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That was emotional - at 8pm tonight in UK people came out of their houses and did a round of applause for the NHS. Kin marvelous to see and hear.

Not easy to get 4 dogs all together at the same time. 🤣 All former Soi dogs now spoilt something rotten. Sai has another two on her dad's farm.

We had to bring in a rule that no overnight guests were allowed in the room who had more than two legs.

On self quarantine now at the recommendation of my doctors office upon returning from Kenya with Emirates, and jumping through a few hoops to finally get back. The highway running past the San Francisco Airport was maybe 5% of normal traffic, very eerie to see, so I guess the "stay at home" mandate from the governor of California is being obeyed by the people for the most part. I had a scheduled trip to the DomRep in May, that will be cancelled. A trip to Belize in late July is most likely going to be cancelled. I think I'm done with travel this year until I retire, which I'm looking at doing at the end of November. I'm looking at a 4 week trip to Thailand, with short trips to other spots in the region, just after Christmas, as long as things are back to normal then, or as close to normal as possible. I have no doubt that the travel industry will need a lot of time to get all ramped up again, and more important, regain the customers trust in being able to deliver the service they are promising. And also the governments of the countries we all love to go, what sort of protocols they will institute, if any, that we will need to adhere too. Just too much to worry about now, like family, as has been mentioned earlier. My biggest concern is for my dad, he's 78 has a heart condition and respiratory problems, emphyzema being one of them. If this thing got a hold of him, it's curtains for sure. It's up to all of us to make smart decisions in our personal lives to do our part in leveling off this virus. But make no mistake, the way of the world these days will be to politicize this thing at some point, and the cable news will only be too eager to go down that road. It's funny though, how all these problems and concerns and protests about this or that, how we are killing the planet, etc....all that nonsense has gone by the wayside in lieu of the virus taking the lion's share of broadcast and cable news. Lets love and care about our fellow man now folks. One day we will return to normal and get back to hating our fellow man and stabbing him in the back. And it will be all right there as the lead story on Sean or Rachel or Morning Joe or Anderson or the BBC. When that happens, we will all know were back to normal again.

Considering what we all are going through right now. Considering that more than 11, 000 retired ex NHS employees are willing to come out of retirement and help in this situation. Considering over 400,000 volunteers are willing to give up their time to help in this pandemic, isn't it about time we funded our brilliant NHS better. If today's situation isn't a wake up call I personally don't know what is. Bollocks to funding a high speed rail network costing billions just to save a few folks a hour or so. This money and more should be going to our health service. Who, now would baulk at paying a fiver or tenner extra per week through taxes or whatever to put our health service back to what it deserves? The NHS has been underfunded for years and we moan and groan. It should be our primary concern and those brilliant people that work within it, from hospital porters and kitchen staff to nurses, doctors, consultants and surgeons and scientists should be rewarded accordingly. Make the NHS a good place to work instead of applying pressure to it. We've all had to use their services at one time or another so why not fund it to the max? I can't think of a more deserved service but we can't expect it for free.

Phil, you have developed a bond with your customers (friends) both those living there and those of us living in our far flung countries. We see the way you treat your staff, with respect and humanity, and for your very welcoming ambiance for all who enter. That bond is not common, it takes time and trust to earn that. But when you do, you can see the rewards with all the repeat business and with newbies coming in because "they heard about the pub" and wanted to check it out. Your latest move is yet another reflection of you as a person, in being concerned with people first over money. The human touch, you might say. And because of that, you can bet, those of us who have enjoyed a drink or 10 at your place, who have enjoyed the sports, the music, the craic or the girls, will be back in force like never before. We want to support those we as customers, or friends rather, feel care about us, knowing we will be welcomed with a sincere greeting, and all feeling right at home. Your place is about as close to a modern day "Cheers", to take after that classic tv show, as there is in Pattaya. That bond you have built with us will be as strong as ever. Once this passes, and it eventually will, and you are again open for business, to turn a phrase from one of my all time favorite movies, "Field of Dreams", if you are open, people will come. We, all your friends and mates from the four corners of the world, will most certainly come. You hang in there, mate!

