Good morning one and all,
Greetings from the 7th floor of the Vertical Suite Hotel in Bangkok.
Got here Friday afternoon, Thai time.
What a bizarre couple of days.
Heathrow was Heathrow. Emirates check-in was very slow but very well organised. For me, all the past technical training paid off. 9 sets of documents all in order meant the Emirates check-in lady said, that was easy, you will have no problem getting into Bangkok. Some people were taking forever.
The flight to Dubai was very good, 60% full, mostly families and people for Dubai. Much better than BA, Thai or EVA. Virtually no Thai people.
Dubai airport was modern, clean and plain daft.
Redirection to "Connections" was simple. Big signs and go through a barrier to scanning machines. The whole carry-on bag with computer, batteries, etc etc was scanned as one with no pause to look. But I had to take everything from my pockets and watch off. Beep on the machine for me as usual, I explained metal knees and the guy said ok and that was that. No check.
Then there was just one screen with flights in small lettering, from which I saw Gate B13. I found it - not a single thing to say what flight and when. so I went back and re-checked. The give-away at B13 was lines and lines of young Thai women sleeping, on their phones etc etc, and with 2 hours before take-off I grabbed one of the last seats and daren't move. Nice shops but no food, no toilets etc nearby.
Check-in paperwork was easy again, but they checked, same as at Heathrow.
The flight was full. There were less than 20 men on it. All except 3 were with wives etc. Maybe I didn't clock a few others but I didn't speak to another Brit.
Many of the Thai ladies clearly didn't work in a coffee shop. Some were extremely well dressed.
Bring stranded on a desert island with that planeload of passengers would have been something else.
Flight good again, but very full.
Bangkok airport was unreal.
Hundreds of medical types dressed tip to toe in plastic.
Hundreds of senior-looking Army people directing you every few yards.
Separate conveyor line for foreigners. Temperature checked, passport looked at. Given a big badge to show heading for quarantine. Sit in a line of chairs. A plastic lady came, checked all the paperwork, said "you only need these" and I put the rest away.
Directed to another line of chairs.
Then sent to a line of women to have the paperwork checked again - problem with a very bad tempered woman - where is your Covid paperwork - I need to see the detail with the figures. I showed her the page from The Emirates 31-days free with your flight. - ok you go. They never looked at the Govt Officer Insurance documents, or the full 3-months April Insurance. Just something to say $100,000.
Sit down in another line of chairs, given a new badge with my own number 60 on it.
When the line was full we were escorted/guided down towards immigration, but not yet. Another line of inspectors behind screens. Checked the paperwork generated by all the other people. Checked passport etc. Checked the landing card details - we still had to fill out the full Thai landing card details on the flight, despite every scrap of information being on several other documents.
Then directed to an immigration queue - only a short one, but there would be when we were passed around in batches. My single entry visa was stamped as used on October 23, and I collected my bag and walked through to the terminal. Thank God they didn't X-ray the bag - model railway engines always get looked at.
Met by a lady and driver from the hotel, dressed in plastic. My no.60 ID went into a basket.
Outside the terminal was a long line of maybe 20 coaches into which young Thai women were being loaded in single file to be taken to their free government quarantine barracks. The mind boggles.
Only 3 people on our bus - me and an Austrian guy with his wife/husband. They lived in Chiang Mai.
Full check-in medical inspection by plastic ladies on arrival. I guess from the nearby hospital and far more professional than anybody at the airport.
Hotel reception people behind a screen and all in plastic as well.
All very friendly.
Emirates was a good decision. The Vertical Suite hotel may be the best of all. I am so glad I did my homework.
It is an apartment, not a room. Fully equipped kitchen area and TV lounge, separate bedroom with TV, separate bathroom.
7th floor, 6 windows, small balcony for drying clothes and for suicides. Food ok as well.
Only problem so far is no hot water, only warm. I will ask the question but I suspect maybe a result of the rooms are not being used
But I think here should be ok.
The Thai end of things is just ridiculous. Designed from fear and theory rather than common sense and experience.
It has cost over £3500 to get here.
It isn't necessary. and at Bangkok it isn't sustainable.
It is all so complicated that it is also unmanageable. Only a small amount of paperwork is actually needed. Hundreds of people are at the airport to organise just a few passengers and to do the same basic things over and over again.
I still have 95% of the paperwork we were asked to have prepared. The 72 hours Covid cert was looked at, but I still have it. Fit to fly? - could just as well have been a children's story with the right heading.
Did I need all the extra Covid Insurance? I have no idea. I should not have needed it but the Emirates people at London and Dubai were knowledgeable and had something between their left and right ears. Maybe information is coded or passed on. Who knows?
I'm in need of my breakfast.
JW
£1000 / three months ---- FAAAAAARK!
