CurtisD

I went to the premier of his Mugler Follies back in 2013. It was a blast. An incredible creative talent.

Enter Bangkok Guy Complete radio silence from Bangkok Guy, which is not a surprise as he only communicates if there is something to communicate and, unlike me, feels no need to reconfirm what is already agreed. The need to keep multiple balls in the air in business has habituated me to rigorous management of time and process which I unwisely carry over into my personal life. Unwisely, as it gets in the way of relaxation and spontaneity. In Bangkok Guy’s words ‘So much organize’. Bangkok Guy has three approaches to managing this potentially irritating part of my personality. Amused indulgence while he watches me attempt to bend the universe to my will, when a wise person would realize you can only organize so much and then play the rest by ear; persistent but gentle suggestions that I need to relax more; and simply ignoring me and doing what he thinks is necessary at the pace he considers suitable. Today he is ignoring me. A little after 5pm he Line’s me that he has finished his errands and is on his way, followed by a Thai-language screenshot of the hotel with the question “This your hotel?” Odd question as he has already spoken to the hotel about his vaccination status, so I guess that his taxi driver knows of other hotels with similar names and wants confirmation of the address. I later discover that he went into the website to get the address and got such a shock at the room rate (full board, not my heavily discounted rate) that he felt he needed to confirm. It is great to see him. He looks good and his eyes have their usual sense of mischief. After two years apart we are both happy, hopeful, but slightly hesitant. Is this going to click and pick up from where we left off? I reassure him that as he has been sick, we go at his pace. I follow him. He wants to rest, we rest. He wants to go to Bamboo Bar, we go, but if he does not feel up to it, we do not go. His face, mirroring his thoughts as always, is a picture of great satisfaction mixed with thought. He snuggles close and smiles “I follow you”. “You have been sick, I want to be sure you are ok”. “I not tired any more, can go anywhere. You want to go Ayutthaya? Can go.” I touch the gold ring on his ring-finger. “You give money for (he uses a Thai word meaning dragon charm) but I buy ring”. We have had this discussion on Line, but now that I am seeing the ring in person for the first time, he is watching my reaction. “So you wear my ring?” “Yes”, with a mischievous smile. “So you are mine?” “Yes”, with the mischief heading off the scale. I trace his eyebrows with my finger “These mine?” “Yes.” Stroking his nose “This mine?” “Yes.” Comprehensive exploration reveals that all of him is mine. Ah, but apparently a rule of reciprocity applies here. “If ring make you mine, then ring makes me yours?” “Yes.” “All of me?” “Yes” with a great grin. This is clearly a powerful ring, but alas for Sir Peter Jackson there is no material here for a further trilogy. Unlike Sauron, Bangkok Guy is likely to use the power of the ring gently and reasonably, mischief and grinning included. It does not take much empathy to understand that while Bangkok Guy needs and likes the financial support I provide, he also needs love. He has a romantic heart but beyond that, sane and well-balanced as he is, I sense a need for emotional support. I don’t know his full family background, but there is a deficit there that needs to be filled. After a couple of hours slowly reintroducing ourselves, we shower before heading to Bamboo Bar. We are again very comfortable with each other. Things are not back to where we left off. Somehow they have moved beyond that.

