MarkyM3

You are wrong about entry requirements to the US. It only reopened to non-US citizens at the beginning of the week and the requirements for entry are clearly laid out - ESTA, C19 test within 72 hours of travel and agreement to do one 3-5 days after arrival for contact tracing. I am travelling there next month from the UK btw.... Your comments about entry to the UK are not correct either. There is no longer a red list and associated quarantine hotels. You have to complete a passenger locator form prior to entering the UK and register a lateral flow test on it, which is submitted on day 2. If you fail that, you are asked to self isolate for 10 days. No enforced stay in a quarantine hotel. As for your comments about death rates, if you seriously believe the Thai figures are comparable with those taken in the UK and USA, you must be joking right? Keep wearing the tin foil hat and let people get on with their lives. Vaccines were developed to prevent serious illness and death and have done a terrific job in that respect. I'm sure you'd have us walking around in masks ad infinitum in a perpetual state of fear.

Follow-up re: STV. It's hard to find current information about requirements. This seems most recent...https://thaiest.com/blog/thailand-special-tourist-visa-stv-extended-to-2022 I'm assuming the quarantine has been dropped. Have health insurance requirements been relaxed as well? Overall, it does seem very restrictive in having to reserved accommodation for the entire duration of the 90 days before travel. Not sure that is going to work for me.

Cheers....it has come up now I registered my details on the site.

Thanks for info but I can't actually find the STV on the website UbonJoe quoted? I have registered, and am searching on passport type = "ordinary passport" and purpose of visit = "tourism/leisure activities". I am only presented with the "tourist visa" option and within that single or multi-entry. Is the Royal Thai embassy in London not doing STV? EDIT: Jackdd sorted for me - thanks.

Just to revive this topic... I am arriving Feb 3rd from London and have a return flight booked to London on 30th June. I'm over 50, employed FT in the UK but taking a break from work. What is the best way to cover a stay of this duration? It is possible I may want to exit and re-enter Thailand more than once, though not decided on that yet. I know there was the STV scheme but that appears to be finished now. I am aware I could get a 60 day SETV and extend by 30 days to cover the initial 90 days of my stay, assuming I don't leave Thailand during that time. But presumably I would then get stuck outside the country for at least 21 days (due to the "test and go" scheme rules) if leaving at any point to travel elsewhere or to get another SETV after the initial 90 days is exhausted? Also, should I book a "throwaway" onward flight out of Thailand within the initial 60 day period to avoid any aggro at check-in/arrival in Feb, despite having my return flight booked for June? Any advice welcome. Cheers.

And why should the UK taxpayer, of which I am one, be furnishing you with benefits in these circs? Considering how lax the benefits system is in the UK and the numbers leeching off it, you must have been seriously taking the p_ss to have them withheld LOL. Brexit got voted for precisely for reasons such as these, as you must surely realise? Anyone who wanted to stick around and contribute genuinely had no issues at all, as indeed millions have done. The UK has made it a lot easier than some of their bitter neighbours in the EU have for UK citizens. Having read about your Brazilian passport scheme and marriage advice, you clearly have a inventive approach to getting through life, I will say that..!

Thanks for info. I'm fully vaccinated and should receive 3rd dose before arriving 3rd Feb from the UK. I'm not on a 2 week vacation thankfully otherwise wouldn't bother with the hassle!! I'm coming over to have a short career break and see my gf. Just turned 50 and would like to stay for 5 months. I've used the SETV visa before but that's only good for 60 days + 30 day extension. Any idea on what I could do to extend another couple of months i.e. are there longer stay options I can arrange from the UK before departing? Otherwise, seems I'd have to leave after 90 days and get another SETV or something? Cheers

So....what happens if you fail your arrival C19 test? Not seeing any detail around this at all, just a directive to book 1 night at a SHA hotel with the assumption you will pass. If you fail, are you expected to enter quarantine, self isolation or what???

