KhaoYai

Oh really? Then I suggest you check out where a high percentage of the parts used to make other brands are made.

Buddhists when it suits them.

Nothing to do with big bikes! This is about a total disrespect for the law. That disrespect is created by a corrupt law enforcement system that allows fines to be pocketed rather than be used as a deterrent. You would however, think that drivers, also being pedestrians themselves, would not need the law to tell them to abide by the rules on crossings. Many members will be aware of the crossing where Sukhimvit Road meets Soi 3 & 4 in Bangkok. A few years back a foreign couple were killed on that crossing by a driver going through the lights at red. That occured right in front of a Police box and to the best of my knowledge, traffic still comes down Soi 3 and turns left on to Sukhumvit against those lights every day! This, whilst pedestrians are being shown a green man and regardless of whether the police box is occupied or not. I was hit (only slightly) by a taxi on that crossing a few years back - the taxi driver tried to tell me that he was OK to turn left because a sign told him he could. In the esuing argument, the police seemed more likely to arrest me than the taxi driver! Apart from the fact that that rule does not allow drivers to cross subsequent red lights, very few Thai's seem to understand the rule. You can turn left at many lights when your lights are at red but only if its safe to do so and priority remains with traffic from your right. The whole culture - that of the police and the public, is to ignore the law and common sense. Fines are used as an income supplement and prosecutions rarely happen. This is not Thai bashing - people die because of these issues every day.

Yes but workers in the UK get much more annual leave which in my opinion is much better. 28 days is the minimum for most full time workers - that figure can include public holidays but most get them as well as the 28 days. Some firms are even offering 30 /35 days + public holidays. Everyone being off at the same time can be a nightmare - ever been on Mitraphap on NYE or Songkran?

Even though I believe that no-one checks and the second test is simply a box ticking exercise, I decided that I didn't want the slightest chance of any problem when I visit Thailand again. I have now obtained my Day 7 PCR test result and decided to upload it. To recap: Although the Morchana App is telling me I have notifications (now 24) when I visited the notifications page whilst I was in Thailand, there was nothing there - I only got the notifications when I returned to the UK. So, now armed with the PCR result and a notifications page rammed with notifications, I proceeded to upload my result. Firstly (using my phone), when I clicked on the link, I just got a blank page - here we go again. I then entered the unique URL on my laptop and hey presto, there I was with a request to enter details. I was asked to enter a Lab number - no Lab number on my result so I just entered the hospital number - probably the same. I was then asked for my 'release date' - so it was a prison ????. I have no idea what they mean do I just entered the test date and uploaded the result. Hey presto, I have now moved from 'Medium Risk' to 'Very Low Risk' on Morchana. So at least one part of the system works. I'd love to know which cut price outfit, uni student or someone's brother in law, handles the Thai government's IT but they are bloody useless. The only site that seems to work reasonably well, providing you have a QR code, is Thailand Pass. I know some have had problems but I've done a few now and each one (with a QR) was approved within seconds.

I know Isaan pretty well. Nang Rong is on highway 24, about 30km South West of Buriram. The postcode is 31110 and it is indeed on Google Maps. Its not a massive place but it does have a hospital. I have never heard of Nong Rang but don't doubt it exists. I do however, doubt that the village you suggest has a Covid testing facility. I suspect Tango777 actually means Nang Rong.

It wouldn't be so bad if they actually checked up on testing. Due to a lack of information and a non working Morchana App, my second PCR test was never reported. I didn't turn tracking on as it appeared optional but they had my address and my phone number. Nobody ever came to my house or phoned me. I thought maybe I'd face some questions at immigration when I left Thailand - nothing. Seems to me that these measures are just box ticking and to placate the public. A public they conditioned against foreigners during 2020 - when Thailand was 'on top' of the pandemic (untrue) and the rest of the world was dirty - lots of anti foreigner rhetoric at that time - lots of very questionable figures too. Now they are trying to convince that same public that foreigners are no more likely to infect them than Thai's are - or at the very least, that the measures they've put in place will mitigate any potential risk of infection. I wouldn't advise anyone to try to ignore it but my experience of the second PCR test is that its much the same as the Thai traffic laws - there but not enforced.

