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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Weird, I just wrote something but the post doesn't show.
I landed at 08:43 AM and was at door number 10 around 09:05. That went fast. The longest wait was for the taxi. I arrived at the hotel at 09:45 and that was on time to get the test result later today.
I am tired and will go to sleep. I'll write about the experience and procedures a bit later.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Good luck; I hope the rest of the trip is successful.
Did you change your currency before being whisked off to your hotel? and did you buy a SIM?
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
vnman
I am tired and will go to sleep. I'll write about the experience and procedures a bit later.
We don't care about the procedures. We want to see some pictures of the first boy you bag...including some closeups.
Congratulations on your successful and long awaited journey.
Tell us everything!
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Dodger
We don't care about the procedures.
You may not care about the procedures but there quite few board members travelling in the near future who are keen to hear about every possible wrinkle in the process!
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Brad the Impala
You may not care about the procedures but there quite few board members travelling in the near future who are keen to hear about every possible wrinkle in the process!
It was an attempt to be humorous. I guess it didn't work...LOL
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
To start with some information that might not be interesting to many, but if you decide on staying in a hotel near the airport in Amsterdam, I suggest you look at the Hampton by Hilton in Hoofddorp it's reasonably priced below 70 Euros (inc breakfast) and a few minutes by foot from the train station. There is a train leaving to Schiphol every 5 minutes and the trip also only takes 5 minutes.
A few days before my flight, Singapore Airlines asked me to provide all documents electronically i.e. QR codes. No problem for anyone with a smartphone but I also printed my documents. Good thing that I did, because the paper version of, Hotel reservation, PCR test, Insurance and Thailand Pass were requested for inspection at check-in. I had 2 copies of each but they only wanted to make sure I had the copies and could keep them.
I arrived 2 hours and 15 minutes before departure, and there was only one person before me at the check-in counter. The process takes longer and when I was done, there was a line for economy passengers but the line for business passengers was just as long. For me, this would have been unacceptable. When you pay a premium, you should get premium service. Anyway, my flight was in Economy so I couldn't care less.
From there, everything went smooth. The plane left on time and was only at 20% capacity...but that's really my best guess.
The first 4 rows were free so I established a little nest at the 3rd row. After take-off, I was blessed with two kids who decided that the row behind me was good enough for a playground. To be honest, they were very quiet but They left their overhead light on most of the flight. After a few hours, I noticed that they weren't wearing a mask. I asked the stewardess about this and she said that children up to 6 didn't need to wear a mask. So on a flight with only vaccinated, mask-wearing and recently tested people, I got the two behind me who were none of the 3.
Attachment 11813
Flying over Bangkok was weird. it was still 2 hours to Singapore and of course, I had to come the same way back. Stopovers in Qatar, Dubai etc. make a lot more sense. They break the trip perfectly in half and you don't have to double back. What I did like was the fact that Singapore Airlines offered a morning flight. I just felt fresh, even flying in economy. The food was not that great and they were very stingy on a 12+ hour flight. The legroom is very generous.
In Singapore, they announced a 15-minute delay 45 minutes before boarding, and we pushed back exactly 15 minutes delayed. Because I really wanted to be at the hotel before 10 so I could get the COVID test result back today, that was a little worrying.
In Bangkok, we arrived at an E gate. I assume that all international planes land there because it has been set up to accommodate their document procedure. A picture would have explained it better but they basically have a line (50 meters) of chairs. There are two chairs next to each other and you just go sit in a free chair that is most to the front. A staff member will come to you and you will be asked for your passport, boarding card, immigration card (which we got before boarding the plane), PCR test and Thailand Pass.
If you have all of this they will tell you to walk to the first available desk and present these documents. They will check it and give you a little stamp on your immigration card and you can walk to immigration.
This was at the beginning of the E pier so you know it is not far from there to immigration. At immigration, they only want your immigration card, passport and boarding card. After that get your checked-in luggage and head to the exit.
