daydreamer

If checking into a hospitel (hotel in partnership with a hospital), you will pay two bills, one bill for the hotel room, and a separate bill tor the hospital to cover the nursing fees. Hospitels are required to have on site hospital personnel stationed at the hospitel. They perform tasks such as recording your temperature and blood oxygen levels daily, and maintaining medical records for each person in quarantine. In most cases, the hospital bill will be larger than the hotel bill if you are staying in a hospitel. I suspect an insurance company would have no choice as far as paying the hospital bill. As to the hotel portion, ???

I just returned from a one month holiday trip to Thailand. Since there are very low numbers of international tourists in Thailand at this time, I decided to focus my travel on some of the very popular southern areas on the Andaman Sea. These regions are usually overrun with sun seekers and are heavily crowded in the high season, so I thought this would be a good time to take advantage of lower hotel costs, and of not being swarmed with tourists and day trippers from the nearby resort areas. The last time I was in Thailand before this was in Jan/Feb 2020, just two years ago. It was on this trip that I met N. For nearly two years since that last trip, I had been planning to see N again on my next trip. In the interest of anonymity, I will refer to my friend as N in this report, by initial only. Because I did not see other boys during this most recent trip, this report mostly covers our travels together. Sorry, but no details of boy bars and massage shops, as I did not visit any. For this current trip, I intended to see only this boy for the entire month in Thailand. He pushes all my buttons, and I said why not? This is the first time I have had only one boy stay with me for my entire holiday. Although I didn't spread my baht amongst many boys as is usual for me on my trips, I surely made a very large difference to this one boy's finances. I did tip generously in hotels, taxis, etc in most cases, but the only tips given to a boy was to N. As luck would have it, the Bangkok bars were ordered closed again before I arrived in Thailand in early January. With the ever-changing rules, and opening times teetering back and forth, I hadn't planned to be bar hopping on this trip anyway, so I didn't really miss making my usual rounds of the nighttime haunts and go go bars. I had applied for the Thailand Pass in December 2021, and I entered through the airport with no issues. I won't bore you with the details, as the entry process, paperwork requirements, the blue chairs at Suvarnabhumi, etc have already been reported in this forum by other members. I entered the country under the original 7 day Thailand Pass program, but with the amended version requiring two PCR tests, one upon arrival, and a second test on the 7th day. Under the amended rules, the second PCR test was to be paid for by the Thai government. N had taken two ATK tests 3 weeks apart before my arrival, and sent me emailed photos of them, so I felt confident that he was being safe, and taking the required precautions to avoid the virus. Upon arrival, and before exiting the baggage claim area to face the gauntlet of awaiting private car drivers at the airport, I purchased a DTAC Sim card in the baggage claim hall, right after passing through immigration. To answer a previous question from a board member, I did see a True Sim card kiosk in the baggage claim hall as well. I didn't see an AIS kiosk, but I wasn't looking for them. Surely they would have a presence there too, as they are a major telecom player in the Thai marketplace. Insurance - I bought a 100k USD policy from a US company before the trip. I know only 50k was required, but I wanted the higher limit, and the price difference was minimal. The policy I chose was also a "cancel for any reason" policy. I'm usually not inclined to purchase travel insurance, as my health insurance plan covers me overseas anyway. But since the Test & Go program required it, I opted for a decent US based plan. I considered the options, and figured that it would also cover any pre-paid hotels and or flights I might have to cancel if testing positive for covid during my travels. I compared insurance policies on Squaremouth.com before deciding on which one to buy. The policy I chose gives me 90 days after an event to submit a claim. I thought this would allow me plenty of time to sort it all out at home, if it came to submitting a claim. My Test & Go hotel was The Quarter Silom. The driver took me in a private car to Paolo Hospital in Saphan Kwai, where a nurse came out to the car for the obligatory swabs, then off to Silom. The time at the hospital was about 7-8 minutes. The Quarter Silom is in a very good location on Soi Tarntawan, nestled in between Silom and Suriwong Roads. It is a new hotel, and very clean. It is not a place I would normally stay due to the small rooms, but they offered a 6 hour PCR test window package for a very low price, along with a private car from the airport, and breakfast was included. The fact that the only meal in the Test & Go package was breakfast gave me confidence that they intended to usher me out of the room before noon the following day. Upon checking in about 1 AM, the boy at the front desk asked if I needed anything else, and I jokingly said "Yes, I'd like two cold Singha beers, but I know you won't allow me any alcohol per the Test & Go regulations." I only wanted a shower and about an hour to wind down before a long awaited sleep after crossing through 12 time zones, on three flights to reach Bangkok. The boy at the hotel reception replied "the bar is closed, but just take what you want from the bar refrigerator, and we'll charge you in the morning when you check out". I got my nightcap of two cold Singha beers from the bar fridge. Amazing Thailand!! The next morning after breakfast was delivered to the room, I called reception, and they confirmed that my test was negative, as I expected. N had already emailed me. I sent him an SMS, and he was in my arms less than 45 minutes later. My plan was not to look for luxury in a Test & Go hotel, but for a fast PCR test turnaround time, and to be on my way after a few hours of shut eye. The Quarter Silom was very close to my next hotel, so the taxi the next morning was only about 60 baht. Upon check out, a Quarter Silom hotel employee introduced me to the Bolt car and motorbike taxi app. He called a Bolt car for us to move to the next hotel. Bolt is similar to Uber, with some very attractive prices. A Bolt car for us in some cases in Bangkok was no more expensive than skytrain tickets for the two of us would have cost, to cover the same distance. I believe Bolt is subsidizing their shorter rides to generate business, since it's a fairly new service. I suspect prices may go up in the future, once they have established a solid customer base. The total price for The Quarter test & go package was 3,899 baht inclusive of the room, a 6 hour PCR test, a private car from the airport, and breakfast. I booked the package through Agoda. I checked out, and into the Furama Sathorn, into an executive suite. Very large quarters, and a beautiful view of the Bangkok skyline, especially at night, from the 12th floor room. I only book rooms with balconies, as I enjoy sitting in the open air in the morning for a bit after I wake up. We sat on the balcony a couple evenings as well. Only staying in rooms with balconies eliminates a large percentage of available hotels for me to choose from, but I don't like being trapped inside, behind glass windows. The breakfast buffet at the Furama was included in the room price. The food was a mix of Thai and western fare, changing each day. Clear plastic food service gloves were provided for guests for touching the spoons, tongs, and opening the food warmer bin lids at the buffet tables. As with masks, many customers ignored the hotel request to wear the disposable gloves when filling their plates with food. Much as I like Bangkok, a few days on both ends of my trip is usually enough for me. To me, the big city is not a beautiful place for a holiday. I like to visit a different area of the country on each trip. N and I stayed at the Sathorn Furama for four nights before flying south. Here is the view of the city skyline from the balcony of the Furama. A perfect view of the Maha Nakhon building. If you look closely, you can see a number of people out on the glass platform at the top of the skyscraper in one photo. To be continued...

