wpcoe

16 minutes ago, garyk said:

Hahaha, I am in an upscale condo furnished 24/7 security. 650/month. Includes a washer. Brand new condo. 

 

I find posts like this pretty comical.

Yeah.  Would somebody characterize all of Asia with a single comment like that?  Latin America is a huge area with a wide variety of situations.  No doubt that poster encountered some issues whereever s/he was, but by and large, Latin America is very livable for folks from the rest of the western world.

I live in Mexico in a large furnished & renovated colonial rental house and pay even less than you.  I have washer/dryer, stable internet, and CATV.  Quiet, safe neighborhood.  Electricity & running water, too. ????

4 hours ago, anthos said:

Who would've expected Moldova to become a leader in pandemic management.

Aren't the Shinawatras holed up there?  You *know* the PM would like to entice them to return, or at least remove any barriers to their return...  ????

For over ten years now I've been able to access my pension account by going directly to the PBGC web site, but now:  "Based on your feedback ... we are partnering with Login.gov to provide an extra layer of security, through two-factor authentication..."

My feedback, your ass.

To sign up for login.gov access they require a US address *and* a US phone number registered in your name (and specifically exclude Skype.) Has anybody here found a work around for that?

I did successfully upload a scan of my NV drivers license, and also set up 2FA using Google Authenticator, but that's not enough.  You need to jump over the address/phone hurdles, as well.

(For the photo/scan of the drivers license, they will not accept a scan/photo of less than 2MB.  <deleted>?  I had to artificially inflate the file size in Photoshop and save as a bloated .PNG file to satisfy them...)

The USA is on the list of low-risk countries.

Mexico is not on the list of low-risk countries.

Can a US citizen living in Mexico enter Thailand on 01-Nov?

Can a Mexican citizen living in the USA enter Thailand on 01-Nov?

I realize they have to use *some* yardstick to alert to a possible infection, but with me a temperature check may not work.  My resting body temperature is a full degree (C) lower that what they expect for a "normal" person.  So I could easily be running a slight fever and they'd never realize it.  I pity the folks who have a higher-than-normal resting body temperature, they must be setting off alarms everywhere.

15 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

If you do not return to the hotel to stay the night they report that to the authorities.

There was news articles about couple of people that go chased down by the authorities after not checking in at the hotel for the night at the Phuket sandbox.

Spoilsport! ????

What is the rationale for requiring someone to sleep in a specific bed at night, while they are able to roam willy nilly throughout the city during daylight?

9 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

You probably will be able too during the day.  Just need to be tucked in by the hotel manager at night.

That's another confusing puzzle piece.  If there is a quarantine, then you can't leave the hotel, right?  But if there is no quarantine (just a "sandbox") and they still insist on a hotel, then I could walk out of the hotel after checking in and stay in my own condo until hotel check-out day, when I would return to check out.  The hotel shouldn't mind:  I wouldn't be using any of their resources.

1 hour ago, treetops said:

October 1st had quarantine reduced to 7 days for vaccinated and 10 days for non-vaccinated visitors.  Sandbox start on the published timeline is November 1st, but this relies on other factors and is not set in stone.

Thanks.  Those kinds of changes (delay from Oct 1 to Nov 1) are little details that can really much up one's plans.  Do you recall how far in advance they changed it from Oct 1 to Nov 1?

(Here is a Sept 16 article still quoting the Oct 1 start for Pattaya:  https://www.euronews.com/travel/2021/09/16/these-five-places-in-thailand-will-soon-be-quarantine-free-for-vaccinated-travellers )

1 hour ago, treetops said:

Yes, a 30 day visa exemption is available for US visitors.  As well as your list it also needs hotel booking, an app that sounds like it might never be checked, and a T8 form according to the rules I've read.

Now, that's good news.  I assume the hotel booking is for the 7-day quarantine pre-Nov?  If there is no quarantine, is a specially-designated hotel still needed?

I might be making a November 2021 trip to Thailand.  I recall something about an additional five cities opening up in a sandbox fashion on October 1st, including Pattaya.  Did that happen?  Is there currently the ability to travel from overseas to Pattaya without quarantine, as long as I stay in the city a designated period of time (7 days)?  If so, do I need to stay in an approved hotel, or can I go directly to my own Jomtien condo?

I've been skimming topics on entry requirements as they pop up on the daily newsletter summary, but with so many changes – some literally day to day – I don't know what is current.  Because I had vague plans to return to Thailand "sometime" I wasn't watching details or keeping up.