The whole process from deboarding to exit took 20 minutes or so. But consider that I was the first out of economy class and the plane was not busy.
After customs, you will see many desks and people hoovering. Normally I ignore everyone there but this time you really need to tell them who you are. They might ask for your name or the hotel you are staying in. They seem to have many different systems but I had to wait for a car, which took only me to the hotel.
Attachment 11814
They would not allow you to get a sim card (the path to that section is taped off) and I didn't see an ATM I could reach. I probably could have changed some money before I went through customs, but I only had that COVID test deadline in mind.
My Hotel is not that good. The food is very primitive but most annoyingly, the air system makes so much noise. I'm happy to sleep in the centre of town tonight.
Attachment 11815
Tomorrow I'll be at Balcony. I have a boy coming over from Pattaya but I am not sure how long he will be staying. I thought it would be nice to eliminate the need for hunting the first few days and concentrate on fun stuff to do and see.
If you are interested in going out the night of arrival and you are able to come to this hotel before 10 AM, staying here might be an option. When you get back your results, you can immediately take a taxi or even a plane to anywhere. I would prefer this over test&go in Pattaya, if it means I have to wait until the next day.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Thank you for the report.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
vnman
I also printed my documents. Good thing that I did, because the paper version of, Hotel reservation, PCR test, Insurance and Thailand Pass were requested for inspection at check-in. I had 2 copies of each but they only wanted to make sure I had the copies and could keep them.
Last year I also had 2 identical sets of printed documents, in separate A5 folders in separate compartments in my hand luggage.
Plus copies on my phone, tablet and google drive.
When the documents could be checked a couple of times before arriving in BKK, having back ups reduces the stress.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
vnman
Weird, I just wrote something but the post doesn't show.
I landed at 08:43 AM and was at door number 10 around 09:05. That went fast. The longest wait was for the taxi. I arrived at the hotel at 09:45 and that was on time to get the test result later today.
I am tired and will go to sleep. I'll write about the experience and procedures a bit later.
Congratulations vnman on 'diving in' and arriving safe and sound in Thailand. But I see that you travel light, just like arsenal. I’m guessing - one spare pair of pants (extra large), one spare white T-shirt XXL, one spare pair of white socks, toiletries, lube and condoms, extra large of course. Would that be about right? ;)
Attachment 11818
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
vnman
In Bangkok, we arrived at an E gate. I assume that all international planes land there because it has been set up to accommodate their document procedure. A picture would have explained it better but they basically have a line (50 meters) of chairs. There are two chairs next to each other and you just go sit in a free chair that is most to the front. A staff member will come to you and you will be asked for your passport, boarding card, immigration card (which we got before boarding the plane), PCR test and Thailand Pass.
If you have all of this they will tell you to walk to the first available desk and present these documents. They will check it and give you a little stamp on your immigration card and you can walk to immigration.
This was at the beginning of the E pier so you know it is not far from there to immigration. At immigration, they only want your immigration card, passport and boarding card. After that get your checked-in luggage and head to the exit.
The whole process from deboarding to exit took 20 minutes or so. But consider that I was the first out of economy class and the plane was not busy.
After customs, you will see many desks and people hoovering. Normally I ignore everyone there but this time you really need to tell them who you are. They might ask for your name or the hotel you are staying in. They seem to have many different systems but I had to wait for a car, which took only me to the hotel.
Thanks a lot for useful information.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
[QUOTE=Jellybean;284479]Congratulations vnman on 'diving in' and arriving safe and sound in Thailand. But I see that you travel light, just like arsenal. I’m guessing - one spare pair of pants (extra large), one spare white T-shirt XXL, one spare pair of white socks, toiletries, lube and condoms, extra large of course. Would that be about right? ;)
Are you or have you ever been a member of the Paparazzi? Hahaha, well done!
