John Drake

Which is the point, isn't it? Most tourists coming to Thailand will never have applied for a pass five or six times like you have. They'll probably just see Thailand flagged as needing additional requirements for entry and pass on to the next country that doesn't. Unlike you, they would need to look into just what insurance, how much, which companies, how long and then search around for instructions for the pass and the uploads, and wondering if it will all work out okay. Why not just avoid all that? Go down on the list to Mexico and Malaysia and they can avoid it.

Will they ever be "released?" Could be Xi is locking them all up permanently, going full Mao.

Is Michael Bridges now "Opinion?"

I'll be absolutely sure to continue to wear one when going to immigration.

Alas, the 3rd is a Thai holiday, which means my American Social Security will probably be sent out through NYC Bangkok Bank (if it is not closed, too) around 1pm or 2pm Thailand time on 3 June. And that probably means a wait until Monday 6 June for me.

I should be so lucky.

Social Security transfers coming into Thailand at the end of this week. Expect the baht to "strengthen" right around the 3rd through 6th. Looks like another bank holiday on 3 June, so don't expect direct SS transfers until the 6th.

I don't imagine Westerners coming into stores without masks is going to be looked upon kindly for quite some time.

Incredible. Bangkok Post has a picture of them after their rescue. They were wearing shorts and sneakers. And went on the trail after 4 pm, with less than two hours of light left. British.

Xi is going full Mao. He's locking out foreign thought, liquidating Uighurs, overwhelming Tibetans with Chinese settlers, while Covid has given him the perfect opportunity to lock up China's entire population and close the borders forever (sorry, Thailand, if you were still expecting Chinese tourists to come back some day). Let's hope the brain aneurysm gets him sooner rather than later.

And while the Russians annex Ukraine, the Chinese start to grab the Pacific. Think of a Pacific, joining SE Asia and Russian acquired European territories, all practicing with a security/surveillance system just like China's.

Add the lying Germans and the opportunistic French to the Italians and Hungarians. Same slimy quartet that wants to appease Russia is also cutting separate deals with China.

Interesting Twitter account. Some people entirely taken in.

Oh, great. A world war. Better prepare. Institute food and gas rationing, censorship, travel restrictions, and increased domestic surveillance. And don't forget that everyone is a potential spy or fifth columnist. Everything else put under a revamped War Production Board. Everybody poorer, except for the one percent and string pullers.

Thailand gets its car parts from Russia? That would explain a lot, actually.

Going to give the ThaiVisa Bar another go around, huh?

Hmmm.

Yes. It's difficult to get in or out of Thailand without paying something extra.

Several years ago, somebody posted the Thai Customs duty schedule. What I remember reading back than was that Thai Customs can tax your used underwear if they assess it above a certain amount. And if you were bringing things back into Thailand that you had bought in Thailand earlier you were also required to provide receipts of your original purchase.

Coming up next? Disqualification.

Gotta have the fritos for frito pie and bar-b-q fritos. Last time I had any was right around the beginning of Covid lockdown in 2020. Just before, a US aircraft carrier had come in for shore leave. I'm told that is how a lot of American goods get onto shelves. That was certainly the case back then. All sorts of American snacks available at my Tops for about a month. Since then, nada.

Does this mean I can get Fritos again?

That's the thing isn't it. Imagine you're in the US. All of you are sitting around thinking about going to a nice warm sunny beach in an exotic locale. You have a passport, and you just want to get up and go. You look around and Thailand, which used to be a matter of just flying in and finding a hotel, now requires you to go to some website, provide insurance documentation probably making you go out and buy the "correct" policy first, and then worry about something called "Thai Pass" when you get to the country. Then, there is Mexico. What does Mexico require? Get on a plane and go there with your passport. Which one you choosing?

Monkeypox insurance requirement to enter Thailand probably coming soon.

Smallpox vaccination is also good for monkeypox. And smallpox vaccination lasts for a lifetime, says the people below. https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/clinicians/smallpox-vaccine.html https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vaccines-lifetime-idUSN0752408920071107