I've booked to fly LHR-BKK on 2nd Feb with Qatar, returning to UK at end of June. I have personal matters to attend to and have been outside since Feb 2020 and am not able/willing to waste another year. However, I certainly wouldn't be in any rush to return so if I was on a regular 2 or 3 week holiday...which is the demographic the Thais need. I'm travelling in business cabin and the seat selector indicated plenty of capacity both ways. Not empty but not that many seats taken as of now. Qatar have 3 daily flights between Doha and Bangkok so got to wonder if they will scrap one or two of those if sales aren't good enough. In terms of flight options, there are a reasonable number of offerings but not what would usually be expected. EVA Air (my preferred choice due to flying direct and having accrued mileage), do not have anything except weekly flights pencilled between LHR-BKK as of now. BA don't come up on the list either. Thai Airways do but no thanks.

Where do you read your news - Daily Sport? Type in "Israel C19 cases" into google and look at the graph......

Israel had a spike because they were one of the earliest countries to do the double vax programme, they have recently rolled out a 3rd injection booster and figures are now down again. As for UK, see my comments - you are stretching the truth to suit your narrative about vaccines.

You omit to mention most of those infection rates are in younger age groups who have resisted being vaccinated and over-12s now back at school. The vaccination rollout in over-12s was delayed due to dithering from the advisory committee to the govt about whether kids needed to be vaccinated. Meanwhile, hospitalisations and deaths have remained fairly constant throughout. Bear in mind the UK method records a death for any reason within 28 days of a positive C19 in these figures and the kind of figures being recorded are what would be expected in a flu outbreak. The fact is that vaccines are preventing people from getting seriously ill and dying whilst allowing the UK and other countries to reopen. The death figures are also no doubt bolstered by people who failed to get cancer treatments etc. due to the country being locked down. Fact is, people visiting Thailand will have been vaccinated and tested before arrival. They bring less risk to the table than the local population. Open up and get on with it. As for me, I need to return to Thailand end of January until June for personal reasons. This constant dithering by Thai authorities will kill their reopening stone dead if they aren't careful. Rank amateurs.

I haven't been into Thailand since Feb 2020 due to the C19 pandemic but going back before then, I was struck by the numbers of new condos going up in Bangkok, seemingly wherever there's a plot of land available and forgetting what impact that might have on the outlook of other buildings. The market also looked saturated/over-valued back then, to me anyway, and even more now due to C19 fallout. If I spend significant time in the country in future, I'll plan to rent. Don't need the hassle of worrying what curveball is coming around the corner.

Yes, I am a well aware of sidelines and it does not alter what I said in my post. If you read it - I said to the poster does he think *anyone* is on the game who works in a bar and restaurant? I should have said "everyone", not "anyone" but I'm sure you knew what I meant lol

Regards the DNA aspect, if you feel you can commit to your daughter irrespective of doubts, then drop it and do what you can to have her with you full time. You clearly love her a great deal. Obviously, were the results to be not you wanted to here, you'd have an even bigger dilemna than you have now. I can't pretend to be an expert on Thai culture but "mia nois" (minor wives) were/are a not uncommon feature for men. At one point, my gf's father had 2 at the same time. Ridiculous really. "Giks"(f__k buddies) also seem to be a feature as well. Also look up "tom and dee", which is relevant to your situation. I think the best thing is to disassociate with her ASAP and consider the DNA thing. Given she already has 2 kids away in the sticks, I honestly doubt she cares a whole lot about your daughter. Sad to say. Good luck.

Worked in a regular bar, not in a go-go area. Knew her for a couple of years before we got together and no cash changed hands. Do you think anyone who works in a bar or restaurant in Thailand is on the game?

Sorry to hear of your predicament and I hope it's a genuine post! Plenty have fallen for it. No doubt you will get the usual ThaiVisa keyboard warriors piling on, not from me. I would request a DNA test, quite honestly, given your wife has lied so much elsewhere. Though that is a hard thing to do, given your daughter is the only positive thing to emerge from this mess. I had a Thai girlfriend pull the pregnancy card on me, she even sent me photos of "my" baby when I was back in the UK. I asked for a DNA test (at my expense) and it was never forthcoming. She turned out to be a total bunny boiler and stalked me on Facebook etc. - she was a barmaid, not a bargirl though. I would also recommend perhaps hiring a private detective to try to find out what else is going on. I wish you luck.

