billyhouston

I intended to retire at 55, but changing pension regulations made that impossible and the choice became 50 or 60. It didn't take long to decide; going to 60 meant more money but retiring at 50 meant more fun. I spend 7+ months in Thailand and the rest in UK. I would rather spend much more time in Thailand but a fairly large house and garden make that unrealistic. Downsizing is coming up but I need to retain some sort of 'pad' in UK. Given that it's difficult to obtain permanent residence in Thailand and, as far as I'm aware, impossible to gain citizenship, I don't feel able to cut all my ties with the UK much as I might wish to do so.

Swiss lodge, now Le Siam, has, for many years, been our hotel of choice whenever we pop down to Bangkok for a few days. We were last there in early April this year. Noise was not a problem then and the hotel is double or triple glazed. Sadly, although they were serving breakfast, unlike our stay in December 2021, it was in the form of a set meal and nothing like what we were used to. Even the coffee makers and the lifts (elevators) are still Swiss made reminding one of the past. I could never understand why they channged the name. I would also add that we have always been treated very well by the staff, many of whom are long serving.

Perry's on Silom, adjacent to Saladaeng BTS, were fine but it was a long time ago. They used to be on the gorund floor but have now moved 'upstairs'. Above Boots if my memory serves me correctly. I also used Nickermann's, beneath the Landmark Hotel on Sukhumvit, and was very happy with the shirts and trousers I had made there. These are both more than 20 years ago.... I seldom wear formal suits and the like since retirement.

British Airways have announced that the suspension of their LHR-BKK route will be extended to 2023. It had previously been announced that the supension would be until October 2022. EVA have withdrawn LHR-BKK sales throughout July and August, due to the Heathrow flight cap. Their flights are still running however. The Heathrow flight cap is expected to be extended until the end of October. Living in the 'boonies' up North, it makes little difference since I fly via CDG or sometimes AMS, when AirFrance pilots are having a strike. Certainly not AMS at the present time!

In mid-April I booked my Premium Economy flights MAN-CDG-BKK and return as soon as the last week in March became available for the return. Outward flight at the end of August came in at £700. This was done, even though my wanted return was not yet available, to set a marker down knowing that I had complete flexibility. Having recently decided to change my return flight to April, which has been available for some time now, it seemed worthwhile to check the current price of the outward trip with Air France. On exactly the same day, with the same flexibility, it came in at £1400. Glad about the mid-April booking!

I've used them four times this year so they have survived.

'Fast Track' through Immigration (and security upon leaving the country), without the buggy, is available automatically to those of us of mature years.

From time to time I'm on Soi Viangbua and I recall thinking when I passed earlier this year that Adam's Apple looked derelict and had a 'For Sale' sign on it. I must have been dreaming as their Facebook page shows activity and, maybe, that's future activity.

A couple of days ago I heard that Promenada Mall had closed. It opened at the wrong time, in the wrong place (Maya and Central Festival came into being) and then along came COVID. It's our local mall and I will try to find out whether is temporary or permanent. I use the extensive grounds as one of my exercise routes.

When I walked past about three weeks ago, Adam's Apple was shuttered, New My Way was closed and I understand thet Circle Pub was, likewise, closed. A pretty sorry state of affairs I'm afraid.

Fortunately I did not have to rely on my failing memory. My notes from the era record a visit to Tomahawk on 22 February 2003. A quick skim of the next couple of years did not reveal any subsequent visits. There is, I'm sure, an unkind word for people who keep these sorts of notes.

I hope this is some help, it shows gates 1 - 10:

"Bangkok Proceed to the prearranged accommodation or medical facility to undergo the first RT-PCR test. The trip must be by a prearranged vehicle on a sealed route. Then, all travellers must wait for the test result within the hotel only. Travellers under 6 years of age, travelling with parents, can have a saliva test. If testing negative for COVID-19, travellers are free to go anywhere in Thailand. However, they must stay at their prepaid accommodation on Day 5 and undergo their second COVID-19 test using the RT-PCR technique (they must stay within the room for the RT-PCR test result.) The second test can also be taken when the travellers experience respiratory symptoms." If you test negative at your Bangkok Hotel, you can then fly to Chiang Mai.

Here in Chiang Mai my partner, a migrant, received two doses of Sinopharm and is awaiting a booster, which will probably be Pfizer. It's rather more difficult for migrant workers to get any vaccine despite anything the government might say.

This is a situation where dual SIM phones really come in useful and enable both a Thai and a UK SIM to be in the phone . Both my banks in UK and my Thai bank use OTPs. Receiving an SMS is without charge wherever you are and the abilty to get an OTP from all my banks, whichever country I am in, makes life a lot easier.

It's lovely in Thailand now. Here in Chiang Mai we have 28-30C highs during the day, dropping to 16-20C at night. Just perfect.

Many, especially Thai folk, fail to recognise that there is some excellent Arabica grown in Northern Thailand. Chiang Mai has a number of what I suppose are called 'artisan roasters' who take advantage of this crop. Bualong Coffee and Arts is one example of the phenomenon but is some way from the centre of Chiang Mai. For those who prefer 'milkie' coffees, there is some excellent raw milk available if you look around.

Mango Tree was open but appeared to have few customers. The massage places had few guys outside and did not appear to be doing great business.

For those who might need, as I did, a Pfizer booster or even a first shot, Pfizer is available on a walk in basis at Airport Plaza, Chiang Mai. A very well run operation it is too. My longest wait was the 30 minutes supervised time before release. Certainly Friday and probably beyond.

It is, perhaps, worth commenting that a few minutes prior to these photographs Thaniya was very quiet indeed and Surawong utterly deserted. Subsequently, Silom was very quiet also. My usual hotel was at about 20% capacity and their restaurant closed because they couldn't get staff. A sad state of affairs.

Slightly off topic but Soi Than Tawan and nearby Sois at 2100 on Tuesday evening:

Thai Smile required 'fully vaccinated' when I flew with them on 21 October. There was a very thorough check even though I had, only that morning, been released from quaratine and had a certificate to prove it.

That is my experience also and what enabled me to book flights with confidence. I'm about to change my return, date having converted my Tourist visa (60 days) to a Non-Immigrant type O, enabling a much longer stay. Although hardly relevant now, I chose my ASQ hotel on the basis of free cancellation up to the day before arrival. Given the change from 14 to 7 days, that proved worthwhile.

Myanmar's Chinese Chamber of Commerce (MCCoC) is startng to sell Sinopharm vaccinations at 50,000kyats per person, at designated hospitals. Not great but an improvement on Sinovac.

As the number of cases there increases, Phuket is closing down more and more places, making it even less attractive as a Sandbox. There are Thai companies which provide 'incoming' travel insurance. As you say, Google is your friend.