Heng

Please let Japan do a reciprocal deal. Would cancel Deer Valley in a heartbeat for some Hokkaido powder.

Anyone here not get those 'are you still alive' letters? I see it mentioned from time to time but my folks don't seem to get those for some reason. Both over 70. Is it subjective somehow (for instance as long as you still file you're presumed alive)?

Great news if true for outbound travelers. One day decompression in AQ on return is nothing.

No worries. Just test everybody on day 1 and 6 of whatever we rebrand quarantine as.

Well if I had to estimate, there are only about 10 active posters with a vested interest in crypto... And of those, 6 are invested and 4 are just trying to annoy those other 6. ????

This type of thing seemed to have went away for awhile. Have they found a way to clone chipped ATM cards? Ah, and Google says not quite. But apparently if the attack 'causes the chip reading to fail' some cards will revert to the magnetic strip which still can be cloned.

AFAIK, you still can't walk in and purchase Pfizer, Moderna, etc. anywhere yet (would love to be corrected as I have some family members who are waiting as well, but a bit on the old side so we don't want to wheel them to a mass vax centre nor are they able to just fly and vaccinate). There are still 'reservation forms' but no cash and carry.

BTC creeping up on ATH territory again. That was fast.

To each his/her own but I prefer to avoid any face to face transactions. Also be aware of your social media exposure (I personally make sure I have virtually none)... as every localbitcoins or localcryptos transaction will inherently reveal your name and bank account number (it goes without saying that you should use a bank account that isn't your main account for this). You probably don't want to be too easy to look up and find IRL if you're dealing with larger amounts. That said, I'd also advise 'larger amounts' at one time... instead using a steady stream of smallish transactions for converting to or from crypto. On a side note, you may find that your bank may periodically call you to question the 'nature of this or that transaction.' You can say what you want but you're not required to say anything other than a 'personal financial transaction' or 'transferring some funds from savings.' You probably don't want to mention the word 'crypto/bitcoin/etc.' in the conversation as that's like mumbling 'cigarettes or Patek Phillipe' for no reason when walking through customs.

Yeah, I don't think double standards are inherently bad or even unnatural.

It keeps most folks from immediately travelling to other cities. Sure, you can still day trip, but it should put a limit on how far you can go and still make it back to check in.

True, but having multiple water leaks isn't a reason to just turn on the rest of the faucets though.

If applied to Thailand, India's death rate would be comparable per capita, the US's would push Thailand to the 170-180k range. Not politically palatable. Definitely not palatable if it's someone you know as well.

What everyone is whining about are the conservative rules in place when they could easily just open the flood gates at any time throwing caution to the wind.

Singapore is still restricted. I've been waiting for a year to go and take care of a few errands and check regularly. It's still just open to Singaporeans and those with residency, in addition to those travelling under their vaccinated travel lane concept: for now just Germany and Brunei, hardly 'pretty much open.'

That's one take on it. One can also say they are being conservative because it has been seen what the pandemic can do (India, US, Brazil...) when one let's their guard down.

Most of Asia is still closed/restricted despite the amount of dramatic whining each time the TH gov't announces anything. The Maldives are open but I don't think those freaking out about the proposed 500 Baht inbound tourist fee are flocking there. ????

Announcements aside, it's not really official until you can select the option (for whichever sandbox plan you want) on the COE website: https://coethailand.mfa.go.th

More likely it'll be a move towards local Ratchaphisek/Phetburi Road entertainment as opposed to western 'bar/pickup simulator' type establishments.

Some positives to keep the pot from getting too salty: On the plus side, hardly any crying children/babies on planes now. As for tourist type establishments... and for many businesses actually that have been affected by the downturn... the service has generally been upped a notch to say the least. They truly gently cup your avocados and appreciate that you are giving them your business. The COE and extra paperwork was slightly annoying... but then when I weigh it against empty lounges, fast check ins, virtually no lines at security, flight attendants who only have to serve you and 10 other people in the cabin... ????

Overpriced compared to say the US (firearm heaven). My Glock 26 was 60,000 Baht here, I have the exact same piece stateside which cost me something like $350..... these are the prices 20 years ago. Oddly enough ammo prices stateside have succumbed to inflation while Thai prices are still pretty close to their previously 'inflated' prices a decade or so ago. 1000-1200 Baht a box for Winchester LRN 9mm, you used to be able to get this for like $8 a box at one time on cheaperthandirt, now it's around the same as the Thai price, which hasn't gone up.

Also (not legal advice), the intruder clearly armed himself/herself with one of your kitchen knives before you confronted them.

If you make a photocopy of it, alongside your driver license or passport and then laminate it, this is useful for checkpoints (especially in the rain) where your original CDC card (which you wouldn't laminate since you might add booster shots to it) might be dropped or damaged.

In regards to Defi, I have never really looked at it until I was in quarantine this past week. Have never really looked at crypto that way. I was always of the convert FROM crypto into real estate/gold/etc. school of thought, not of the dive 'deeper' into crypto way of things. Put a few units into the VET and BNB 'click and stake' options in the Binance app just to see how it turns out. We'll see.

Hope so, because I bought at $480 something and now it's in the $50s or so. LOL. If it wasn't all BTC gravy, I'd be as frustrated as an anti-crypto/antivaxxer.