Amnesty International's report on Israeli apartheid. Or perhaps more welcome.1 point
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Poor, poor Whoopi Goldberg.
fedssocr reacted to RockHardNYC for a topic
Many people like to argue semantics when it comes to the word "race." But the truth is race and ethnicity are social constructs. As humans, we belong to the human race. Whoopi said "the Holocaust was not about race." She was wrong, and she's apologized several times. Her argument that "race" meant solely the color of someone's skin was ignorant, and she never should have revealed such ignorance on national television. It's true, she is not and never has been a Holocaust denier. As I said earlier, she is on-record describing herself as Jewish. But to make a false, misleading argument on national TV about race, using the Holocaust as your subject when anti-semitism is on the rise (much thanks to Donald Trump's embrace of White nationalism), is a public relations disaster for a famous, Black, female celebrity. She has always enjoyed being outspoken and opinionated, which explains why she was popular on The View. However, with ABC suspending her so quickly, I'll bet lots of money the powerful suits are questioning her future with the show.1 point