Bangkok Phil

I'm not into stressful trips back home

I've travelled back to England several times in the past at the worst possible time - and I have no intention of repeating it.


"But Phil, you're retired, you have time and money. What's stopping you going back to England for a few weeks - or maybe even months"

This well-meaning 'advice' is regularly getting dished out to me on social media whenever I express discontent at the way Thailand is handling the pandemic or contemplate the fact I haven't seen my family since September 2019. 

When it comes to explaining why the idea is a non-starter, I'm not sure where to even begin.

The true cost of going

Firstly, Thailand is currently on the UK's amber list (and that could change to 'red' at any moment given the direction we're going in here) This means I would need to self-isolate somewhere for 10 days upon reaching Birmingham. There would be no train rides to go and see my folks who live about an hour out of the city. There would be just me, the four walls and time standing still.

There would be two (or is it three?) pricey Covid tests to arrange in advance, and I can just imagine the socially distant pleasures of getting on a plane in Bangkok and transiting in Amsterdam, given all the restrictions that have become part and parcel of everyday life.

I suppose if I were to go back to England, it would make sense to get vaccinated at the same time. If the media reports are to be believed, you can turn up without appointment at any clinic, supermarket or petrol station and you'll be well looked after by a kindly nurse with a syringe and a steady hand. Then of course you are faced with the lengthy wait between doses. Where are you going to stay for weeks on end if your family has no room at the inn? And even if you strike lucky and there's a childhood box-bedroom available or a camp-bed in the attic, there is still such a thing as overstaying your welcome.  

Last but not least, there's the small matter of getting back into Thailand, with the 'Phuket Sandbox' seemingly the only expat entry option available. That would mean organising insurance, hotel accommodation, documentation and worse of all, having to deal with foreign embassies abroad. Yes, I know it can all be done; but that doesn't mean I want to do it. And who's to say the Phuket Sandbox itself isn't beyond collapsing at some stage?

Family matters

There is also the human side of things. Once my 10-day quarantine period was over and it was deemed safe for me to meet up with my parents, would two elderly people, with underlying health issues, be comfortable coming into contact with an unvaccinated son? My Father especially, is terrified of catching the virus. He hasn't set foot in a shop or supermarket for 18 months. He waits in the car while Mother (bless her!) does a quick circuit of Marks and Spencer. 

And then there's my wife. 

Folks on social media suggest going back home for several months and thus be apart from my wife, as if it would be the most natural thing in the world to do. Frankly, it makes me question what sort of married relationships people have out there. Perhaps I'm one of life's worryworts or I've watched too many movies, but I might never see her again. The world is so crazy at the moment, you can't rule anything out. 

Past experience has taught me

I'm no stranger to stressful trips back home. Generally, past trips have gone well, but sometimes they're not all cream teas, ploughman's lunches and strolls along the riverbank. 

Long-term expats will no doubt recall the great Bangkok floods of 2011. I'm hazy on the details but unseasonably high rainfall had filled up the northern dams and reservoirs to bursting point, and the only way out was to open the sluice gates and run off the excess millions of gallons of water into the Gulf of Thailand via Bangkok's canal network.

As Bangkok's canals and rivers overflowed and struggled to contain the tide, some residents living in the danger zones were lucky and others weren't. Pictures appeared daily in the Bangkok Post of weary homeowners baling out their living space, now under three feet of stinking, dirty canal-water. The human suffering was palpable - and the ordeal seemed to go on for weeks.

My wife and I lived in a house next to Klong Samrong. The water run-off from North Thailand was on its way and would hit our neighborhood in several days. We moved furniture upstairs in preparation for the worst. The biggest problem was that I had booked and paid for a trip to England and was due to leave the following day. How could I possibly leave my wife to face this situation alone? But she was adamant that I continue with my plan - so I flew back to the UK. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make. 

And so it began. The daily routine of waking up at my brother's house, logging on to the net and checking the Bangkok Post and its scaremongering headlines. Then waiting until late afternoon to make a Skype call to my wife to get an update on the situation. At one point she was entering our house through a side-window because the front and back doors had both been blocked off with sandbags. All I could do was nod, sympathize and make appropriate noises from thousands of miles away. It was a miserable time. I look back at the photos and the weight of despair is etched into every line on my face. I felt so helpless. 

Needless to say, I don't think I enjoyed a single second of that trip home. 

Eyjafjallajökull

The eruption of the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull (just a year before in 2010), was a stark reminder of how suddenly and without warning, the world can change. 

This time, my wife and I were thankfully not separated and were on holiday in the UK together, but the memories are still stressful to look back on. The volcanic eruption and ensuing airborne dust meant that Europe had no choice but to completely shut down its airspace. Our Emirates flight back to Thailand was cancelled until further notice and we didn't have a clue when we'd be able to return home. 

To compound matters, my wife had recently started working for a large Japanese company in a management role and was eager to impress her new bosses. The last thing she wanted was to extend her European jolly beyond a fortnight. Her guilt level was understandable, given she worked with a bunch of colleagues who neither had the time nor money to travel abroad, but would've loved the opportunity.

We made the best of things by taking a short side-trip to The Cotswolds, but despite being in one of the most scenic parts of Middle England, I could sense my wife's anxiety. She put on a brave face but the fact she should have been back at her desk in Bangkok constantly played on her mind. 

