geisha

Older people can be abused easily. There s’ an old gent in my ex condo, ( moved out) as mad as a hatter. He has a great 3 room corner which must have cost a bit. I always felt so sorry for him, tried to speak, but he only mutters in maybe Swedish . I have no idea how he manages alone.

But no news yet of eventual Covid tests/ travel insurance yet ? 
( apart from the 300 B tacked on to flight tickets)

When I lived in Phuket, a lot of the beach area backed onto forest/jungle.

most of my neighbors  had a long Bamboo stick with a forked end to catch snakes. 

France has just announced that the French can go on holidays in July and August, in France and the French Caribbean. Which obviously means there are no long haul flights except the above. I didn’t hear mention of French Polynesia which might interest me for later. Otherwise, for the moment , we are not allowed to go further than 100 Kms  from our home. 

No point really in dreaming up silly ideas at the moment. The world has to wait until things get better. Russia, US, and most of Europe have closed borders. Everyone is being discouraged, advised, to stay in their own countries this summer. I can see the EU Shengen countries opening up their borders between each other, allowing EU  members  only to travel within. But that’s not going to happen soon. Our healthcare system ,arguably the best in the world, allows us free health service in those said EU countries. 
I rather think that it’s only going to be a certain age group ( older) that are going to be desperate to get back to Thailand, and the very young and back packers who don’t much care about good advice, and are ready to take risks for some exciting travel.

New Contagion figures from Wuhan made the news this morning here in France. 

I think that this 300 Baht is meant to pay the hospital bills of tourists (!!!) falling ill in Thailand .Details not known. In reality, it will be a huge rip off,

added on to the plane ticket no one can complain. Also who really believes that hospitals will accept tourists arriving sick from heart attacks, accidents, food poisoning, anything!!! and not charge them a baht ??
If they want tourists to pay travel /health insurance, they just have to ask them to present the coverage on arrival.

6 hours ago, at15 said:

Philippines is opening up to international travel tomorrow. countries will be opening much sooner than you think.

But who can travel, closed borders and long haul foreign travel restrictions ? And who would want to ? 

Some of the bigger hotels in EU will not be opening this year. They have a huge payroll , and it’s very unlikely that they would break even. A friend of mine has a well known restaurant, he will not be opening . The wages and social charges in EU are very high. Maybe it would be easier in Asia with low pay jobs, but only if the tourists come. 

You have only got to look at Jomtien beach after the weekend , trash everywhere. And the new prom is ruined by food stains, even Thais bringing their BBQs. You can hardly walk on it evenings. People go home  in their music blasting pickups and leave their rubbish right there. Disgusting.

Black is Black for my first party, Los Bravos, 1966. 

Whatever, don’t worry, you’ll get your money back. There are EU rules and I think( ?) IATA . All airlines are in a terrible state at the moment , imagine the money it’s costing to keep all those planes grounded ? So things might take a bit longer than in normal times. Personally, never had a problem with BA tho I do use Emirates for BKK. Also, as said many times, always !!! use a credit card to book a flight, and lots of other things of course. 

Have only one entrance to malls, close the others. The checks we are used to as nearly the same as with terrorist precautions. 

20 hours ago, Greenhill said:

Has he got any idea how malls would control a maximum number of people entering, when they've probsbly got a number of entrances?  Also how would they control the 2 hour time limit?   Solutions will be most interesting, I'm sure!

It’s already being done in EU where huge supermarkets have a queue outside, 1 meter apart, ( respected) I don’t know the system, but looks to me by 50 clients in, Wait for 50 to go out, repeat. In a mall , you’d just have to let say by a hundred, or whatever. 

I don’t think it will be Thailand pulling the strings . Borders are closed for the near future in Europe , Russia and US., and I don’t think international travel will be possible soon. As for Covid health passports or whatever, no one is going to accept that. Travel insurance is also going to be a problem. My idea is that this summer and autumn most people are staying in their own countries, or neighboring ones. 

The bar areas like Walking street attract lots of visitors , often tour groups  with the guy with the flag in front, just to see the scantily clad girls and the excitement of somewhere which is forbidden in their lives. Every city has a similar area, Amsterdam, Soho, Reeperbahn , Bangla road etc . Those visitors don’t spend anything just goggle at the naughtiness . I think the OP has good reasoning, maybe not out of the city, better access, but a bit more out of the public eye. Boyz Zone could also go there, you have to admit, these places are an eye sore in Pattaya ! They really don’t need to be where they are. Walking street with clean  indépendant  restaurants (. Not the rubbish chain ones you see everywhere) a bit more upmarket , they will attract people in the right setting. Shops, no indépendant fashion shops anywhere ! All my years in Phuket or Pattaya, I’ve never bought a dress or other fashion , it’s all the same rubbish sold everywhere . Terminal 21 has great ones on the top floors , but a city center needs shops. That’s why tourists spend so much time in the two Malls , there’s nothing elsewhere in town! ( doesn’t mean to say you can’t have some nice bars with pretty girls where everyone can have a drink ) .

Pattaya could have a nice look instead of a sordid one. 

In and around the waterfalls on Phuket, Kathu , I think, the first time I heard them it was like an electricity overload and I was fully expecting something to explode overhead. Fantastic creatures.

Thailand will never recover if they fill it up with Chinese. Or, go full steam ahead and have only Chinese tourists ! 

I would like to have a safety guarantee that all Thai who work in the food/ hospitality industry wash their hands after using the toilets. 

4 hours ago, OptimisticAndy said:

There's a good chance of that. But as said.... previously I have been able to shift dark circles / bags with a few good night's sleep, eating and exercise etc. Since this lockdown they have definately kicked in. 

Are you exercising ? Eating properly, drinking 3 L of water a day, no tea / coffee/ caffeine after 5 afternoon ? If you have the chance to go to Boots chemist, they sell little masks that you put in the fridge, use them one or two times during the day, morning , before you get up for instance, lay there for 10/15 mins relaxing, they decongest you’re eye bags. Feels great too. Plus a good long walk every day.