Ruthrieston

When I got to Heathrow ready for my flight to Thailand I would always treat myself to a seat at the Champagne bar to indulge in some smoked salmon and a few glasses of Champagne, a great start to my holiday!

Having retired (not voluntary - another story) in 2011, forced to sell my flat in London because I could no longer pay the mortgage, I made the decision to move to Thailand. The day after the UK voted to leave the European Union the exchange rate dropped from 56 Baht to the pound to 36 Baht!!! Currently it has crawled back up to 44, but that drop in value really hurt me, and is still bad. In addition the UK delayed the age when you can receive the State Pension and I must wait until I am 66. As to the issue of Health Insurance, I was fortunate to get that but the cost increases sharply as I age, and last year I chose to reduce the level of cover as I could not afford the increase. Threats by Immigration to demand outpatient cover as part of the required package would cripple me, but so far doesn't apply to my Non-Imm O visa, but who knows what they will hit us with next. Now I would fly back to the UK just to get access to the vaccine against Covid if I could afford to.

The absolute chaos and confusion around the distribution of the vaccine in Thailand will undoubtedly delay the reopening. As an over 60 with diabetes I am really concerned about how the virus is spreading here now.

Thank you PeterRS for your kind and generous comment. But for me there was a real heroine in the UK who transformed how people regarded people with HIV, Princess Diana. The very well publicised visits which the Princess made to HIV/AIDS wards in London Hospitals changed things amazingly. In the early days of working at St Stephen's I remember on the long ten hour night shifts we would telephone other specialist wards. Calling the HIV ward at St Mary's, Paddington regularly I heard that a certain young lady had again sneaked up the back stairs in the early hours, and was sitting with one of her friends as he was dying. The Princess did this many times and the press never caught her. When Princess Diana came to open our new Outpatient HIV Clinic she met all the important people and spent about ten minutes with them in full view of the photographers and cameras, then walked through to where the patients who were fit enough to be there and closed the doors and then spent the next hour or more with them in private. It was the many pictures of the Princess holding hands and embracing patients that showed people that they should not be afraid.

I qualified as a Registered Nurse in Aberdeen in Scotland in 1986 but there were no jobs to be had and I was forced to move to London where I went to work in the HIV ward in St Stephen's Hospital in Fulham. We had eighteen beds in small rooms and we had at least nine deaths every day, mostly young gay men. We had to receive and transport patients ourselves as the porters wouldn't transport them, also the bodies had to be prepared by us and taken to the mortuary by the nurses too. Those were the hardest years of my life and I too lost many friends and colleagues.

I think it is great to see the big increase in Tomboys in Thailand. I love watching them walking around large department stores holding hands with their girlfriends looking relaxed and happy.

One of the best things to happen in Pattaya in recent times is the arrival of Bolt taxi. The app on the phone is great and the prices are amazing. I used to pay 100 Baht to get from my place in Pratumnak up to Central Festival, now I go in an airconditioned car for sixty baht! I feel guilty not using my regular motorbike taxi guys, but in the hot and humid May weather Bolt is just wonderful.

August in Thai time means October if we are lucky! Form a queue "smelly farang".....

Thank you biguyby. Large numbers of the Thai workers fled Pattaya a long time ago, heading home to their families in the north east of Thailand mostly. Those who remain are really struggling, especially as it is now over a month since the bars closed down and now over two weeks since the restaurants and cafes were all forced to close as well. All we can do is be careful, stay at home and stay safe. The chaos and confusion over when the vaccine, whichever vaccine, might be available in the numbers needed continues.

It is sad living here in Pattaya now, when even before this latest serious flare up of the virus I was quite scared to walk around second road in the evenings, with so many businesses shut down and for rent/sale signs on so many buildings. Now I am staying home apart from shopping trips once or twice a week. Yesterday I went to Central Festival and while sitting on a bench sipping an iced lemon tea and reading my book, well away from anyone else, I had my facemask just hanging off one ear. Suddenly there was a handbell ringing in my face, and two young women in smart uniforms were challenging me, holding a handbell and showing a large sign explaining how to wear a mask properly. They walked around the building challenging anyone not wearing their mask properly, including those with it under their noses. Good for them! I had seen so many times farang especially, walking into the building through the checkpoints wearing a mask and as soon as they were inside they took the mask off completely. Won't be getting away with that now! With the extremely chaotic and slow roll out of the vaccine in Thailand it will be a long time before the borders can open again. With a death rate that held below 70 for over a year which is now over 500 people are scared more than ever.

As to when expats will actually gain access to any vaccine, who knows? At the extremely slow rate that the "government" of Thailand is crawling, I think it sounds like October at the earliest. The stated goal of vaccinating 70% of the population by the end of the year seems unlikely.

I for one would be very pleased to see the cancellation of the 90 day address reporting requirement. It simply makes no sense to me whatsoever. But I am not holding my breath. Believe it when I see it.

