On Sun, 23 Aug 2020 at 13:48
A Teachers Tale of Quarantine (Day 1 into day 2)
What happened? One minute I’m on my way back to the U.K.for a short break with my family, return ticket in hand and the next thing the whole world went into meltdown with myself in lockdown at a friend’s house . The first few days in the UK were sort of normal but then I was informed by the authorities of my enforced position as a shield to my buddy who was in remission. To cut a long story short 5 months later I managed to escape and return to SLS, but not withstanding I had to complete 15 days quarantine in an ASQ ( Alternative State Quarantine) hotel in BKK. And that my friends is where the story begins. First of all, let me tell you about the journey that got me here.
Having got (nb. not gotten , we are English) the train with relative ease from up north I arrived at LHR airport for the 21.25 flight to BKK direct. On boarding the plane I soon realised things were going to be different on arrival and why the death rate in Thailand from Covid 19 is so low. All the cabin crew wore PPE from head to toe and we were welcomed aboard, albeit after several checks, documentational and medical screening. After a pleasant 11-hour flight we finally touched down at BKK International.
On exiting the aircraft, the scene that greeted me was like something from a Hollywood apocalyptic blockbuster movie…with hundreds of officials dressed in PPE clipboards in hand.
To be cont.
On Mon, 24 Aug 2020 at 14:02
A Teachers Tale of Quarantine, Day 2 (Quarantine begins, or does it according to the narrative?).
During my 11 hour flight I had made 2 acquaintances ,sat sitting to my left was Katrina, a very chatty and pleasant young lady and to my right was Will who was in his mid-40’s and had experienced life with its usual adversity but like most had survived to tell the tale. Like myself they were returning to Thailand to teach. Katrina (and the waves) was about to pick up a post as a primary school teacher for a private school and Will again teaching in private ed as a (wait for it)………….. Music teacher. No big deal there but allow me to explain how he got there. Will left secondary school with very little in the way of qualifications apart from an ability to sing play and read music. However, he had one other talent which was the catalyst for Wills’ tale. His main occupation at that time was working in a Thai Restaurant while at the same time supplementing his income working the clubs of the North East as an artiste. It was during his 10 years at the restaurant that he developed a passion and an interest for Thailand. Back then he only dreamed of living in Thailand working hard as a father and a husband. Sadly, the marriage did not last and Will to his credit brought up his daughter on his own. Having worked the notoriously hard to please clubs of the North East for many years Will decided to go back to college in order to fulfill a lifelong ambition working and living in Thailand. After eventually qualifying as a music teacher in the UK he applied for a job in Thailand and got it .
What amazed me about Will was the fact that against all the odds he got and achieved what he wanted. But here is the kicker…. Will had another talent which I soon discovered at BKK airport, he spoke fluent Thai. He had not wasted the days and years employed in the restaurant.
So, fulfill your dreams and grab whatever life gives you. I also had a similar dream with a story too long to tell. However, similarly I came to Thailand, completed the TEFL course 4 years ago at SLS and I’ve never looked back.
To be cont……….
On Tue, 25 Aug 2020 at 21:54
A Teachers Tale of Quarantine. (arrival)
Meanwhile back at BKK arrivals, post apocalypse. We (Will and I) decided we may as well stick together on arriving as moral support for each other. More for me than him if I’m honest. In hindsight the whole process was carried out with relative speed and efficiency. Firstly, we were told to sit on rows of chairs facing forward and all our documents were checked by teams of officials dressed in full PPE. Will and I gradually moving forward presenting our documents. Certificate of Entry, Fit to fly cert, negative Covid cert ( both within 72 hours from issue to boarding),Declaration form, the T8 form, Medical insurance for $100,000 with Covid cover, ASQ booking, Passport , Visa and Work permit. What could possibly go wrong? Fortunately for us it didn’t, and we cleared customs and immigration after several checks with relative ease. To be precise, we landed at 14.30 and were on our way in transport provided to the ASQ hotel by 17.00 which was probably no different to arriving under normal circumstances. Will and I finally bumped elbows and went our separate ways.
