Banged up in paradise: how our dream holiday to Thailand ended before it began

[Lacessit]

I have warned my friends and relatives in Australia not to come here until Thailand gets rid of this BS. Permitting self-isolation and ATK testing instead of this lottery would be far more sensible, and Thailand would get the tourists it craves.

Bad luck for the wife,but both she and her husband should have done the research before coming here. Heaven knows there is enough threads and comments on ASEAN on the topic.

 

[herfiehandbag]

Having glued, screwed and nailed down the lid on the coffin of the tourist industry, they are now piling rocks on top of it.

 

All in the name of greed.

[BritManToo]

17 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

I don’t see anywhere the “regular holidays” nor that they took the apocryphal regular holidays in the more expensive hotels.

 

You need to read the links ................. Banyan Veya is 9kbht/night.

If I were a NHS hospital orderly, I wouldn't be booking there.

 

"By now, Paul and I should have been decompressing at Banyan Tree Phuket’s new wellbeing sanctuary, Veya.

 

On previous visits, I’d snapped into local time easily."

 

All the info is there if you read it.

[Lacessit]

4 minutes ago, Cambodger said:

I've not had any vaccines, never even taken a PCR or an antigen LFT test. I happy with my decision and watching this play out for now.

You don't get a choice in Thailand. If a hospital or clinic decides to test you for COVID, that's it. If they decide you should be quarantined, end of story.

If you want to fly anywhere unvaccinated, I'd suggest most airlines will refuse to let you board the aircraft, and some countries will send you back. Cross Australia off your tourist list.

[Cambodger]

2 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

You don't get a choice in Thailand. If a hospital or clinic decides to test you for COVID, that's it. If they decide you should be quarantined, end of story.

If you want to fly anywhere unvaccinated, I'd suggest most airlines will refuse to let you board the aircraft, and some countries will send you back. Cross Australia off your tourist list.

There's quite a few countries now that have dropped all mandates including vaccine. I can go to Mexico, Portugal, Ireland, Scandinavia, Iceland and quite a few more now including my home country UK. 

Like I say I'm happy to sit it out for now and see what happen, I don't really have any real urge or need to travel at the moment amongst all the madness and uncertainty.

[Sydebolle]

Until the big wigs of the land are reasoning to acceptable levels, there is only one thing to note!

Stay away from Thailand; you cannot prove a negative and hence you're taking a 50%/50% chance of getting locked up at random in a seriously overpriced hotel serving cold carp in plastic containers served by "staff" dressed up in transparent garbage bags. 

Go elsewhere, be it within Europe, Senegal, Central or South America but by all means stay away from these loose cannons here for the time being. 

[itsari]

22 minutes ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

They are hardworking people coming to Thailand for a well earned break. They work hard so can afford nice hotels. Lots of overtime in health jobs and no holidays for a long time. Remember what it was like to work and need a holiday.

She wasn't whinging - just telling her bad luck story.

Post your photo and we'll compare the pair. 

 

At a guess the couple probably work with administration of the NHS . There salaries are much higher than a nurse for example .

Average pay for a nurse is 18000 and 22000 for a administrator . 

 

[BritManToo]

7 minutes ago, itsari said:

At a guess the couple probably work with administration of the NHS . There salaries are much higher than a nurse for example .

Unlikely ...........

1. Admin aren't 'frontline workers'.

2. Doctors and Nurses are always labelled as such.

 

First rules of tabloid journalism,

1. Big up the victims as much as possible.

2. Blacken the perps as much as you can.

 

So hospital orderly or similar.

[jacko45k]

9 minutes ago, Cambodger said:

There's quite a few countries now that have dropped all mandates including vaccine. I can go to Mexico, Portugal, Ireland, Scandinavia, Iceland and quite a few more now including my home country UK. 

Like I say I'm happy to sit it out for now and see what happen, I don't really have any real urge or need to travel at the moment amongst all the madness and uncertainty.

So many people on the other side of the world are ignorant of what is happening here. The daily Covid deaths are still rising, the infection numbers are at the highest ever.... (hopefully peaked, but Songkran likely will produce more) and we see masks being worn quite frequently and religiously by Thais. There is still a fear of Covid in the air. 

When I see the Pattaya tourists strutting about maskless (and often shirtless), I can see why many Thais would not want them here. 

[gearbox]

24 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Nah, your dog just needed a few more boosters.

And the rabies would have been much more serious without the first three vaccinations.

The covid vaccines are not real vaccines, they should be called "symptom relieving drugs".

 

The real vaccines prevent transmission effectively. Both me and my gf went through covid with very mild symptoms 3 weeks ago, I have 3 shots, she has 4. All the people around who got covid so far had 3 shots too.

 

Soon the people would start thinking that the real vaccines like hep B behave the same way.

[Caldera]

It's shocking that there are still tourists out there who don't realize what happens in case of being found positive upon arrival and who are consequently taken by surprise by what follows. In the case of Thailand, this has been well-documented since the early sandbox days.