Passing the Time As originally conceived this trip had a significant business component, using Bangkok as a hub to visit other cities in the region or people coming to Bangkok to meet me, and re-establish face contact after two years. The removal of Test-and-Go shut the door on this. However, my presence in Thailand and this time zone makes me useful to others whose plans have also been disrupted and I receive requests for all manner of help from meeting potential investors to conducting a Zoom-forum and even interviewing a candidate. With my days free I am happy to oblige and the days before Bangkok Guy joins me become a pleasant routine of swimming, working, dining by the river and becoming a regular at the Bamboo Bar where the captain now automatically orders me a Sazerac. Not wanting to risk crowds on the Metro or Sky Train I hire a car and driver from TheLimoPattaya whenever I need to get around and re-experience what we all know – Bangkok is not a city in which driving makes much sense as a transport option. I have the same lady driver with the very nice car, the weather is mild enough that cracking the windows open does not cause discomfort, and as the traffic is taken into account in planning, everything goes smoothly. For those into shopping, Jim Thompson is making a great N95-design mask in a fun selection of fabrics. Much more comfortable than the regular ones as the straps are adjustable. Hovering in the background is a nagging concern over the true state of Bangkok Guy’s health. It is not a concern that can be addressed through Line exchanges for language reasons and also because he is both a Stoic and believes in looking good. I will only find out when we meet as, in person, when it is just the two of us face-to-face, communication is much easier and it is always the plain truth, politely expressed. Things Begin to Fall into Place, Finally The morning of the day prior to Bangkok Guy’s emancipation from home-isolation begins with an apology he sent late the night before, after I had turned in. ‘Sorry I didn’t answer you. I take medicine and sleepy all day’. That explains his total radio silence yesterday. I tell him no problem, rest and get better. After swimming laps I have an early lunch by the pool and doze in the shade of the cabana, enjoying the soft breeze off the river. A ping from my iphone breaks my reverie, a sticker of a rabbit and a chick popping out from behind a wall. Bangkok Guy signaling he would like to talk. I ask if I can call him – our established etiquette to give him time to make himself presentable before a live audience – and the next thing he is calling me, voice only. He clearly doesn’t want to make a live appearance. He sounds tired but says he feels better and his sense of mischief is alive and well. I tell him the next few days are what he wants, I follow him. We have established ‘I follow you’ as our code for who is in charge of the task at hand for everything from choosing a restaurant to finding a temple or deciding on the main activity for the day. What I mean to convey is that he is recovering, so we go at his pace. His response is a mischievous giggle while he repeats ‘you follow me’ in a very satisfied tone of voice. We will see where this leads. We agree he will come to the hotel at 5pm the next day. His choice of timing. My guess is that he has a lot of errands to run after being quarantined for so long, some of which will involve restoring his grooming to its usual high standard. I slip back into my cabana reverie only to be pulled out of it by another ping, this time from my tailor. I have an appointment in the afternoon but he is at the hotel for another client, so if it suits me we can have a fitting now. I am very happy with what he has made and, seeing my satisfaction, he suggests that now I will of course want ten of everything. I do get a few extra, including an additional pair of linen trousers in terracotta-with-orange-highlights which I like but which I know Bangkok Guy will view with considerable skepticism. If he is going to pull my chain, I am going to pull his. For a change I lunch outside the hotel on the terrace at D’ARK in IconSiam. It is 1.45pm and the waiter (extremely cute) tells me alcohol sales stop at 2pm, so rather than a glass I order a carafe of the Sancerre with fanciful thoughts of acquiring a monopoly on alcohol between 2-5pm, and selling glasses from my stock at outrageous prices to parched Falang. It is an excellent Sancerre and I happily consume my cache, parched Falang be damned.

Thank you. I was quite concerned. He has recovered well, no lasting symptoms.

You have a point. The need for vaccination to fly was clear early on, but the need for vaccination at the hotels was only made clear later. Often from their websites the policy was not clear. On balance I preferred to stay at hotels requiring vaccination/doctor's letter because, in hindsight, I was being overly cautious. When I re-booked the trip I assumed Omicron would become prevalent in Thailand during my stay and given how infectious it is I wanted all the distancing and protections I could get. Who wants to be in hospital for ten days at a cost of $4,000-$5,000 plus the cost of cancelations and rebookings, especially for something that is likely to be asymptomatic to mild for someone fully-vaccinated-and-boosted? While I was in Thailand all the reports from friends back home were of them/family/friends getting Omicron, with no symptoms beyond a normal cold. The surge back home was massive. While the surge I anticipated materialized back home, it did not materialize in Thailand while I was there (and still has not), so I could have been much more relaxed than I was.

I never asked. I thought it was better to focus on dealing with the situation-at-hand than getting into a bunch of questions. The poor guy clearly felt badly about it and he plans to get his second shot and then a booster so there will be no further snafus. My guess is that having screwed up his courage to get the first shot he hesitated over the second shot, and while he hesitated contracted covid. My inclination to bop an anti-vaxxer on the nose if I meet one has risen exponentially.

