phuketsub

Hopefully it will reopen soon. 

I asked at the beer/whisky depot and a few mom&pop shops here in the sticks of Songkhla, and all the sellers assured me that the ban wasn't in effect here and, even if it were, they had no intention of following it. Fingers crossed (and dripping with Purell!)

5 hours ago, Stocky said:

Doughnut sellers are clearly having a bad time. Last Friday granddaughter and I thought we'd order a few via FoodPanda - Dunkin Donuts were offering buy 6 get 6 free for Bht174 so not as cheap as Mr Donut.

I have boycotted Mr Donut in Thailand for years, since they stopped selling hot, black coffee...The only coffee they had at Mr Donut in Pattani was pre-mixed iced coffee with tons of sugar already added! What is the world coming to?!

45 minutes ago, Stocky said:

It's Tesco Lotus 2 in Hat Yai Nai, Big-C is Khlong Hae and Big-C Extra is downtown. I'll probably see what's happening with Tops (Robinsons) tomorrow and can get an update for Tesco Lotus 2 as well.

Oh yeah...you're right. Stock up bro! Look forward to your report. 

8 hours ago, recom273 said:

It’s been a few days since the night time curfew and threats of a 24 hour lockdown.

 

We thought it was advisable to bring our “big shop” at Makro forward a couple of weeks.

 

We arrived at 8.15, there was a little more action than normal, but we walked straight in after a temperature check, people weren’t hanging around, everyone quite courteous, giving people space. 

We needed a couple of saucepans, but not possible, any of the rows selling kitchenware, appliances, office supplies were taped off, only takeaway containers and food. 
 

Some people still don’t understand.  At the checkout, people were queuing leaving a great space between each or just walking away from the trolley. A woman just pushed her trolley between myself and the guy in front. I let it slide as the woman only had a few items, but the guy infront explained to the woman that we were all leaving safe distances and she had just barged in. 
 

When we left, there was a queue of around  200 people where the bike park is, they took temperature and handed out a mask in a sealed bag. People we let in on a 1-in-1-out basis.

We only live 2 mins from Big C - The wife will go tomorrow - maybe they have the same arrangement.

 

Thanks for the update; it is really useful info for those of us living out here in sticksville...would really appreciate another one from BigC...do you live near the one in Hat Yai Nai or the one downtown?

If you head further north there is also a nice dirt road along the lake from Krasaesin to Ranode...I've never gone south of Krasaesin though, since I am always on  mountain bike...

4 hours ago, Vigilante said:

What do you mean by 'lockdown'?

Probably the voluntary type

 

'lockdown' might be inaccurate...but riding my bike through town is almost eerie for lack of activity...but except for the teenage boys on bikes, the self quarantine has been very effective.

I go out every day and ride around on my mountain bike through the rice fields,,,not a bad time to live in the middle of nowhere.

Any updates? Total lockdown even here in Ranode. The houses are all shut up, but the problem seems to have trickled out onto the street. The roads are crazy now...lots of joyriding, poppin' wheelies, racing...no helmets, multiple passengers...and they are all wearing surgical masks.

Interesting timing; I am listening to a public service announcement over a PA system here in Ranode (Songkhla) that is saying the same basic thing, but tailored to this community...

    Thanks for the update, Stocky. My trip went pretty well, but I got held up at immigration trying to get a re-entry permit. What would normally take 20 minutes turned into two hours because the place was swamped with people trying to get 30-day extensions...thus, I never had time to do the shopping. But we basically can get everything we need our here in the sticks anyway.

The good news is that the whisky hub had a case waiting for me, so I am sipping on some Walton's as I write this...anyway, hopefully we can get more reports from around the region as to how it is going.

On 3/21/2020 at 1:40 PM, garrya said:

Went to Tesco Lotus this morning. Apart from a slight shortage of canned fish and some brands of water, the shelves seemed well-stocked. I was surprised by the lot of meat and vegetables. They even had "no-added sugar" almond milk which they are usually short of ???? 

 

But as a bad news, I am afraid they are trying to locate a few possibly infected people. More and more messages are circulating on Facebook and Line looking for people who travelled between Bangkok and Hat Yai on the 7th, 8th, 12th, 15th. They also assume that some infected people appeared in Jiranakorn Stadium on the 14th and 15th. They also look for people who had taken certain minivans or cabs between the town and the airport. Man, it's the beginning. We'll be asked to stay indoors in a matter of days.

 

Yesterday,  the local government started disinfecting the town and free masks were given away this morning. See photos below.

