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2 minutes ago, cyril sneer said:

50x US lottery tickets

If they hit the jackpot, I'd be seriously <deleted> off first, and then I'd expect a nice gift back.  And it better not be a box of See's chocolates????

I thought maybe one of those Mexican tequila bottles with a worm, scorpio, or other critters inside.   No matter if it causes excitement or disgust, either way should be fun for them.

4 hours ago, bendejo said:

Something edible that they may have never experienced, and that they may hopefully enjoy.

Chocolates are good idea because the chocolate things sold in tropical countries tend to taste of powdered milk (well I can taste it).  Once brought an assortment of candy bars on a trip to Brazil, especially odd because my friends grew cocoa on their farm.  Some of them liked the Hershey bars from the US better than the fancier brands from Europe.

 

Seems like we got conflicting advice about the chocolate here.

By the way, odd indeed about the Hershey.  No offence, but in terms of quality chocolate, Hershey is garbage.

9 minutes ago, Andyfez said:

Strange food will not be appreciated, and chocolates are simply not eaten here

Thanks, didn't know that.  I thought chocolate was universal.

2 minutes ago, Andyfez said:

Alcohol is difficult to bring because of the customs restrictions. Usually only 1 L allowed of anything including wine. Difficult to say with your budget.

Maybe a smaller bottle (gift size) of some famous/expensive alcohol that is difficult to get in Thailand?  What would that be?

3 hours ago, Daffy D said:

Thais do not seem to have the concept of "it's the thought that counts".  If it ain't expensive it's almost considered as an insult.

Interesting, is that really so...  I kind of had such question in the back of my mind, but wasn't sure.   I'd rather not bring anything at all then.  Or maybe some alcohol or chocolate, something edible that they can surely enjoy.  

What kind of a small gift can I bring to a Thai guy and his girlfriend, who are not my close friends, but casual friends with whom I want to keep a connection.  He speaks decent English and somewhat westernized, his gf is more traditional, they are small business owners in BKK and from common Thai background.  It’s gotta be something hard to get a hold of in Thailand so they would appreciate it. Maybe a certain brand of alcohol, cigarettes, or premium coffee??  What would Thais bring back from the US for their casual friends?  Something inexpensive, under $50-75 for either a single combined gift or two separate gifts for him and her.

40 minutes ago, Pattaya80 said:

I'm deciding same issue!

After spending too much time trying to do visa application online....not for tech challenged individual

Just trying to upload photos and passport 

Had to be configured etc

So after the time wasted i thought id go exempt. Save the postal ordeal mailing pp and xtra prepaid envelopes to consulate( chance of getting lost in mail)

 The xtra 15 days in mute i will be applying for 90 day non o anyway

So that's my 2 cents

My question was about improving my chances of getting maximum extensions to stay 90-days or even longer.  If you can get guaranteed 90 days on your non-o visa, seems like it's worth the trouble since you won't have to worry about extending.  Beyond that, I don't know if 60-day covid extensions would apply to your visa type.

29 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

If I was planning the same I would enter visa exempt.

So in your opinion, are extensions (regular or covid) easier to get on the exempt stamp rather than the TR in general?  I've gotten exempt extensions in the past and had no issues.  On the other hand, doesn't the TR stamp (issued by the embassy and for which I paid a fee) give me some more legitimacy and assurance they're not going to reject me on an extension....or not necessarily?  Not to mention, the TR gives me the guaranteed initial 60 days vs the 45 days on exempt.

Maybe I'm starting to split hairs here, but I just want the best chances of staying longer, given all the trouble of ASQ and flights I have to go through.

2 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

If I was planning the same I would enter visa exempt. Currently there are 60 day 'covid extensions'. They will be issued till end of March but will almost certainly be extended.

You could apply for one of those prior to your 45 day stamp expiring. Be aware that immigration office could require you to obtain a 30 day extension to your visa exempt first.

Is the covid extension applicable to the exempt only, or also to the TR?

are you saying, the 30 days extension is replaced with a 60-day covid extension, giving the total stay of 45+60 days on the exempt?

19 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

For other parts of your question. How long do you wish to stay in Thailand.

How old are you.