Like a lot of you, this is a tough one right now, not the "sit around the house type" in the least......just trying to get through it. My heart rate should be phenomenal, lot's of cardio and other power walks with wifey locally. The free weights at home have to do for now..dam I miss the gym. Bought a pull up bar and installed at the house. Usually do 10 at the gym, up to 15 here as had to give up some other training routines for the time being, so have a bit more energy to do a few more reps. I am starting to "oogle" some of the MILF'S in the neighborhood here as they walk their dogs down the street......I am "coy" about it though with such lines as "Oh, what type of dog is that"? I may need Jambos help LOL! Or how about " Well, how long have you lived in the neighborhood here"? Some real classic one liners huh?

thank u jumbo . i can imagine quite an active crew. have myself a labradoodle a race originated in Australia. btw i am 78 cannot travel anymore because of heart history. but knowing Thailand for 35 years including mollie andl lally. was always staying in siam bayshore. super memories. so your pictures and reports bring me a lot of sunshine. take care of u and sai. Luigi

I'm not a medical expert( own background is Economics/Maths & I.T) so will go with what the experts are telling us here in the UK. Implement social distancing and save lives. Ignore this advice and "get on with it" and lose lives.

It was so good I decided to have more for breakfast with added cheese. Superb!

Truth is you will never be able to fully fund any health service in the world. Because medical science moves so quickly.

The Tube photo as a a stark example of the problem of "getting on with it. It's not for my Government alone to sort this out- it's down to each and every citizen to do their part. "Ask not what your Country can do for you, ask what you can do for your Country"

I was, I was also in computer operations and umpteen other decent jobs. I presently drive at night for a living, choice based almost solely on the need to get a visa for Porn when she came to the UK last year. I also didn't want any responsibility other than that needed during duty hours, this position is basically of an independent nature which I love, out on the road, doing my own thing and being paid a reasonable wage. The fact that I have a child added to my choice of work. It will last no more than another 15 months before I retire and live off my pensions, off shore monies etc and Porn will continue to work and be the main bread winner.

Belly Pork Satay this evening

Tonight at 19.00 hrs in downtown Patts..............

Off licences added to the UK list of shops allowed to open as supermarkets run out of drink. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52033260

Line at Thai Airways office this morning. Road into New Plaza getting a scrub. First thing that caught my eye was the free food part. Thought, that's a nice gesture in these trying times. Alas, once my brain caught up to what my eyes were seeing I realized she was using an old Korando's Bar party poster for a tablecloth.

Then there was MO coming down to the bar looking for a roll of any sort of sticky tape But that is for another episode.

Mate you done so much gear in your life Covid has no chance in your system ......... love ya Blue stay safe Al. Namps

After my 14 days, assuming I show no symptoms, they'll have another.

I travelled around quite a bit these last 3 months and visited Bangkok, Hua hin, Cha am, Chiang Mai, Udon Thani and Sakhon nakon. I found all the places had their own charm and enjoyed staying in each one for different reasons. I can't say I have got a least favourite!

I have been doing a little every day in the garden, today I strimmed the grass edges that I cut yesterday and I have been walking 3 miles every day. My friends have been doing some shopping for me so managing to keep myself to myself. I do like watching TV so cabin fever hasn't set in yet. The weather has been kind and the last few days have been sunny which definitely helps to keep the spirits up.

Inclusion and diversity managers on 50k a year. All the lawsuits and negligence claims are scandalous. People looking money for something that happen in the 1960's.

First symptoms of Covid, I would get the neighbours to help and stay isolated.

That had nothing to do why he wanted to tape 🙂

Apologies, poorly worded from me.

Health care is overwhelmed not because healthy people are getting it and recovering at home, but because those at risk with pre-existing conditions are catching the virus and requiring critical care. Can't say it enough times, those at risk should be the ones protecting themselves by staying away from others. They do that, they flatten the curve and reduce the strain on hospitals.

Proper thick toasting bread, real butter and Heinze beans. Lovely!

The whole point of the government asking everyone to stay at home is to prevent the spread of the virus. Sure most healthy people will recover is they get infected but the NHS is at breaking point, its actually probably past that point.