 

Thanks for the update; I would prefer not to go, but don't really have another choice since my wife insists on having her mom get a check-up.

I get so frustrated because her medical issues mostly stem from her being morbidly obese, but the doctors there never encourage her to change her diet, so it seems like a complete waste of time and energy to me -- not to mention the risk of exposure to novel pathogens.

I've had a trip planned for the big city for awhile' gotta get the car serviced and take my elderly mother-in-law to PSU Hospital for a check up.

I called ahead to my favorite whisky supplier, who told me there has been a disruption in the supply chain incoming from Malaysia and that many of their staple brands were out of stock.

We still have a lot of shopping to get done and just wonder how this is affecting trade [are shops and restaurants open?], traffic and the god-awful parking situation downtown.

Also, are all the massage places closed?

Is Makro well supplied? Is is crowded?

Any info much appreciated.

Up here in the sticks it's all pretty quiet and laid back, but there are still tons of teens joyriding around town on motorbikes -- much more than ever before. I assume this'll be a regional phenomenon.

Anyway, since so many of us have more free time on our hands than normal, please feel free to write in regarding the situation in your locale...

The government school we are contracted to is closed anyway, so we called the director of the local hospital this morning [his daughter is a long-term student in our private, home-based school]. He said no point in keeping the school open because they were expecting a directive forbidding all schools from opening very soon. Time to hit the garden!

I can attest that this is happening further south in Ranot district, Songkhla as well.

Thanks for your reply. The told her the first time around that her not having my passport was a reason for refusal and that she should bring it next time, but they didn't even look at it on the second attempt.

We are pretty much resigned to the decision and won't apply again; I just want others who may be applying (or thinking about applying) not to set their expectations too high.

I am just appalled at the service/treatment by our government, which now seems to be running off an AI app.

On 3/5/2020 at 10:02 AM, lopburi3 said:

Believe your marriage was key to visa issue so perhaps best to look it as the same criteria Thailand uses to extend an entry for marriage (both have to  appear to prevent use by those who are no longer together).  In this case they want to be sure she is still with you and not looking for another.  

That is definitely not the case. I just got back from Bangkok, where I stood in line to accompany her into the embassy to plead our case. They refused to let me accompany her.

This time she had every conceivable piece of documentation one could imagine, including my current and all former passports dating back 30+ years. And three for my daughter...bank statements, pictures of our school and her elderly parents, etc.

Please don't forget that we have been married 15 years and she has already visited the US twice on  tourist visas and returned to Thailand both times. She also has no criminal record, tattoos or any other attributes that I would imagine could rouse suspicion of character in any way.

While I was waiting for her I noticed another guy that seemed to be in a similar position, though his wife was applying for a different visa class -- the one that sets you up for a Green Card.

He said he used a "Thai Agent", a woman in her 30s (I presume), that was waiting there with him.

We talked for a while, to kill time and stress during the wait, and an about an hour later my wife came out with tears in her eyes: denied again.

The other guy's wife got the visa she requested.

So we asked his 'agent' why my wife was denied. She said that it was standard  now: the new policy is no tourist visas for Thai wives, and she said that this policy has been in effect since [Trump*] took office. [*She referred to him in Thai as 'your current Prime Minister', but I think it is fairly clear who she was referring to.]

So my advice to anyone who is seeking to bring a Thai wife back to the States for a holiday on a tourist visa; don't bother.

So far I am out 30,000 baht+ on this, not including all the stress of having to travel during the corona virus panic and lost wages due to having to shut down our school.

I hope this helps out any other law-abiding US expats who might might be thinking of applying -- or voting in the upcoming election.

22 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

I guess things have changed and that actually sounds like a good rule to me.

Having you present with your passport.

And the US does give you an entry document so that would be proof she came back with the entry stamp here.

 

Just a note, you should be happy she can even get this type of Visa now. I am surprised actually.

No Thai girls that I know of are getting them for tourist.  These are not bar girls either.

US just not handing them out usually Fiance or work Visa are the limited routes now.

I just can't stand the waste of time and money. So now I have to spend the whole morning doing the paperwork again when I could (literally) be out working on my garden or doing something else that feels productive. Anyway, if another can benefit from the warning that's the best I can do.

Just a quick warning to fellow US expats. I sent my wife up to Bangkok alone to apply for a visa and she was rejected because she didn't have  my passport, even though she had a signed copy and many other supporting documents. In the past she was issued tourist visas twice when applying without my being with her.