 

The solution is simple: As a tourist, don't travel to a country that requires post arrival testing. Other travelers who have compelling reasons to visit any particular country might need to take the risk, but why should people like those featured in the OP!

[BritManToo]

13 minutes ago, gearbox said:

The real vaccines prevent transmission effectively. Both me and my gf went through covid with very mild symptoms 3 weeks ago, I have 3 shots, she has 4. All the people around who got covid so far had 3 shots too.

Would partly disagree.

My double vaccinated woman had COVID last week, 6 day flu symptoms.

I (double vaccinated) didn't have it, or had no symptoms, even though sleeping with her.

My 10yo son, unvaccinated, didn't have it, or had no symptoms, even though with her all the time.

 

All masked when outside our home.

[Cambodger]

1 minute ago, jacko45k said:

So many people on the other side of the world are ignorant of what is happening here. The daily Covid deaths are still rising, the infection numbers are at the highest ever.... (hopefully peaked, but Songkran likely will produce more) and we see masks being worn quite frequently and religiously. There is still a fear of Covid in the air. 

When I see the Pattaya tourists strutting about maskless (and often shirtless), I can see why many Thais would not want them here. 

Yes they seem to spike high in the UK too just after they roll out a new booster then it starts to drop off again shortly after, which is quite strange.

I think the the data is also in now that mask are pretty useless.

[BE88]

23 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

 Cross Australia off your tourist list.

Already done

[jacko45k]

3 minutes ago, Caldera said:

It's shocking that there are still tourists out there who don't realize what happens in case of being found positive upon arrival and who are consequently taken by surprise by what follows. In the case of Thailand, this has been well-documented since the early sandbox days.

You have to wonder what they even expected to happen if found positive.... that they would be sent on their way with some paracetamol? Or they were so dim as to not to consider the possible consequences. 

[Cambodger]

5 minutes ago, gearbox said:

The covid vaccines are not real vaccines, they should be called "symptom relieving drugs".

 

The real vaccines prevent transmission effectively. Both me and my gf went through covid with very mild symptoms 3 weeks ago, I have 3 shots, she has 4. All the people around who got covid so far had 3 shots too.

 

Soon the people would start thinking that the real vaccines like hep B behave the same way.

I know this is anecdotal evidence but everyone in my family and a lot of my friends caught covid within 3 weeks after the booster shot. 

I never isolated from them or wore a mask around them and never caught it

[jacko45k]

3 minutes ago, Cambodger said:

I think the the data is also in now that mask are pretty useless.

I think that is a misinterpretation.... masks worked throughout the pandemic and still do. A far far higher level of contagiousness we now have in omicron B2 is giving false impressions on that. It has been discussed ad nauseum here, and I would rather follow the local recommendations.

[JonnyF]

My sister was thinking about a trip to Samui later this year with her husband and 2 other couples. Just forwarded her this article.

 

Hopefully they drop this 'test on arrival' nonsense ASAP. You're more likely to catch it here than bring it with you.

[gearbox]

5 hours ago, RandiRona said:

HiI dont know who to blame here...People know where they are going and what is waiting for them. As I said before that tourists are taking a big risk by coming here and it's for them to decide it it's worth taking it.

Covid times...even without any testing if they had covid they'll technically need to self isolate and bang up themselves somewhere. The vast majority of countries still have self isolation requirements.

With tourists it would be either hotel or hospital.

I went through this 3 times without issues - ASQ, then sandbox, the last time test & go...then got covid here, but I live here so self isolation is easy.

 

Many people see scams and greed in the system, I think it is mostly fear and incompetence. There is no such thing as competent government.

[smedly]

4 hours ago, Sparktrader said:

Vaccines dont stop covid. Only reduce impact.

which is exactly why the rest of the world are moving on 

 

Thailand as always well behind the curve as usual 

 

TBH there is no way I would be travelling here until they stop this stupid nonsense but of course they have an agenda to keep it going - plenty of budgets to theive from and small brained power and control - I also thnk there is something dodgy about PCR tests performed in BKK - there have been several reports of people testing positive then negative within hours - there is a threshold for tests - it is not an exact science - she should have bought a bunch of rapid tests which would likely be more accurate 

 

But ultimately they should have gone somewhere else, I am sure there are many stories like this that we never get the hear about

[jacko45k]

2 minutes ago, Cambodger said:

There was data came out of the USA last week showing states that mandated mask and states that didn't and there was no difference in infection rates.

There is always contrary data around..... and I don't want to get into the old mask cry baby arguments again. 

[Thailand]

As a matter of interest are travel agents obliged to tell clients of potential problems?

[smedly]

1 hour ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

They are hardworking people coming to Thailand for a well earned break

they should have gone to the med or just about anywhere else, most sensible countries have now lifted restrictions why on earth would you come here

[Lacessit]

3 minutes ago, gearbox said:

The covid vaccines are not real vaccines, they should be called "symptom relieving drugs".