On arrival in the underground parking area at the Avani Atrium hotel the mini bus taxi came to a halt when I noticed someone dressed in full PPE holding up a notice stating ,’stay in the vehicle’. I looked at the guy next to me, and we both shrugged shoulders in agreement as if to say what craziness is about to unfold us now. Thankfully, placard man opened the sliding door and gave us some blue elasticated shoe covers so we didn’t bring the covid virus into the hotel. Once again, more paperwork checks plus information about our ASQ stay. Effectively it was check in but not as we know it. My room turned out to be on the 20th floor with a panoramic view of the city. Dinner was served in my very spacious yet expensive room for a total of 65,000 baht for a 15-night stay. Now for the ones who are good at maths and worldly that works out about the same price as a very nice cabin with a balcony on a prestigious cruise liner for 15 nights. Ouch! Now call me old fashioned but someone is taking the mickey out of us poor unfortunate souls who have little choice.
Anyway, despite the above and thanks to Mr. Jetlag that night I slept like a baby.
TBC……….
On Fri, 28 Aug 2020 at 13:30
A Teachers Tale of Quarantine (1st full day)
After a very satisfying sleep at the ASQ hotel I awoke to a knocking on my door. For those who have experienced jetlag its’s a strange one to say the least. I didn’t know if it was New Year, New York or New potatoes. Gradually I came to my senses and could faintly hear the sound of a food trolley outside my door. Could this be breakfast? Indeed, it was. I was quite hungry, so I didn’t really care what it tasted like or what it was,” just give me my food”. In the end it was OK and filled a gap. The best way I could describe it was flight food on a decent airline hence the OK. Time for another nap! After a 20-minute post meal nap I woke up to the reality of my situation. I was effectively banged up abroad for the next 15 days albeit in restricted luxury. Lunch time came quickly and so did post food/jetlag induced sleep. Note to self, “I need to stop doing this”. The lunch was marginally better, fish a la Japanese. The one thing that did and continued to annoy me was the fact the food was served up on plastic trays with plastic cutlery. Apparently, a directive from the Health Ministry so there was very little I or the hotel could do.
I soon realised at this point the apocalyptic theme was to continue and remain throughout my stay. My isolation at this point was total in that I had no physical contact with anyone. All communication was done electronically or via the telephone, it was just me and the room. All life beyond seemed surreal. I had two main jobs to do throughout the day. Administering my own health check via a downloaded app provide by the ASQ in conjunction with Piyavate Hospital in BKK. The reporting consisted of ticking a box to say I had none of the following symptoms. Then take your own temperature ,place thermometer on passport and take/download photo. This was done in the morning and in the evening. Dinner came at 6 pm followed by early retirement, yes, you’ve guessed it jetlag…….
Tbc
On Fri, 28 Aug 2020 at 14:09
A Teachers Tale of Quarantine (2nd full day )
Today for my own well-being I’ve decided to organise an exercise regime. Fortunately for me I spent most of my adult life doing different forms of exercise .In my early years I played football and volleyball on a regular basis .Then I hit my 40’s and retired from team sports. Initially I did nothing at first but put on weight and became very unfit. Eventually I came to my senses and joined a sports club complete with gym, fitness classes, swimming pool and an 18-hole golf course. Although golf was never really my thing I was a regular at the 19th hole. During my next 10 years I developed a liking and interest in keeping myself fit. Anyway, moving swiftly on, thanks to Mr. Joseph Hubertos Pilates and the Pilates classes I attended I decided to use this form of exercise to keep my fitness levels up. For anyone that has done Pilates you will know it’s the perfect discipline if you ever find yourself in my predicament.
Other than the above the day went with its usual mundaneness. Breakfast at 8, lunch at 12, dinner at 6pm interspersed with pottering on my laptop and catching up with friends. Thank God for the internet and Wi-fi, Amen. Not to mention the highlight of the day, my two self-health checks. Thankfully things are about to change in the next few days, watch this space….
