DFPhuket

I recently renewed my passport. Getting the new passport number and details into my account required 10 printed and signed pages and roughly an hour at SCB. I went to Bangkok Bank to do the same thing. After going to the nearest branch I was told I needed to go to the branch where I opened the account. So I drove across town and spent another hour with 10 more signed documents. Total time required to update my passport number at two banks - 2 1/2 hours.

In the past 6 weeks I've flown internationally from Phuket and back to South Africa (Qatar), Ho Chi Minh City (Singapore Air) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysian). The check in was normal for all outbound flights, and the returns were also the same as pre-Covid - well Johannesburg was slow but it's always been that way. I've also flew Phuket/Bangkok with only carry on luggage and was able to do online check in and go straight through security without stopping at the desk with Thai Smile and Bangkok Airways - so no concerns about carry on bag weights. The only airline that seems to require everyone to stop at the desk for domestic flights (even if you don't have checked bags) is VietJet. I think that's so they can weigh carry ons and charge you if you're over 7 kg. While they are often the cheapest, I'll pay a few hundred baht more to avoid the hassle.

Here are the full CDC rules. You can take a medically supervised rapid test the day of or the day before your travel to the US. In Phuket I went to the local international clinic and had the ATK test and got a report on the clinic's letterhead in about 30 minutes for 500 baht. It was fine for my Qatar flight to the US. You don't need a PCR test.

Thankfully laws are merely suggestions in Thailand. The enforcement of this rule in Phuket is similar to the enforcement of laws for wearing a motorbike helmet, having a license to drive, littering, or paying bribes.

Based upon the number of fake emails I received after applying for a Thai Pass, I have to wonder what the government will do when the government is the one responsible for not securing personal data. I think I know the answer to that question.

This official Vietnam Immigration eVisa site has a link that lists the countries where a visa is required and the countries where you can apply for an eVisa. There are many other sites purporting to assist with eVisas, but this is the only official government site. I am a US citizen and flew from Thailand to Ho Chi Minh City last week. I applied a week in advance and received an email with the visa. I printed it out and used it to both check in and to walk straight to the immigration counter upon arrival. It took 3 working days and total cost was US$25.

I flew to the US in December and will do it again in mid-June. All travelers must have a medically supervised rapid test (or PCR) with a negative result the same day or the day before you travel (e.g., if you fly on Thursday, the test can be anytime on Wednesday or Thursday). Here are the official rules from the CDC site. In Phuket I can get an ATK in about 30 minutes for 500 baht. The clinic needs to provide a report with your details, along with the test date and result. In my experience, airlines mostly just glance at the report looking for the date and "negative." US citizens are not required to be vaccinated. Non-US citizens, however, must be able to provide provide proof of vaccination. The list of approved vaccines for travel are on this CDC page. Astrazeneca is accepted. For domestic flights it's the same as it was pre-Covid. No masks, tests or vaccination proof.

I wonder if the Bolt and InDriver apps might finally do some damage to the tuktuks. For a cheaper price you can be in a much safer car, not have to deal with the haggling, nor do you have to try to explain exactly where you're going.

I exclusively fly business class for long haul flights. My preference is Qatar's QSuites. Currently they have a flexible change policy that allows for changes or a full refund at no cost - so that's an added benefit.

I have a friend who works at one of the Marriott's in Phuket and he confirmed that they were 100% occupied over the weekend. The open hotels having a 60-80% occupancy sounds about right. But I'd guess that only about 25% of the rooms available pre-Covid were filled. There are a large number of hotels that remain closed.

It took about 2 1/2 weeks from the time I sent my old passport to the US embassy in Bangkok by EMS for my new US passport (along with the cancelled old one) to be returned to me by EMS. That was exceptionally efficient. I was told that passport renewals from overseas have priority over domestic renewals.

I was also at immigration this week. I had a nice chat with the mature official outside and he said the two very young guys in white shirts are interns. So unless they specifically asked someone more experienced it is possible they gave you the official policy - which could be different than the unwritten policy. The new guy outside (who replaced the "smiley guy" who had been there for years), was quite personable. I have a new passport and was there to move my stamps over.

