20th Nov - 13th Dec 2021
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| Yo Bleedin' Ho Ho......! |
This issue is going to be rather dull, even by my standards, but I thought I would detail what I had to do to get to Thailand for 'Chrexit 2021'. It might come in useful if anyone wants to follow me. The whole process was intensely tedious and full of potential pit-falls and prat-traps. I started this process about 3 weeks before departure.
During a visit to London I dropped by the Thai Embassy to see what was needed. On previous trips visas etc. could be handled on the spot. I was told by a functionary at the door that all applications for anything had now to be done 'on-line' via the internet. Oh woe! So this is what I did in an order which seemed to work, but might easily not have:
1. Booked a flight. Being a cheapskate I booked and paid for the cheapest I could find (at booking.com, having compared others); a non-refundable flight with Austrian Airways via Vienna to Bangkok. I noticed, and then worried, that the turn-round time in Vienna was a mere 25 minutes. "Shit!" I thought. From landing to taking off in a different aircraft at an International Airport in 25 minutes?! From my experience it takes about 10 minutes to get onto a stand after landing and another 15 minutes to off-load passengers before even running to another gate to board the next flight when you should be there at least 15 minutes before boarding. Potential pit-fall 1. I tried, for the first time, to ring Austrian Airways for clarification. After 35 minutes of listening to the Vienna Waltz and a recorded "our agents are here to assist you and will answer your call as quickly as possible", I gave up.
2. The rule, for 'vaccinated' tourists (and I have had my two...just to enable me to escape...ha ha) is that you have to be booked into what they call an 'Alternative State Quarantine' (ASQ) Hotel for one night. It involves being collected at the airport, driven to a hospital facility where they give you a PCR test, and then taken on to the hotel where you are put into a 'quarantine' room. On receipt of a 'negative' result you are free to go where you want. Potential pit-fall 2. After much searching I eventually found what I considered a suitable hotel (The Holiday Inn Express, Pathorn) in an area near Silom Road which I know reasonably well. The cost of that first night was about £120, paid for in advance. Similar to cost at all other ASQ hotels. I chose, for convenience, to book a further 4 nights here (via booking.com) at £30 pn, to be paid on arrival, thankfully.
3. Increased my insurance cover abroad to 45 days (£50). Through a bank account I get free coverage for 30 days, and the company (Allianz) were responsive and helpful. They even answered the phone promptly which is exceptional these days. Plus they were aware of the single page document needed to cover Thai requirements, and they e-mailed me a copy after two days. A pat on the back for them.
4. Applied for the necessary 'Thailand Pass' on-line. This, I was informed, needed to be submitted at least a week before travel and may be refused if not 'correct'. Potential pit-fall 3. This involved answering many questions and scannning several documents to attach in JPEG format. Lots of personal details including proof of booking at the ASQ hotel, confirmation of flight details, insurance cover to include a Covid clause, proof of vaccinations plus the QR codes, passport photos and copy of passport including pages to show where I had been in the previous year and even a bank statement to show that I had sufficient money (how impertinent)! Maybe more that I have forgotten. I did receive it about 4 days later. Actually, I'm not sure that they even read and assimilate this myriad of information. The insurance document I sent was from an old company and well out of date before I got my new one.
5. Applied for 60 day visa (£30). Not the usual simple form. Many more scanned attachments required as above. Potential pit-fall 4. OK, got that fairly promptly!
6. Four further attemps to call Austrian Airlines (an Austrian Tel. No.) to clarify the viability of the turn-round time at Vienna. A total of about 3 hours listening to the sodding Vienna Waltz and assurance that my call "will be answered as soon as possible" but never was.
7. PCR test within 72 hours of travel. £69 pre-paid to a company called Prenetics which had a testing facility relatively nearby; one of many (wealthy) organisations that are making a bomb out of these regulations. I had my test on the Saturday mid-day before I was due to fly on the Monday evening. Potential pit-fall 5. Result, fortunately negative after some stressful waiting, received on Sunday afternoon.
8. Advised by Austrian Airlines to check-in on-line within 72 hours of flight. I attempted that, but having answered the various questions with all the details they required, the system then just told me that I had not submitted 'additional details required'. What these were was not explained. They offered a specific 'check-in' help-desk tel.no. I called it, twice. Guess what? The bloody Vienna Waltz again and no answer for a total of about 90 minutes. I gave up and hoped the check-in at the airport would be more straightforward. Potential pit-fall 6.
