inwardglee

A problem of the 50 percent discount is: at what discount will the hotel still break even? - Profit margins were not 50 percent before, and so I guess hotels will run into deficits at these rates. - Many will prefer to remain closed than running into losses. 

I have been riding motorbikes in Thailand since 37 years. And 35 years ago I had an extreme crash with another bike, one leg was cut through by the other bike, driven by a "farang" then on a sand road in Phuket (who did hit-and-run) and the hospital wanted to amputate my leg, but I made it back to Europe where the leg was saved. It is rather okay now, and I do not even limp, but the leg  has only got the inner part of flesh and might create problems into age. - I had a shock for some years, but then started again, and have been driving all the time, yet never feeling secure even with the best expertise to ride in Thailand. I have survived all the years, and I am fully aware it is not only by my driving style that I survived but also by sheer luck. - Still three bikes in the garage, large ones like a cruiser Honda CTX or a Yamaha XMax for the city, a tiny PCX for visitors. - All road trips had been done on them, but finally got to the conclusion I would not wish to tempt God any longer and got a car. Car driving is safer and yet also just hell, if being on some motorways, drove Ayutthaya-Pattaya last week, and I constantly see much madness that can also cost lives in a car crash. - If wanting to survive, need to be very awake and fresh in the head, very alert, in fact I have come to conclusion that only if being in the best state of mind I can hit the road also in a car. - I recommend to any foreign motorbike driver in Thailand to have doubts whether he wants it. If she or he is okay being dead or a cripple prematurely, they can do it, but please see that even small cars can be bought and they are still safer. The slaughter on the roads is immense, I believe it is between 30 to 60 people killed daily, and many more injured and crippled. - Thailand isn't the calm country anymore, it resembles China now, a country of full racing roads everywhere, and the time is gone for riding motorbikes except you live in the most remote corner, and even there there is the madness. - Please buy a car fitting your budget, and drive it with utmost care with no exception, if you don't like death nor being crippled. If not being able to give away the bikes, use them for small trips only, and then be aware at each moment that death can hit, be always aware of that even before the shortest ride. 

I have read through all the interesting replies and ideas. Need to apologise that I am not an English speaker by birth and my means of expression in English limited, but would wish to add what I think:

a) Medicaments won't do the trick. In fact they can do damage to the "patient". She may get fat by them and lose the bit of her self-confidence, yet a lack of self-confidence lies at the bottom of most "mental disorders". They are generally inherited, and the same pattern of the disorder has been obvious in other people of the family. It could even have appeared in an uncle or a grand-mother, and not directly from the parents, in which it did not appear. 

b) A mental disorder may be dormant in the best circumstances, and may get active in not the best circumstances. I once talked to a woman from the Dominican Republic, who got married to a European and then lived there in Central Europe. Only when she was there, she became schizophrenic, and was in clinics and got medication, that is all that clinics can do. When she was back home, a country with music everywhere, and with much dance, it disappeared. That means when she was in the right circumstances, she was healthy, and got sick in not the right circumstances only. 

c) The way that psychiatrists work with patients does not lead to health. They want to fit them into a certain diagnosis, and by the diagnosis give their medicaments. - But a real therapy would go into opening up the patient to say what really lies at the bottom of his/her mental suffering. Many women get depressed after birth, because they feel unfit for the huge task being a mother, a good mother. They feel jailed by the task. In Thailand, grand-parents often help parents to raise the children, or even they raise them fully, and do a job better than the real parents, not being under that pressure. 

d) It is often so that is very difficult to change a life situation. But only by changing it there would be healing. Many men take their lives because they feel unfit to do the huge work to earn money for the kids. They can't bear the task and get depressed and alcoholics. Even in that case, only if the life situation becomes one in which he or she can be at peace, there is healing. 

e) As conclusion, if I would diagnose any mental disorder in myself, I would ask myself: What do I dislike about this specific life situation in which I am caught, and how would it need to be so to make myself feel free.

That needs to be asked anyone who suffers from a mental disorder, and even if the solution looks hard or unfeasible, it is still a better one than remaining in that horror of the disorder. Solutions may look uncommon, but in fact the life situation leading to the outbursts may be unnatural. A couple living together 24/7 is such an example of an unnatural situation. The solution may be they live apart and just stay friends that meet each other at times. Then peace in the souls may come again. I would ask her: What would you wish to have in your life to feel good about it, and the solution will be to reaching that in some way. 

If your wife has got any interest in meditation, a retreat in a temple that practises "mindfulness meditation" (anupanasati), may help to give her clarity to what she really wants with her life. And that would be a starting point for finding solutions that would lead to a recovery. 