 

The real vaccines prevent transmission effectively. Both me and my gf went through covid with very mild symptoms 3 weeks ago, I have 3 shots, she has 4. All the people around who got covid so far had 3 shots too.

 

Soon the people would start thinking that the real vaccines like hep B behave the same way.

Vaccines work. The problem created by the WHO was they promoted COVID vaccines as full prevention, when they should have claimed they prevent serious illness. All the data of ICU's and deaths supports the second view, unvaccinated people are statistically far more likely to occupy an ICU, or die.

 

No one questions the effectiveness of polio and tetanus vaccines, which have been around for decades. That's because AFAIK polio and tetanus do not mutate, COVID does. Just like influenza, where scientists produce a new vaccine variant to deal with flu virus mutations almost every year. That is happening with COVID vaccines too.

 

Vaccines work. I am living proof, in the most vulnerable age cohort. Got COVID after double vaccination, sore throat and runny nose for three days. My Thai GF, 23 years younger than me, unvaccinated, was much more sick for ten days. Fever and headache I did not have.

 

When I see posts from people comparing apples and marbles in their quest to discredit COVID vaccines, or outright opposed to vaccination on the basis of beliefs they have garnered on social media to support their confirmation bias, I do wish there was a vaccine against stupidity. Too late for most.

 

 

[Lacessit]

19 minutes ago, Cambodger said:

I know this is anecdotal evidence but everyone in my family and a lot of my friends caught covid within 3 weeks after the booster shot. 

I never isolated from them or wore a mask around them and never caught it

So how do you know you did not acquire it earlier, or were one of the asymptomatic cases? Unless you were tested, of course.

[gearbox]

1 minute ago, Lacessit said:

Vaccines work. The problem created by the WHO was they promoted COVID vaccines as full prevention, when they should have claimed they prevent serious illness. All the data of ICU's and deaths supports the second view, unvaccinated people are statistically far more likely to occupy an ICU, or die.

 

No one questions the effectiveness of polio and tetanus vaccines, which have been around for decades. That's because AFAIK polio and tetanus do not mutate, COVID does. Just like influenza, where scientists produce a new vaccine variant to deal with flu virus mutations almost every year. That is happening with COVID vaccines too.

 

Vaccines work. I am living proof, in the most vulnerable age cohort. Got COVID after double vaccination, sore throat and runny nose for three days. My Thai GF, 23 years younger than me, unvaccinated, was much more sick for ten days. Fever and headache I did not have.

 

When I see posts from people comparing apples and marbles in their quest to discredit COVID vaccines, or outright opposed to vaccination on the basis of beliefs they have garnered on social media to support their confirmation bias, I do wish there was a vaccine against stupidity. Too late for most.

 

 

Nobody questions that the covid vaccines work, they just shouldn't be called vaccines. Maybe covid shots like the flu shots.

[Cambodger]

2 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Vaccines work. The problem created by the WHO was they promoted COVID vaccines as full prevention, when they should have claimed they prevent serious illness. All the data of ICU's and deaths supports the second view, unvaccinated people are statistically far more likely to occupy an ICU, or die.

 

No one questions the effectiveness of polio and tetanus vaccines, which have been around for decades. That's because AFAIK polio and tetanus do not mutate, COVID does. Just like influenza, where scientists produce a new vaccine variant to deal with flu virus mutations almost every year. That is happening with COVID vaccines too.

 

Vaccines work. I am living proof, in the most vulnerable age cohort. Got COVID after double vaccination, sore throat and runny nose for three days. My Thai GF, 23 years younger than me, unvaccinated, was much more sick for ten days. Fever and headache I did not have.

 

When I see posts from people comparing apples and marbles in their quest to discredit COVID vaccines, or outright opposed to vaccination on the basis of beliefs they have garnered on social media to support their confirmation bias, I do wish there was a vaccine against stupidity. Too late for most.

 

 

Yeah but every Thai bird I've known claims they have flu if they get their hair wet in the rain...

[Surasak]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Yet they can afford to have regular holidays to Thailand using the more expensive hotels.

NHS wages must have gone up a lot in the past few years since I left the UK.

Just in case you wondered what Abigail looked like .........

 

I used to have three week holiday stays in Thailand. It was cheaper than two weeks in Spain. I also worked in the NHS for many of those years.

[Lacessit]

Just now, gearbox said:

Nobody questions that the covid vaccines work, they just shouldn't be called vaccines. Maybe covid shots like the flu shots.

AFAIK flu shots are still called vaccines.

Please explain your reasoning as to why the COVID vaccines should not be called that, do you have some threshold of prevention?

[Lacessit]

4 minutes ago, Cambodger said:

Yeah but every Thai bird I've known claims they have flu if they get their hair wet in the rain...

Congratulations, you just won the weekly award for post vacuity.