THAILAND ASQ
Arriving in Bangkok on December 11, 2020, I had to spend 15 days in Alternative State Quarantine. This blog is about the process, food, and overall experience of those 2 weeks locked in a hotel
Thailand Quarantine Process
Arrival: Step by step
Upon stepping off the aircraft on to the airbridge, a swarm of Immigration officers and Airline staff await (30-40 people) – All with signs and asking what ASQ we were staying at
We identified ourselves and were checked off a list (Name / ASQ booking)
Rows of seats (all forward facing toward the terminal) were placed on the concourse (two rows on each side of the hall)
ASQ’s were told to sit (filling up the rear of the rows of seats). We waited about 10 minutes
All ASQ’s had our documents individually checked and were given a yellow ASQ badge (a piece of paper on a paper clip).
Once finished, the ASQ’s were called up, and we followed an immigration officer down the hall
The ASQ’s were called through to a ‘desk’ where our temperature was checked, our papers checked once more, and ASQ confirmed (at this stage, the CoE was taken).
After this check, the ASQ’s were individually directed to another row of seats (deeper into the terminal where the concourses meet)
While sat down, we had our paperwork quickly checked.
In groups of 10 (in the order in which we’d sat down), we were called forward to follow an Immigration Officer who led us to the main Immigration Hall (the hall was empty, every booth was occupied by an immigration officer).
It took about 10mins to get through immigration – the officer seemed to be triple checking everything before stamping me in
Once through into the baggage hall, there were still lots of Airport staff and immigration officers
Baggage arrived, we were guided through customs into the arrivals hall and out through the doors to the outside where the hotel staff were waiting in ‘pseudo hazmat suits and masks,’ checked off our names, and took us to awaiting vans.
The ASQ Hotel (ChorCher // Bangkok)
Upon arrival at the hotel, the bags were taken up to the room, I remained in the van while my temperature was checked.
I was then taken to the lift by a member of the Hotel Staff (who was also wearing a ‘pseudo hazmat suit and mask’) and told my room number.
In the room, there is an instruction manual to read.
Instructions to log into the Line App.
Food is delivered 3x per day – There is a knock on the door once the food has been delivered
Food quality is ok. Its mainly rice dishes, but that’s my choice – I could have had pork steak for dinner (each meal is one of 3 offered choices – we select what we want from a menu and inform the hotel via the line app the day before)
There was an 18 pack of water in the room
We have to take our own temperature and inform the hotel staff via the line App at 10 am and 8 pm.
I am unable to leave the room until Day 5 or 6 once the result of the first COVID-19 test is negative (test taken on Day 5).
After day 5 or 6, you can make a reservation for a 30-minute time slot to spend outside by the pool (but cannot go in it)
After day 6, the room is cleaned
After 14 nights, I left my hotel, got a taxi to the airport, and flew to Chiangmai
Merry Christmas Eve From Quarantine!
It’s Christmas Eve on Day 13 in quarantine and although I’ll be leaving soon, it’s still tough to be locked in a hotel room on a holiday that I wish I were spending with family or friends. Christmas day tomorrow won’t be any easier, but I’ll be leaving at 7am on the 26th which I’m grateful for.
Dinner was surprisingly good - turkey, grilled vegetables, salad, squash soup, a cookie, and under the roll was a piece of fruitcake. I understand this was special for the holiday, but if the kitchen can whip up something like this for the 100+ people in quarantine, what’s the deal with the basic Thai food every other day?
The pictures from my balcony were amazing. Caught the sunset and yes, the clouds really were pink.
*Also, I finally cracked the code on how to make “tabs” on Squarespace. Had to figure out a bit of HTML & CSS, but problem solved. You can see them in action on “Travel Blogs” & “Articles” in my portfolio
Day 12 // 2nd Time Outside
I scheduled another time slot by the pool for this afternoon. The front desk called me and asked, “Are you ready for your relax time, sir?” Sure am.
Again, there wasn’t much to do. I walked in circles around the small deck area while shirtless old men sat on their balconies and smoked cigars. It was a nice afternoon, but don’t think I’ll be scheduling any more “relax times” before I leave on the 26th.
Day 11 in ASQ
Despite the “chaoticness” that’s often associated with Thailand, especially the motorbike-filled streets and bustling night markets, the ASQ has been efficiently smooth. Meals are delivered on time, “outside time” is easy to schedule, my COVID test followed strict protocol, ordering from 7-11 was easy, and the nurses were prompt to remind me to send them my temperature twice a day.