Clearing the Cultural Fog My flight touches down early. To my surprise the domestic terminal is a hive of activity, a striking contrast to the international ghost town. A lady from LimoPattaya meets me in a very nice car for a fast trip into town. I notice that only one of the many large advertising billboards by the highway is in use, the others forlornly solicit business with their phone numbers. I am enjoying lunch by the river when Bangkok Guy pings me with a photo of a doctor’s letter, which I take to the concierge for translation to ensure that it has all the information the hotel needs. Bangkok Guy has a habit of sending me documents in Thai as proof of various things, such as the Time Payment Tractor, and I have always trusted that they show what he says they show. This is the first time I have had anything translated. The letter says Bangkok Guy has had covid, is about to end his ten days quarantine but then must return home for a further four days self-isolation. This seems overly cautious to me, but clarifies why Bangkok Guy insists he has to go home after he leaves hospital. His unwillingness to enter the hotel remains a mystery. It seems the caution is justified. I ask Bangkok Guy if he would like to take a day trip to Ayutthaya. “I feel weak lately. Do not want to travel. So sorry.” Although he looks good on Line - he probably makes sure he looks good when I call - I should have been more attuned to his earlier comment ‘not good inside’. My guess is that he contracted the Delta variant which remains more prevalent in Thailand than Omicron. This means that it may take a while for him to be back to full health. The concierge tells me that Bamboo Bar is open and I celebrate my first evening in Bangkok by returning to that old favorite to sip a Sazerac while listening to a very enjoyable jazz vocalist. Bangkok Guy will enjoy this once he is free as he likes jazz vocals, assuming he feels up to going out. I only stay for the first set however as there is an almost full house and I still have a final PCR test to pass. Back with the front desk I discover why Bangkok Guy thinks he can only meet me outside the hotel. Contrary to my earlier conversation I am now told the hotel’s policy is double-vaccination only, no doctor’s letters (!!??!!#@%!) which makes sense of Bangkok Guy’s statement that he can only meet me outside the hotel. It seems the policy depends upon to whom you talk. This misunderstanding is corrected. Bangkok Guy will be welcome. In the slightly fraught period during which the misunderstanding is corrected, I contact four alternative five star hotels to secure a back-up plan. Two are very clear ‘double-vaccination only’, one is open to accepting the doctor’s letter once they have seen it and can verify its contents, and one is equally clear at the opposite end of the spectrum ‘we have no vaccination requirement’.

The Confabulation Tendency It is difficult to understand what is going on here. Why would the hospital require him to go home after ten days in quarantine? Why does he say he cannot see me in the hotel, when the hotel tells me a doctor’s letter is fine? Given the propensity of the human mind when stressed to automatically seek out a narrative which fits the ‘know facts’ – to make up a story to meet our need to feel we understand - I need to be very careful. My experience with Bangkok Guy, and the principal that the simplest explanation is most likely the correct one, suggest that what we have here is another example of linguistic/cultural fog. Something is lost-in-translation and I need to chill out and take time for things to become clear. Call this ‘Explanation A, Cultural Fog’. However, that simple direct piece of reasoning is insufficient to calm my mind and halt its search for pattern-fitting narratives. Soaring in flights of fancy, my mind constructs two ‘fact fitting’ narratives. The first of these, ‘Explanation B, It’s A Con!’ I have a sufficient grip on reality to dismiss. Beginning with the thought “Isn’t it odd that each announcement of not being able to meet came just at the last minute?”, in this narrative Bangkok Guy never had covid and never had any intention of meeting for any number of reasons which can be invented to propel the narrative. However, I think he has genuinely contracted covid. The whole thing is sufficiently elaborate and consistent that reality seems a much better bet than make-believe. Also, a complete con simply doesn't gell with my experience of Bangkok Guy, who is honest to a fault (I think?). In ‘Explanation C, The Curse of the Caring Falang’, Bangkok Guy has another Falang; contracting Covid has fouled up his careful management of his Falang; and he is now wildly improvising (for example, he tells me the hotel says he cannot enter, but the hotel tells me they will accept a doctor’s letter). This is a much longer narrative fitting many more ‘facts’. This trip has been in the works for a long time, plenty of time to develop a story for Falang #2 that he will be back in home village over New Year when he will actually be with me. In the initial discussion after he got covid his concern was canceling his flight to Koh Samui, nothing more. Meeting in Bangkok was good. It was only five days later that, in hindsight, his reluctance to go to the hotel ahead of me and the odd frustrated sticker he sent, signaled that something was off-balance (rather than simple frustration as I thought at the time). What has gone off-balance is that Falang #2 discovered he was in hospital and insisted that Bangkok Guy stay with him once he was released. The Curse of the Caring Falang! It is an old truth that the best lies contain a partial truth. However, my experience is that all our lies contain some truth as inventing a complete fantasy is just too difficult. Consciously or unconsciously, we incorporate elements of reality into our falsehoods. The piece of reality in Bangkok Guys’ story is that someone is saying he has to go home after leaving the hospital. The unreality is that the someone is the hospital. That Bangkok Guy may have more than one Falang is not ideal, but neither is it the end of the World. We have no agreement for, nor expectation of, exclusivity. His ideal Falang lives in Thailand and it is clear to both of us that this is not me. I am only in Thailand twice a year on average, two weeks of the four are business, so a maximum two weeks of his dedicated time. An entrepreneurial young man could utilize the other fifty weeks to his advantage. ‘Cultural Fog’ and ‘The Curse of the Caring Falang’ cast Bangkok Guy in very different lights. My experience of Bangkok Guy, and Occam’s Razor, suggest ‘Cultural Fog’ is the true situation here, but where emotions are involved (‘After all this I won’t see him!!!’) it is hard to clear the mind of a well-constructed narrative. I need to chill out and wait for Bangkok Guy’s response to my request for a doctor’s letter. ‘Cultural Fog’ will enable him to provide the letter. ‘It’s a Con!’ he cannot provide the doctor’s letter. ‘The Curse of the Caring Falang’ he will be able to provide the doctor’s letter but will not want to, resulting in improvised excuses.