OP may pm me also for a direct talk to the matter. 

As it is now, there are two standards in Thailand, one for Thais and one for "foreigners". Thais travel, foreign residents can't. - As example, Thais can take any road into Mae Hong Son province to my information, but a foreign resident in Thailand needs to apply for a entrance permit and then can only enter through Chiang Mai where he might be put into quarantine, at the goodwill of a doctor, to be sent to a quarantine hotel, at the given fee. - By such rules, the lifestyle of foreign frequent travellers in Thailand is of course totally overthrown, and if these rules remain, the future of foreigners in Thailand would be in designated "safe zones" only, the time of road trips a thing of the past. 

Interesting to read how you spend your time through the year. - Myself not having been abroad since seven years. Though occasionally missing a trip to a different country, Europe or Africa, but then a bit lazy to board a plane and to not have the comfort as here. - In Thailand however often on road trips, and commuting from the East coast to the North twice a year, where I live in a hut for the rainy and cold season, in the midst of green, whereas I am in the midst of Wongamat towers in the hot season. - Often on remote roads, off road and mountains, and in remote cities or the countryside, that I like. 20'000 km a year or more on average, in quite a cool four wheel car that is light and fun to drive. 

Spent these last weeks indoors mostly, or then training my woman friend how to drive well, motorbikes and car,s. Was surprised to see the extremely low tariffs of rental cars, not imaginable, a great time to send the woman practising driving on her own, with occasional instructions. - Also cooking and baking new things, a hobby, and then on weekdays following the financial markets, stocks and some other items. 

But now badly missing hitting the road, hotels and restaurants, new places. 

1 hour ago, HashBrownHarry said:

Yes, i've travelled 1100kms in the last 5 days, going away again soon.

There's loads of cars on the road, it's nothing like it was 3 weeks ago.

The info above gave me quite some relief, and I will soon hit the road if that is so as said by HashBrownHarry to see what can be done presently. 

Is there another thread on the forum about just road trips in Thailand?

A similar example is East Africa with its East Africa visa, combining three countries. 

More of such will follow. An Indochina visa however is unthinkable at the moment, but would be extremely attractive to promote "domestic" tourism within the zone. A necessity now. 

It seems that Thais can drive in and out unhindered, Sukhumvit road is busy. - Are there any farangs here that have tried to pass a checkpoint? What are the proceedings with farangs, would they also be waved through like Thais? (Sorry if this has been covered before, I have just just read through diagonally ...)

Is nobody surprised that now that there is communication that Bangkok and the country altogether will gradually open up to some degree, there is still no talk of Pattaya opening up or removing the blockade of the city.

To my mind this city has had less cases than other places, it is definitely not a hot spot like Bangkok, yet the measures are strict, even overstrict, and there is no talk of opening fitness centers here again like in Bangkok, and the beaches like the parks in Bangkok, and above all the roadblocks.

Any ideas why there is this specifically tough treatment of Pattaya, and when that will improve? 

... and in the end all cities look precisely the same, we know how ... 

La Boulange at the third road 

https://g.page/LaBoulangePattaya?share 

makes puff pastry and much more on order. 

Order one kilo or 2 x 500 g, It will be rolled and packed. 

Take along a cool bag to transport it home, or it would melt rather soon ... 

I should renew my driving licence by end of month, fully aware that this is just a formal thing.

I am asking myself if the government might postpone such duties to a later date. - Of course such things like the 90-day-reporting are in the same category, a potentially "dirty" activity and could also be postponed. 

Is it true that a car accident insurance might not pay in case of accident if I don't renew the driving licence even in times of Corona? 

Subaru XV

Thanks guys, for your replies, I do not intend to rock the boat, and will receive and take what destiny throws into my basket. No matter if getting removed from the county, I would just need to get creative again about any other next destination if I am still alive. I speak Thai on high level, but I think I could also live within another sacred place, without speaking Thai.  

The soil and the worms and insects are sacred the same everywhere, so I think that if I am getting banned even myself from here they will be happy about my presence. I am more in appreciation to life than of the benevolence of any arbitrariness. 

onera1961, I fully understand that it "boggles" your mind how someone could miss it. It is in a way unpardonable, but if knowing the circumstances how it happened, it is understandable, and even myself I am still trying to digest and to explain how it could have happened. In case of severe accidents it will be called "human failure". 

It is by law-abiding people mostly for being concentrated and being deviated to other things that something urgent could get missed. My personal shock of course goes into right that direction, how can something basic and necessary be missed. 70 percent of accidents, my estimate, happen because something is missed, and I am of the mindset that NOTHING must be missed, not even cooking a meal, it will be ugly. In a worse case, accidents are fatal, because something was missed. I don't take the miss on the light shoulder. That is why I am digesting this here in public, to have other people think of misses, and how they happen. 