I'm under 50 y/o,  I'd like to be able to stay 90 days if I am able. Looks like the TR will give me more time.  I'd like to have an option to stay even longer just in case, I did look at the STV, but man, it seems too heavy on paperwork....  a criminal record letter from the FBI....  a Foreign Insurance Certificate signed and stamped by the insurance... A Medical certificate showing no prohibitive diseases....plus fully paid reservation stay for entire 90 days... that just seems too many complications.

17 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Visa exempt 45+30.

OK, sorry I see where I got confused on the extension part...initial stay of 30 days was extended to 45, but subsequent extension still 30 days

As one of the Countries listed for Visa Exemption and Visa on Arrival, U.S. Passport Holders are not required to obtain a visa when entering Thailand for tourism purposes and will be permitted to stay in Thailand for a period not exceeding 45 days** on each visit (**Previous permitted period of stay was 30 days; the extension to 45 days will be in effect until 30 September 2021) 

https://thaiembdc.org/visas/

Seems like they both give the same total stay of 90 days max (for US passport):

TR: 60 days + 30 day extension

Exempt: 45 days + 45 days extension

If the goal is to stay the max, is an extension easy to get in both cases?  Any other advantages/disadvantages to either method during the current situation?  

Also:  did anyone test if after staying 90 days on TR, would it be possible to leave and re-enter soon on the exemption and do another 90 days, on a US passport?

On 6/20/2020 at 9:51 PM, ritchied said:

I know someone that was asymptomatic but went for a test at one of the larger private hospitals to be sure.  He got an initial positive test result that required the 2nd "reference lab" test for confirmation.  The 2nd reference lab report came back negative although the hospital did not tell him or share with him the official results (until 6 weeks later).  Instead, the hospital said he has 2 positives and was required to be admitted to the hospital.  He was in the hospital for a few days and insisted on another test which came back negative and was released.  The hospital knew the day he was admitted that he was negative.  

 

Besides the unnecessary medication cocktail, the 100,000s of baht spent and the self imposed quarantine for his friends and family, the emotion roller coaster described was intense.  What would you do if you found out the hospital lied to you about this?

This story is pretty outrageous if it's true.  If it could be proven with facts, wouldn't that be a court case against the hospital, even in Thailand? 

You should provide an update on your research here, if you want your reports to be taken seriously.

1 hour ago, Kiujunn said:

Monitor situation:

Follow daily CCSA briefing on YouTube,  60 min in Thai,  10 min in English

Follow one of several apps and websites showing location of found infections, also available in English

Follow sanuk.com

Ask Thai people in your neighborhood about the local situation.  Thai people care about this.

Ask doctors or nurses who work in ICU or similar hospital jobs. 

 

Where to go if sick: 

Any international hospital. They may have to send you to a government appointed place of care,  in that case, you don't have any choice. 

 

If you are in a decent country now,  I strongly recommend to stay put. 

Decent countries are not the US, UK, most of continental Europe.

Thanks this is actually helpful.

Did you mean sanook.com?

And what is a government appointed place of care?? is that something specific for foreigners?

Thanks all for your suggestions.  

To sum up, I don’t see an easy solution here.  The locally available choices with pure US layout would be very limited, which defeats the whole purpose if I’m making an investment in a quality laptop.  I will need a premium model in the $1000 range, so I have to get the exact model I want.  

So, these are the choices I see:
-    Buy locally and use a permanent marker to wipe out the Thai letters.  I think the backlight will still shine through the marker, could make it even more annoying.  If it doesn’t work, next step is to contact the manufacturer service point to get the keyboard replaced, and hope they will not invalidate the warranty.  
-    Order from Amazon US, or special order from the manufacturer direct sales, in both cases international shipping will be involved, which will take longer than I can wait.  I can only do that if I can rent a temporary loaner laptop in BKK while I wait…. I wonder if such rental service exists.
-    The easiest:  buy an inexpensive local laptop for the rest of my stay, and then get a permanent replacement once I’m back in the US.  Can I get a low-end laptop for under $300 in BKK with a 13-14” screen?  I can even do away with a used one, but I would need to find a shop where I can test it right there before leaving the shop to make sure WiFi/USB and other important things are working.  Any suggestions are welcome.
 

Staying home, or taking basic distancing precautions are obvious things to consider. 

I think I made it clear my questions go beyond that. 

I'm looking for advice from people who are better informed than the rest of us on the very basic questions:  how to monitor the situation, and what to do if you get sick.

Whether you stay home now or don't, the answers to these questions will stay relevant well into the future.  