For anyone looking for a less expensive option, I used The Quarter Silom hotel on Soi Tarntawan for my Test & Go hotel last month. The package was 3,899 baht inclusive of the room, a PCR test with results in a 6 hour window, a private car from the airport, and breakfast. I booked it through Agoda.

S.T. Laundry & Alterations. It's located in the Silom Terrace building, on Sala Daeng Soi 2, which runs parallel to Silom, directly behind the Silom Complex. Walk out the back door of Silom Complex, and it will be to your right, across the soi, less than a minute away. The last time I used them, they charged 200 baht for 3 kg, neatly folded, but they will not do any ironing. Here's a pic from Google: It's right behind the large enclosed construction site of the new Park Silom at the corner of Silom & Convent. If your BF goes through as many clothes changes a day as you say, make sure he carries the laundry bag!!

This site has some decent, clean short-time hotels. Just enter Silom as the location. https://th.dayuse.com/ Brings back memories of years ago when a street trade boy dragged me to the Niagra Hotel near Silom late one night - never again (the hotel, not the boy).

I can confirm this info that@readerhas posted. I received an email from the official Thailand Pass email address over a week ago stating "there is a problem with your Thailand Pass". The email contained a clickable link. Since I had already been in Thailand for about three weeks when I received it, I suspected there was something not right with the email. I certainly had no intention of clicking on any link in the suspect message. Beware, as opening such links often leads to malware being inserted on your device. If you have a question about the status of your Thailand Pass, it is best to contact the website directly without clicking on any links in any received emails.

The new khlong park looks very nice. I just hope that's not khlong water spraying from those sprinklers.

Facebook links can now only be be opened by registered Facebook users.

Although there are many opinions as to what happens if testing positive on arrival with no symptoms, (ASQ hotel, Hospital hotel [hospitel], Rest at home, etc) there is a detailed report on reddit that explains the chain of events. Here are a few excerpts from the report from a person who tested positive on arrival in Phuket. The original report is on Reddit.com:

That's my understanding as well. I don't think the amenities in a hotel room will be a concern if you test positive. The Test & Go partner hospital will be anxious to extract as many baht as possible from the insurance policy you were required to purchase to enter the Kingdom.