Yes, it has been boring, but ultimately, it’s what you do with your time. I’ve been working online as a writer and editor, redesigned my website logo and worked on improving my site functionality, read books, rewrote my cover letter, exercised, and watched shows on Netflix that I probably otherwise wouldn’t have.
Quarantine sucks. No one wants to be locked up for 2 weeks, but I did it because I want to be in Thailand long-term, and if quarantine is a mandatory requirement, then so be it. It’s not ideal for those looking to travel as a tourist, but it's a nice workaround for me and many others rather than to permanently close the borders.
Day 8 - “Relax Time”
After testing negative on my first COVID-19 test on Day 5, I was told I could go outside for 30 minutes on Day 8. I was so excited. “You can go to the pool area” they said. Even better. “But you can’t go in the pool.” Ok no problem, maybe I can just run around. Nope.
It was nice to go outside, but the building blocked the sun and there was nothing to do, plus all the old guys on the balconies were watching me. It was a weird experience and though I think I have the option to go outside again if I want (need to make a reservation), I think I’ll just stick with soaking up the sun on my hotel room balcony.
I also finished the only book I brought with me “Normal People” - which was not great and now I’m debating about whether to buy a book to read on my Kindle app on my phone. I prefer paper books, but desperate times…
COVID-19 Test
Forget the food pics because we finally have something to break up the routine - my first ASQ COVID-19 test. This is done on Day 5. If I test negative, I’ll be able to call the lobby and schedule a 30 minute slot to spend outside. Although I can’t use the pool, have to wear a mask, and will be the only person outside, it will be a refreshing break from the confines of my room.
Day 4
Quarantine is getting boring. I still have my routine, but it’s going to be a long 11 more days. The picture on the top is the guy who brings me my meals 3x a day. We don’t talk, but we’re best friends.
Lunch was the “halal” option and it came in a black box compared to the transparent plastic. Very exciting. Tonight’s dinner was so far the most substantial I have had. Also glad they gave me a bowl. I brought instant noodles in the plastic packaging and was so close to boiling the noodles inside my electric kettle, but now I don’t have to resort to Chinese-tour-group-traveler tendencies.
Day 2
Day 2 went as expected. I was surprisingly sore from my first TRX workout yesterday, but powered through it this morning. Food is…. alright. I definitely wouldn’t pay more than $5 for it if I were at a restaurant, but am glad that it comes at the same time everyday. It’s just a bit bland. I was hoping for a little more spice or garlic or “kick”. Tomorrow is No Meat Monday and I ordered the vegetarian option for both lunch and dinner and it’s the same meal: rice with vegetables. Yum.
I also realized that the majority of pictures I upload over the next 2 weeks are primarily going to be my food since that’s the only thing here that changes. Maybe I’ll try and get some cool photos of my hotel room, but not a whole lot to see.
ASQ Food
Day 1 of quarantine went exactly as I expected. I slept super early and woke up at 3am. Had a coffee, read the news, and started my first ASQ (which stands for Alternative State Quarantine) hotel workout - which went rather well. I definitely see the appeal of TRX (suspension training), though trying to get my feet into the loops and then flip around proved harder than expected.
I then showered, had breakfast, wrote my daily 500 words for my new novel (currently at 57,000), started a new book - Ordinary People - had lunch, went out on my balcony and stared at the building across from me (not a great 2nd floor view…) napped for an hour, fixed some things on my blog (changed all the flags under Travels to same aspect ratio), scrolled Twitter, watched The West Wing, had dinner and a coffee to power through the evening, edited photos, and now writing this post. I think tomorrow will largely be the same, but quarantine will provide me the opportunity to handle some mundane tasks that have been bugging my OCD. These include organizing my iTunes (Ft. vs Feat. drives me crazy), naming photos in Google Drive, writing a “Country Overview” for each country on my blog, organizing my external hard drive files, and getting my CV & cover letter in shape for job applications.
The existential dread hasn’t set in, but I can feel it lurking in the shadows.
*It’s also really nice having rice again. Besides the Spanish rice in the Mexican food, I didn’t have any white rice while in the Balkans. That was replaced with bread, pitas, and french fries, but I’m happy to be back on a diet with rice as my central carb.