If getting into conflict with the law, which sometimes and often makes sense within the context of the specific country, it can happen by being used to other law from outside that specific place. That can be one reason, and in this case personally I could not imagine having an Elite visa that this yearly renewal was so essential, because it runs to the end of the year. In my perception it was just a detail, like the 90 day reports, that would be fined by 2000 Baht for missing it. So, like in a speeding accident, at the moment of the miss, the wrong-doer wasn't fully aware of the urgency of the rule. 

Being concentrated on other things: we were discussing since the beginning of the year about any renewal of the Elite visa, its different options, and we were fully focused on that.

I could give a reason in case of any accident how precisely it happened, it is the piece that is not under control, called human failure. It happens if the mind gets pulled away from the essential to the unessential. My personal mind and sense of responsibility does not allow any misses, but here in this case it was pulled away to other things, and so also the one of my partner.

Personally I was fined two times by immigration earlier. One time by use of credit card that ran on the account and the amount necessary was once in one day not reached. After that I opened two accounts, and the credit card was on the second account, same since then. 

Another time, I had believed that the yearly renewal of the visa would go together with the 90 day reports, but I had been outside the country and renewal was on another day, and it cost me 30 days times 500 Baht, so 15'000 Baht. 

In my case the amount of fines does not hurt so much, more the thought something stupid has happened. 

In a first reaction yesterday I found the fine overdone for such a miss, but now having gotten the clear statements from Immigration above, about the maximum fine, I am half as annoyed as yesterday. I had thought it was an arbitrary fine, but it isn't. 

I hope that none of you honourable guys will have a miss, now or later. One thing is clear, no mercy here if being an alien. The law will hit any alien clearly right into the face for any little miss. 

8 hours ago, jackdd said:

A bit strange is that they let her go.

 

Thank you for your reply, I got a big piece of info by it. 

What I needed to know was perfectly answered by your post. 

May I speak of a little occurrence that happened just today, as for the Thai elite visa.

I am a Swiss, speaking basic English, so please forgive me any mistakes. 

I have lived with my partner for six years now, she is from abroad, not a Thai, and after the first year of education visa I was up for another better solution, which was the Thai elite visa for her. 

In the time here she studied many things, she speaks Thai and German both fluently by now besides her original fine English, she did trainings in yoga and is a certified yoga teacher and a Thai massage practitioner on high level, and a number of other things that could be said. 

Today, we had to report for our 90 days, and the Immigration at Jomtien found on her Elite visa that she would have needed to travel out or renew her visa in April, despite her five year Elite visa. She was not even told this on her last reporting. And for failing to comply with this, as she and me had simply forgotten about that more duty other than the constant 90 day-reporting, she was fined for 20'000 Baht, which we should now deliver on Monday. 

My question as stupid farang is now: is this normal that someone gets fined 20'000 Baht for having a miss? She is having a Thai Elite visa to the end of this year, but only missed doing the once a year report, and then this costs 20'000 Baht? Is this an arbitrary fine or the official tariff? 

I would wish to hear what you guys say, may be with similar experience. 

Hi you all, I stay at large condo in Pattaya, and yesterday all owners of condos here were informed that we need to report foreign guests to immigration who stay at our places within the 24 hours after their arrival, and if we failed doing so, we would be fined 8000 THB. Now, this information is also attached on all entrance doors.

The Juristic Manager told me she had gotten this request from an immigration officer. She did not know of any fines given as yet.

I find this request not convenient. It occurs my daughter is on a short visit, just as example, and I would need the first day to do the tour to immigration to fill in TM30.

Have any of you also recently gotten such a request?

Do Thai people also need to do that? My daughter also visit her Thai relatives near-by, spontaneously and for just a few nights there. I think they would not bother to race her to immigration just on arrival.

I thought the chance to get reported if failing is not too big, so I would probably risk paying the fine.

Of course the request reminds me of some stiff countries, like Russia, where every night must be reported, even before the journey ...

It is hard now to get visas to Thailand for any citizen of an African country, also ED visas. I have taken quite some time to check on this and found that the Elite visa is the only possible way, but that one works as smooth as silk.

I have read through all above statements, and have not understood yet one question: Can this 5-year Elite visa be renewed after five years, or would it then need to be a 15-year visa for 1.5 Mio. THB?

That is good news. It means that even Thai people are getting bored of this kiddish festival and don't see a reason to travel for it, but to dig themselves in to not become victim of aggression in disguise.