geisha

I thought the borders were still closed for Indonesia/ Bali and the the Covid problem is quite bad ? Having friends there I go often and have not heard of them letting in foreigners at the moment.

39 minutes ago, Airbagwill said:

I can't see how they cn be so sure - it has to be double blind tested - peer reviewed etc etc the quickest ever development for a vaccine so far was mumps - it took 4 years.

The difference with Covid 19 is that billions of $ have been given to the main laboratories, which, by the way, are mostly working together . All in the last 8 months. Of course they are testing , and of course the vaccin won’t be commercialized before having an international green light. Throughout the last hundred years , many sicknesses have been eliminated because of vaccins. Remember polio in the not so distant past ?Measles, mumps, diphtheria , smallpox, tetanus ,hepatitis B, chicken pox, and more. Of course, in poverty stricken countries the battle is still on . Laboratories today have the funds and the reasons to find this vaccine which will help the worlds economy to recover as soon as possible. Why would they risk failure ? 
The biggest problem is that the whole world has to be vaccinated , otherwise the pandemic won’t be erased. Countries with high or continuous cases will suffer. This includes a lot of the poorer countries and tourist destinations which investors and tourists will “ avoid like the plague”, an old saying which is valid today. 

A friend of mine who is French and married to a Thai lady, would like to know if he can get a marriage visa in France and fly back to Thailand ( he knows all the conditions ) even tho France is a high risk country at the moment ?. He’s tried the Embassy but hasn’t had a reply.

I don’t believe a word this government says. 

The whole story smells bad to me. I’m not sure I believe that 150 Chinese tourists are coming under those conditions ! Maybe business people, but, stay three months, poppycock. I smell a rat !

48 minutes ago, hashmodha said:

"Despite all this paperwork spokesman Natthaphanu Noppakhun said interest worldwide was rife"....

.oh my word! a Thai spokesman uses words like'Rife'!!!!......or was it rooof wrooof!????????!

Yes, he’s right, people are having a good laugh worldwide ! 

Hi grubman, I’ve looked up Mondial Visa. Have another look at post no 2 from ubonjoe who really knows his stuff.  I would deal only with the Embassy itself, if they won’t give you a non O , no agency will either. Some agencies are quick to promise the world and then don’t come through. From what another agency said they cannot do visas for Thailand because of Covid. If they could, we would have heard of it immediately. It’s been on the grapevine that Thailand might, big might, ease up restrictions a bit later. Whatever, you’re going to need a healthy bank balance. Good luck.

They have to blame someone.

400 000 B wouldn’t get you far if you caught Covid in Thailand.  Rubbish.

What is your nationality ? Careful with the Thai Embassy in France. They have a reputation of being really difficult. Which agencies do you mean ?

I would contact the head quarters of airlines to Canada. See what they say. Good luck.

5 hours ago, Jiggo said:

* Now was an appropriate time to open up to nationals from safe countries

 

What safe country's, oh yer Thailand, head in sand comes to mind lol

A good point. I’ve been chatting to my few friends who still spend a good few winter months in Thailand. They are mostly over 58/60 yrs old. Even if they did open the borders this high season, none of them would come. Why? Because no one fancies the long flight ( due to Covid worry), and also the thought of maybe catching the virus there . No one mentions what would happen if a tourist catches the virus while in Thailand. A long hospital stay probably in a private hospital ? The cost? Would the insurance cover it enough ? Could you get back to your home land easily ? Too many worries , so best to stay home where you know how you are going to be treated if ill. 

Unfair and libelous comments should be against the law. I have witnessed a man, who on being refused a takeaway , ( it was a restaurant and had no take away materials needed) screamed he would * let the world know what a bad restaurant this was and ruin them*.  He had been turned down very politely and there was no need at all for the scene he made in front of all the guests. There are people who are vindictive and are using the internet to vent their anger !!! By the way, he did what he menaced. 
Also, you don’t take a bottle of gin , or other drinks into a restaurant anywhere , corkage is quite usual. 

Been looking at the Caribbean myself for a few weeks away. B A has some really good prices on BA holidays. I might choose St Lucia , Rodney bay looks interesting and beautiful beaches.,I think lots of places are closed tho, but do deliveries. There are other Caribbean islands that are possible, I also think Belize is open. French Polynesia is open and it’s on my list, but as it’s quite an expensive holiday, I think I’ll,wait and not take any risks of having it cancelled. By the way, I don’t think it’s easy to get into Cambodia, a friend paid the 3000$ deposit but he has a business there. Would it be easy to get it back on leaving, not sure ! 

Question, where exactly are these licensed Thai travel agencies ? 

Any of those places mentioned would be good.  For  those who want a real town feeling, Phuket town is the only choice. Will you have a car or scooter ?  Otherwise getting around is difficult as there’s no good public transport outside of Phuket town. Stay somewhere a week or less and drive round to see which  resort village suits you best. Make sure you have a hotel or Airbnb with pool as the sea in this season can be rough. 

Cheapest here in EU, 30 € for pack of 50.  I think they’re making a healthy profit.

Loved your story ! I’m not an expat but spend quite a bit of time in Bangkok when there, and I do love a good cup of tea and a scone .I hope to be seeing  you sooner than later, good luck !!!!!