To add a footnote to the two stories above - not to mention a huge sigh of relief - once the volcano had stopped showing off, we were able to board a Bangkok-bound flight six days later than scheduled, and a year later, our house managed to survive the Bangkok floods and stay dry. 

The memories of those 2010 and 2011 trips will live with me forever though. And although you can never guarantee a trouble-free holiday anywhere, you can always minimize the risk. We are living in times where the world can change in a heartbeat and that's why at present, the notion of going home sounds almost ridiculous - and certainly not worth the gamble.         




Comments

Phil thanks for sharing. As the situation is extremely fluid with requirements to travel changing almost daily, my advice is to think twice before going “home temporarily.” If anyone decides to do so plan on the time involved, the financial costs and aggravation of jumping through bureaucratic procedures being higher than initially anticipated.

I agree with Graham that it will eventually got sorted here in LOS and we will get vaccinated and back to something close to normal, but when that will happen is just a guess. I don’t see it happening before 2022, but that is just my guess without the aid of a crystal ball.

By Jack, In semi lockdown (14th July 2021)

I can really empathize with this blog Phil.
I have been teaching English in Thailand since 1994 and I have now been out of work for 4 months due to the pandemic. My elderly mother lives alone near Liverpool. Getting home to visit her and also attend an important family wedding is just not possible due to the large expense, quarantine arrangements, vaccinations, difficulties in getting back into Thailand and last but not least, leaving my wife for just how long?
I am sure Thailand will get it right eventually and even all us expats will get vaccinated. In the meantime we all have to deal with the stress of living in the current situation just as best as we can.
Great article mate.

By Graham Balshaw, Bangkok (13th July 2021)

I came to Bangkok in November of 2019 after retiring from NY. I lived in Bangkok for a year with my crazy Thai wife on Sukhumvit 13. I decided to move up here near her family (close but not too close) 555. I was worried about another Covid lockdown but I feel my worst fears have been realized. I cannot go to Rutnin eye Hospital to see my doctor and I have glaucoma. I am afraid to go back to US because I don’t want to leave my wife if I can’t return easily. Your article struck a nerve with me and your writing is very good!

By Mike, Chiang Rai (12th July 2021)

Good read Phil, I get what you’re saying and you’re spot on.
Also, I think as we get older we haven’t got the patience to put up with all the additional bull dust, particularly what is going on the the world now.
When we are younger and making our way through life we just don’t think of what the situation may be in 30 or 40 years and I suppose that’s a good thing.
I’d love to get back to see family members in N.I. as some are needing our support but it’s all too much to deal with, and here in Sydney we have just started into a new lockdown so it is what it is for now.
Cheers mate.

By Reynolds, Sydney (11th July 2021)

Hi Richard, actually it popped into my head as a decent topic and being as I hadn't written a blog for so long, now was perhaps a good time.

By Phil, Samut Prakarn (11th July 2021)

Seems to me that you are a bit stressed at the moment, much like everybody I guess. That is, I don't believe that you owed (us) your readers an explanation - explanations are for family and friends.

By Richard Constable, Bang Na (11th July 2021)

Post your comment

Comments are moderated and will not appear instantly.

Featured Jobs

Part-time Music Instrument Teacher

฿50,000+ / month

Bangkok


Secondary Math Teacher

฿45,300+ / month

Bangkok


Part-time Lead Teacher

฿30,000+ / month

Bangkok


NES K2 Homeroom Teacher

฿60,000+ / month

Chiang Mai


Science and Maths Teacher

฿42,000+ / month

Bangkok


Kindergarten, Primary, and Secondary Teachers

฿50,000+ / month

Phuket


Featured Teachers

  • Sheila


    Filipino, 32 years old. Currently living in Philippines

  • Leonida


    Filipino, 49 years old. Currently living in Philippines

  • Joseph


    American, 56 years old. Currently living in Philippines

  • Fredrick


    Ugandan, 30 years old. Currently living in Thailand

  • Charles


    American, 38 years old. Currently living in Thailand

  • Priviledge


    Zimbabwean, 36 years old. Currently living in South Africa

The Hot Spot


Air your views

Air your views

Got something to say on the topic of teaching, working or living in Thailand? The Ajarn Postbox is the place. Send us your letters!


Will I find work in Thailand?

Will I find work in Thailand?

It's one of the most common questions we get e-mailed to us. So find out exactly where you stand.


The dreaded demo

The dreaded demo

Many schools ask for demo lessons before they hire. What should you the teacher be aware of?


Teacher mistakes

Teacher mistakes

What are the most common mistakes that teachers make when they are about to embark on a teaching career in Thailand? We've got them all covered.


Need Thailand insurance?

Need Thailand insurance?

Have a question about health or travel insurance in Thailand? Ricky Batten from Pacific Prime is Ajarn's resident expert.


Contributions welcome

Contributions welcome

If you like visiting ajarn.com and reading the content, why not get involved yourself and keep us up to date?


The cost of living

The cost of living

How much money does a teacher need to earn in order to survive in Thailand? We analyze the facts.


The Region Guides

The Region Guides

Fancy working in Thailand but not in Bangkok? Our region guides are written by teachers who actually live and work in the provinces.