StayinThailand2much

Another belated article from 2019? And yes, I like Thai coffee - it's cheaper than the overpriced imported coffee, and it 'wakes me up' all the same...

I am invested heavily in the VN30 via an investment fund. VN30 down by 5% over two days (20th, 23rd Aug.). Was hoping that the market would recover as U.S. markets often do the next day. After all, international markets recovered. But the index went up a miserly 0.44% on 24th August; what gives?

Received my first Pfizer shot; hardly any side effects, except feeling a bit sleepy the same day, and getting very slight and short headaches (barely noticeable) on the second day. I'm a bit worried that the vaccine was perhaps 'wrongly' handled or 'not working' due to being nearly expired.

What's the alternative? If you want a jab for the yearly flu, it's also different every year ... Guess it will depend how "harmless" for the larger part of the population this virus will become.

True. Even if the efficacy is 95% after two vaccine doses, obviously there is still a chance in 20 that you can get Covid-19, not to mention new mutations of the virus, or the slow decline of antibodies ...

As with all things, Thailand's government only follows the examples of ... 1. Thailand 2. our country 3. us 4. big brother (China) 5. see #1

SMS and (sometimes) emails 1-3 days before. (I got two appointments from different hospitals within six days, but had to cancel the second one.)

You won't get that choice. The vaccines are the same for both jabs. I'm pondering, what booster shot I should get in a few months after 2x Pfizer; AZ or Moderna?

Nobody really knows ...

Isn't it obvious? They want to be popular announcing this, but hope that Covid-19 will be over by then. They then can cancel the order, diverting the money for better uses, buying more necessary things, e.g. submarines ...

I guess it will be along the lines of ... "Thailand's tourist numbers up - Thailand celebrating tourism revival in 2nd half of 2021. Numbers only slightly below (998,999.3) TAT's correct and insightful projections of 1 million tourists for 2021. Most international tourists (456,789) were from Myanmar, followed by Cambodia (345,678), Laos (123,456), America (543), Thailand (444), Israel (234), India (111), Germany (88), France (77) ..." (Note: Dublication of this text on websites, e.g. of the TAT is allowed against a fee of 0.99 baht, payable in cash.)

Love the exact numbers; seems that certain jobs can only be done by "Myanmar" or Cambodians, while Lao nationals are less in demand...

I'm sure, exceptions can/will be made for these cheap labourers... (There is strong demand, after all, from influental Thais who need to make some money.) After that, watch out for 50,000 daily new Covid-cases around the end of 2021.

Incompetent employees are often fired. How do these morons at TAT hold on to their jobs?

Thanks. Learned something new.

Or worse, sex without masks!

(...) From 2010 to 2018, an average of 105,000 new units debuted in Bangkok yearly, according to Bank of Ayudhya's research house Krungsri Research. But sales totaled only about 96,000 units per year, which lifted housing inventory. As the pandemic hurts the country's economy, Thai developers are adopting various tactics including 50% discounts to entice buyers. The condo trend "is likely to slow both in terms of supply and demand," said Risinee Sarikaputra, director of research and consultancy at Knight Frank Thailand. She said it is expected to take "another two years for the condominium market to improve." Around 100,000 units remained for sale in Bangkok as of May, she said. AP (Thailand), which builds the Aspire condo brand, reported a drop of over 40% in first-quarter net profit from a year ago to 618 million baht. Revenue dipped 31% to 5.4 billion baht (...) https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Thailand-s-condo-market-sinks-as-Chinese-investment-ebbs

Yes, but personally I never worried about the flu. But this virus is scary...

An American guy on Youtube made some excellent clips about that topic in "China Uncensored".

I'm currently looking into applying for this card. Does it work internationally with Agoda and Booking.com?

What's next? Borrowing from Laos or Cambodia?

Post-paid DTAC SIM cards can be topped up via credit cards. Question is, whether you're in range of DTAC Thailand.

... or some jealous people who weren't invited.

I always wonder, why have the numbers been so stable in recent weeks, every day 20,000 new cases (+/-1,000)? Keeping an eye on other countries' numbers, new case numbers seem to fluctuate much more...

It's a win-win. Thai labourers are relatively cheap, don't mind primitive housing conditions, but are keen to 'strike it rich in the West'... Don't know how much they make in Finland, but let's say it's 6,000€ in four or five months, that would be a fortune in Thailand, esp. as they won't spend much of their income in Finland. (If five siblings went there together, I can imagine that they could build a house in Esarn for that kind of money.)