bermondburi

You can't quarantine in HH because it's outside the 2 hour zone, so stands to reason hotels won't have many tourists apart from people living in Thailand 

18 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

I did not say that I knew my way around everything.

So can we agree that generating QR codes linked to government websites, photo ID, ID numbers, and Passport numbers, and then managing to alter one's appearance is impossible then??

????????????

3 hours ago, possum1931 said:

Nothing is impossible, there are always ways round things, and that is in any country. All anyone can do is try and make it harder for the bad guys.

Okay then. Tell me how you'd do it then. 

On my vaccine cert there is the usual information about the type and date of the vaccine. 

There is also my picture.

There is also my ID number.

There is also my passport number.

There is also a QR code.

Scan the QR code and it goes directly to the government MOH website for electronic validation, where all the above information is available to view. 

So what's the way round all that then?

5 hours ago, EricTh said:

 

Did you not read there are many breakthrough cases in USA, UK and Israel? You can google for it or watch in Youtube for the evidence.

 

Vaccine doesn't prevent you from being infected, it prevents you from being hospitalized with severe illness.

 

What is important is that all the passengers were supposed to be Covid negative when boarding the place.

 

It goes to show that negative Covid cert & fully vacc cert can be bought or faked.

In my country it would be impossible to fake the vaccine cert. I can't see how anyone could do it. 

10 hours ago, alyx said:

Sorry but this is not a step in either directions: they are just renaming/rebranding a very difficult path for those who want to get back to Thailand and an impossible one for the real tourists. Those who have come back and will come back under this plan are not regular tourists. Sincerely, I do not see the difference between the ASQ and the sandbox from a financial point of view, nor withstanding the three tests imposed ... although I reckon that it is better to spend a couple of weeks outdoor 

Difference is anyone can do ASQ, only 70 countries eligible for Sandpox.

Try letting more than the current 70 nationalities in if they want more people 

For older folks maybe goals are less important, but if you're younger......

......5 year plan goals set 100% 

Seen too many younger guys, by this I mean 30s and 40s, drift through life in Thailand without any apparent aims. Okay for a few years maybe, but not when you wake up at 50 and it's all too late to have the wherewithal to do anything. 

It's good to have some get up and go about you and not be afraid of some hard work to make your dreams come true.

Report to the police and don't expect anything. Don't go up there.

Life is often about compromise. At today's exchange rate I'm earning 235k Baht a month. If I got this salary in Thailand for sure I'd be there, but I don't so I'm not. But I believe it's worth it so we can have a better future in Thailand later. 

The grass isn't always greener.

6 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I seem to remember some "doomsayers" (not my word!) were predicting a far worse doomsday scenario, on a par with India.  At least we can be grateful they were wrong about that.

If anything, if you allowed for population difference, today's figures for deaths in Thailand are far worse than anything India had. 300+ dead in Thailand equates to 6000+ dead in India. 

20k cases = 400k cases and so on....

On 5/31/2021 at 11:14 PM, bermondburi said:

 

 

I'm living proof of that. Currently earning 215k Thai baht a month at today's exchange rate in Saudi. I left because I was never making enough in Thailand to provide for my future. Different people have different priorities at different stages in their lives. I think for many Thailand based teachers, the Middle East has little attraction, due to real or perceived issues regarding availability of booze and women. Plenty of both though if you know where to look.

 

 

Good question. After 9 years in Saudi I would say that food costs are broadly similar. They used to be cheaper in Saudi. Gas is now about half the price it is in Thailand, it used to be 4 baht a litre! Housing costs are probably more in Saudi for somewhere decent off compound. You could go cheap but you really don't want to do that unless you enjoy living in Pakistan. I have never worked in Saudi where housing was not provided, as in I went from the airport to an apartment or house that was mine to use. Clothes used to be cheaper in Saudi, my wife now tells me that they're pretty much the same. VAT at 15% was introduced a while back which was a big leveler, although there's still no tax on income.

 

 

Congratulations on being able to use Google. 

 

Having lived in both Riyadh and Bangkok, I do wonder where the information for those rental amounts came from. As I said above, you can go cheap in Riyadh, but you don't want to. Dubai it ain't.

 

 

Just have to know where to look. Funnily enough nights out on compounds were often very cheap because it's more BYO bottle round the BBQ or pool, then rooftop bars. Filipino would be the way forward for those with the yellow fever. 