Sleep can wait until the next day, send him to my room!

I agree about the size of the rooms. I am not planning on staying in the Quarter Silom more than a few hours for the Test & Go. I have a different hotel reserved for the following day with a much larger room and a balcony. But 248 square feet is fine for me for 6 hours while waiting for the test results, since I plan to be asleep for some of the time. If I get claustrophobic, I'll just pretend I'm in a cabin on a cruise ship. BTW, the confirmation I received from the hotel specified private airport transportation, so no shared ride.

I just tried the link. It's operational now. 👍

I have booked The Quarter Silom Hotel in Soi Tarntawan through Agoda for the one night Test & Go in January. That's the brand new hotel across the street from the Mango Tree restaurant. For a superior room with a balcony, the Test and Go package with breakfast and transportation is 3,899 baht. They are advertising a 6 hour test result from Paolo hospital in Saphan Kwai. After arriving on a flight at Suvarnabhumi about midnight, I'm hoping to check out of the hotel right after breakfast the next morning. Or if you are really desperate, for an additional 4,500 baht, they offer an "urgent" test result, with no timing specified. I chose the standard 6 hour test result, as I'll probably be asleep when the result arrives in the early morning, after traveling halfway across the planet.

And the concrete is produced by a company whose top shareholder we are not allowed to mention by name.

I found the rules for internal flights posted on the Thai Smile website. Sorry @CurtisD, but I'm afraid it doesn't include Koh Samui, as Thai Smile doesn't fly to Koh Samui. I'm including the chart showing rules for many airports. It looks like the rules are subject to each airport or province. Many allow tests within 72 hours of flight, but all airports on this list allow travel with proof of vaccination. It says at least one document is required for travel. It has a listing for Surat Thani, and although Koh Samui is in Surat Thani Province, the listing is for Surat Thani airport, not Koh Samui airport.

Just recently, there was a plan to renovate the old building for use as a museum. Now it sounds like that may not happen. The first sentence of the Bangkok Post article says "the land on which the station is located might have to be cleared to make way for commercial development".

Thailand currently requires the RT-PCR test before arriving in country under the Thailand Pass rules. I have looked up numerous testing locations in the US, and have been left confused over RT-PCR, regular PCR, rapid test, etc. I recently found the following explanation of the RT-PCR test from someone with a licensed background in the medical field very useful. It clearly explains to those of us who are not scientists or work in the medical field what may have been perplexing. I was also confused after reading some references as to to the "RT" in RT-PCR being referred to to as a Rapid Test, and in other instances called Reverse Transcription. There certainly is rapid testing, however that refers to the timeframe that the test results are forwarded to you, and is not what the RT in RT-PCR means. The RT means Reverse Transcription which is explained below. Yesterday I called a local CVS pharmacy, and they confirmed that although their website states they give only PCR and Antigen tests, they told me their PCR tests are in fact RT-PCR tests. In the US, there are far more testing locations that advertise PCR tests than RT-PCR tests. Looking at the US CDC website, there are a dizzying variety of tests that can be used to detect Covid. You almost need to be a scientist or a Philadelphia lawyer to decipher and understand their explanation of tests. The following info from a Thailand based expat Registered Nurse who is a regular poster on the aseannow message board may help to clear up any confusion over the Covid test currently required before entering Thailand, and what you should look for when seeking a test. This is from the poster named Sheryl, who is also a moderator of the aseannow message board. She explains it better than I can: "RT = reverse transcription. It is a process whereby RNA is used ("transcribed") to produce DNA. PCR tests identify the presence of DNA. The COVID virus contains only RNA so it is impossible to do a PCR test for it without the RT step. All COVID PCR tests are RT-PCR. There is no other way it can be done. The only time a PCR test can be done without the RT step is if it is identifying an organism that contains DNA. COVID does not. However most non-medical people do not know this - certainly airline staff, Imm officers etc do not -- and labs do not always state "RT-PCR" on their reports. It will have been an RT-PCR though, for sure. So before using a particular lab find out how their results will be worded. If not including the phrase "RT-PCT" then ask if they can specify it. Just a matter of wording, no difference in the tests, but given the way Thailand's requirements are phrased it is an important one. Of course there is a difference between plain PCR and RT-PCR but what I was explaining is that all COVID PCR's are RT-PCR even if not explicitly stated as such. It is a physical impossibility to do a COVID PCR without the initial RT step. Because the COVID virus does not contain any DNA, only RNA. So it is not a matter of needing a special sort of test, any place doing COVCID PCR is doing RT-PCR. But for entry into Thailand you need to be sure the results will clearly state RT-PCR." In another post, Sheryl mentioned that she received her test for return to Thailand at a CVS pharmacy, and it stated RT-PCR test in the written results: For US residents traveling to Thailand, CVS gives free Covid tests, either billed to your health insurance, or billed to Uncle Sam if you have no insurance. I have read that Walgreens does the same. From what I have learned, some testing centers still offer a "Fit to Fly" certificate along with the test results, and some labs even charge an extra fee for this certificate. Many testing facilities in Bangkok are currently offering this "Fit to Fly" certificate, and a few I have seen in the US are also. I understand the Fit to Fly certificate was a previous Thailand requirement earlier in the pandemic, however as of April 1, 2021, foreign travelers are no longer required to provide the fit-to-fly certificate, as long as they present the COVID 19 RT-PCR test result under the Thailand Pass, or if required upon departure from Thailand. Neither airlines nor the Thailand Pass or Thai checkpoints on arrival or departure require this certificate. On arrival, they only want the test results. On departure from Thailand, a test is only needed if your country of arrival and/or your airline requires a test. So don't go out of your way to get a "Fit to Fly" certificate, or pay any extra for it, as it will just be an obsolete souvenir for you. The US requires no Fit to Fly to return home from overseas. Citizens of other countries returning home should check the requirements of their home countries and airlines. I wasn't trying to complicate this or overthink the situation, but to me, this cleared up a lot of uncertainty. I know I went in great detail here, but I like definitive answers, not hearsay, hot air, and speculation. The results of Sheryl's test for her recent return to Thailand and her lucid professional explanation that she shared with the message board provided me the clarity that I was seeking in this sea of confusion over testing requirements. I have been searching for a clear explanation of this info in planning a future trip of my own. So just verify that your test results will clearly state RT-PCR, not PCR, before getting a test and you should be good to fly and enter the Kingdom. I am posting this extensive explanation so it may help other potential travelers to Thailand, and make it a bit easier to understand the rules.

