It was Wednesday, the 20th of October.
I had finished work on Friday the 15th, the removal company had come to collect everything on Saturday and I was now waiting to secure my certificate of entry (COE) for travel to Thailand to take up my new job. The night before, I had some very under the radar farewell drinks with a few of my ex senior managers. Since the farewell dinner at the hotel never eventuated, it was the next best thing. We went to a beachside drinking place and had a great time, keeping one eye out for the Police just in case they came. As an un-vaccinated person, I wasn’t allowed to be there. I’m really glad that we were able to have a drink, and talk about the good times we had shared.
Drinks with ‘the boys’. Thanks guys…
At 2:06 pm on Wednesday afternoon I received a message from the hotel’s director of human resources asking if I was available for a chat. He told me that the hotel owners did not want me checking back into the hotel because I was not vaccinated, and it would be a problem with the health regulations.
Interesting. Now bear in mind that for the three years leading up to the previous Friday, it had not been a problem. I was able to conduct business and deal with the usual hotel routine stuff without it ever being a concern to anyone. Now that I was no longer an employee, it suddenly became a problem.
The poor fellow was just the bearer of bad news and not in any way responsible for the decision, but I was still quite annoyed. Honestly, I was disappointed and it took me quite a while to figure out what I was going to do next.
I immediately called the pet handler and asked them to come and collect Lucy as soon as possible. I then sent a message to Paul, the managing director of the owning company, the person with whom I got on quite well, asking if he could help. I didn’t get an immediate response. Not quite sure what to do next, I sent out a general message to some of the ex associates that I felt I could rely on. There was some online chatter and various offers to try and help.
With Paul Tan during construction
In the meantime I was still fighting with the consulate, trying to get my COE approved, but was getting nowhere fast. It appeared that my case was just sitting in the ‘too hard’ basket and nobody wanted to make a decision. I was told to I had to deal with it through foreign affairs in Bangkok.
The following day I received a message from the MD who was very empathetic and possibly a bit embarrassed by what had happened, but he confided that although he had tried, there wasn’t a lot he could do because the decision was made above his head.
Later that day, in a lucky turn of fortune, my ex-PA rang me and said that she had arranged temporary accommodation for me for a week or so, in the house of an acquaintance, and that it would be free of charge. Bless her. It wasn’t very far away either. One massive sigh of relief.
Shortly thereafter Azmi, one of my ex directors, also reached out to me and said that I could borrow his car for as long as I needed it. Wow, so generous and a real help.
Late Thursday afternoon there was a Thai Government news update. It stated that as of November 1, Thailand was looking to open up the country to everyone, including unvaccinated foreigners. Time to try again. All of a sudden there was light at the end of the tunnel.
The pet care company came and collected Lucy on Thursday night. I was a bit teary. They seemed like nice people and I was somewhat reassured that Lucy would be well taken care of. On Friday morning I returned the GM’s car to the hotel, said goodbye to some of the staff I had missed and set out to find my new temporary ‘home’.
The accommodation my PA had arranged was quite remarkable. I was extremely lucky, it was not too far away from shops, services and things that I needed, and it was very comfortable.
Over the weekend I started to feel a little less stressed and decided to study the new Thailand entry regulations that would come into effect on November 1. Whilst reading the fine print I discovered that it would be possible for me to continue with my application under existing COE conditions, as long as I could find a sympathetic ear at the consulate willing to make the decision to approve it. I immediately sent them another email and on Monday I called the consulate directly.
Chris, who also likes playing darts…
Unfortunately the response was the same; the decision had to be made by foreign affairs and they were not prepared to make an exception. Besides which, there was a new ‘Thailand Pass’ system to coming into play etc. etc. I would simply have to re-apply under the new system.
My heart sank, that would mean even further delays. I was very concerned because Lucy had already been picked up and now I was technically out of contract, since, due to the circumstances at that time, I didn’t have a start date for my new job. Still, I tried not to let it get me down too much, but it wasn’t easy.
That night I had a farewell drink with Chris, my IT manager. We went and drank beers on the beach and had a great chat. Sadly, I only got to know him a bit better at the very end. He is a super guy and he likes to play darts. He had a small but inexpensive dart board on one wall in his office, so when I checked out of the GM’s house, I gave him my championship dartboard. A serious upgrade. He was very appreciative.
