Wednesday 16thof September 2020and I went down to the parking lot quarter to 7 with my garbage and my taxi was there already. There was a lot of requirement to fulfil before I was able to fly to Singapore.
14 days quarantine before the flight. So I could go visit the Ganesha Festival on the 27th of September and this was an interesting experience.
So 14 days “home ”quaranteen is required and you need a Covid test NOT MORE than 48 hours before departure. So this is the first time you have to break the quarantine. Second time you break the quarantine is when you pick up the Covid test.
You need to send the below documents to the authorities in Singapore to get approval to fly to Singapore. 1) Daily temperature log from your home quarantine 2) Home quarantine report 3) Covid test result
Third time breaking the quarantine was when I went to the airport. The airport was like I had never seen the airport before. Empty! If you have been traveling to and from Suvarnabhumi you have noticed the huge billboards along the highway and most of them were empty now.
The last billboard before reaching highway #4 coming from the airport is a SUPER HUGE bill board that Samsung have rented. Samsung for long as I can remember but now it was OPPO advertising.
Billbords on the way to Suvarnabhumi
Billbords on the way to Suvarnabhumi
Drop off zone at Suvarnabhumi empty
Drop off zone at Suvarnabhumi empty
Almost all flights cancelled
I got out of the AOT Limousine and the drop off zone was empty. Coming in to the terminal and I checked the monitor for the check-in row. All flight were cancelled except for a very few of them. Most of the departures was domestic flights.
I passed two check-in rows and it looked to be full flights, but the international check in was all empty. I was very early, about 6 hours before departure just to have some time in case there would be any problem. My flight was not even on the monitor and I took the escalator down to the 2nd floor to see if the restaurants were open.
The airport is empty
The airport is empty
The airport is empty
The airport is empty
Several of the restaurants were open and I had some Thai food, curry soup Chiang Mai style. By the time I was back at the check in it was almost time for check-in. I was told that there would only be 9 passengers on my flight to Singapore.
So I was very happy when I had checked-in. If it would have been like this all the time it would have been perfect. Empty airport, and security and immigration was empty so it was really nice. I passed in a minute and that was including the visit to the overstay counter.
Security is empty
Security is empty
Immigration is empty
They gave me an OVERSTAY stamp in the passport with the added note Covid-19. So no fine for my 4 months overstay. I was at the immigration in April to get one month extension as my bird watching flights had been cancelled. Then they closed the immigration due to the virus epidemic and all tourists got a visa amnesty.
Amnesty was until 26th of September 2020 and I was able to leave before that date. Of course, I could have made an extension, but that would have had come with a lot of paper work. Not to mention the hassle to go to the immigration.
Airport is empty
Airport is empty
Airport is empty
I had several hours to kill before departure and I walked through an empty terminal to go see if there was any restaurants open. There were a couple of places open and there were staff posted outside with a menu and they started to call me when I approached. - Come here to eat!!!
I took a seat at the first place and I ordered Earl Grey tea and a grilled cheese and ham sandwich that did not taste too good. No other passengers seen in the area and I really enjoyed the airport like I had never done before.
I went to look for the gate and there was no people to be seen in the gate area.
Social distancing
Gate area is empty
Gate area is empty
I take a seat waiting for the gate to open and I am joined by a man from Singapore a few minutes later. He is returning home after 7 months in Thailand and we have a chat until they open to the gate. Time is passing quickly and it is soon time to go to the gate.
They told me that there would be 9 passengers going to Singapore, but there was only 4 or 5 passengers including me. There was no passengers arriving with the flight, just a lot of cargo. And there was plenty cargo going back to Singapore as well.
We took off and we were heading south on a quite pleasant flight. I had 2 bottles of water before we approached Singapore, no food served but I never bother to eat on my flights when sitting in the back of the plane.
Our plane arrives
Our plane arrives
Empty flight
Empty airport
Thai Airways planes in mothballs along the runway
Arriving to Singapore and I was picked up by the gate. I was escorted to the immigration with a stop at the drug store to buy vitamin D3. Immigration was a quick affair and we went to the luggage claim. Passing the custom and I had to wait for the driver with my escort as he was not allowed to leave me alone.
The escort had to take a picture when the driver came to pick me up. The driver had to take a picture as well and yet another picture when we went in to the car. We left the airport and it had been pretty much as a normal arrival to Singapore. And the escort and picture taking, for sure, did not make me feel that I or anyone else had been protected from the Wuhan Virus.
Of course, a lot of extra paper work, but making me feel protected from the virus, no. Anyway, I had made it to Singapore and I am now allowed to return to Thailand on board m/t Roy Maersk. But first a stop at Greater Bongkok Northern Field.
OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can itbe? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.
Jiffy (also jiff)
noun[in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.
ORIGINlate 18th cent.: of unknown origin.
So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.
So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!
Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas
Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!
Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!
Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra
Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!