9. Still worried about the very short turn-round time at Vienna, I checked in, on-line, a hold bag (£50) which I wasn't intending to do originally. This was a form of insurance as, from previous experience, if they load transit hold baggage the flight will not depart until it's owner is on the plane. I found an old damaged suitcase in which I put very little and wouldn't mind if they lost it.
10. Copied all the relevant documents, twice, to be put in both my cabin bag and my small 'valuables' computer back-pack.
11. I gave myself masses of time to get to London Heathrow (T2) on the basis that I would have plenty of time to, maybe, sort out any unforeseen problems at the airport. Anyway, I might as well sit around at the airport rather than at home, because the flight was not due to depart until 7.40pm. As it happened, I arrived with 4 hours to kill and could check-in straight away. It was quick, no big queue and all appeared to be in order (passport, vaccination certificate and Thailand Pass), phew, and through to departures with no hiccups. I have a routine if I have ages to kill at these airports. I find a business class lounge, in this case Lufthansa, and paid £30 for the privilege of using the facilities. These included good wi-fi, comfortable seating and, significantly, unlimited complimentary, and rather good, food and drink. I had a newspaper to read and a good book. I most definitely made sure I got my £30's worth!
Back on my hobby-horse, it was interesting watching my fellow 'business class' diners. It is now apparent that the public have become Pavlovian in their wearing of face-masks. Like robots, they sit down and remove them to eat and drink, but unthinkingly, automatically, replace them when they stand up. Most of the public have been entirely 'conditioned' thus. I suppose, as we all know, the 'virus' does not exist below an altitude of 5 feet. Actually a couple sitting near me kept their masks on the whole time and only slipped them down to take a bite, or sip, and quickly replaced them. Really zealous 'TIM's! Incidentally, when some people take their snot-rags off to eat they just put them on the table beside them. I reckon that is rather unhygenic. I mean, it is about as healthy and appealing (if it were possible) to eat with your underwear, or snot filled hankerchief, on the table beside you! I stuff mine in my pocket which, by now, must be a breeding ground for every sort of bug.
Having successfully surmounted all the hurdles so far (and we haven't got to the far end yet) I was quietly confident as our flight was called for boarding. What could go wrong now? I will leave it there for the time being and hope it might help others. I suppose the lessons I learnt were:
1. Don't ever bother telephoning Austrian Airlines. Others may be equally unresponsive.
2. Don't even think about travelling if you don't have a computer and a reasonably sound ability to use it (or a savvy friend, or agent, to help I suppose).
3. Give youself plenty of time to jump through all the hoops, and spare time if one of the applications fails first time.
4. The Thai Embassy offers helpful advice on their website at: thaiembassy.com. Don't bother ringing them either. They also keep you on hold and never answer.
On to Gate 19 and boarding.
It is date specific, in my case arriving on 14th December. If your flight is delayed and you don't get there until the next day I'm not sure if it would still be valid. You would also lose your ASQ hotel booking. It would be a disaster. Potential pit-fall 7.
STOP PRESS !!!!
Disregard all above! On my way out of the hotel for a well deserved glass of cool beer I was talking to the hotel manager. He glumly told me that the Thai Government, as from 18th December, has reimposed severe quarantine restrictions for tourists. Now back to square one. No more one night quarantine in QSA hotels. Now tourists have to go to Phuket (a popular island off the SW coast) and isolate, expensively, in a hotel for 7 days with several tests before they are allowed to go free. This he said is a hammer blow to the tourist industry which was only just beginning to recover. Many people who had recently got their jobs back wii again be out of work. Tourists will just not come. A two or three week holiday will no longer be viable. He was, to say the least, pissed off.
What a load of BOLLOCKS. The world's Governments have gone STARK RAVING PARANOID MAD. What on earth are they hoping to achieve (because they won't stop this pesky over-hyped virus) other than crippling their ecnomies and peoples' livelihoods. All very depressing.
STOP STOP PRESS
Disregard all above, again. Another change. All Thai passes applied for prior to 22nd December, if accepted, will be honoured for the date chosen. From 22nd December only the 'Phuket Sandbox' scheme (sounds like something for cats) will apply. This means fully vaccinated tourists can fly direct to Phuket (without transiting at Bangkok) and after taking a PCR test at Phuket, if negative, stay in any Phuket hotel and free to wander the island. After 7 days they can escape to the mainland.
This is pretty nonsensical but, hey ho, the Thai Government likes to be seen to be doing something.
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