Things Veer Further Off-Course I decide to spend my last day on Koh Samui dining at the two five star hotels that anchor each end of the beach. After a leisurely morning and strolling the beach I settle into a table next to the gently breaking surf and contentedly watch the World over a couple of glasses of pleasantly grassy sauvignon and a squid ink paella. After strolling the beach to settle lunch I am on my way to an afternoon massage appointment when Bangkok Guy pings me. He says he has talked to the hotel and ‘cannot enter’. I asked him yesterday to bring his vaccination card as the hotel now requires proof of vaccination. I call him and things only get murkier. He implies that he did not get his second shot. What?! However, as he has just recovered from covid this should not matter, and I tell him to get a letter from the hospital saying he is just out of quarantine as recent recovery is equal to a vaccination. There is a conversation in the background and he says no, hospital tell him to go home, cannot go to hotel. His response to my “but this is not the way it works” is “but this is Thailand”. He can see me outside hotel but cannot go into hotel. I feel sick. After all the effort to make this trip happen I will not spend time with Bangkok Guy?! Fortunately the ninety minute massage is very good and gives me time to clear my head and think. I call the hotel, explain the situation and ask what the rules are for someone just released from quarantine. They confirm my understanding: all that is required is a letter from the hospital saying he has had covid, has been in quarantine and has been released. No need for anything further. I send Bangkok Guy a Line message explaining what is required and ask him to get the letter. Then I head to dinner at the opposite end of the long white-sand crescent from lunch, where I enjoy a beautiful sunset over excellent Thai food. Next morning I catch my flight to Bangkok. Bangkok Guy is yet to read my message from the previous day.

Circumnavigating the Island My original itinerary included a rental car which Bangkok Guy was going to drive, an idea he liked very much. There was no flexibility to either alter the booking nor to get a refund, so on the fourth day I collect a car which I will be returning halfway through the rental period. The things forbidden in the rental contract include smoking, animals and durian. The partial saving grace is that I can drive myself to my day-5 PCR test at Koh Samui hospital, avoiding having a taxi wait for me, the cost of which is equivalent to two days car rental. Driving on Koh Samui is very easy and my little car is the right size for the narrow roads and right-angle bends – literally a right-angle in an otherwise continuous stretch of road. After the PCR test – efficiently organized on the hospital’s tennis court – I have lunch at a very isolated beach restaurant that was recommended to me. Not a place I would have ever found on my own and excellent Thai food. I send a pic to Bangkok Guy who apart from being envious - "So Delicious" – is amused that the mild spice level is at the upper end of my tolerance. He likes confirmation of his ides fixes about Falang. My anti-clockwise circumnavigation of the island is singularly lacking in the picture postcard views which comprise one-hundred-and-ten-percent of Koh Samui according to the internet, guide books and advertisements for accommodation. Between the infinity pools of the hillside villas and the white sand beaches an ugly ring of random ribbon development encircles the entire island, excepting the South West quadrant. Think of the ugly bits of Pattaya (well, just think of Pattaya) stretched into a thin circle. I saw the villa I had originally booked and, now I understand the lay of the land, I am happy to be paying the premium for direct beach access.

Happy to oblige!

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.

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.

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).

I should have. Not all of us are as on-the-ball.

This will become clear from later posts.

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.