Total lost cost in airfare, hotels and the 4,600 baht application fee is about 10,000 baht, and now will go higher as we will have to repeat the whole retarded process together as a couple.

One of the great mysteries to me is why the TSA doesn't 'stamp out' foreign visitors, so they have proof of having left after previous visits. I have been in Thailand 30 years and my old passports have all the records of when I stamped out of Thailand and into Laos, Burma and Malaysia. Why doesn't the US do this, like just about every other country on the planet that I am aware of?

It seems like the USA is more interested in undressing and humiliating people than actual security or actually tracking foreigners who visit their country.

My wife was devastated, and called me up crying....

so take this as a word of warning...accompany you spouse to the embassy, or risk being in the position we are in now.

9 hours ago, stephenterry said:

From your post, I gather that you realise you have an addictive personality, whether genetically or otherwise. That recognition will keep you in good stead, however, and firstly you could just relax, chill out, and enjoy the two months - it's not a lifetime sentence - with your family and friends. 

 

Secondly, it's your life and only your choice of how you choose to live. That is important. Also important is to change your daily habitual routine  - go for a walk, ride, bowling alley, movie; anything to break up your addictive habits and put in place more healthy habits.  For example, instead of fixed times for breakfast, lunch or dinner, it's essential to move, delay or lose the time by following the above suggestions. Daily walks are an excellent way to keep healthy - get lost in the forest or the shopping mall - and enjoy a change of scenery instead.

 

 

Thanks for that. You are right that the change of scenery will do me good. At least where I will be going is clean compared to where I live now, where plastic garbage is found along the roadsides everywhere. Also, the last few times back it was in winter for funeral (RIP Mom and Dad), and I was still suffering from a broken hip....as for those long walks, I think I will take the forest over the shopping mall! (it might even lower my chances of being shot!)...anyway, thanks again.

I started doing #nsng (no sugar, no grains) a few years ago with remarkably good results across the board; I am also trying to get it up to another level with IMF, but the main problem I face is TEMPTATION.

I live with three generations of sugar-addicts, but I do have the ability to stay clear of all the processed sugars and junk food by cooking and growing most of my own food, usually a bone-broth stew.

However, when I try to push my fast well into the afternoon, I always have to pass a table full of delicious Southern Thai dishes throughout the day. Too often I break down, and a big factor I know is that I tell myself 'all that food is going to be wasted' if I don't eat it.

Another factor is that I am a functional alcoholic, so sometimes I think that all of my hardcore attention to fitness and dieting is just a crutch to support that lifestyle choice. But at least the fasting helps keep me from day drinking, at least most of the time.

I need to go back Stateside for two months this Summer, and I while I look forward to seeing my siblings I pretty much dread having to be back in the grips of the US food industry, especially while being dependent on siblings who won't want to listen to an alcoholic preaching about the dangers of processed food... . The idea of trying to pull off a 12-hour jet lag and recovery amidst airplane food and constantly being surrounded by feasting family and friends is probably going to make fasting mush more difficult, if not impossible. 

Any advice of how to cope with that would be much appreciated...

4 hours ago, puchooay said:

As a Brit myself, I have to say that I would never use "a". Not sure that I know anyone else that does either. Not from where I am from anyway.

 

As a relatively small country, UK has a vast array of terminology and accent depending on where in the UK you are from. I think the term "Brit" is too extensive.

The instructional video that I use to teach them analog time has what sounds like an elderly "public school" accent and he definitely uses "a", but you are right: all the accents across the UK are far more varied than in the states.

For me, the working definition of a Brit is someone who grew up on the island of Britain. I mean, Scots are Brits too, right? Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong. I've only been there twice, but have worked among "Brits" for many years.

53 minutes ago, Scott Tracy said:

Tempus fugit.

 

My grandfather used to say things like 5 and 20 past 3, for 3:25... 

 

Different countries use the half past differently too, I have noticed.

I've only noticed that Brits tend to say '"a' half past" whereas North Americans drop the article.

I am just curious how other ESL teachers are teaching time these days.

The system based on the analog clock, which is still predominantly used among native speakers, is admittedly more complex and confusing. (eg. 'quarter to three, ten to two')...Just as a means of communication, I think digital is better (three-fifteen, one-fifty)...I just wonder if the digital revolution is going to sink analog time-telling to the point that it is just a waste of time for non NES. (like cursive writing, learning how to alphabetize, etc.)...anyway, that's what I am thinking about as the morning coffee kicks in...Any thoughts?