 

 

Those numbers would be bottom feeder type jobs mostly, like a 30-35k job in Thailand. 

The real money would be in O+G and military type gigs. 6-8k usdpm would be standard, and a real top earner, and hardly any would make it that far, would be on 10k a month. That would likely be after quite a few years served though. 

Due to baht depreciation and a payrise, salary now at 235k a month. 

Yep, don't miss the Thai school.

Sooner we get rid of the military junts the better.

https://www.freemovement.org.uk/how-to-apply-for-a-visa-as-the-parent-of-a-child-in-the-uk/

So I just found this which would suggest that the parent route is not an option as we're still in a relationship, although we don't live together:

As stated in the Home Office guidance on this visa:

The parent route is not for couples with a child who are in a continuing genuine and subsisting partner relationship together. Applicants in this position must apply under the partner route where, or when, they are eligible to do so, or under the private life route. An applicant cannot apply under the parent route if they are or will be eligible to apply under the partner route,

So does that mean we'd have to all go together to the UK, and if so, I have to remain in the UK?

1 hour ago, Tony M said:

You're in a grey area here, bordering on possible abuse of the immigration rules. 

 

 Your wife has no real right to accompany or join her children in the UK to live if she could qualify to go to the UK as your partner/spouse.

 

To qualify as a partner or spouse you should both be intending to live together permanently in the UK. It sounds like you have no intention of doing that. 

correct, and as such she can't apply that way.

 

Your children, being British have the right to live in the UK, be educated in the UK, etc, but your wife is not British and has no such automatic right. Now, if you divorce her, that could be a different story. Or, you could go to live with your family in the UK, pay UK taxes, etc.  I have simplified the whole thing, but, essentially, I think the above is correct.

I'm kind of confused about it. I'd happily have her apply as a spouse, but for sure that would be misreprenting the situation as we don't plan to live together in the UK. I'd continue where I am and visit regularly. I don't qualify as a UK resident. 

I know that people can apply as a parent if the children are British and under 18 because I was reading about it on the UK. gov website, but I'm just trying to work out how they do it in practice and how it all works. 

Looking for my wife to move with my children to the UK. I won't be going as I work in the Gulf. 

1) is this doable?

2) would be going the savings route so can the money be in my bank account in the UK, or does it have to be in her bank account in Thailand, or something else?

3) do the children have to be living in the UK before she applies or can they all go at the same time?

Kids are British, will be 15+16. We're still together but haven't lived together properly for 3 years as I've been in the Gulf. Does that even matter as she'd be applying as a parent?

TIATVF.

On 8/3/2021 at 4:25 PM, atpeace said:

Never said any thing that resembled your rambling.  What I did say is this is it is a once in lifetime opportunity to experience Thailand without over the top tourism.  Miss the gym, restaurants and the constant hustle but it is what it is at the moment.  Decided to take advantage of what opportunities were available. 

 

Visited places that I gave up on years ago because of huge crowds. Experienced Thailand's beautiful mountains and resorts with few to no tourists.  Been a blast and  met a beautiful woman before leaving that has been with me from day 1.  Yes, it has been a dream year.

 

You state you know how to avoid crowds?  The above activities you mentioned make me doubt this but why not just state you like crowds? Time and place for everything.  

 

I'm confident you will get your wish.  Mass tourism will most definitely return and I'll still be having good times.  Cheers!

Absolutely a good time to travel. Pictures are of the Emerald Cave and beach just next to it in Koh Mook, Trang province in January  It's normally heaving. We were the only people there. 

A fantastic time to have a place to yourself. 

4 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Happy sandbox holiday to those who spent all that money and jumped through all those hoops. My question to you is was it worth it?

I'd still do Phuket if possible. And yes, it would be worth it. Still better than ASQ in Bangkok.

52 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Zanzibar is thriving couple of my friends went there and said it's full of Russians I dont mind a few Russians birds walking up and down the beach

Once you get out the resort Zanzibar is a hole 

3 hours ago, SomchaiCNX said:

I agree with that, jail is waiting for him.

 

 

Nah, he's gonna sort everything out and fix the country. 

4 minutes ago, Artisi said:

Thaksin - you jest. 

It's Thaksinomics.