Nang Rong?

I entered Thailand on 30 December and had my PCR test at the Piyavate hospital before travelling to my hotel. I was told the results would be ready within 12 hours, at which I showed them the TAT flyer which stated the results would be ready within 6 hours - anyway, the results were ready in 6.5 hours after which, I left and hit Soi Cowboy, then driving home with a friend who came to pick me up. That part of the process was pretty slick and everything worked well. However, before leaving the hotel I was told to download the Morchana App by the hotel staff. They had a sign on the reception desk stating the same but not what needed to be done. From reading this forum I believed the Morchana App was a tracker and not much else. I'd been given a pink paper at the airport that I was told I should take to the hospital when I went my Day 5/6 test. Nobody told me where I should go for this second test or that I needed to upload anything. The pink slip I'd been given at the airport stated that I'd arrived on QR836 - a Qatar flight. I actually arrived in an Etihad flight. Anyway, I did a Google search and found a hospital in my home area (the only one) that was on a list af approved labs for Day 5/6 testing. By this time the Morchana App was telling me I had 2 (I think) notifications but each time I went to the notifications page, it said the page was empty. The hospital played me around a bit with the second test but I've already posted on that - it was a complete shambles with no apparent organisation and different information from different staff. I eventually got my second PCR test done and the hospital called me the next day to say the result was negative. That was it, they didn't send me the result by e-mail or ask me to collect it so as I'd had no information and given them the pink slip I was given at the airport, I presumed they'd report the result to the authorities. By this time the Morchana App was telling me I had around 5 notifications but as usual, there was nothing on the page when I opened it. It was also asking me to complete my personal details ) had scanned my Thailand Pass in to it but my passport number was missing. I entered it manually and tapped 'Confirm' nothing happened. When I arrived back in to the UK I tried the Morchana App again - by now there were 15 notifications and this time they all opened. Each one was a request that I upload my second PCR test result!!! All I can think of is that the notifications were unecessarily large and were taking a long time to open whilst in Thailand. Now I was back with decent Broadband, they opened more or less immediately. I don't think it really matters and clearly nobody was checking on the Morchana App so I think its probably just a waste of time - box ticking, not really policed. All in all, Test & Go could be pretty simple to operate but the usual things, lack of information, lack of training and poor IT make it a mess.

Agreed. These measures won't produce anything like the numbers they are hoping for so they'll have to rethink it. They probably haven't realised that the relatively high numbers that visited during November/December were largely those that have been waiting to get back to their families etc. and Christmas tourists. Christmas is over and those that visited their families have now done so - returned home and having waited nearly 2 years in some cases, will be prepared to wait again, until these measures are reduced.

And all this to prevent further infections from a variant that is already in Thailand and almost certainly spreading amongst the indigenous population in numbers far in excess of official figures. I've always been aware that Thailand does things differently - often in ways that appear to make no sense but never has that been moreso than during the Corona Virus Pandemic. That has been the case since 2020 when I was told to book a flight and a hotel without a date. Not only that, the flight I was told to book would never actually be used as at that time, travellers were restricted to repatriation flights. This isn't just a difference in culture, its pure madness. Stay 1 night wait for a negative result then go....... fair enough but there is no guarantee that I won't be positve on the second test, hence the reason for it. The madness comes in being allowed to travel around, potentially spreading the disease (not that it isn't being spread anyway) then have to book into an approved hotel again. There are no approved hotels in my home area. Why the hotel, why not just test? OK, I'm not a real tourist but many of them won't accept this either. From what I see, a hell of a lot of tourists like to travel around when they visit Thailand - 2 days here, 3 days there. Now, they'll have to plan their trip around the availability of approved hotels. Too many restrictions, they'll just go elsewhere.