The next day, Tuesday the 26th, I received a message from my PA that I could only stay in the temporary accommodation until Sunday the 30th, as the landlord had previously arranged some friends to come and stay.
Big hand-break skid.
Now, quite frankly, I was at a loss. I had finally reached a point where I didn’t quite know what to do next. It was one of the lowest points in my life and I had no idea what was going to happen. I didn’t have my certificate entry, wasn’t sure where I was going to live, Lucy was in transit, I wasn’t earning any money and things generally were not looking great. What was I going to tell the family?
I reached out to the consulate again but received the same reply. I would have to wait and reapply under the new Thailand Pass system the following week, risking further delays due to the inevitable system glitches that were bound to occur. (In fact they did and it was quite a mess for a while) It really sucked. I hardly slept that night.
On Wednesday the 27th I sent out another call for help to my ex work colleagues, hoping for some accommodation, and arranged to meet that night for a goodbye drink with my sales and marketing team. But, ‘Azmi to the rescue!’ again. One of his associates, who was already leaving, offered me their apartment for a few days until I got sorted. I had to pay a token amount in rent but at this point I didn’t care. I just needed somewhere to stay.
Drinks with ‘the girls’. Thanks ladies…
I went off to the farewell drinks session. My Marcom manager had a friend who owned a bar where they would turn a blind eye to the fact that I was not vaccinated. This was a huge favour as they risked a potential police warning for doing so. It was the last farewell, but also nice to catch up with ‘the girls’.
After that night, having said the final farewell, I just wanted to leave Penang. Yet, I still didn’t have my COE.
Late on Wednesday night there was another Thai Government news update stating that even though there was a new process being implemented as of the 1st of November, it was still possible to enter Thailand with a COE until November 7. However, a set of new rules would be applied and unvaccinated foreigners would now be allowed to enter the country, as long as they booked 10 days in quarantine at a government accredited and registered facility.
I read that again; I could now enter the country as an un-vaccinated foreigner, under my pending COE application, as long as it was after the 1st of November, and there was also a seven day grace window. Really?
With nothing to lose, I decided to appeal to the consulate one last time. At 07.45 am on the 28th I wrote a very polite letter to the Consul General himself, in which I personally presented my case, highlighted the new regulations and pleaded with him to approve my pending COE application, without having to defer to Foreign Affairs. I really didn’t expect much and thought that I would still need to re-apply the following week, under the new Thailand Pass system. I resigned myself to face further complications as yet unresolved…
My ‘Olympic Medal’. The infamous Certificate of Entry.
But it worked. At 12.46pm on Thursday the 28th I received notification that my COE had finally been pre approved, pending flight tickets and accommodation.
Perhaps the tone of my appeal, a humble and heartfelt request, had sparked a genuine desire to help. It would have been easier for them to just let me re-apply under the new system a few days later. I couldn’t believe it. I almost screamed, cried and laughed out loud all at the same time. I was absolutely over the moon. The neighbours must have wondered what was going on in the house next door.
But, that meant I had to move really fast. The WP3 form, part of the work permit application process, was due to expire on the 2nd of November. I had to try and get into the country before that date in order to avoid the lengthy process of re-applying for the work permit.
I immediately booked my flights and arranged the necessary state approved quarantine accommodation. I called my super helpful ex-PA again who booked me in to get my RT-PCR Covid test that Sunday and also used a contact to fast track a Fit to Fly letter that I would need to present to the airline. Phew.
On Thursday afternoon I returned to my old office at the hotel to get help and process some forms needed for the airport and so on. My PA assisted to get them printed and scanned. Right in the middle of this, the person with whom I had a few challenges turned up… My PA tried to distract them and keep them away, bless her. They were ‘surprised’ that I was there. That was awkward. I took my completed paperwork and left.
I uploaded everything into the Thai immigration system that night and first thing on Friday morning I finally received my certificate of entry. What a relief. I felt like I had won an Olympic gold medal.
On Friday night the owner of the new temporary accommodation dropped by with the keys and I planned to move out of the big house the following afternoon.
Then events took another turn and became just plain funny, silly and frustrating all at the same time.