A few thoughts on wills from my own experience. * Minimize the chance of lawyers extracting more than a modest fee by make your will as simple, short and clear as possible. The more you get carried away trying to control every last detail and end up writing “The Soap Opera of My Final Testament”, the greater the opportunity you provide for snafus which the legal sharks will ruthlessly exploit for profit. Refer to Charles Dickens, Jarndyce v Jarndyce. * Ensure you have a good executor. This must be kept up-to-date as a good option when you make the will may not be a good option by the time you pass on, and this holds true as much for law firms and trust departments as for individuals. * Give copies of the will to the beneficiaries, at least the main ones. This ensures both that copies of the will are easily available and that someone will be on the ball and prod the executors to action. * It may help if one of the beneficiaries is a large entity with the ability to easily summon lawyers to ensure that things move efficiently. If this advice gives the impression that I have very little faith in the probity of the legal profession when it comes to the execution of testamentary wishes, that impression is correct. I do not think bequests are the best way to ensure you are remembered. The park near my home is dotted with decaying sculptures, fountains, horse troughs and dog water bowls erected by individuals seeking remembrance (and failing) and the storage of the art gallery is full of works donated in the fond hope of preserving someone’s memory, now out of fashion and out of sight. Short of doing something so awesome that it will be remembered down the ages (not much chance for most of us), our best hope is to have people we have helped during our lives, friends, and family in whose hearts a fond memory lingers for a few decades.

The joys of travel in trying times. Yesterday I decided I needed a backup plan in case test-and-go was terminated, so I contacted the owner of the villa on Koh Samui and asked if I could extend my booking forward a few days to enable me to switch to the Sandbox program. I was assuming the 7-day Sandbox was a safe bet. Not possible as the villa is not SHA+. Not to worry as there looked to be plenty of good SHA+ options available. I thought adding the flight to Koh Samui to my international ticket would be the big problem. To qualify for Sandbox the domestric flight has to be part of the international booking. So I planned to call the airline first thing in the morning as in my time zone their office was closed. Late in the evening before going to bed I looked at SHA+ options again and found they had shrunk dramatically on Expedia. Lots of 'you just missed out' notices on Agoda. A lot of people thinking the same thing as me? So I rang the airline's 24 hour desk in London. No problem adding the flight at all. The tough part turned out to be the easy part as the other bookings were painful to change. Everything was fully cancelable at no charge ..... except the quarantine fees at my first Bangkok hotel were not. Thai law. $180 gone. The Bangkok Airways flights were changable at no charge ..... but I ended up having to cancel and re-book as the on-line system could not accommodate the fact that I now only needed a one-way ticket while Bangkok Guy need a return ticket. $60 in cancellation fees plus waiting time on a long distance call attempting to get a customer representative to make the changes. Then there is a the cost of our new Koh Samui accommodation. Eye watering would be a fair assessment. 170% the cost of the villa, which was already a piece of self-indulgence. I had to submit the new arrangements to get a new Sandbox Thai Pass and luckily I did it straight away rather than leaving it until the morning. Almost instant approval. I guess a benefit of already being in the system. And now, after finishing my early morning calls, I log onto this Forum and find out that I would have been ok just leaving things alone. Ah well, rather an expensive insurance policy that you never use than an uninsured loss.

My hotel has an express option for an additional $70, 4 hours guaranteed. The total package - car from airport, testing and express results - costs around $180. The $110 car from airport + non-express test is the standard cost of the hotel's chauffered Benz, so they are not adding anything extra for the non-express test.

Go for a fast track opton. My hotel did not mention there was a fast track option when I booked. I only discovered it was available on a call with the conceirge. 4 hours guaranteed. All going well Bangkok Guy and I will meet over a late lunch. I agree with Vaughn that the Le Meridian is a great AUNT-free option.

This is very interesting. Is Pfizer generally available or only at specific locations? Do you know walk-in locations where it is available?

Very promiscuous. Available anywhere in person, but not on the apps, unless the app leads to an in-person encounter.

Some time in 1st quarter of 2022 for the first Moderna shot. Bumrungard are cautiously vague.

Thank you to you all for your information. I got in touch with the hotel conceirge and it seems for flights to Ko Samui you need to complete an information form before flying and wear a mask, but no vaccination check. Knowing which is no longer a priority for me, as Bangkok Guy had his first shot of Sinovac a few days ago. A friend had been vaccinated with no ill effects, so he screwed up his courage and decided to get vaccinated too. He Lined me announcing his decision with an implied question mark in the phrasing which looked like he wanted reassurance, so I called him and he was very happy to be reassured it was a good decision, he needed emotional support. He sent me a pic of his vaccination card and he will have had his second shot before I arrive. No ill effects or in Bangkok Guys words 'no pobpum'. He looks much happier now the stress of vaccinate / no vaccinate is over. It really had been weighing on him. Now that he is a 'old vaccination hand' he positively beams when I assure him I will get him a Moderna gift card from Bumrungard. With the arrival of Omicron I am very relieved that he made the decision.