Thailand, 4 Years Later...

Well, yes, it'll be me, the one, returning to our travel or vacation site about this destination. A site still imitated, never equaled, and by far.

A country that, when you discover it, charms you. Then comes the time for nostalgia, followed by one or more returns to the Land of Smiles. It's almost inevitable.

It's a real gut punch when you've met and grown fond of locals, only to learn about all the hardships the Covid sequence brought upon them. Broken careers, shattered hopes, disrupted lives.

Like after the tsunami, life and activity have bounced back, sometimes in different forms. Many things haven't changed much: the exchange rate, the quality of the food, the politeness and kindness of the Thai people.

As for us, we've lost members of our VF Thailand community along the way, to whom we pay our respects, but we're now happy to reconnect with both old and new faces. Sometimes in life, it's a chance to start over, forget old worries and squabbles, and be able to exchange thoughts again on one of our favorite topics.

A quick shout-out to Monsieur François Boucher, without whom, as the saying goes, none of this would have been possible. The growing success of VF over the years silences any criticism on that front. He kept his word on both the maintenance and sustainability of the site. Finally, he can be congratulated for his courageous stances during this troubled period, which, in hindsight, we must admit he got right. On a personal note, it did me good to hear voices like his speak up.

Soon, for the Thailand destination and all others, the word Covid will finally stop appearing, and long live the new era!

Sawadee khrap, with my respects to the gentlemen, my regards to the ladies, and my greetings to everyone else.

Hi everyone, I’m so glad this forum is back after such a long hiatus (4 years!) Regarding the “Thailand” section: Since the end of COVID, there have been improvements for entering Thailand, with visas and the 60-day visa exemption. Looking forward to chatting!

...and the legalization of weed!!!!!

.....and the legalization of weed !!!!!

A risk that this could be suspended by the end of the year. So all the numerous shops and sales points will have to close.

I'll be heading there for Christmas...

Hello everyone!

Nice to see VoyageForum back

We're not heading toward a complete ban—there are too many financial interests at stake, too many shops with employees. The problem was that it suddenly became too much of an open bar, too conspicuous. Not to mention the inexperienced folks who’d down in one go what was meant for 4 or 8 servings.

We must’ve missed some hilarious scenes, but also some that were a bit more dramatic.

We're not heading toward a complete ban—too many financial interests at stake, too many shops with employees. The problem was that it suddenly became too much of an open bar, too conspicuous. Not to mention the newcomers who were downing in one go what should have lasted for 4 or 8 times.

We must have missed some hilarious scenes, but also others that were a bit more dramatic.

Hi there, They don’t care about the economic stakes, nor do the people who work there. We saw this during the pandemic with the closure of bars, restaurants, massage parlors, Seven Eleven hotels, Family Marts. All those employees either went back home to their families or found other jobs. I don’t know how they manage on top of that—where I am, several places are still open, but I rarely see anyone inside.