Tbc
On Sat, 29 Aug 2020 at 11:36
A Teachers Tale of Quarantine (3rd full day)
Today amongst other mundane activities is Dhobi day. For those of you who have never served in the H.M. armed forces dhobi is a terminology that refers to washing day. It derives from Hindi (Indian) depicting a caste sector that did the laundry. It is quite common in the English language to hear the old colonial expressions not only from the days of the Raj but also around the world. Another example which I like is the word ‘gyp’ or ‘jip’ to mean pain. Jip was a word whose origins came from Egypt. Interestingly the word jip in Thai and English have the same meaning. Although they are pronounced the same, they are spelt the same.
Meanwhile whilst you wait with bated breath about what is about to change. Tomorrow I will be having my first (in Thailand) Covid test, which means freeeeeeeeeedom. Well, for 45 minutes once a day under supervision I am allowed to walk around the swimming pool, whoopy do ! Still it’s better than nothing. However, that is only if the result is negative. If not, it will mean a visit from the doctor and possible hospitalisation. Anyway, let’s not dwell on the negative, I’m sure all will be good.
Tbc
On Sat, 29 Aug 2020 at 12:30
A Teachers Tale in Quarantine (4th full day) p.s. spot the deliberate mistake.
Usual day for me or not? Breakfast at 8am then at 8.30am a knock on the door. I was greeted by one of the space-suited staff who was about to escort me from the 20th to the 4th floor where the Covid testing station awaited me. Now, I don’t know if any of you have had the official Covid test by an appointed/registered medic, but it is not a very pleasant experience. The actual test consists of what I can only describe as a long cotton bud being firmly placed up one nostril until it hits a dead end and is then wriggled around several times until you feel as if your eye is about to pop. Then on removal you go into a sneezing fit with the accompaniment of a runny nose and eyes. As if that is not enough another swab is placed as far as it will go down your throat with the same procedure applied whereupon you can’t help but gag. The price of freedom! My only reward at this point was to breathe the warm fresh air of Bangkok. Long may it continue, the fresh air that is, only result day tomorrow will tell.
Tbc….
On Sun, 30 Aug 2020 at 18:10
A Teachers Tale in Quarantine (5th full day)
Proper full English breakfast inc. porridge and fresh coffee.
I wish, one can only dream. Let me explain, as I stated before the ‘Avani Atrium ‘ is not a cheap hotel at over £100 a night and its a 4.5 star. Now here is my point, you would have thought a hotel of this calibre would have a decent international chef who could make anything with the drop of his very tall chef’s hat. Not a sniff…. What I received in reality came a very poor 5th. Allow me to explain, the 2 eggs were of the very rubbery, been in the warmer overnight variety. The beans consisted of what can only be described as hard haricot beans with some tinned tomato juice, Thirdly I received what is best known as soggy cabbage. Two rubbery frankfurter type sausages. Half a cup of luke-warm coffee and no milk. The toast (which they continued to call toast) was two very small pieces of sliced bread. The butter was putrid as was the strawberry jam. Oh and a very small box of fruit that at best was fit for the monkey house. Add to this, you are incarcerated in your room with no contact other than via a crappy app and staff answering your calls with a poor command of the English language. However, I didn’t allow it to spoil my day……And breathe!!!!!!!!
So, the good news is, I got my Covid result, which was negative, otherwise I would not be writing this blog. As of today, I can go out of my room albeit under camp guard for 45 minutes once a day and exercise around the pool with other humans.
I scheduled my walk for 2.30 pm and duly received a knock on my door from the prison guard who took me in an isolated fashion to where I needed to be. There were a few people already at the pool when I landed wearing the mask supplied and shoe covers, To my amazement I noticed a familiar face ,well a shape and a pair of eyes that I recognised. It was the guy from the van who I travelled from the airport with.
On Sun, 30 Aug 2020 at 19:12
A Teachers Tale in Quarantine (6th full day)
Doogie Day or the day I met Doogie.