I've heard some of your stories, which is why I'm seriously advocating a book - it would be a terrific read. If you're too lazy to do it yourself, I'm sure you could sit down with a ghost writer and reminisce - leaving them to put it into prose.

After I left Secrets I was approached by somebody that had a writer and a publisher to tell my story a managing the bar or managing a bar here in Pattaya. I quickly turned him down because I'm just too lazy but I've got a lot of memories some crazy crazy shit throughout the years Sent from my LG-H990 using Tapatalk

When did I ever accuse you of caring about facts?

China: "I broke his leg, now I'm a hero for giving him a crutch." Note for the intentionally obtuse: The government, not the people. https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/chinas-devastating-lies/ Note: The following links work. Some point in late 2019: The coronavirus jumps from some animal species to a human being. The best guess at this point is that it happened at a Chinese “wet market.” December 6: According to a study in The Lancet, the symptom onset date of the first patient identified was “Dec 1, 2019 . . . 5 days after illness onset, his wife, a 53-year-old woman who had no known history of exposure to the market, also presented with pneumonia and was hospitalized in the isolation ward.” In other words, as early as the second week of December, Wuhan doctors were finding cases that indicated the virus was spreading from one human to another. December 21: Wuhan doctors begin to notice a “cluster of pneumonia cases with an unknown cause.” December 25: Chinese medical staff in two hospitals in Wuhan are suspected of contracting viral pneumonia and are quarantined. This is additional strong evidence of human-to-human transmission. Sometime in “Late December”: Wuhan hospitals notice “an exponential increase” in the number of cases that cannot be linked back to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, according to the New England Journal of Medicine. December 30: Dr. Li Wenliang sent a message to a group of other doctors warning them about a possible outbreak of an illness that resembled severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), urging them to take protective measures against infection. December 31: The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission declares, “The investigation so far has not found any obvious human-to-human transmission and no medical staff infection.” This is the opposite of the belief of the doctors working on patients in Wuhan, and two doctors were already suspected of contracting the virus. Three weeks after doctors first started noticing the cases, China contacts the World Health Organization. Tao Lina, a public-health expert and former official with Shanghai’s center for disease control and prevention, tells the South China Morning Post, “I think we are [now] quite capable of killing it in the beginning phase, given China’s disease control system, emergency handling capacity and clinical medicine support.” January 1: The Wuhan Public Security Bureau issued summons to Dr. Li Wenliang, accusing him of “spreading rumors.” Two days later, at a police station, Dr. Li signed a statement acknowledging his “misdemeanor” and promising not to commit further “unlawful acts.” Seven other people are arrested on similar charges and their fate is unknown. Also that day, “after several batches of genome sequence results had been returned to hospitals and submitted to health authorities, an employee of one genomics company received a phone call from an official at the Hubei Provincial Health Commission, ordering the company to stop testing samples from Wuhan related to the new disease and destroy all existing samples.” According to a New York Times study of cellphone data from China, 175,000 people leave Wuhan that day. According to global travel data research firm OAG, 21 countries have direct flights to Wuhan. In the first quarter of 2019 for comparison, 13,267 air passengers traveled from Wuhan, China, to destinations in the United States, or about 4,422 per month. The U.S. government would not bar foreign nationals who had traveled to China from entering the country for another month. January 2: One study of patients in Wuhan can only connect 27 of 41 infected patients to exposure to the Huanan seafood market — indicating human-to-human transmission away from the market. A report written later that month concludes, “evidence so far indicates human transmission for 2019-nCoV. We are concerned that 2019-nCoV could have acquired the ability for efficient human transmission.” Also on this day, the Wuhan Institute of Virology completed mapped the genome of the virus. The Chinese government would not announce that breakthrough for another week. January 3: The Chinese government continued efforts to suppress all information about the virus: “China’s National Health Commission, the nation’s top health authority, ordered institutions not to publish any information related to the unknown disease, and ordered labs to transfer any samples they had to designated testing institutions, or to destroy them.” Roughly one month after the first cases in Wuhan, the United States government is notified. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gets initial reports about a new coronavirus from Chinese colleagues, according to Health and Human Services secretary Alex Azar. Azar, who helped manage the response at HHS to earlier SARS and anthrax outbreaks, told his chief of staff to make sure the National Security Council was informed. Also on this day, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission released another statement, repeating, “As of now, preliminary investigations have shown no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission and no medical staff infections.” January 4: While Chinese authorities continued to insist that the virus could not spread from one person to another, doctors outside that country weren’t so convinced. The head of the University of Hong Kong’s Centre for Infection, Ho Pak-leung, warned that “the city should implement the strictest possible monitoring system for a mystery new viral pneumonia that has infected dozens of people on the mainland, as it is highly possible that the illness is spreading from human to human.” January 5: The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission put out a statement with updated numbers of cases but repeated, “preliminary investigations have shown no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission and no medical staff infections.” January 6: The New York Times publishes its first report about the virus, declaring that “59 people in the central city of Wuhan have been sickened by a pneumonia-like illness.” That first report included these comments: Don’t get too mad at Wang Linfa; he was making that assessment based upon the inaccurate information Chinese government was telling the world. Also that day, the CDC “issued a level 1 travel watch — the lowest of its three levels — for China’s outbreak. It said the cause and the transmission mode aren’t yet known, and it advised travelers to Wuhan to avoid living or dead animals, animal markets, and contact with sick people.” Also that day, the CDC offered to send a team to China to assist with the investigation. The Chinese government declined, but a WHO team that included two Americans would visit February 16. January 8: Chinese medical authorities claim to have identified the virus. Those authorities claim and Western media continue to repeat, “there is no evidence that the new virus is readily spread by humans, which would make it particularly dangerous, and it has not been tied to any deaths.” The official statement from the World Health Organization declares, “Preliminary identification of a novel virus in a short period of time is a notable achievement and demonstrates China’s increased capacity to manage new outbreaks . . . WHO does not recommend any specific measures for travelers. WHO advises against the application of any travel or trade restrictions on China based on the information currently available.” January 10: After unknowingly treating a patient with the Wuhan coronavirus, Dr. Li Wenliang started coughing and developed a fever. He was hospitalized on January 12. In the following days, Li’s condition deteriorated so badly that he was admitted to the intensive care unit and given oxygen support. The New York Times quotes the Wuhan City Health Commission’s declaration that “there is no evidence the virus can spread among humans.” Chinese doctors continued to find transmission among family members, contradicting the official statements from the city health commission. January 11: The Wuhan City Health Commission issues an update declaring, “All 739 close contacts, including 419 medical staff, have undergone medical observation and no related cases have been found . . . No new cases have been detected since January 3, 2020. At present, no medical staff infections have been found, and no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission has been found.” They issue a Q&A sheet later that day reemphasizing that “most of the unexplained viral pneumonia cases in Wuhan this time have a history of exposure to the South China seafood market. No clear evidence of human-to-human transmission has been found.” Also on this day, political leaders in Hubei province, which includes Wuhan, began their regional meeting. The coronavirus was not mentioned over four days of meetings. January 13: Authorities in Thailand detected the virus in a 61-year-old Chinese woman who was visiting from Wuhan, the first case outside of China. “Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health, said the woman had not visited the Wuhan seafood market, and had come down with a fever on Jan. 5. However, the doctor said, the woman had visited a different, smaller market in Wuhan, in which live and freshly slaughtered animals were also sold.” January 14: Wuhan city health authorities release another statement declaring, “Among the close contacts, no related cases were found.” Wuhan doctors have known this was false since early December, from the first victim and his wife, who did not visit the market. The World Health Organization echoes China’s assessment: “Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in Wuhan, China.” This is five or six weeks after the first evidence of human-to-human transmission in Wuhan. January 15: Japan reported its first