You are so lucky to have access to decent wine at sensible prices. In Thailand the wine is heavily taxed so very expensive, and often transported and stored in high temperatures so it is ruined anyway. As for the champagne........my favourite Veuve Cliquot goes for over 5,000 Baht a bottle! Just a bit too much for me on my little pension.

An old story from my past as a campaigner for gay rights. I joined the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence back in the early 1990's, when our Australian founder moved to London, Mother Ethel Dreads a Flashback, and started recruiting. I became Sister Immaculata Worksurface (Scrubber for short). Those were the days! Often at protests the police looked at us with utter confusion and almost never touched us! Sorry if this is too far off topic.

I agree with now. That beard looks great!

Lady Bunty Gintonic of Skechers

Here in Thailand we are in a sort of lockdown again, and the number of infections and deaths have become a great deal worse than we have seen since the pandemic started. Since I am in the high risk category due to underlying health issues and being in my sixties I am staying home most of the time now and some days it feels a little depressing. The confusion over when we will be able to access the vaccine, any vaccine, continues. The "government" may allow "smelly farang" to receive the vaccine free of charge, but you will not be able to choose which vaccine you receive. Clearly the private hospitals are being prevented from buying in their own supplies. Given all this chaos and confusion I cannot see tourism returning to Thailand this year. When I do go out shopping or walking I see more businesses closing down every day.

My worst ever experience was nine years ago. I was drunk, late evening, and I invited a young gentleman from a chat site to visit my condo. On arrival we were sharing a drink when his phone rang, he chatted a while. When I asked he said it was his ladyboy friend who was downstairs and she could wait for him. Of course I said, please invite her up and she can have a drink while we play in my bedroom. (Stop laughing you lot!). At some point I heard my front door closing, went out to find my laptop computer, iPod, speaker all missing. I went crazy, dragged the young man downstairs and asked our security man to help me. He berated my visitor and the call was made, five minutes later the ladyboy rushed past sitting on the back of another person's motorbike, and threw down a bag which contained my iPod and speaker, but no laptop which is what I really wanted back. So the police were called, a large fat gentleman bursting out of his brown uniform arrived and was informed by the security man what was going on. He took the young gentleman round the back, and when they returned the young man had quite a few cuts and bruises and a black eye. Another phone call and the ladyboy again raced past on the back of a motorbike and threw down a bag with my laptop inside. By now it must have been four in the morning and I was exhausted and just staggered back up to my condo. My big mistake was not rewarding the brown suited chap. The next day I rewarded our security guard, and asked him to pass a reward on to the brown suit. Never again have I invited an unknown person over late at night or after drinking.

I remember on my early visits to Thailand in the late 90's that a top would say "I king!"

Sorry ichigo, Super Isaan shut down several months ago, a big loss.

Last night I went to Alibaba Indian Restaurant on Pattaya Central Road, just up from Beach Road, and it was the best Indian food I have had in Pattaya. (Apologies, a bit far from Jomtien!).

Sorry to tell you that Akvavit shut down many months ago and shows no sign of reopening (Jomtien beach road, yes?). My two favourites are Natan's, opposite Jomtien Complex, on the road down to the beach, and Au Bon Coin. My favourite Italian was Carpaccio, opposite Natan's, but sadly that closed a couple of months ago.

Congratulations on the return of decency, humanity, respect and democracy. The world breathes a sigh of relief and draws a deep breath of hope.

I have lived in Pattaya for nine years now, and recently spent five nights in Bangkok so will add a little to this report. The new "Pride" bar in Soi 4 was really doing well, busy every night, with live music which was not deafening. The small "Connections" bar/karaoke place opposite was also doing well. I still feel loyal to Telephone Bar which I remember from my earliest visits to Thailand 22 years ago, when they still had those ancient telephones on each table and you could call over to another table if you felt like chatting to someone. I visited Patpong too, and sat at the outside bar opposite Dream Boys, just watching the world go by, and of course watching the young gentlemen arriving to work in the bars. Went into Dream Boys for the show, with about ten other customers. A good show culminating in the big cock show, with about nine taking part and looking very proud of their significant appendages. It must be hard work to keep that up with so few customers. The next night into Jupiter 2018 on Soi 4, where the show was also great, even a little more professional in their choreography, though no big cock show, but all the young men look like models, so handsome and muscular. Customers about fourteen or so. A great show, and where I sat I had a good view of the corner where the chaps do their exercise, pulling weights and so forth. That helps too! My last night I spent in the front of Telephone Bar sipping a bottle of cheap champagne, relaxing and watching people come and go, still a great atmosphere, but I do look forward (as I am sure the business owners do!) to the return of the big crowds. I might even treat myself to a better bottle of the bubbly to celebrate that! Hopefully by the middle of next year when the vaccine has been distributed across Thailand. For now I remain grateful for how well Thailand has dealt with the pandemic.