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Last week the editorial team of ASEAN NOW asked our readership for their Covid-19 stories.
Of course everyone has one after what continues to be a life changing and life-dominating event for most everyone around the world.
But we were overwhelmed with the response. So today we start with "Covid Tales" that feature true stories from those that have seen their lives disrupted, have fallen foul of Thai bureaucracy and officialdom.
It is hoped that these stories will help others in dealing with the continuing pandemic situation in Thailand or simply getting back to families and loved ones in the Land of Smiles.
Our first story comes from Frank - we're changing the names of all respondents to protect them against possible defamation charges.
He sent us an ironic and sometimes tongue-in-cheek and humorous email about his difficulties with the now infamous Thailand Pass - but his observations were deadly serious.
Frank - who lives near Pattaya - said that he had already "survived" a 15 night detention in an ASQ facility during the Covid first wave in 2020 but now in the UK he was having to go through similar hurdles to get back to Thailand again, a country he has lived in for 20+ years.
He said that the decisions he needed to juggle to get back on a "Pension Visa" would give a MENSA test (those for geniuses) a run for its money.
He said that years in Thailand had changed his perception of what is important and this he hoped had given him the edge - until he tackled Thailand Pass.
Along with many others, and mindful that it is not a specific Thai problem, he said that the government in Thailand was constantly chopping and changing both its rules and advice for returnees.
This added to confusion and bewilderment.
Daunted by the rules and time it looked like taking to get a 60 day visa online, coupled with problems changing this to a retirement visa because of insurance difficulties, he opted for visa on arrival and Thailand Pass.
This is when he said that "the wheels almost came off" his return.
He mistakenly thought he might get it done in 14 days though he said even that would mean having to cut down a tree, such was the bureaucratic paperwork involved!
He noted that some rules had changed from last year but it was still "hours of reading" and increasing worry that you might end up being one of the people testing positive on arrival and being whisked away.
Another worry was that you might sit next to someone on the plane with Covid and have to quarantine.
Arranging a flight was not difficult for Frank though you had to be mindful of a stopover in a restricted country, if changes would be allowed to flight bookings if the pass did not come through on time or if he failed the UK PCR test, as well as considerations about arrival times.
He thought booking a hotel would be easy - think again.
He looked through the list of hotels offering one night "quarantine" and decided to book a place in Pattaya but it was 28 hours before he got a response.
They didn't respond at all to a specific request about whether he would be met at Suvarnabhumi.
This only increased his anxiety that he could get everything sorted in time.
He decided to see if Agoda could help describing this idea as an "epiphany" - think yet again.
They listed a hotel but even after paying this hote, they left him waiting suggesting they would have a request for further information.
He sent both hotels everything in the meantime and made three calls to Agoda, who said they'd chase up the hotel on their site.
He got no answer to a cancellation request at the first hotel so was obliged to contact his bank to stop payment and email the hotel concerned.
Now he found himself on what he hoped was "the last leg of his fun filled days".
He finally got his Thailand Pass but was still left with worry and questions:
Was the PCR test timing 72 hours prior to departure to or arrival in Thailand?
Would the UK authorities get his test result back in time for his flight?
Would his booking of a flight out of Thailand later in the year satisfy the 30 day VoA requirements?
What about that PCR test on arrival or sitting next to someone with Covid?
He ended with more tongue-in-cheek observations - or were they!?
These about falling foul of dual pricing or people at Suvarnabhumi "in hazmat suits seeing him as a threat to Thai society".
It was good that Frank was keeping his British sense of humor.
But clearly an intelligent guy, it showed the enormous difficulty someone like him faced in simply getting back to his home in Thailand.
Stay tuned for more Covid Tales in the coming days.
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-- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2021-11-24
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