CG1 Blue

The rooms were about as basic as you could get, and it wasn't the best value in KSR. But it was the first hotel I ever stayed in in Thailand, and I stayed there a few more times just for old times sake. Shame it's no longer open. One of many businesses that have been crushed by the police state.

They should use this image in the tourist ads. Holidaymakers will be climbing over each other to get to Thailand! Bitter sweet seeing the D&D Inn green sign in the background. I stayed there a few times back in the day

I'd agree, but only when Thailand scraps Covid testing on arrival (+ expensive quarantine if positive) and scraps the Thailand Pass, and when they stop strangling the nightlife sector. If this ever happens then Thailand would be the automatic choice

The UK (a few weeks ahead of Thailand with Omicron) seem to be moving in that direction, thankfully. The former chief of the UK’s vaccine taskforce says the mass vaccination programme should end after the booster campaign – and Covid-19 should be treated as an endemic virus like the flu. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/covid-vaccine-flu-dr-clive-dix-b1989464.html

Makes you appreciate how relatively safe Thailand is despite all the poverty

Wow, just watched some videos of Madagascar nightlife. Never would have considered going there. That's the beauty of forums like this. Looks great. Those dangers you mention, I assume as a white westerner you'd be a target for armed muggers etc?

Sousa in DR, just watched a video. Definitely a contender!

That's a good shout, I'll look into DR ????

When I say risky I'm talking about the risk of being sent to quarantine at great expense for the majority of your trip. Most of the guys can only get away for 2 weeks

I'd like to go to Jamaica, but it's always had a reputation of being dangerous anywhere outside the resort you're staying at. Or is that a dated view?

So if it's the same everywhere, why not travel?

Yes I've considered Barbados. I didn't realise they had a test and go - so presumably it's just as risky as going to Thailand then, i.e. if you test positive you'll be quarantined.

I know Tenerife very well, and was there in November. It's ok for a break from the UK winter temperatures, but I don't really class it as tropical. Being volcanic the whole place seems devoid of any fauna and flora aside from cockroaches and cacti. Nightlife there is a little bit stunted at the moment. I don't know about the other Canary Islands. Madeira is showing max temps of around 16 degrees at the moment. Cuba, Columbia, Costa Rica, Mexico seem to be options...

Just did some searching. Cartagena is definitely on the shortlist! Thanks

I appreciate this topic has been covered a million times, but with the ever changing Covid picture it would be good to get some up to date opinions. My mate was planning to celebrate his 50th birthday in Thailand with myself and a few others. That was back in 2020. With the continuing risk of forced (expensive) quarantine upon arrival in LOS and no sign of the government's anti-nightlife stance changing, patience has run out and we need an alternative. The main asks are: - Tropical climate - Good nightlife options - Beaches - 'Friendly' females - Decent food - Jungles/wildlife/fishing etc (ok, this bit is mainly for me) - Direct flights from UK preferred Cambodia, Vietnam and Philippines all seem to have similar entry rules to Thailand at the moment, i.e. Covid tests on arrival followed by quarantine if positive. Costa Rica seems to be popular, but I watched a youtube vid of some guy going out for a night (I think in San Jose) and it didn't impress me, plus CR is quite difficult to get to from the UK. Thoughts?

One of the saddest things about this pandemic is seeing these kind of topics being raised, and all the bickering that follows. I wear a mask whenever required, and I've had all the jabs. But I don't don't get all worked up about what other people are choosing to do. Frankly I don't even notice if other people are masked up or not. Hopefully Omicron is the beginning of the end of the pandemic. But I do wonder about the long term effects for the more sensitive people among us. I.e. will they ever be able to live normally again.

Can you clarify this part please. 1 in 10 people who tested positive are severely ill? Definitely not. Or, 1 in 10 people who are admitted to hospital because of Covid symptoms are severely ill? We know from all the data coming out globally that Omicron causes much less severe symptoms than previous variants. It's just as important not to overplay this as it is not to downplay it.

I'm with you there. The closest I've come to settling down with a Thai girl was one who goes grafting on the farms whenever her usual work (spa/hotel receptions etc) dries up. In fact she's currently turned her hand to construction work - something that still freaks me out as a westerner, seeing women up on the scaffold boards ???? There is something about the 'down to earth' girls that has always appealed to me. Even more so when combined with Thai looks

You think the two Thai guys were going to catch the OP and then breathe on his face as revenge?

Are you suggesting they were going to assault him by breathing on him? I'll be so glad when this pandemic is over - it's sending everyone bonkers ????

Personally I don't give a toss about class

I know, and that's fine by me. The Thai men can have the ones that stay out of the sun (the marzipan chocolates)

Reminds me of when I was a newbie in Thailand, around 2001. I love the dark skinned Thai women so I was like a kid in a sweet shop. I was befriended by the security guy at my resort and one evening he started saying he can set me up with a beautiful lady he knows (yes, I know they all say that but I was a newbie). It sounded quite appealing, until he described her. Good family, well educated, white skin, nose like a European etc etc. The complete opposite to what I like! I politely declined. But I like the fact Thai men tend not to like the dark ones. It's like sharing a box of chocolates with someone who prefers the ones with orange or marzipan fillings.

"What some posters do not seem to grasp is that even the regular flu in the world kills lots of people each year." The point is we don't have lockdowns, destroy economies and ruin lives for flu. Surely there has to come a point when we treat Covid the same way? I hope we're almost there now. "I have not seen one medical expert say that Omicron is equivalent to a regular flu, only that it seems to be less lethal compared to delta variant of COVID 19." I agree, many experts are saying the symptoms of the Omicron variant are similar to a head cold, so less harmful than flu.

You believe what you want to believe. There is no way I could gather evidence of the corruption I alluded to, and there is no way for you to prove there is no corruption. The difference is, I accept both possibilities. You deny one of them. I assume you also dismiss what the doctor says in this story, but accept all of the negative Covid opinions? Much better to have an open mind.