The day before I met a very colourful Scotsman who went by the name of Doogie (Douglas, ef yay dinni spake sco-tash). Doogie is what I would describe as an interesting chatterbox who took no nonsense, as I was later to discover. The first day I met Doog I knew immediately Buddha had sent him to me to break the boredom. We chatted about a whole range of subjects and it soon became apparent that he was no fool and a clever guy with many talents. One of those talents was that he spoke fluent Thai with a Phuket accent which is where he had lived for the past 24 years interspersed with working offshore as an electronics engineer. Apart from other topics we discussed I found a common ground on two counts with the Doog, speaking Thai and his occupation as an electronics engineer. The fact he spoke Thai was a great talking point as I am keen to know more about the way the Thai language is spoken and works. I could have had no better mentor than Doogie because not only did he explain things to me in my own language, but he also taught me about the Thai languages nuances and idiosyncrasies. Coupled with the fact I am from an electrical background we had lots to discuss, along with all the other chit chat and politics of being in quarantine. It’s a funny old world with lots of surprises, all you have to door is open those metaphor doors.
Tbc…………………..
On Mon, 31 Aug 2020 at 10:17
A Teachers Day in Quaratine (7th full day)
Back to the plot.
Apologies for going off on a tangent but day 6 was a bit uneventful so I thought I may as well elaborate on my new-found friend. So, to continue. Ahhh Sunday the day of rest or so they say. I seem to be having trouble with my relaxation timing. The idea is you call reception the day before and they a lot you a 45 minute slot usually between 2.30pm and 5.30pm.Now bear in mind this is Thailand where common sense, logic and critical thinking have no place. This is how it went, I called reception around 10 am giving the staff plenty of time to fit me in walking with the Doog. No can do they say we only have a 2.30 slot. But my mate is at 4.30 ,surely you can fit me in I’m just one person. No, the Ministry of Health (and the computer) say no….Luckily, I was able to contact Doogie on the in-house room telephone and we hatched a cunning plan. Tonight at 1 minute past midnight we will call reception and sync our times therefore making sure we could go walkies and have a chat at the same time.
The rest of the day went as normal filling in my time calling friends, messaging, doing some work on my computer and eating my three statutory meals. It’s looking more like it’s us vs them every day. We will see……
It’s goodnight from me and goodnight from him (the Doog).
Tbc………..
A Teachers Day in Quarantine (8th full day)
Trouble at mill.
Monday morning, but not as we know it. Now, Monday traditionally is a day of low mood as most people have to return to work after relaxing with family and friends and generally enjoying the weekend. However, Monday at the ASQ is just like any other day in that you have very little to do other than follow the boring regimen of being couped up in a room for almost 24 hours every day. Yes, I agree you need to keep yourself occupied but that’s easier said than done. So, effectively every day at the ASQ hotel is Monday.
In line with our cunning plan I met up with the Doog at our new meeting time of 3.30 which in BKK can be a little on the warm side, let’s say around 37 deg celsius which is 104 deg fahrenheit in old money. Sometimes the temp can hit 40 deg or over which is equivalent to 110 deg F. Now that is hot, and the reason why Thais never venture out unless they have to in which case they walk at a leisurely pace. As opposed to Doog and I who marched up and down like our lives depended on it. So why the “Trouble at Mill” remark? Well, Doog told me a parcel had arrived at the ASQ for him with some very nice goodies in the way of cheeses, sauces and various other nibbles. According to the pamphlet we were informed this is permissible as long as security can open the said parcel and check for contraband. No fags and alcohol are allowed during your stay. But the rules despite being clearly written on a pamphlet had changed and Doog was deprived of everything Not like the Thais to just change things mid-flow ?? You can imagine the reaction, Doog was absolutely fizzing and let the staff have it with both barrels. To add insult to injury he was informed that he would be reported to the health ministry for trying to smuggle in illegal and forbidden goods. Needless to say, the big man was not impressed, and heads will roll, but not yet?
Ah well, time for bed said Zebedee.
Tbc………
Roy B.
