Hassles and Hope: Thailand's Big Reopening [S5.E35]

The boys address the big story of the day: Thailand's
long-delayed reopening to tourists, at least from certain
low-risk countries. Ed begins by recounting the current (at the
time of the show) rules for tourists: COVID medical insurance, a
negative test within 72 hours of departure, and a negative test
after touching down which MAY require a night in a
government-approved hotel. Note that the info in this show was
accurate at the time of recording, but things change fast
- check here for more details.


The guys discuss the accuracy of the 'no quarantine'
promotional material before getting into their predictions on the
likely success or failure of the endeavor. Both guys agree that
it was high time to start selling alcohol again. Ed laments that
sales stop at 9 pm and nightlife is not completely open, but baby
steps are better than no steps. Certainly, Thai tourism will
recover, but will it take 6 months? 1 year? 2 years? Greg and Ed
gaze into the Bangkok Podcast crystal ball and make their best
estimates.


Each guy then makes their own pitch while the near future
is probably the best time to visit Thailand, but it all boils
down to this: there's no doubt that Thailand is a beautiful
country. What makes it sometimes hard to traverse is the buttload
of other tourists! So being able to come when you know numbers
will be down and the country has been thoroughly cleaned up is
the best of both worlds. There just might be some hoops to deal
with on your way over...


Don't forget that Patrons get the ad-free
version of the show as well as swag and other perks.
And we'll keep our Facebook,
Twitter, and LINE
accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or
whatever you want to share.