I called the hotel nurse at 20:00 and she said that I had tested negative. I wonder how long she has been sitting on the information. After checking out I hailed a Grab taxi and went to Silom. Checked in the hotel and went for a walk. Some massage places left and right but not too many touts, which I actually wish were there :-)
I've never been to the soi where the boys' gogos are but I'll have a look there tomorrow. I know that they are closed but you never know what might be lurking outside.
Around 21:30, Soi 4 looked very lively still. I didn't walk in the soi but took a picture from the main street. Tomorrow I will try to get some better shots.
Attachment 11819
The place at the beginning of the Soi on the right was packed. Sorry I didn't capture that. The system doesn't let me upload a picture with a higher resolution. That means that our GoFundMe for Arsenal is off.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
G’s restaurant in the pic has really good food and 100’s of different beers, air conditioning inside, tables outside for people watching.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
vnman
The system doesn't let me upload a picture with a higher resolution. That means that our GoFundMe for Arsenal is off.
The system limits us to 800 pixel width, which is not exactly 4k.
If you have any particularly nice shots of lads, crop off excess areas firstly. Then if the width is still over 800, resize the width down to 800. The system seems to accept heights far in excess of 800.
However, it does seem pointless crowdfunding a 100 Mp Hasselblad camera for Arsenal.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Had no clue you could get a Sim card at the airport...
Went without one my last trip in 2019...
Probably can't be without this next time.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
G"s is a place I have always felt welcomed and at ease. I wouldn't mind spending a few nights in the "embassy of beers" and checking out what Guido has hidden behind the counters!
Looking forward to hearing more of your adventures VNMan. Can you please share the name of your Quarantine hotel?
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
dab69
Had no clue you could get a Sim card at the airport...
Once you have a SIM card, it's possible to extend the validity.
In the case of True Move, via a few SMS codes, I can get year for just over 30 baht, which means it's good to go when I arrive on the next trip. I think topping up the balance extends it further.
Much less hassle than getting a new SIM card.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Thanks....I don't wish to be without a mobile while I'm in prison.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
In normal times you used to be able to stop at the SIM card booth on your way out of the airport.
Nowadays, when you need to into quarantine,I didn’t think they let you stop anywhere.
Maybe they do with the magic one day quarantine...
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Oliver2
Thanks....I don't wish to be without a mobile while I'm in prison.
Even with no SIM, the hotel wifi should work, which gives you Line, What's App, a lot of phone apps and if you really need it, Skype could be used for phone calls.
These days, I make more "phone calls" by What's App than using the phone as a phone.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Yes, I'd forgotten all that. And if you have a friend in Thailand, he can top-up on line for you.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Oliver2
Yes, I'd forgotten all that. And if you have a friend in Thailand, he can top-up on line for you.
I just topped up my Thai SIM from here in the UK, using a UK credit card (with 0% forex fees).
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
I too have got bored of waiting and have dived in. Got some bargain flights on KLM this evening that I simply couldn't say no to!
Now just hope that they don't cancel between now and December 28, and that the Thai authorities relax some restrictions earlier than then mooted Jan 16 date!
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
vnman,
Our man on the streets.
You're report of your arrival details is greatly appreciated.
We haven't heard from you since your rendezvous with the boy you summoned from Pattaya. Can we assume you're preoccupied and experiencing total bliss at the moment?
Have a great time...you earned it.
Cheers
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Boys and girls I just woke up and I am hungover. I didn't read your comments yet but I will and write a report today. I might even have taken some good pictures. I went to an underground party with boys and booze.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
You win the prize for Great Explorer of the year, our very own Captain Kirk, going to places where no man has gone for two years. And making it much easier for we lesser mortals to follow.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
vnman
......I went to an underground party with boys and booze.
BOYS...BOOZE...PARTY...HANGOVER... immediately after completing your solo journey!...YOU ARE THE MAN!!!
One small step for man, one giant leap for a horny homo from Neptune.
I just love adventure, and have the greatest respect for people like you who aren't afraid to live life on their own terms - and not get deterred by other peoples opinions.
Have a great time.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
colmx
I too have got bored of waiting and have dived in. Got some bargain flights on KLM this evening that I simply couldn't say no to!