Hardly as strsaightfoward as you present it. He is obviously getting recurring 60 day Covid extensions. Perhaps you have forgotten the constant clampdowns by the authorities prior to C19 when they were making it increasingly hard for people to spend extended periods in the Kingdom., even if they were more than solvent. I didn't have an issue with that for those living FT on tourist visas for years but hardly made a lot of sense for solvent expats from the West wintering for 6 months...

First came in 2005 with friends backpacking around Asia and loved it. Ended up staying 3 months and reducing other parts of my itinerary. I've spent 2-3 months a year there since then, while working the rest of the time in the UK, plus I had a 6 month break there in 2013 and had been planning to do another 6 months until the pandemic struck. The idea of retiring to Thailand became a real aspiration fairly quickly, particularly after getting into a long-term relationship. However, I feel the free and easy atmosphere is going. OK, after spending a lot of time in any country, it's inevitably not going to be fresh as it is when you first experience it. But it doesn't have the same vibe anymore, to me at least. The mass over-development to cater for package tours from China, Russia etc. has not helped either. Samui, whilst still nice, isn't what it was even 15 years ago. When I first pitched up there, Lamai and Chaweng were very much separate areas. Now they are one urban sprawl. Also, it isn't a particularly cheap place if you are living in places like Bangkok unless you are living like locals do. I spend more in supermarkets, for example, than I do in the UK and my UK wages are a lot higher, obviously. Life away from the capital and tourist areas looks more attractive. I'm 50 now and have the finances in place to retire there if I want to. But I see things more like 4 or 5 months a year as a snowbird now, rather than the dream of living out there full-time. I wouldn't buy property there either due to the legal wild west, though that's always been the case.

No doubt there are knuckledraggers everywhere on occassions. But "horrendous"? I don't buy it. None of my female friends have described their experience in the UK like this. When was the last time you lived there? I'm also curious as to why you'd be based in Thailand (if you are), a place where it's perfectly OK to specify sex and age limitations for job applicants? And the near total lack of women in areas like the police? Just two examples that come to mind. Anyway, let's agree to disagree. ????

I live in London and I'm rather surprised you could describe three women's experience there as "horrendous". The UK is extremely PC now and women, in my experience, are very much treated equally and have been for some time. I work in a FTSE100 company which has operations in the City amongst other locations. The CEO is a woman, many senior and junior managers are women. Women and minorities are actively promoted, too. In fact, being a white, middle aged male is seriously not cool these days. This is not unique - I've worked in many blue-chip companies in technology over the last 25 years and have had loads of female colleagues in management positions. If your daughters are working in trading environments or similar in City banks/institutions then they may well encounter bastions of male domination/chauvinism. But these places are on the decline - witness various multi-million £ discrimination payouts in recent years - and are by no means reflective of most of London or the UK as a whole.

All depends on what the issue is re: face to face. They are cutting back on those for cases where it isn't necessary to reduce c19 infection risk. I don't have an issue with that. If you do genuinely need to get a face-to-face, you can - I have seen my GP several times since C19 started to get blood test and TRT injections. Had an MRI done end of last year no issue. Regarding delays in operations as a result of the pandemic, it's inevitable. Advocates of keeping people in perpetual lockdowns didn't care to talk about the knock-on effects like this. No doubt there has been a delay in diagnosing cancer cases and so forth, which is highly regrettable. But the NHS cannot run a pandemic and still provide 100% normal service, the resources aren't there. Necessary operations for cases once diagnosed do not seem to be necessarily getting delayed - my colleague's wife had non-life threatening surgery just a few months ago and it was done quickly.

On my regular Thailand visits, in particular Samui, I noticed several elderly guys with gf/companions/carers looking after them part or full-time. They could be taken around town, dropped off by bike to meet others for a beer once or twice a week etc. Seemed a much better way to see out your final days than being stuck in a miserable care home in the UK or wherever costing £££. However, if you do get seriously ill then Thailand doesn't seem the place to be really unless you can finance yourself and have people around you who genuinely care about you.