I'd also check the rules for that country again. It's the first time I've heard of such a short requirement for a PCR. In many places the results take 24 hours. I'm heading to Vietnam next week and they require either a medically supervised ATK within 24 hours OR a PCR within 72 hours of your flight departure.

I have both a motorbike and car license. I'm Patong I'm stopped at a checkpoint about once a week. I open my wallet, show the top of two licenses in the slots in my wallet (without removing them) and are waved on without ever pulling a license out of my wallet.

Most of those street lights have been out for at least two years. Pre-covid it wasn't noticeable since all of the shops were lit, but now it's creepy and dangerous.

When I purchased a new iPhone 13 (upgrading from 10), I easily transferred all the date to my new phone and everything worked - except my Bangkok Bank app. I had to go to the branch and it took about 15 minutes for them to get the app to work on the new phone. I have a dozen different international financial apps on my phone. Everything moved seamlessly - except for Bangkok Bank.

Before Covid, no government attempted to report the number of people with colds and flu. The only meaningful statistic was the number of people who were severely ill due to their age or underlying conditions and needed hospitalization or died. Somehow we have to move away from the specious reporting of Covid positives and focus on hospitalizations - just like we do with other illnesses.

I'm fortunate to have good teeth. I go to Bangkok Phuket Hospital Dental Clinic and the total bill for my 6 month check/cleaning (no other work needed) has been about 1,400 baht each time. The service has always been very professional. Bangkok Phuket Hospital occasionally advertises a dental check up package promotion. Unrelated, but this week their Wellness Centre has a wellness exam promotion that is over 50% off their usual rates.

Since most people use a rapid test and don't report their positive result to the government, the number of positive cases is no longer relevant nor accurate. There were 44 positive PCRs and 79 positive ATKs reported for May 2 in Phuket. I do tend to trust the reported number of red and yellow cases in hospitals. On May 2, Phuket reported 10 red (in ICU) and 83 yellow cases on the island (out of a population of about 400,000). From a high of about 20 red cases a few weeks ago, those numbers have continued to gradually go down. It's unclear if they are hospitalized due to Covid or if they were hospitalized and found to also have Covid. It would be interesting to know the number people pre-Covid who were in ICU due to pneumonia or during flu season. I suspect it might be a similar number.

The Thailand Pass site was updated today. It now says: -From 29 April 2022, Thailand Pass consideration will take no more than 48 hours (2 days).

Some of the questions that were asked before may not be required when the updated and simplified Thai Pass goes live tomorrow. How you're entering the flight number is correct. Since you can arrive plus or minus 7 days from the date of approval, the exact flight number doesn't really matter. My extension is based on retirement. I have have left the departure date blank on my Thai Pass applications and they were all approved. The Thai Pass did not ask for details of immigration status or copies of passport extension stamps.

You can apply up to 30 days in advance so you can submit yours anytime after the site is updated on April 29 (although I'd avoid this first day). The new process will only require uploads of vaccination certificate, insurance and passport data page so it should be much faster. Under the old system (which also required proof of prepaid PCR, SHA+ hotel, and transport) I had 7 approvals. The fastest was in 2 hours and slowest was 5 days.

While it is nerve wracking, I think you'll be fine if the application is submitted as soon as the new page launches on April 29. Last year when the Sandbox was launched on July 1, I could only apply for a COE starting on June 28. I got my approval on time. This iteration of the Thai Pass only requires uploads of passport, vaccination certificate and insurance so there are only a few things to check. Not needing an SHA+ hotel, transport and prepaid PCR should make it a much quicker review process. If you have a vaccination certificate with a QR code, the approval may be almost instantaneous.

Check if the cheaper fare includes the same amount of luggage, etc. as the airline website. Also, go all the way thru the booking up to the point where you add you credit card to see if there are additional administrative fees that are added and not listed in the original price. It does seem odd that you're finding such a significant fare difference.

The Smart Bus website had details and a live map of where the busses are right now. https://phuketsmartbus.com/?lang=en