Also, is the 30-day visa-waiver exemption still possible for a US citizen, or is some sort of visa required?  If the visa-waiver option is available, what other entry requirements are there besides (a) a CoE, (b) proof of Covid insurance coverage, and (c) proof of vaccination?

4 hours ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

The 'I love me' amulet is a nice touch.......

Oh.  I thought he was a NYC Police Detective who wandered in.

2 hours ago, LarrySR said:

Monitor Lizards lurk at the waters edge up and down the waterways in Bangkok.

No way would I be sitting there.

Remember the (green?) mambas that were released into the flood waters last time?  Wonder if they're still around, too.

If you don't have a clothes dryer with a super-hot setting (and/or a washer without a hot setting) when you take the clothes out of the washer, put them in a black plastic trash bag while wet, seal it tight, and toss it on the roof.  A couple days of sun exposure will steam the hell out of them and kill any bugs. 

Facebook listed for sale after web site goes down

The best part is Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's comment: "How much?" 

22 hours ago, bojo said:

From outsiders there will be very little reaction/implications IMO, but from fellow Americans in Thailand, I would imagine that any potential friction between divided fellow citizen's opinions would be diluted due to promimity to home and 'Living in the Land of Smiles' attitude and lifestyle, makes most things far less conflicting.............................

21 hours ago, Jingthing said:

That's interesting.

I'm not sure you're correct about that but it's certainly fit to the topic.

Are Americans abroad less likely to be as severely divided amongst themselves as Americans back home?

I hope this falls within the parameters of the original discussion.  I think Americans living abroad *are* less likely to be severely divided.

IMHO, way too many Americans are insular.  A Karen would seem unlikely to pick up stakes and move overseas.  She likes her comfy ivory tower too much.  The torch and pitchfork carrying rabble rousers are willing to destroy America but they'd never even consider leaving it.

In general, I think (hope!) that Americans who have moved overseas or even just traveled a bit to non-English-speaking countries with different cultures (i.e. not just a week in winter in Cabo drinking with other American tourists) have had their eyes opened enough to the fact that the USA is not the end all of all there is in the universe and perhaps have their eyes opened to alternative viewpoints.  Perhaps.

And, maybe American expats have had enough reality checks in dealing with the politics, laws, lifestyle and culture in their new country that they develop an appreciation of some of the strengths of their motherland and become more tolerant of difference viewpoints and less likely to want to shred it to pieces for some narrow self purpose.

Not sure what is left in Pattaya now after pandemic closures, but one I don't think was there before:  Mayan food.  Are there any "Canadian" restaurants serving a good poutine and Tourtière? And, what about Hawaiian?

In a list form:

1. Mayan

2. Canadian

3. Hawaiian

12 hours ago, webfact said:

Customers who went to the restaurant after 15th September were advised to check and monitor their health for symptoms. 

Shouldn't those customers be getting Covid tests, not just checking/monitoring symptoms?

9 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Manila serves Thailand and much of Asia. No such services in Bangkok.

Rats.  Sorry to hear that.  I knew Manila was the regional office, but was hoping there was still some sort of local liaison at the Embassy in Bangkok.

Is there a Social Security and/or Medicare representative at the US Embassy in Bangkok?

I turned 65 while living full-time in Mexico, and I'd need to track down any notes I might have to be sure of the exact process, but I know I talked to a SSA representative by calling a USA phone number and she referred me to the US Embassy in Mexico City, since she could only help US residents.  There was some back and forth -- NYC said Mexico City had to process me, and Mexico City initially said NYC had to process me -- but between those two contacts I was finally successfully enrolled in Medicare Part B before my initial enrollment period lapsed.  This was in June or July 2020, so the pandemic was probably already affecting staffing at USA offices.

I do remember it took several tries to get a person on the line for the USA phone number (I think it was the generic 1-800 number for the SSA?) but once I got through they were helpful.

Well, I roared in my twenties.  Happy to be quieter and more sedate now, though.

With a 60-day tourist visa, do you need a round-trip booking when you check in at the airport, like you do with a 30-day visa-exempt entry? 

i.e. Would I need to make a dummy reservation for a return flight that would occur within 60-days of my entry to Thailand, or could I either (a) make just a one-way (to Thailand) airline booking or (b) make a round-trip airline booking with the return between 60 and 90 days after my arrival (even though technically the visa I'd be holding at the time of check-in would require a return within 60 days)?

I know some airlines have Check-In Nazi agents and would want to make sure they didn't create a problem.