rickudon

Print outs are more convenient and easier to read than a phone. Also what happens if your battery is dead? Phone stolen? When i returned 2 weeks ago i checked in at Heathrow and presented each document in turn, girl was very efficient and all done in 2-3 minutes. Had to repeat in Amsterdam and there was an enormous queue, on average it was taking more than 5 minutes a passenger, with quite a few being denied (and arguing about it). I presented all the correct documents and accepted in about 45 seconds. It took about 2and a half hours to check every passenger (4 separate checking desks) and the plane left over one hour late. At Suvarnbhumi also checked in about 2 minutes - immigration no queue and had to wait half an hour for the bag!

My daughters school (St. Marys) does alternate days, so 2 days one week and 3 the next, started last week. The Base condo has been around for a couple of years. Still haven't kicked the jetlag since getting back 12 days ago, slept for 3 hours this afternoon. Never used to have this trouble. Something completely different - do not think i have ever seen a jigsaw puzzle in Thailand, so i brought one back for my daughter. She did it in about one hour.

I like the A380 - smoother flight and quieter (the insulation in the body shell is thicker). And they stock Cointreau for my after dinner liqueur!

I returned on 2nd November, with COE. I originally left in July. Ticket Bangkok-Heathrow return with KLM - cost about 29000 baht. Total costs. 3 domestic flights in July Udon-Bangkok (the first 2 cancelled!). Cost about 2,500 baht. 1 overnight hotel stay in Bangkok in July - 700 baht. Pre-flight PCR test - 4900 baht. 2 home PCR tests in July - about 3900 baht. Return - PCR test for return in October - about 3900 baht again. Covid insurance - 7400 baht (3 months) 7 day quarantine hotel - released after 1 day - 4200 baht Taxi and flight to Udon - 1400 baht So, total roundtrip cost was under 59000 baht. The PCR tests were about 15,000 of that. Not exactly extortionate (except the insurance and PCR tests), although Covid testing is getting cheaper now. The quarantine hotel was excellent and service very good. Cost of stress with test timings, lockdowns, cancelled flights to rebook, COE only arriving 3 days before flight - definite damage to health.

Haven't spent any time in the EU for about 8 years, except for a short city break in Amsterdam - I thought that was a bit expensive. In the UK, main issue is ....... housing. In the South east any house will cost more than 1,000 GBP a month - that is 70% + of my pension, without bills. I would be homeless. I might be able to rent a room, but that is not a lot cheaper - my son had to pay over 900 GBP a month in London; with housing related bills that was more like 1100 a month. Having just spent 4 months there, i had to spare room surf between relatives and the ex-wife, but no-one has much space. Otherwise the UK is not to bad, for a pensioner. Free Bus pass (no car), Senior discount railcard for longer trips and the NHS, even though somewhat dysfunctional due to the pandemic. Avoid any paying social events or eating out if possible. Apart from my room (which i paid something for) i could live on 100 GBP a week quite well. if for some reason i had to leave Thailand (e.g. serious long term health issues) that transit van and a mattress may be my only option!

Also bare in mind that selling houses is not as easy as in the farang world. Sometimes houses stay empty for years, unless selling at a big discount. Also inheritance to a non-Thai can be an issue.

Same for me. Got the car in February, took until October to get plates. Never had any problem with the cops ..... but when i lost a number plate a few years later, picked up straight away. Often still takes a few months to get your plates, so frequently see new cars without them. Never heard of anyone having trouble. Ironically, have heard of people with red plates getting fined!

Misinformation. Once Covid-19 is endemic in your country, and you test all incoming travellers, inbound international flights are irrelevant as a source of the virus.

Never flown or left the UK until i was 22. Got made redundant, and next job was in Libya for the oil industry. After that travelled a lot except while raising a family in the UK. So - work - UK, Libya, Australia Family - UK, Ghana, Thailand Pleasure - France, Spain, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Malta, USA, Dubai, Singapore, Laos, China and Hong Kong.

And in the same week, a forest officer in Thailand famous for catching illegal loggers was moved to an inactive post. Obviously some of the loggers were better connected than he was........

