Enzian

Seemed to me Bangkok had only one relatively "cool" spell in Dec.-Jan, that came around mid-Dec. I had a plan to go to Italy in April to avoid the heat, but god knows how that all will turn out.

I am in Hanoi now as of March 1. I flew here on Feb. 25 on a Thai Airways flight arriving about 7:30 in the evening. Neither my temperature nor my general condition was checked in any way as I came through Immigration with a standard evisa (which involves one extra step in order to get the actual stamp in one's passport to enter the country-took less than 15 minutes). However, on the 29th I received a text message which I will type out: "Vietnam Ministry of Health: welcome to Vietnam! If you've travelled from an area affected by COVID-19, you are requested to complete a medical declaration form at the designated booths before the immigration counters. For COVID-19-related advice while in Viet Nam, please call the hotline..."  etc. etc. "or visit"...etc.  "You may also download the..." etc.etc. "app for more information. Stay healthy ad do your part in preventing and controlling the spread of COVID-19. Wishing you an enjoyable time in Vietnam." End of message, leaving out things I perhaps should not put here. I never saw the declaration form this is talking about, and the IO who stamped my passport said nothing about it. My Thai Airways flight back to BKK is scheduled for March 11. In the meantime, Vietnam claims to be currently clear of all active cases of the virus. I doubt I should  be worried about getting stuck in Vietnam, but 10 more days is enough time for anything to happen. I want to add that the old quarter is just full of western looking tourists; but as for Chinese, I probably can't tell them from locals so I don't know.

I just booked a flight from SFO to Rome on April 11. I'll stay a few weeks in Italy and then fly on to BKK, completing a round-the-world. UNLESS of course I'm ill or they ban people coming from Italy. I plan to spend the time in the central and south, and all the cases in Italy so far I believe are in the north.

First rule in Thailand: Always make sure you are worth more to people being alive than being dead. Otherwise, someone will find a way to make you dead.

What's the age cut-off for language teachers in Thai higher education? I'm 80 now. I have a PhD in English literature from the University of California at Berkeley with specialization in the English Renaissance and Shakespeare. I sometimes think about teaching a little here for the stimulation. But 40K baht? 

What would happen if Thailand would follow the example of Costa Rica, and have no standing army, just a nominal security force and national police force for those things which are absolutely necessary? Just think how that would attract the tourists.

I've had major ups and downs, but even when I was under the influence for years at a stretch I always lived within my means, and when I think why it was because of the influence of my father who was a penny-pincher who at the same time made a lot in business. I'm saying it is passed on generation to generation in most cases. Here in LOS it's the generation to generation culture, and if anything will ever change or modify it, it is experienced misery, not forgiveness. 

So was it a robbery or a burglary? If it was a bag snatch, then the former is the correct term after all. But carrying $6K equivalent on her person in a tourist destination?

23 hours ago, MJKT2014 said:

I have a yellow book and over 60yo. Is there a list of items to take along with me to get a pink card or does it depend by district office?

I can testify that offices vary a lot in the number of requirements to get the card. My ex-pat lunch group is mad at me because I got my pink card with the minimum of possible requirements, while others in the group were faced with longer lists of requirements.

That bit about "only species specified" could be a real catch. Of course it is hard for most people to tell types apart before they flower, but certain kinds of big juicy buds are impossible to disguise.

When I go for my evening walk when staying in Hang Dong Chiang Mai I have to carry a 4', 1 1/2" diameter club made from heavy bamboo, and on some roads it still is not enough. If four of them come at me at once there is too great a chance I would lose.

On 1/28/2020 at 6:30 PM, farmerjo said:

Has he forgotten his people.

Abstract

Slash-and-burn agroecosystems are important to rural poor and indigenous peoples in the developing world. Ecologically sound slash-and-burn agriculture is sustainable because it does not depend upon outside inputs based on fossil energy for fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation.

The ash from burning returns potash to the soil, but as anyone researched whether discing and turning under the debris has a similar, or at any rate useful, effect over time?

