I am bored and diving in!

[vnman]

Haha, no that wasn't me in Marrakech. But I would love to hear some details, I've never been there.

My trip to Mexico is all set. This time of year you have to book trips like that in advance. Mexico City, and Mexico in general is not as cheap as Thailand when it comes to accommodation. We had to book in advance to get what we wanted.

This Thailand trip is just a little snack. :-)

I wouldn't want to let the December holidays depend on the whims of some Thai bureaucrats.

[vnman]

The application for the Thailand pass was very straightforward. Sadly you have to start the process at min. 7 days before travelling because I actually want to go this Friday. I'll go next Friday instead.

Finding a "test and go" hotel was not as straightforward. I used the website https://asq.in.th/bangkok-test-and-go-hotels and that is not as simple as booking and paying. After you enter your details, you get an email verifying that your request has been sent to the hotel. They ask you to reply to the email with some documents and information.

I did that but after 2 hours had not heard from the hotel. When I called the hotel, a lady told me that it was busy with requests. She asked for my email address and that she would look for it. After 5 minutes I got a message via line saying that she found my email. After that...silence. After an hour, I asked her via line how to proceed. She asked me to check my email:

Dear Mr "entered the wrong name here,"

If our hotel matches your criteria and you would like to stay with us. Kindly make a transfer and we will issue you the prepayment letter for Thailand Pass. I have enclosed some more details on the Thailand Test and Go program and Thailand Pass. Thailand is just reopening the country and new protocols are applied. Kindly contact me if you have any questions.

Here are our payment options,
1. Bank transfer
Bank: Siam Commercial Bank PCL
Account Name : The Elegant Bangkok Co., Ltd
Account number : XXXXXXXXXXX
Swift code: SICOTHBK
Account Branch and Address : Tesco Lotus Town in Town
1 st. FL. Tesco Lotus Town In Town 1329/10 Soi Latphrao 94 (Panchamit) , Wangthonglang, Wang Thong Lang, Bangkok 10310

2. Paypal : You can transfer us through paypal via : XXXXXXXXXX.

3.Credit card : Our credit card link for payment is under the recovery process. We have lost it after covid. It might take a couple days to recover. I do apologize and we will get back to you if you choose this option.


We look forward to welcoming you back home soon ka

Warmest regards,
XXXXX

I decided to pay with PayPal. This whole process was very fraud sensitive in my opinion. Luckily, payments with PayPal are protected and that's the only reason I went ahead with the booking. I was already searching for an alternative but I am happy we got this done.

This hotel is cheap and near the airport. It's the perfect location because I'm not yet sure what to do after receiving the expected negative COVID test. I might take a domestic flight, stay in Bangkok or rent a car and drive to Pattaya.

It took 2 hours before the hotel sent me the document I needed for the Thailand pass. And here comes the kicker... wait for it...

After I uploaded the documents for the Thailand pass, I got approved within 5 seconds and received the QR code.