TallGuyJohninBKK

Here's an example of the local product... Strikes me as being very SALT heavy... Also not great if a person has food allergies to either wheat or soy. https://www.meatzerobrand.com/en/meat-zero-plant-based-crispy-pork/ Here's their basic ground "non-meat" version that's less salty, but still very much based on soy. https://www.meatzerobrand.com/en/meat-zero-plant-based-ground-meat/

I wonder if Thais ever watched the movie "Soylent Green"??? ???? Also, you do have to wonder, WHY would a plant based meat replacement product need to be MORE expensive that the meat product itself?

Have no idea, and of course, such things rarely get publicly explained.... If I were guessing, I'd guess the original wood decking was getting worn due to long-term exposure to water, and/or, they wanted to avoid that for the future. Just guessing.... But why the now replacement concrete decking areas remain closed off remains a mystery. Dunno if they're planning to do something more in those areas or what.... Also, I believe, the long-time bicycle rental shop that used to be lakeside there is gone, as is the lake paddle boats operation there -- notwithstanding the old photo of them posted in the OP. Likewise, no known reason given for why the former bicycle track around the lake remains closed to bicyclists, and they are only allowed now during certain hours (until 5:30 p.m.) in certain areas of the expanded park area across the road.

Squeal??? ????

This layout map of the park comes from a new display board at the park that I snapped a photo of. I've annotated it to show and describe the different areas, to the best of my knowledge.

The first couple pictures in the OP report are showing the ORIGINAL park area with its large lake, while only the last photo in the set is showing the newly opened portion of the expanded park. We've lived nearby there for many years, and the wife and I have been there for exercise and walking several times in the past week to see the latest developments. Even though a whole new area has just opened, that being the wetlands section with its interesting set of elevated walkways, there's still a lot of additional park development slated to occur there and remaining undone for the present. Also, after a LONG time, the original Benjakitti Park area around the lake there has never yet quite made it back to its original splendor, after being subjected to a massive phased construction project apparently to improve drainage in the area that tore up large sections of the original park area. For example, the original bike path circling the lake remains closed to cyclists, even though the construction that previously had obstructed it has been completed. The bicycling area has been shifted over to a perimeter of the expanded park area. Also, the former wooden deck sitting areas around perimeter portions of the lake (where people used to go to launch their loy kratong floats, take photos, etc.) have been removed and replaced with plain concrete deck surfaces that remain roped off to the public for some reason.

Wife and I were in Hua Hin over the Christmas-pre New Year week. Went looking for the former GARC location in Hua Hin. Somewhat to my surprise, the entire site remains empty and unused after all this time (the rear right edge corner of the photo below).

I was thinking of the exact same context in writing my prior post, even though I didn't address it in my comments. But I'm glad you did and bringing your family's experiences to bear. Doctors and nurses and other medical staff are TWO YEARS into COVID now. They've been getting sick and they're dying of COVID themselves. They've long-term been seeing vast numbers of patients dying before their eyes, unable to save too many of them. And more recently, in various places, after all of the crushing reality above, they're now getting verbally and physically abused by anti-vax wingnuts, religious zealots, conspiracy proponents, etc etc... And amid all this, they're preparing for what's shaping up as a FIFTH wave of COVID... Being a front line health care professional these days means having a job that's literally going to ground you into the earth.

Omicron infections are the majority in the U.S. right now, and total numbers of new COVID hospitalizations are spiking with the explosion of new Omicron cases. The rate of COVID hospitalizations from Omicron vs Delta is widely said to be substantially less. But the infectiousness and spread of new cases from Omicron is vastly outstripping Delta that came before. Once you get such a large influx of new Omicron cases, even with a lower RATE of hospitalizations, the sheer increase in volume of cases is going to drive overall increases in hospitalizations, which is exactly what's occurring now. That's why those who advocate letting Omicron run unchecked, or even encouraging its spread, are pushing a course that heads for public health disaster.

But in other countries like the UK and US with better public reporting of public health data, hospitalizations due to Omicron have been rising. If it's so "pathetic and weak" as you put it, why are COVID hospitalizations spiking just lately again now? From Friday's CDC update: U.S. New COVID Hospital Admissions "The current 7-day daily average for December 28, 2021–January 4, 2022, was 16,458. This is a 60.2% increase from the prior 7-day average (10,271) from December 21–December 27, 2021." And a slightly later version of the same data via chart form: Source weblink Rising deaths in the past have trailed rising COVID hospitalizations. Whether that will be the case or not in this current Omicron wave, I think it's too early to tell for the time being. But it bears remembering, in Thailand and the U.S. right now, about one-third of the overall population still has not received two vaccine doses as yet, much less a third booster shot that the medical experts say is needed to best fight off Omicron. So there remains large populations of not fully vaccinated folks out there. And disproportionately larger numbers of them, at least in the U.S., are ending up being hospitalized lately with the explosion of new Omicron cases.