1 hour ago, SteveK said:

Haha, how can a doctor tell if it's a coronavirus or not just by looking? Laughable. You need to use PCR or an electron microscope to be able to distinguish the type of virus, I suspect he did neither.

Thanks for the comment, seriously. Makes me recall that she asked what countries I had been to recently, and I replied Germany two months ago. I think that's how she eliminated coronavirus from the diagnosis. But maybe the coronavirus symptoms are much stronger than what I am showing.

8 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

Did you happen to get the strain of that flu virus in the diagnosis? Just wondering if the flu shots would have been effective against it.

I was not told the strain because the doctor did not do any actual test beyond visual, throat, etc. As my son put it, the doctor was just making an educated guess; I have something non-fatal that doesn't warrant hospitalization and it looks like all the hundreds of other flu cases she sees weekly.

I was diagnosed yesterday with a "moderate" case of common flu that's going around Bangkok-doctor specifically said it is not coronavirus. As a result of this diagnosis I cancelled my flight scheduled for today from BKK to Calcutta aka Kolkata. Doctor thought that besides my weakness there was a chance I would pick up something in addition in India. And my thought was that if I showed up at Immigration in Kolkata with flu-like symptoms I could well end up in quarantine, not a pleasant prospect in India or anywhere.

People talking about Thai Air so I want to say that myself and the gf fly BKK-CNX (CM to you) a lot, and I still like Thai Air, but you have to try to book at least 2 weeks out if possible, and look at alternate dates. That said, those 1300 baht flights per way do seem to be getting more scarce lately.

In a week I'm taking Thai Air RT direct to Kolkata from BKK for $305, which I personally consider cheap. A couple of other carriers had similar flights for 60% of that but the arrival times were terrible.

Only read the short version, but why is Tesco less than satisfied with their business here that they would consider taking the cash and run? Are they just doing better in other countries? I like some things about Tesco, for example they have an in-country made granola that's reasonable and ok, and many of their wine imports are a much better deal than Tops--I hate paying those wine taxes to this government.

My biggest gripe, as a user of Costco in CA when I'm there, is that except for Makro, none of these places sell enough large economy sizes. And speaking of CA, when I'm at the north Berkeley Safeway I turn on the video of my phone and give a tour to my Thai girlfriend; it blows her mind, as it does mine if I've been away for a while. The place feels bigger than a city block.

17 hours ago, RasiMike said:

I work airside and often shoot at a range before I go to work. I have never tested positive even wearing the same clothing, without washing my hands and firing many rounds through handguns less than an hour before being swabbed. 

 

Thanks and that is good to know, since this very thing has made me nervous in the past. But it doesn't make me very confident that the swab tests are protecting us. I believe you, but if you are right then what are the swab tests even good for? And now reading the above, is there really that much difference between gunpowder and explosive powder? OK, different chemicals.

It's not just a single bullet to be careful about. What is one were to handle ammo or a recently fired gun the day of or day before a flight, and then got one of those swab tests at the airport, of one's person or luggage? 

I did exactly that about 8 years ago, for the same reason. The IO noted it to me, then went over to another desk, handed my passport to a senior female officer who glanced at it, initialed it somewhere and handed it back to the first guy who then without delay stamped me out. No fine.

1 hour ago, bluesofa said:

Which office was this?

I got the yellow book from Din Daeng amphur in Bangkok; the girlfriend and I live in her condo in that district. I go to Chaeng Wattana to renew my visa and get the multiple re-entry permit.

People say the yellow book is in fact useless, but last week when I applied for a multiple re-entry permit (after renewing my visa by reason of retirement) it really seemed at one point that showing my yellow book allowed the officer to dispense with asking for a TM30. And that was why I got it in the first place. It was not a difficult process, tho it took some time at the local amphur. The amusing part was when the officer and my girlfriend worked to translate both my parents names into Thai.

I understand the discontent with the present de facto form of government, but I also think the present form serves to protect the urban middle class (in Bangkok and elsewhere) from the probable excesses of the more numerous rural radical class, should it ever find another leader to represent it. IMHO the country-in democratic terms-is ungovernable. But also evolving. A youth movement needs to link up with other factions, at least for a while. Who would that be?