Considering going soon on a TR or STV visa.  But seeing Covid spike in Thailand, makes me think I don’t have a good action plan on what may be coming.

If the situation starts getting out of control, how do you catch that in advance, before hospitals start running out of beds, so you have a chance to pack your bags and go home.  What are the numbers of new cases or total cases to watch out for in Bangkok?  Is there any way to monitor hospital capacity, other than relying on news articles?  

If you start getting Covid symptoms, then what?  Self-isolate I assume.  Then, how and where do you get tested as a visitor?  And if you start feeling really crappy, are there particular hospitals in Bangkok (assuming that’s where you’d be) that are better equipped to deal with Covid than others?  And if you need to go there, getting in a taxi seems like a bad idea since you would be infecting the driver, so what’s the plan there?

Too many questions, I know, but I’m realizing I have no clue on what a good strategy should be.
 

On 12/10/2020 at 7:24 AM, Paiman said:

You could install the OPERA Browser. There is a VPN integrated and the continent for VPN setting can be selected.

Opera only allows you to choose Americas region, not guaranteed a US IP address.

I heard Firefox may be have a free VPN service now too, but I haven't tried.

Does he need to use Windows apps specifically?  If it's only for web sites and multimedia, consider a Chromebook?  Way more simple for a consumer, it maintains itself and no headaches (it might not work in China though.....)

9 hours ago, jonnit said:

qwerty keyboard stickers are available on eBay https://www.ebay.com/itm/USA-Laminated-QWERTY-Keyboard-Stickers-with-Black-Lettering-on-White-Background/161989955342?hash=item25b75a8f0e:g:JlIAAOSwezVW0HzF

thanks, but standard stickers would not work because they would cover the keyboard backlight. I could cut a little square out of each sticker to cover the Thai letters only, but it’s such a PITA and would make annoying bumps on each key…..

17 hours ago, bendejo said:

If you care to travel to Malaysia the laptops there have English-only keyboards.  Prices are within 10% of what you'd pay in Thailand (last I looked).  There are IT malls all over the place, but I'd recommend a big town like Penang or KL.  I would think Singapore would have them also.

 

Another way would be to buy one in Thailand and then have the keyboard replaced.  I did this once when some jackass spilled coffee on my machine (ahem!) and managed to salvage it by replacing the keyboard.  I think it was a Compaq.  Cost around 700b for an OEM keyboard, an official Compaq replacement part keyboard was about double that price.  If you care about having a warrantee this may void it, though.

Thanks on the Malaysia tip.  Although I would not want to travel just to get a laptop, and a roundtrip trip to Malaysia might cost the same as getting an inexpensive throwaway temporary laptop in BKK as another option.

Also:  There is Amazon Singapore, but it would not ship to Thailand, so it seems even more restrictive than Amazon US… I did not check other online retailers in Singapore or HK yet.  The main thing, I will need fast 2-3 day shipping.

5 hours ago, tweedledee2 said:

It's very easy to find items on Amazon that can be shipped overseas. On the main page, click on the "deliver to" box that is left of the search bar. On the drop down, you can add an overseas "ship to address". Using this address, will only show the products that can be shipped. 

Great tip!  I was able to find the same laptop I own now that can ship to Thailand.  It’s Amazon Global Shipping and it adds about 20% to the cost with tariffs, about $200 for my price range.  But the main problem it still takes up to 2 weeks, and who knows there maybe be more delays, and I will not want to wait that long….unless I can rent a loaner in BKK for 2 weeks while I’m waiting???  Need to investigate a loaner option.

4 hours ago, lagavulin1 said:

Why not order from Dell or Asus Thailand online. I selected a model with both languages but the QWERTY is American. 

I checked Acer Thailand, they carry only local versions, which makes sense for them.  I will check Asus to see if they allow English only.  I want English only, no Thai letters.  

1 hour ago, digger70 said:

Bought a spare laptop  from lazada a couple months ago English/western keyboard only. 

 

 PUBG GTA V BF V Gaming notebook 1st hand notebook genuine notebook gaming notebook gaming notebook 15.6 inch ips LED Laptop AMD Ryzen 7 2700U 3.8GHz Radeon Vega 10 cu / RAM 8 / 12GB / 512GB Send mouse Lenovo

 

Just had to change the input language  from Thai To English/American/Australian.

Was that just a lucky find?  I don't see a way to specifically search or filter such laptops on their website.