These 'absconders' do not actually run up a massive hospital bill overall - when it was first brought up 2 or 3 years ago the total worked out as less than 30 baht per 'tourist' (i.e. airport passenger). I understand the government was adding another 100 baht levy to a passenger ticket soon anyway. Medical costs - not many can afford private health insurance premiums when you get older anyway. Have one friend who is 84, with a few health problems - couldn't get insurance if he tried. He does have money though. Another is 74, used to have BUPA, but after a couple of hospital stays in his late 60's they doubled his premium when he got to 70 - couldn't afford it anymore. Like has been suggested, if the government offered a reasonable rate for access to the Thai state health system (at least for those on extensions) i think the take up rate would be fair. Even when i was under 60 and i tried to get health insurance here 10 years ago they wanted 25% of my pension. Just gouging. My total Thai health costs in 10 years have been about 1500 baht...... It will go up, but at least i have some money in the bank now.

To my surprise my flight today was half full. Was an issue at Amsterdam with document checking, Many people didn't have correct ones and the flight ended up one hour late. Suvarnabhumi was a bit busy, especially many in arrivals hall waiting for their hotel transfers.

I was there today - saw maybe a total of around 1,000 or more passengers, 200 on my flight at least. Health check processing was efficient, but held up a lot of people, and some were transiting. Immigration itself was quiet (no more than 2 people in a queue when i got there). The arrivals hall was pretty chaotic, hundreds waiting for vans to their quarantine hotels, had to wait as my hotels van was full, they had to order another.

15,000 in the first 5 days of November - very likely, My KLM flight was half full today and easily over a 1,000 passengers at Suvarnabhumi while i was there - the arrivals hall outside baggage reclaim was packed with people waiting for their quarantine hotels.

I arrive on Tuesday, hope they have ironed out the bugs by then! 63 passengers per flight seems about right, or even hopeful. Just picked my seat and only about 10% so far booked.

saw a program yesterday that picked out Thai Airways, Garuda and AirAsia as the 3 most indebted airlines in Asia, bankruptcy is quite likely. Suggest you use your credits soon, and only book new flights by credit card (which gives you some financial protection}.

5 days for pre-approval, 2 hours for final approval! I was panicking a bit on tuesday, but pre-approval at lunchtime, and final approval at 4 p.m. There was an issue with the filling in flight information, got to confirmation and details of airports missing, Just typing in the information didn't actually load it, you had to collapse the options back to minus or something, took me 3 or 4 attempts to get it right. Just edit again until it is. Have just had PCR back, so i fly tomorrow!

The OP did leave his COE entry until a bit late. I applied for mine 10 days before flying, took 5 days to pre-approval, but only 2 hours from second upload to approval! I think the first stage is done in Thailand, not the embassy. Calling the UK embassy is a waste of time, always 30+ in the queue. To many people confused as to what is happening, and calling up.

Oh dear! Didn't think there were many denialist dinosaurs left...... Do some proper research.

"I'm a friend of Bob, he recommended the fishing here". I ended up as the fish......

I used to use Dateinasia 12 years ago. OK for the more mature women. Just set up a profile, and let the girls do the work! Got enough responses that you could filter them and end up with about 4 possibles. I was looking for 30-40 year olds. I did find 2 who were OK, not scammers, and one was definitely a keeper. But married a girl who ran a fishing park and restaurant instead. I was also looking at an Isaan area, so less 'professionals'.

Hasn't stopped there...... The Kitchen/dining room was completely gutted and rebuilt in 2017 and the lounge in 2021 (yet another topsy project, new doors, walls windows and a verandah added). Then i wonder where all my money has gone!

Then in 2015, a roof replacement was re-interpreted to a complete rebuild of the second floor by the wife!

Then end of 2014, the house repainted again....

Then the updates began....... A new floor for the lounge, because the floorboards were all coming loose (joists rotten). Then clear the garden..... IN 2013, derelict extension converted into our bed-sitting room, and a new coat of paint for the house.