Land of Smiles

Thailand is Cambodia's neighbor to the West, and this forum is dedicated to Thai news, stories, reviews, blogs, videos, Thai people and anything else related to the country. A lot of expats have both lived and worked in Cambodia and Thailand, and this area is a place to discuss all aspects of life in Thailand and what's going on there. Most topics are about Bangkok and Pattaya because of their larger populations of expatriates and tourists in those cities, but this is for all things Thai.
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AndyKK
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Re: Land of Smiles

Post by AndyKK »

It's nice to see mutton cooked like so "on the bone" adding so much more flavour to the dish, and best of all when the delicate meat just falls away from the bone.

But what surprises me yong, you don't have any plates. But the good thing is you are able to carry on with your good food thread.

Hope you are well soon, all the best :)
Always "hope" but never "expect".
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yong
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Re: Land of Smiles

Post by yong »

AndyKK wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 3:31 pm It's nice to see mutton cooked like so "on the bone" adding so much more flavour to the dish, and best of all when the delicate meat just falls away from the bone.

But what surprises me yong, you don't have any plates. But the good thing is you are able to carry on with your good food thread.

Hope you are well soon, all the best :)
I was really disappointed with this quarantine place. It is supposed to be a high end quarantine place run by the private hospital Paolo Hospital yet I fins its not well run and the food sucks so I have to order food from outside.

This is actually a hotel known as Siam@Siam Design Hotel right in front of the National Stadium.

As a quarantine hotel I can understand it will not have housekeeping services however there are many things they do not provide too for example:

1. No face towel (you are 4 bath towels and 1 floor towel in the bathroom)
2. No plates and bowls not even disposables, no fork, no knife and spoon
3. No tissue paper box only rolls and rolls of cheap toilet paper
4. No international TV channels only local

The reason I chose to quarantine outside home is because I was afraid to infect my maid and my wife moreover I have covid insurance and I could use it to be quarantined in a comfortable place like a hotel. I have to say I got a very big room but then I didn't know its bare minimum everything :lol:
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yong
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Re: Land of Smiles

Post by yong »

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coron ... 0&si=44594

Thailand plans watered-down Songkran celebrations for April
Government aims to class COVID as 'endemic' by July, nightclubs kept shut for now

Image
People play with water pistols during the Songkran water festival in Bangkok in April 2019. This year Thailand has decided to resume the celebrations for the first time in three years, but in limited form, with water-splashing in public areas not allowed. © Reuters
MASAYUKI YUDA, Nikkei staff writerMarch 18, 2022 18:54 JST

BANGKOK -- Thailand will celebrate its Songkran water-splashing festival for the first time in three years this April, but in a careful manner, as the kingdom wishes to move along its road map toward deeming COVID-19 as endemic in the country.

Songkran is one of the most important and boisterous holidays in Thailand. Many residents will celebrate a five-day break from April 13 this year.

The Buddhist festival -- which comes during Thailand's hottest time of the year -- is often known as the biggest water fight in the world, attracting many tourists from abroad as well as locals. The government prohibited the popular celebration for the past two years due to the risk of spreading the coronavirus.

This year, the Songkran festivities will still fall short of what they were before COVID. Traditional celebrations such as pouring water on Buddhist statues or over the hands of the elderly to show respect will be allowed. People will also be able to splash water on each other in managed environments that are considered COVID-free.

These settings must have enough space for social distancing norms to be maintained, with good air circulation and strict hygienic safety precautions. Participants are recommended to be vaccinated. They should also engage in preventive measures such as frequent hand-washing, testing their temperature, taking COVID tests, and wearing a mask.

However, water-splashing in public area such as on the streets will not be allowed. Other extended celebrations such as foam parties and drinking parties also remain banned. Meanwhile, nightlife venues such as nightclubs remain shut for the time being.

Behind the careful resumption of Songkran celebrations is Thailand's plan to shortly start to view the coronavirus as endemic in the country.

"We are at the crossroads of whether we can end the COVID pandemic by midyear. The factor is Songkran," Udom Kachintorn, adviser to the government's coronavirus-related policymaking body Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration, said on Friday. "Today the public health ministry officially proposed 'the endemic approach to COVID-19'" to the center, its spokesperson Taweesin Visanuyothin added.

The center has rolled out its own road map toward the virus being classed as endemic. Thailand will remain at the "combat stage" regarding the virus until the beginning of April. From mid-April to May will be the "plateau stage." It expects to see the "declining stage" from the end of May to the end of June. Lastly, the kingdom hopes to transition into the "post-pandemic stage" by July.

To successfully complete all the stages as expected, the government is encouraging people to receive a booster shot. As of Thursday, 31.7% of eligible residents in Thailand had had the booster. The center aims to raise the coverage to more than 60% before July.

The shift towards regarding the disease as endemic is part of the Thai government's aim to bring everyday life back to the streets. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's administration reopened the country to vaccinated international visitors, without the need to quarantine, from November last year.

Although this policy was suspended for six weeks due to outbreaks of the highly transmissible omicron variant, the resumption of tourism has already had supportive effects on the economy. By labeling COVID-19 as endemic, the country can promote inbound travel more widely.

To encourage more visitors to come, Thailand will drop the requirement for visitors to take a PCR test prior to travel to the country, effective April 1. From May 1, they will only be required to take an antigen test instead of a PCR test upon arrival.

However, the road map does not ensure the country will reach its destination.

Daily cases in the kingdom remained elevated at 27,071 on Friday, with 80 fatalities reported. Mishandling of the ongoing omicron outbreak and the potential importing or emergence of new virulent variants could hinder Thailand's path. Easing back on testing requirements could make the country more vulnerable to new outbreaks.
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yong
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Re: Land of Smiles

Post by yong »

Yesterday afternoon was informed I will be release one day earlier meaning today instead of Monday. So I celebrated with a nice meal



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Pasta
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Anchovy and salad
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and wine of course
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yong
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Re: Land of Smiles

Post by yong »

Anyway this is my ART result today, finally.

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Alex
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Re: Land of Smiles

Post by Alex »

Great news, enjoy your freedom! Food-wise you probably won't be able to do much better though...
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AndyKK
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Re: Land of Smiles

Post by AndyKK »

Yes, it's good to know you have now recovered. I think Alex was on to something before, and the wine may have just been the medicine :)
Always "hope" but never "expect".
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yong
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Re: Land of Smiles

Post by yong »

AndyKK wrote: Sun Mar 20, 2022 1:31 pm Yes, it's good to know you have now recovered. I think Alex was on to something before, and the wine may have just been the medicine :)
Yep. Getting my fix now doing a pit stop halfway from quarantine to home.

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truffledog
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Re: Land of Smiles

Post by truffledog »

yong wrote: Sun Mar 20, 2022 3:12 pm
AndyKK wrote: Sun Mar 20, 2022 1:31 pm Yes, it's good to know you have now recovered. I think Alex was on to something before, and the wine may have just been the medicine :)
Yep. Getting my fix now doing a pit stop halfway from quarantine to home.

Looking forward to your future food contributions.
work is for people who cant find truffles
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armchairlawyer
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Re: Land of Smiles

Post by armchairlawyer »

Things are normalising in Thailand!

Supakit Sirilak, director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences, said wearing more than two masks was unnecessary. It would not give the wearer a greater chance of avoiding infection.
"People do not need to put on three or four masks to go out in public," he said at a ministry briefing. "A booster shot and universal prevention measures are enough."
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... istry-says
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