According to Reuters, its the same as before but you have to agree to a second test (which I doubt will be free) and your movements being checked. No mention of a second night in a hotel. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thailand-resume-quarantine-waiver-vaccinated-arrivals-feb-2022-01-20/ Edit: However, I've just read a press release from TAT that says 'confirmed payments for accomodation on Day 1 and Day 5, two RT-PCR tests and a pre-arranged airport transfer on Day 1' so god knows, its madness is its correct.

My money's on bad reporting/translation.

Wait for the detail Tony. Pretty sure it will be 1 night in a hotel and 2 tests booked. Doesn't make any sense otherwise.

It has been already if you're double vaxxed but some airlines impose their own.

No idea, they just said they were not accepting GBP - maybe they think its infected.

On a similar note - Kasikorn in Pak Chong refused to change GBP to baht this week.

I get notifications from Morchana almost everyday but when I go to notifications, there's nothing there.

My apologies if this has already been covered - not had a lot of time for the forum since I got back to Thailand. My experience on the Day 5/6 testing here is that it is a complete shambles - at least it is in Pak Chong. Firstly you are given a pink slip at the airport and told to take it to the hospital - no mention of where to go or that the day you arrive is day 0. OK so that's not too difficult but maybe a little more problematic for a real tourist. So I go to the Pak Chong Nana Hospital on Day 5 - special testing area in a converted market next door. Nobody around, finally learned that testing had finished for the day - come back tomorrow at 2.30pm. 'Anyway, you not need it yet, changed to day 7 now', first I'd heard of that. Next day (now day 6) I go at 2.15pm to be told testing had finished for the day - 'doctor go home'. 'You come back tomorrow - 8.00am to 12pm'. OK, next morning I go back, only to be told that testing would start at 1pm. Back home, few jobs done and go back at 1pm. 'Testing start at 2pm' - I ask if she's sure as I'm getting tired of going back and forth - I'm told not to complain because its free and she's sure. I ask her if she thinks tourists would be happy with this service, free or otherwise - blank look. So I just wait and finally got my test done at 3.15pm. They took my phone number but nobody called me. I went back a few days later and found I was negative. As for the Morchana App, what a load of rubbish, the steps I'm asked to take won't complete and it tells me I now have 5 notifications. Tap on 'notifications' nothing there. Compared to the system when you arrive in Bangkok and a taxi takes you from the airport to the testing centre - tested within 5 minutes, this is a complete shambles. Only one thing I'd say about Bangkok, they don't know the rules. I asked them if my result would be back within 6 hours - as per the government advice and they told me a minimum of 12 hours. In any case, my result came back after6 1/2 hours and I got out of Dodge before someone I'd been sitting near tested positive.

My thoughts exactly, I contacted the hotel and they agreed they would send a taxi for me and me only.

Nope, there have been several cases - some reported on here. One regarding a guy who travelled in a taxi from the airport with a guy who tested positive - he was made to quarantine.

But I do.

Precisely. Also the same case if I have a contact - yet my Thai friend from Norway was allowed to isolate at her mother's house.

If the rules are so clear, why are Thai's being allowed to isolate at home?

Unbelievable! Let's get this straight, I had a helmet stolen. In my opinion its rare in terms of design - despite being available on Lazada - which are probably fakes. I've been biking in Thailand for many years and I've never seen another one. I simply asked that if someone is offered one of these helmets that they contact me and I'll let the police take it from there. For one thing, bikers don't often sell their helmets and as I say, the design, although not unique, is rare. On that basis, the police would be entitled to enquire how someone came across such a helmet and it does have a unique identifying mark, known only to myself and the police. Providing the helmet has not been repainted, I would know it right away. I am fully aware that the police will not be actively looking for my helmet, that's why I am and I'm pretty sure that if they were given information that such a helmet had changed hands recently, they would follow it up. There was far more than a helmet stolen but almost all of the other items are common place. There's a chance, just a chance, that this helmet might lead to an arrest. Don't make such a simple request into a campaign to be right.