Now just hope that they don't cancel between now and December 28, and that the Thai authorities relax some restrictions earlier than then mooted Jan 16 date!
Don’t count on it!
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
colmx
Now just hope that they don't cancel between now and December 28, and that the Thai authorities relax some restrictions earlier than then mooted Jan 16 date!
Have you considered lodging in BKK until the bars in PTY are open?
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
colmx
I too have got bored of waiting and have dived in. Got some bargain flights on KLM this evening that I simply couldn't say no to!
Now just hope that they don't cancel between now and December 28, and that the Thai authorities relax some restrictions earlier than then mooted Jan 16 date!
I really don’t understand what you geniuses think? You must know there is fuck all happening here…..Wake up!!!!
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Manforallseasons
I really don’t understand what you geniuses think? You must know there is fuck all happening here…..Wake up!!!!
Not according to vnman.
Quote:
I went to an underground party with boys and booze.
There's obviously fun to be had somewhere!
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Manforallseasons
I really don’t understand what you geniuses think? You must know there is fuck all happening here…..Wake up!!!!
You keep telling us to stay away & have been at it for years.
You even attempt to question the intelligence of people planning to visit, whilst still living in Thailand yourself. Genius ?
Other countries are opening up. When are you leaving ? No one is going to take this constant whinging seriously until then.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
a447
Not according to vnman.
There's obviously fun to be had somewhere!
I think you should definitely use this as an excuse to come…..Lol
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
I know gogi is not the sharpest knife on the rack but frankly I expected more from AK47.
This is an excerpt from a message I received from a friend this afternoon on Facebook messenger:
“ Unfortunately I arrived in Pattaya yesterday. I was in Canada then London for the past six weeks. I didn’t want to do the 7 day quarantine in Cambodia so came to Thailand with the one night quarantine. My luck - the day I arrive here they dropped the quarantine in Cambodia.
I can’t believe how sad it is here.
Will probably head back to PP this weekend.
Let me know if you’d like to get together for a coffee”
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Manforallseasons
I really don’t understand what you geniuses think? You must know there is fuck all happening here…..Wake up!!!!
My understanding is that there is plenty happening in Pattaya, Phuket and BKK. You just need to knock on the right doors and know the right people
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
colmx
My understanding is that there is plenty happening in Pattaya, Phuket and BKK. You just need to knock on the right doors and know the right people
Please be kind enough to share with the members here which are the right doors.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Manforallseasons
Please be kind enough to share with the members here which are the right doors.
One does not have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure this out.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Manforallseasons
Please be kind enough to share with the members here which are the right doors.
I would appreciate that too. Both Manforallseasons and I, along with several farang friends all live in Pattaya. How come none of us know "the right doors"?
"One does not have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure this out." Really? Great! If anyone has this figured out, I'd love to know just what you figured out. One-liners and riddles are not much help to those of us incapable of figuring it out.
Gents, wishful thinking is only going to lead to bitter disappointment. Do what you want and listen to who you want, but those of us who live here are trying to provide an honest, realistic picture of what is going on and what you can currently expect. If that's not good enough or not telling what you want to hear, very sorry.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
colmx
My understanding is that there is plenty happening in Pattaya, Phuket and BKK. You just need to knock on the right doors and know the right people
In other words mfas, you have to get off your arse and make an effort if you want to find some fun. It's no good just sitting back expecting the guys to appear on your doorstep.
At least, that's the message I'm getting.
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Re: I am bored and diving in!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gaybutton
"One does not have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure this out." Really? Great! If anyone has this figured out, I'd love to know just what you figured out. One-liners and riddles are not much help to those of us incapable of figuring it out.
Gents, wishful thinking is only going to lead to bitter disappointment. Do what you want and listen to who you want, but those of us who live here are trying to provide an honest, realistic picture of what is going on and what you can currently expect. If that's not good enough or not telling what you want to hear, very sorry.
Here is my one liner: You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.