I don't know what that language above from As-win is supposed to mean.... But on the way home last night, all the regular non-gogo bars (quasi restaurants) in my central BKK neighborhood were open and serving alcohol as usual. No special precautions seen. Everyone sitting around drinking in close proximity maskless.

A cleaner look at the same info for Thailand solo: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/excess-mortality-p-scores-projected-baseline?country=~THA

It's a curious trend lately that 3rd shot booster doses often are outnumbering the numbers of first and second doses given on various days, such as above.... And yet, still, about one-third of the Thai population hasn't yet been fully vaccinated with the two regular doses thus far.

It's likely the weekend effect (less testing and/or less reporting). The Jan 9 report today is tallying totals of the end of Sat Jan. 8.

The latest info is suggesting that saliva-based ATK tests are doing a better job of promptly detecting Omicron than the nasal ones, which appear to be the more common variety here. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/rapid-nose-swab-tests-covid-may-not-detect-omicron-quickly-enough-expert-says-2022-01-07/ "Jan 7 (Reuters) - Swabbing the nose with a rapid antigen test will not reliably detect the Omicron variant in the first few days of an infection, so manufacturers should seek U.S. approval to allow users to safely collect samples from the throat as well, according to an infectious diseases expert. People can already transmit Omicron to others when it has infected their throat and saliva but before the virus reaches their nose, so swabbing the nostrils too early in the course of infection will not pick it up, Dr. Michael Mina, formerly of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and now chief science officer at eMed, said during a news conference on Thursday. A study released on Wednesday on medRxiv ahead of peer review looked at 29 Omicron-infected workers in high-risk professions who had PCR and antigen tests done simultaneously on multiple days. The PCR tests of saliva detected the virus on average three days before the rapid nose-swab samples became positive."

4 pm also yesterday. But it was a Saturday, coming off the New Year's holidays.... Can't speak to what the comparable situation would be on a weekday. But from everything I've seen reported about the Bang Sue experience along the way, the late afternoon time slot seems generally to be the most free of any crowding.

As best as I can tell, this long-time pair of American/TexMex style barbecue restaurants in Bangkok and Hua Hin appear to have disappeared sometime in past years. I didn't know they were gone, until I went looking just today and found zippo. Nothing much more recent than 5-6 years back. Don't see anything online in the news about their passing. Anyone know the story of what happened with these two restaurants, and when? Thanks!

