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.