case of coronavirus. Japan’s Health Ministry said the patient had not visited any seafood markets in China, adding that “it is possible that the patient had close contact with an unknown patient with lung inflammation while in China.” The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission begins to change its statements, now declaring, “Existing survey results show that clear human-to-human evidence has not been found, and the possibility of limited human-to-human transmission cannot be ruled out, but the risk of continued human-to-human transmission is low.” Recall Wuhan hospitals concluded human-to-human transmission was occurring three weeks earlier. A statement the next day backtracks on the possibility of human transmission, saying only, “Among the close contacts, no related cases were found.” January 17: The CDC and the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection announce that travelers from Wuhan to the United States will undergo entry screening for symptoms associated with 2019-nCoV at three U.S. airports that receive most of the travelers from Wuhan, China: San Francisco, New York (JFK), and Los Angeles airports. The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission’s daily update declares, “A total of 763 close contacts have been tracked, 665 medical observations have been lifted, and 98 people are still receiving medical observations. Among the close contacts, no related cases were found.” January 18: HHS Secretary Azar has his first discussion about the virus with President Trump. Unnamed “senior administration officials” told the Washington Post that “the president interjected to ask about vaping and when flavored vaping products would be back on the market.” Despite the fact that Wuhan doctors know the virus is contagious, city authorities allow 40,000 families to gather and share home-cooked food in a Lunar New Year banquet. January 19: The Chinese National Health Commission declares the virus “still preventable and controllable.” The World Health Organization updates its statement, declaring, “Not enough is known to draw definitive conclusions about how it is transmitted, the clinical features of the disease, the extent to which it has spread, or its source, which remains unknown.” January 20: The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission declares for the last time in its daily bulletin, “no related cases were found among the close contacts.” That day, the head of China’s national health commission team investigating the outbreak, confirmed that two cases of infection in China’s Guangdong province had been caused by human-to-human transmission and medical staff had been infected. Also on this date, the Wuhan Evening News newspaper, the largest newspaper in the city, mentions the virus on the front page for the first time since January 5. January 21: The CDC announced the first U.S. case of a the coronavirus in a Snohomish County, Wash., resident who returning from China six days earlier. By this point, millions of people have left Wuhan, carrying the virus all around China and into other countries. January 22: WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus continued to praise China’s handling of the outbreak. “I was very impressed by the detail and depth of China’s presentation. I also appreciate the cooperation of China’s Minister of Health, who I have spoken with directly during the last few days and weeks. His leadership and the intervention of President Xi and Premier Li have been invaluable, and all the measures they have taken to respond to the outbreak.” In the preceding days, a WHO delegation conducted a field visit to Wuhan. They concluded, “deployment of the new test kit nationally suggests that human-to-human transmission is taking place in Wuhan.” The delegation reports, “their counterparts agreed close attention should be paid to hand and respiratory hygiene, food safety and avoiding mass gatherings where possible.” At a meeting of the WHO Emergency Committee, panel members express “divergent views on whether this event constitutes a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern’ or not. At that time, the advice was that the event did not constitute a PHEIC.” President Trump, in an interview with CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, declared, “We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China. We have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.” January 23: Chinese authorities announce their first steps for a quarantine of Wuhan. By this point, millions have already visited the city and left it during the Lunar New Year celebrations. Singapore and Vietnam report their first cases, and by now an unknown but significant number of Chinese citizens have traveled abroad as asymptomatic, oblivious carriers. January 24: Vietnam reports person-to-person transmission, and Japan, South Korea, and the U.S report their second cases. The second case is in Chicago. Within two days, new cases are reported in Los Angeles, Orange County, and Arizona. The virus is in now in several locations in the United States, and the odds of preventing an outbreak are dwindling to zero. On February 1, Dr. Li Wenliang tested positive for coronavirus. He died from it six days later.