Went to BKK CW Immigration last week for my annual retirement extension re-issuance, which went as smoothly as I've ever had, although there were several changes/clarifications from the same process I experienced there last year. Some of the notable items included: BANK DEPOSIT LETTER --The IO handling my extension via Thai bank deposit confirmed that the Thai bank deposit confirmation letter of your 800,000+ baht deposit can be dated up to SEVEN days prior to your application, at least at BKK CW. Can't speak for other Immigration offices. And, the same SEVEN day period was also confirmed to forum member @Pib who went for a marriage extension a few days later. [However, you still need to update the printed balance in the physical Thai bank book you're using earlier on the same day of your Immigration application.] 90 DAY REPORTING --Unlike past years, BKK CW Immigration is now allowing retirement and marriage extension applicants to complete their upcoming 90-day reporting obligations while there at BKK CW doing your extension. You just need to bring along or complete while there the standard TM47 90-day reporting form. Upon request, the IO handling your extension should handle that for you and give you a new slip for your future 90-day report right there in their cubicle, without having to go anywhere else or deal with any other IOs. In my case, since I had a completed TM47 in hand, that whole part of the process took about two minutes. In my case, my future reporting date was about 3 weeks into the future--no problem. In Pib's case, his future date was almost 6 weeks into the future--no problem. ADVANCE APPLICATION PERIOD The short-lived recent rule Immigration announced a few months back that, supposedly, you could only show up for your new extension no more than THREE days prior to your current extension expiring because of COVID is now GONE. And, the BKK CW Immigration office appears to be back to their prior, long-time rule of allowing extension applications up to 45 days prior to your expiration date. [Also, if you got a new/different Sept. 26 expiry date last year from BKK CW because of COVID, they're sticking with that time frame this year, so my new extension for the year ahead carries forward the same new Sept. 26 expiration date they gave me last year.] FOURTH MISC FORM TO FILL OUT & SIGN --For a long time, BKK CW Immigration has had three misc. single-page forms that they want retirement extension applicants to fill out, sign and submit, in addition to the TM 7 extension form and various photocopies. There now is a FOURTH single-page form, which is a copy of the actual Police Order rules for retirement extensions. Unlike past years, all four of the misc paper forms now seem to be readily available upon request from the Immigration info counter on the way into the main queue ticket counter inside. However, for convenience, I'm attaching here PDF files of the four single-page forms (I like to have them completed and signed ahead of time): 2 Ret Exten Reqs from Imm 2020 version.pdf 2 Ret Exten Overstay Penalties Form.pdf 2 Ret Exten Statement 2.pdf 2 Ret Exten Statement 3.pdf INCLUSION OF 90 DAY REPORT SLIP, TM30 RECEIPT & HOME MAP --This was I think my first ever retirement extension application visit where the IO had absolutely nothing to request of me or complain about. She was satisfied with my package exactly as I submitted it. And while your mileage may vary, that included a package with copies of: --my latest 90-day reporting update slip --my most recent TM30 residency confirmation receipt --an annotated Google Map printout that I enhanced on the computer to more clearly show the route to (and location of) my home. All of the above were accepted by my IO and kept by her to use in my packet. None of those forms were returned to me. Likewise last year, the IO handling my retirement extension then specifically requested copies of the 90-day report receipt and TM30 receipt, which I had in my possession, but hadn't initially included in my paperwork submission then. COVID RESTRICTIONS / WAITING AREA ACCESS --Compared to last year this same time, there was a different COVID restrictions process in place. This year, once you got your queue ticket number from the main counter, there was an IO staff member standing at the entrance to the L Section (extensions area) entrance, and at least on the day of my visit, she would not let you into that area to sit and wait until your queue number was close to being called. My number was about 15 down upon arrival, so I had to sit outside the main interior entrance where they've set up a socially distanced seating area for people who already have their queue tickets. The queue ticket Immigration gives you also has a QR code on it, which if you have a mobile phone that can read QR codes, gives you access to a live webpage version of the Immigration queue system and shows you how many people are ahead of you for your queue. Though I believe you have to periodically refresh the webpage in order for the changes to get reflected on the screen you're seeing. The IO staff member finally let me into the L Section waiting area by the time I was only 4 or 5 people down in the queue for extensions. Here's the full list and details of what went into my retirement extension paperwork package this year for Immigration: -- Completed TM7 form printed on a single sheet front and back. Your color photo pasted on the back side, and your mobile phone number hand written at the top of the back side. -- Official Thai bank letter confirming you have a qualified Thai bank account with at least the 800K required current deposit, with the letter dated no more than SEVEN days prior to your Immigration visit. -- Thai bank book for that account print updated earlier on the day of your Immigration visit, showing the required deposit and signed regular photocopies of your bank book pages showing account activity during the prior 12 month period. The current rules at BKK CW require a retirement extension applicant to show the 800K deposit for at least two months prior to the application, and then three months after, while the remainder of the year must have a balance of no less than 400,000 baht. -- the four misc. single page forms listed listed above and included as PDF files. -- Hand-signed portrait-orientation photocopies of the following: (they want photocopies, they don't seem to like printed scans): -- Passport face page -- if you've obtained a new passport any time after your most recent actual visa, the front two pages of that where Immigration has copied over the visa and stamps info from your prior passport. -- Most recent visa or extension stamp page -- Most recent arrival/entry stamp page -- Airport departure card front and back -- Hand-drawn or printed map showing the location & address of your home. -- Latest 90-Day Report receipt -- Latest TM30 receipt Ahh, and let's not forget the money -- 1900 baht fee for the annual retirement extension, and 1000 baht fee for a single-use re-entry permit. Lastly, this year, I took the new SRT Red Line for my trip to and from BKK CW, which was an interesting experience. And although the new Red Line has a Laksi station at the corner of Chaengwattana Road, my conclusion was that taking the BTS Light Green/Sukhumvit Line to Mochit Station and then a regular meter taxi onward to BKK CW is still the quicker, easier and simpler way to travel. I did a separate thread on all the details of that, as follows: Comments and personal experiences about all of the above at BKK CW welcome!