You say that....I've had great care from the NHS, including removal of a brain tumour pre-C19. Cost me nothing, performed by a leading surgeon and the post-care was very good. I'm also on TRT and again, I pay nothing. I pay plenty of tax so I'm not freeloading, I just get fed up of reading people peristently running down the NHS. Sure, it has lots of problems, not least the excessive bureaucracy and variable standards. But I've talked to plenty of Thai friends and the reports of public hospitals are far from stellar there. A common complaint being people going to queue up first thing in the morning to see someone and waiting for hours.

Hi...Mokwit has quoted a lot of useful info so I won't repeat that. Suffice to say, I do repeat that your blood tests are missing some of the things an endocrinologist should be monitoring. Saying that, my experience has been many endos are not particularly clued-up with TRT and some of the advice I received in the past was plain wrong! There is a lot of information out on the internet so becoming self-educated is essential imo (though your endo may not like it!). I just had a Nebido injection this week - no great issue, it takes a minute or so into the buttock. It's a little bit tender for an hour or so afterwards but that fades quickly enough. Someone who hasn't got experience of doing the injections properly is more of a menace than anything. Mokwit mentioned SHBG levels - as per my comments, this stuff helps determine how much of the testosterone binds to androgen receptors and is bio-available. That plus albumin determine the free testosterone calculation and your endo should be looking at that, not just a raw testosterone figure. Personally, my SHBG is usually at the low end of the acceptable range and this means my free testosterone level is boosted. However, low SHBG isn't necessarily a great thing - mine hovers around .18 nmol/L but I'd be happier with a figure of around 30 as that, apparently, is more typical of younger men. I request a blood panel just before I have my next jab to see my trough figure for testosterone. After a while on Nebido, I am finding my trough is still towards the upper end of the free testosterone range if I stick to around 11 weeks between jabs (they recommend 12-14). Thankfully. my endo and GP give me reasonably free reign on what I want. The advantage of Nebido is the convenience. However, I don't believe it's used much in the US (not sure if it's licensed for use there). I would concur with Mokwit in saying I'm not sure TRT necessarily makes a big difference to erections. It didn't turn me into a sex god (sadly..!), I feel the effects are reasonably subtle and it's more about boosting general energy. I've been prescribed Viagra and Cialis via UK NHS as an adjunctive and did find it helped in that area, but I found benefits with those prior to doing TRT too. I understand my experience isn't unusual but everyone is different. Some have dramatic benefits, others quit because it does nothing, some in-between. The background to my use of TRT is that I've got epilepsy. Whilst it's fully controlled, research shows the drug I use (Epilim) apparently screws up the endocrine system by suppressing LH production amongst other things. Had I known that, I might well have tried HCG instead of TRT first. However, your situation sounds very much like a classic age-related TRT case. As it is, I just had a yearly review with my endo and I've asked to have a fertility test done (yes, I'll have to jack off into a canister no less an hour before my appointment!). If it shows (as I expect) that I'm largely infertile as a result of TRT (I believe it typically shuts down sperm production), then I'm told HCG may be prescribed as an adjunctive to my TRT (though I had previously been told it would only be given if I withdrew from TRT). In the US, endos don't seem to have an issue doing HCG and TRT at the same time - hence I thought I'd have to use a private doctor here in the UK for the HCG. I will see. To recap, here are the key things your endo should be monitoring and my UK reference ranges (metric, use online converter app to switch to imperial): SPA (Serum Prostrate Ag level): 0-1.99ug/L Free Testosterone - calculated of: - Serum Testosterone (8 - 26.1 nmol/L) - Serum Albumin (done as part of at liver function test, 35 - 50g/L) - SHBG (0.17 - 0.73nmol/L) Oestradial - UK doesn't use the better "sensitive" test Mokwit mentions, our range is stated to be 0 - 145 pmol/L. My research indicates it's better to stay at upper end if possible. Serum Prolaction - 45 - 375 miu/L Serum Cortisol - 9am, 140 - 690 nmol/L Full Blood Count - get your haematocrit ratio here, range 0.4 - 0.54 ratio My endo also asks for some other things e.g thyroid testing (I have a slow thyroid), renal profile, bone profile