Day 0
Go to airport. Show documents to ticket agent. Get tickets. Fly to Istanbul. 2-hour layover. Head to gate for Bangkok departure. Beirut flight departing at gate next to Bangkok. Both gates require passengers to verify all documents to receive a stamp on boarding pass before boarding. It’s chaos.
Board plane. Fly 8.5 hours to Bangkok. Not a full flight by any means, but I end up in a row with 3 people. Lucky day. Flight lands and single file we walk through the airport and are seated in chairs. Thai person covered in blue scrubs comes up to us to check all our documents and verify our state quarantine hotel. Our name is checked off a list, and we’re given a laminated batch with our ASQ number. We then go to a counter where more of our documents are verified, and corresponding info is written down on our T-8 health declaration form. We’re told to sit in chairs again (2nd checkpoint). The first group of chairs (around 15 people) is told to get up and walk to the next checkpoint. It’s a row of tables with about 8 Thai officials right before immigration. They check our T-6 health form and verify where we will be going after quarantine. That gets stamped, and then we head to immigration.
Foreign guy next to me spoke barely any English, and the issue was he had a Thai work visa but stated he was coming for tourism, and when asked, “What’s up with that?” he said, “Friend make visa give me.” He wasn’t allowed through. Lady confirms I will be traveling to Chiangmai after quarantine, checks docs, and I’m through immigration. I pick up my bags and walk outside. 20 people in scrubs see my ASQ number on my laminated badge, check their sheet, and then yell out the name of my hotel. A guy at the back comes up to me, verifies my reservation, and puts me in a van. Arrive at the hotel. Bags are taken to my room while I wait in the van. Temperature is taken twice, and it’s mandatory that I use hand disinfectant 3 times before I enter my room.
I scan a QR code that adds me to the hotel staff through the Line app. I get info about washing clothes, meal service (3 per day - choices can be selected 1 day prior), how to handle garbage, and general info about room.
The room came with 20 large bottles of water (2 already in fridge), 14 milk boxes, 14 juice boxes (lychee flavor), 14 instant coffees, and some hygiene stuff + laundry detergent.
The picture in the middle with all the stuff on the bed is all the snacks + alcohol I brought. Mostly granola bars, top ramen, some Oreos, assorted fruits & nuts, a bottle of Serbian Rakia, a small bottle of Bailey’s, and some other stuff. I hope it will tide me over because I don’t expect much from these Thai meals.
I called the hotel front desk and they said I’d be able to order stuff from 7-11, but that will have to be an adventure for another day.
I also moved the beds together because I hate sleeping on a twin. I bought an ab wheel and the rope thing with handles (suspension training?) you can put in the door to do exercises in my room. We’ll see how day 1 of quarantine exercise goes tomorrow.
Process To Enter Thailand
Dec. 1
Applied for and received visa at Thai Consulate in Belgrade, Serbia (took 2 hours) Cost: 40 euros
Uploaded basic info, passport, & visa to COE platform for pre-approval
Dec. 2
Received COE Pre-Approval. Booked flight & ASQ ⬇⬇⬇
I was in Belgrade, but the Thai Embassy in Athens had jurisdiction for COE for people applying from Serbia.
Dec. 3
Received ASQ Confirmation. Uploaded flight tickets & flight details (both arrival and departure flight 2 months later), ASQ letter, & insurance letter to COE platform
Dec. 4
Printed out necessary documents to board the plane: ASQ letter, insurance letter, passport copy, T-8 Form, and Thai Visa.
Received COE from Thai Embassy in Athens
Still waiting on COVID Test & Fit to Fly
Dec. 8
Did my COVID-19 PCR test at 9:30, received results at 14:30. Sent a copy of test to Thai ASQ hotel, and printed a copy for airport.
Dec. 9
Met with a doctor to get my Fit to Fly certificate (Template below)
Dec. 10
Flew from Belgrade, Serbia to Istanbul, Turkey
Dec. 11
Flew from Istanbul, Turkey to Bangkok, Thailand
Went through intense immigration process at BKK
Picked up from airport by pre-arranged ASQ van and taken to my ASQ hotel (ChorCher).
This is “Day 0” and since I arrived at 3pm, I will get dinner, and will be able to choose my meals starting on Day 2, since I need to do it a day in advance from 6am-12pm. So Day 1 meals have already been pre-selected for me.