USEpat

You're young, you've got a family here, you're apparently healthy (so far), and you've got a Visa problem. It's Thailand - there are always VIsa problems and always ways to fix them. Agree with the suggestion that you're up for one or two more COVID extensions. Agree with the fellow who suggests you get your credentials finished - it's silly not to have a degree and expect to be hired as a teacher. Not being vaccinated is a limiting decision - where you go, what you do and puts your health at risk. Why do that? There's always the old, reliable marriage Visa................which means you have to marry the young woman. Can't be that bad, eh? And removes all the stress with so many loose ends. Tomorrow's another day. Get a plan. Make a list. Take one step-at-a-time. Small steps are OK as long as their headed in a useful direction. Good luck.

Right - just rounded up - five months versus six makes no material difference.

$50,000 U.S. for Covid insurance to meet the new Thai Pass requirement seems odd, But "odd" is normal for Thailand. U.S.$50K works out to about 1.6 million baht. Given the cost of medical care in Thailand, even in a private hospital, that's a hell of a lot of insurance. Heart valve replacement doesn't cost half that. Here are costs for some major procedures as shown by Luma Insurance: https://blog.lumahealth.com/costs-major-surgery-thailand. It's kinda like the 800K baht in the bank for six months and the 400K minimum that has to be banked indefinitely for retirement renewals. That's ten times more than most Thais live on and more than plenty for a reasonable farong existence. Make no sense, Prayutonomics.

How does flying to the USA help when his dad is in the UK?

There is considerable evidence that the Thai officials making decisions/policies about non-Thai tourists have never planned, booked or actually have taken holidays out of the country.

My main Bangkok Bank branch is at Central on 2nd Road in Pattaya. Farang, account open for four years, online banking and domestic online transfers with no problem.

Alprazolam (Xanax) has helped for me. I take half a .05mg pill at night (or rarely at other times if it bothers me a lot during the day). It can be habit forming so I'm pretty careful about dosage. I had it prescribed by a physician's assistant in a rural area of Virginia years ago and the Bangkok-Pattaya hospital had no problem after discussing it with them and showing a letter he'd provided. I used the term "wean" for St. John's Wort to indicate slowly seeing if there were any issue without it after a few years and there weren't. The depression seemed to dissipate.

Hey 'Giddyup,' I'm not a medical doctor and trail you chronologically by just three years. No panic attacks or depression - yet. Three observations: The folks at Bangkok-Pattaya Hospital are top-notch from my experience. I have RLS and get some stuff there to reduce it. Also had some depression issues some years ago and found St. John's Wort to be helpful with mood swings. It didn't kill me and I weaned myself off of it some time ago. Lastly, Thai women are nothing if not caring and supportive -- at least the ones not making their livings on Beach Road or in the once open Go Go joints. Got one? Sorry about what hopefully is a temporary affliction. Good luck with all that............

Went back to the Central Vaccination Center (Railway Station) on Tuesday and after a lot of asking, found the desk with three agents issuing the Yellow Certificate with the magic numbers. While the trip to and from Bangkok was no joy, there was no problem getting the paperwork once we located the desk. The magic number worked fine in setting up the Mor Prom phone app. I think a third booster shot is suggested for six months after getting shot 2..............

The local Chonburi hospitals turned me down, so it's back to Bangkok in the morning to revisit the main vaccine center where I got both shots and persuade them that somehow i missed that last step leading to the yellow vaccination certificate which has the all-important 6XXXX.......... number.

Right - well after the 30 minute wait to see if I would go into convulsions, I was directed to the exit.....................being a good follower of directions, out I went................. Appreciate your help. I wonder if I can persuade a local Chonburi hospital to do the entry for me.

Here's what I got at the 2nd shot in Bangkok..................

...................and I was an old-guy-walk-in up there in Bangkok, so had no pre-existing registration number, thanks

I'd love to, but there is no 13 Digit 60000XXXX number anywhere on the paper I got from Bon Song - Central RR Station.

Also did the two shots at Bang Sue and have the "certificate" showing the two shots. Scanning the QR Code and the AP both required a Thai ID Number. Nothing "appeared" with the QR scan or the Mor Prom app lacking the credentials to set up the account. Go Figure......................

Mor Prom ap I'm seeing wants my Thai ID number first - which I don't have. What sis you use to get past the Thai ID part?

Sounds a lot like the Asian Creamy Gray Undulating Rippler. Harmless unless you're not native to the area.

Maybe the government needs to take a wee bit from their submarine fund and send their tourism forecasters and decision makers on a junket to real five-star international destinations. They might be surprised that the real ones don't have sewage running into their beachfront ocean, have sidewalks without holes, pits and other walking hazards, don't have beaches (not to say roads and storefronts) washed away or inundated during annual rainy seasons and tend to avoid obvious dual pricing rip-offs. Having been to a few myself, they might also note that beachfront promenades are rarely populated by hoards of mostly past-their-prime hookers while entertainment joints don't feature hundreds of young women pimped out by their families in order to send money back to the farm. That said, there are a few terrific spots in the country - most off shore island getaways that have accommodations and scenery that rival any in the world. One thing the very rich have is options - if the Thai psyche can ever understand the implications of that fact, they might do better.