Might be a lot less sobering if they knew what the actual case count was. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/21/coronavirus-testing-strategyshift/ "Health officials in New York, California and other hard-hit parts of the country are restricting coronavirus testing to health care workers and the severely ill, saying the battle to contain the virus is lost and the country is moving into a new phase of the pandemic response." Since we know that over 80% of cases have no symptoms or such minor symptoms that people rarely seek treatment, that means the actual mortality rate could be 1/10th of what they think it is, or even less. Sobering indeed to think of 300 million people imprisoned in their homes and going broke because of a sickness that might not be much deadlier than the flu. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03/oxford-study-coronavirus-may-have-infected-half-of-u-k.html "According to hypothetical modeling from Oxford’s Evolutionary Ecology of Infectious Disease lab, half of the population of the United Kingdom may have already been infected with the coronavirus. If this modeling is confirmed in follow-up studies, that a minuscule number of those infected require hospital treatment, with a majority showing very minor symptoms, or none at all." That would suck for the fearmongers, and not for the other 99.9999% of the population. Again, as things should be.

Spicy steamed sea bass. Wonderful!

405,000 people volunteered overnight !!! More than 400,000 people have signed up to be volunteers for the NHS in response to the coronavirus crisis. The call to action came from Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Tuesday, who requested for 250,000 people to donate their time to help the 1.5 million people isolating for 12 weeks in an attempt to slow the spread of Covid-19. Stephen Powis, NHS England medical director, said: "Overnight 170,000 people have signed up - that's three a second to help the NHS. "It's an absolutely astonishing response." At a press conference on Wednesday afternoon Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a total of 405,000 people had now volunteered. Anyone who is over the age of 18, fit and healthy and non-symptomatic can offer their time to the scheme and help to deliver shopping to vulnerable people, transport patients to and from hospital, drive medicines and equipment to NHS facilities and check up on isolated individuals by telephone.

@roomark I'm paranoid enough at the moment and lost my temper at the q in the supermarket yesterday at a fella who came and stood right next to a women at the cash desk, selfish ignorant fucks just the morning after Boris Johnson told us two metres apart if it's not your family (he wasn't) Yeah, I feel you here, went to " Whole Foods" yesterday with wifey, I could not believe the amount of people, they were not "family" to each other you know, literally standing 1 foot from each other just chatting away like nothing is going on, no mask on or anything. You know you just want to go over there and ask " WTF are you doing"? Unbelievable the stupidity of people in America. Heard one guy telling another that "You know, I think this is being overblown a lot, as a lot of the Doctors are saying there is still a very low probability of most people catching this" Jesus effing Christ! I know myself, I love my country here but......it just boggles the mind to see people acting so ignorant. Calif is 3rd in the USA with overall infections.

I went to Koh Samui in 1987 & only stayed 3 days but it was more of a backpacker destination back then. However I'm in no hurry to return.

And most of that in management and needless and even counterproductive bureaucracy.

I'll probably end up doing her shopping but I've had a dodgy throat for the last 3 days.She's not desperate for anything yet anyway.

I wouldn't recommend it for a single lad on holiday unless you're going with a local bird or to the MotoGP. For nightlife KK and Udon much better.

When your president (trump ) tells people that he is going to open up the economy again after Easter they think there is no danger

Dan, I can speak Thai and I am defiantly hearing more negative comments about Westerners as I walk around. Never heard it in 25 years. They can’t blame the Chinese any more. Glad you are both safe.

Thanks for all your kind comments everyone. I’m sitting in the bar now looking around and it’s a bit sad really. I turned off all the fridges a few days ago and now I’m locking away all the computers and valuables just in case somebody breaks into the bar and steals them. It’s obviously an indication that I don’t see me opening for a few weeks yet. Although my crystal ball has stopped working. The real problem is not about being for bidden to open, that may change pretty soon, it’s the fact that the airlines are all grounded and it’s almost impossible to get here as a tourist. Add to that the fact that most ex-pats are going to be very careful about spending money, many have lost in shares, bitcoin and of course the fluctuating currency markets. All of it’s sad really, although I don’t want you all to think about is getting me down because I’m really enjoying the time off at the moment. I can last for a few months and I have a good landlord. See you all soon. Phil

Done an hour's workout in small park on my doorstep, part of where I live. Even if the bigger ones get closed in London, which I think many will, due to people being stupid and selfish, i'll still be able to use this one, it's 'off road', part of where I live. Running, burpees, renegade press, squat, mountain climbers, basketballers, lunges etc. Tell you what, feeling knackered, was a great work out. Wife and daughter were there as well, more of a family 'keep sane' time.