I have read that there are two Bangkok Bank branches that are often more lenient as far as opening an account for farang without a visa. One is located on Pattaya Tai, right next to the corner where Walking St begins. If you are facing the Walking St overhead sign, it is just on your left. The other branch is also Bangkok Bank on Pattaya SaiSong (Second Road) across from the end of soi 6. I have no experience with either one. I got my K-Bank account many years ago in Chiang Mai with just a passport and my hotel address. If the bank asks for proof of residence, your friend can obtain written proof of residence from the immigration office, even if staying in a hotel. Hotels send the info to the immigration police for all hotel guests, so they can easily verify the address of residence because it's already in their computer system. I would suggest not wearing shorts, rubber flip-flops, and a Singha Beer T-shirt to the bank when asking to open an account without a long term visa, even though it is Pattaya.

I would rather see the RT-PCR pre-departure test changed to a regular PCR test. Regular PCR tests without the RT (reverse transcription) are much easier to find in the local area than RT-PCR tests are. As far as a doctor's letter, the lab test results from a completed PCR test should satisfy the travel requirement, with no need for a doctor's letter. I think having to get a doctor to issue a letter within the 72 hour window would complicate the process, at least in the US, where doctor's offices run at the speed of cold molasses.

This tweet from Richard Barrow is interesting - the viewpoint of a Bangkok taxi driver on his concern of transmission of Covid from his taxi passengers:

I read yesterday that it is taking several days for approval of the Thailand Pass (at least 3 days) if a QR code is not submitted for the vaccination card. As the US does not routinely issue QR codes when receiving the vaccine, the timeline of 5 days for approval for @GPAPA sounds about right. The item I read said it takes longer if the copy of the vaccination card is received without a QR code, as the Thailand Pass people will then verify the vaccination record. I can't provide a link. I don't remember where I saw it since I have read so many articles and websites about the entry requirements in the past 10 days.

Richard Barrow is reporting today that a new rule says if you are sitting next to a passenger on a plane who tests positive, you will be carted off to a hospital for 10 days, even if you tested negative. I haven't seen this new rule published yet.

From what I have read, both sandbox and quarantine free visitors must pass two tests in Thailand. One test upon arrival, and another test after being in Thailand one week. For the quarantine free visitors, the second test is an antigen test, while for the sandbox tourists, it is a second RT-PCR test. This is from the Thai PBS article @readerposted a link to on another thread. https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailands-main-airport-runs-tests-ahead-of-countrys-reopening-on-monday/

Photo from Richard Barrow's website showing passengers wearing raincoats and gloves as PPE at Suvarnabhumi Airport on October 26, 2021: