We return annually to Bangkok to visit my wife’s family, and as her mother approaches 80, it has become more of an imperative. So when 2020 put the kibosh on March travels, we waited – like many – for a travel opening. Thailand closed its borders completely until October 20, 2020 after which one could enter only with a pre-approved Certificate of Entry (COE), and even then a fourteen-day hotel quarantine was enforced. These efforts helped keep the Thai average daily COVID cases at nearly zero from May through December, and even after a spike at year’s end, deaths remained less than 100 in the country of nearly 70 million – more than double the population of Texas but three-quarters the area.

An Opening

Finally, on April 3, 2021, the Thai government announced a seven-day stay for travelers with vaccinations at least two weeks beyond the final dose and less than three months old. Moderna jab No. 2 had already been scheduled, so my wife immediately asked for four weeks’ vacation, and we started gathering the documentation necessary for a COE from the consulate. The process included obtaining travel insurance with minimum coverage of $100,000 specifically mentioning COVID, which seemed silly. “It is an illness and should be covered under typical health coverage,” I argued. Once bitten, twice shy: a company had denied coverage to a traveler who got COVID and the Thai government was left with the bill, the consulate staff person explained with characteristic Thai patience.

That night I requested a letter with the required verbiage from World Nomads travel insurance, and a signed PDF was waiting in my inbox the next morning. We resubmitted our COE application, got approval, and had fifteen days to book flights, pay half the hotel, to receive the actual document. That and our passports, vax cards and even a marriage certificate (as we have different surnames) went to the hotel, and were good to go – after a negative COVID test result within 72 hours of takeoff. Documents for all of these things had been sorted by the consulate and hotel, but had to be presented for review again by Japan Airlines agents at check-in at O’Hare.

We sashayed through security, chatty with TSA agents with nothing much to do. We boarded a plane with 34 passengers to Tokyo Narita and lay out across the middle seats, and had a similar experience on the connecting flight to Bangkok.

Arrival

Thai nationals returning home can get basic accommodations paid for by the government, but we had a list of select tourist hotels in the city. I came armed with a stack of books and a Netflix password.

Immigration meant document sorting again, twice, a temperature check, and an escorted walk to the actual immigration area where… documents were sorted, stamped, questions were asked, and finally we met the typical stamp-your-passport agent. A process that took over an hour – not unusual at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International, but surprising with only three planes parked at gates.

A hotel representative walked us to the curb where we met the driver from the hotel’s partnered hospital. He asked us to place plastic baggies on our shoes, and despite staying together, the two of us had to sit distanced within a van lit up with decorative welcome lights, like something straight out of Vegas, belying the purpose of our stay.

Rules: you cannot leave the room. All meals from daily set menu options will be delivered to the room on trays; leave the dirty dishes outside the door. Submit photos twice daily via LINE (the Thai messenger app of choice) of your temperature readings (armpit thermometers provided and kept as souvenirs). On Day 5 you receive a COVID test. If negative, you receive a certificate when you leave on Day 7. Like summer camp.

We chose wisely. Montien Riverside Hotel is an older property but well kept. Large rooms show wood floors and crown moldings, and most importantly, a nearly floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the mighty Chao Phraya River with an angle on sunrise. We watched the tide rising and falling, the tugs, barges, and longtail boats casting wakes, and the locals fishing and swimming. From our 24th floor perch we boat- and bird-watched, took time-lapse videos of river traffic and the fading colors in the clouds at sunset, and dined at a small marble table looking at the city under glass.

A Curious Twist

Yet all of this was one part bullet dodged: while we were in the air over the Pacific, Thailand’s third wave (if one counts the first two as anything much more than ripples) compelled the government to increase the quarantine again to fourteen days-even for the vaccinated. Had we landed a few days later, we’d have been subjected to it and the doubled hotel costs. We counted our luck though we would not be allowed our daily strolls in the riverside garden.

All Bangkok restaurants and bars were immediately closed or limited to delivery or pickup. (Ten days later they reopened at 25% capacity.) At the same time, despite current daily infection levels remaining much higher than all of 2020, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced a new “sandbox” plan for Phuket tourism. Starting July 1, vaccination cards or negative COVID tests will grant quarantine-free entry to travelers flying directly (or if direct flights were unavailable, connecting via a quarantined terminal at Suvarnabhumi International) to the popular southern island in the Andaman Sea. TAT expects more than 30,000 tourists monthly. Such is the nature of travel in destinations aggressively adapting to the pandemic.

As for us, we were released for good behavior and took a taxi directly to Krua Apsorn, our favorite restaurant, to pick up a carryout order for Mom.

Keep abreast of current travel guidelines at the Thai embassy’s website.

Kevin Revolinski’s articles have appeared in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Sydney Morning Herald. He is the author of 16 books, including Wisconsin’s Best Beer Guide, Backroads & Byways Wisconsin, The Yogurt Man Cometh: Tales of an American Teacher in Turkey, and a short-story collection, Stealing Away. A frequent guest on Wisconsin Public Radio, he lives in Madison, Wisconsin. Visit his website at www.TheMadTraveler.com or www.KevinRevolinski.com

The post Through Hoops and Quarantine: Travel to Thailand appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Courtesy Nina Kokotas Hahn

Seattle, the South, and New York women dominated last week’s awards in Chicago

Turns out that Seattle is now the place to go for amazing Southern food at a restaurant run by a French-trained chef. Edourado Jordan scored the most coveted loot at last night’s James Beard Awards — the so-called Oscars of the food world—taking home Best New Restaurant for Seattle’s buzzy JuneBaby and Best Chef: Northwest for Salare. Jordan’s first restaurant, the French-Italian Salare, was followed by JuneBaby, which Jordan says tells the story of Southern food in America.

“I’m able to tell that story 3,000 miles away from where it first landed on American soil, and people are hearing me and understanding what I’m trying to do,” Jordan told us. “It’s an amazing feeling to be in the Pacific Northwest and have a Southern restaurant that people are listening to. I think with Salare and JuneBaby, we’re waking up the country that Seattle is a force to be reckoned with from a food standpoint.”

Other big James Beard Award winners of the night were Gabrielle Hamilton of New York’s Prune for Outstanding Chef, Camille Cogswell of Philadelphia’s Isreali-themed Zahav for Rising Star Chef of the Year, and Birmingham’s Highlands Bar & Grill for Outstanding Restaurant. Dolester Miles of the Alabama restaurant, who made it to stage with tears of joy, also took home the Outstanding Pastry Chef award.

Here’s the complete list of winners:

2018 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards

Best New Restaurant JuneBaby, Seattle
Outstanding Chef Gabrielle Hamilton, Prune, NYC
Outstanding Baker Belinda Leong and Michel Suas, B. Patisserie, San Francisco
Outstanding Bar Program Cure, New Orleans
Outstanding Pastry Chef Dolester Miles, Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, AL
Outstanding Restaurant Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, AL
Outstanding Restaurateur Caroline Styne, The Lucques Group (Lucques, a.o.c., Tavern, and others), Los Angeles
Outstanding Service Zuni Café, San Francisco
Outstanding Wine Program FIG, Charleston, SC
Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional Miljenko Grgich, Grgich Hills Estate, Rutherford, CA
Rising Star Chef of the Year Camille Cogswell, Zahav, Philadelphia
Best Chef: Great Lakes Abraham Conlon, Fat Rice, Chicago
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic Jeremiah Langhorne, The Dabney, Washington, D.C.
Best Chef: Midwest Gavin Kaysen, Spoon and Stable, Minneapolis
Best Chef: New York City Missy Robbins, Lilia, Brooklyn, NY
Best Chef: Northeast Karen Akunowicz, Myers + Chang, Boston
Best Chef: Northwest Edouardo Jordan, Salare, Seattle
Best Chef: South Nina Compton, Compère Lapin, New Orleans
Best Chef: Southeast Rodney Scott, Rodney Scott’s BBQ, Charleston, SC
Best Chef: Southwest Alex Seidel, Mercantile Dining & Provision, Denver
Best Chef: West Dominique Crenn, Atelier Crenn, San Francisco
Restaurant Design Award for 75 Seats and Under The MP Shift (Amy Morris, Anna Polonsky, and Julie Nerenberg) for De Maria, NYC
Restaurant Design Award for 76 Seats and Over Aidlin Darling Design with a l m project (Joshua Aidlin, David Darling, Adam Rouse, and Andrea Lenardin Madden) for In Situ, San Francisco
Design Icon The American Restaurant, Kansas City, Missouri

8 Popular Destinations Where Air Pollution Could Ruin Your Trip

Air pollution does a lot more than cause canceled or postponed vacations — it kills millions of people worldwide every year, according to the World Health Organization. Some of the worst places for air pollution are also home to bucket-list-worthy sights. But missing them might be the least of your problems if smog ramps up during your visit: Symptoms of air pollution sickness include nausea, coughing, headache, itchy eyes — and air pollution can cause long-term breathing problems.

Here are some of the worst destinations for smog, especially if you already suffer from asthma or other respiratory problems.

India

The Taj Mahal attracts thousands of travelers every day, but the city it’s in is one of the worst in the world for air pollution. Smog in Agra can cut visibility so dramatically that you can’t see much more than an outline of the giant tomb, and visitors who don’t cancel their trip during a period of heavy smog can be seen wearing face masks to visit.

Agra, however, isn’t the worst place in India for smog: Delhi, Mumbai, and Calcutta are known to have some of the worst air quality in the world. Even lesser-known India destinations are affected by smog: the city of Jodhpur, which attracts tourists to its colorful and quaint “blue city,” has also been known to suffer from poor air quality.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Hoping to spot historic forts and towering skyscrapers that draw travelers to Saudi Arabia’s financial hub? Harmful emissions paired with dust storms can create near-unbreathable air conditions that might keep you from visiting. Riyadh is a manufacturing hub rife with cars that, when sand kicks up around the Saudi capital, can see thick smog that greatly blurs visibility and irritates lungs.

Los Angeles, California

It’s not just developing countries that suffer from poor air quality. Los Angeles is the worst place in the U.S. for ozone pollution, according to the American Lung Association, and the state of California is home to many of the other worst-ranked cities for air quality. Thanks to a combination of cars, the Golden State’s weather and topography, and added smog from less rainfall and more frequent wildfires in recent years, the air quality index is often over 100, which is considered “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”

Buenos Aires, Argentina

The third-largest city in South America, Buenos Aires can get thick with smog on hot summer days thanks to the fact that many cars in the city run on diesel fuel, which burns particularly dense emissions. The city ranks slightly worse than Los Angeles for air quality, according to data from the World Health Organization, and slightly better than Paris and Rome.

Beijing, China

Crowded China has a reputation for smog, so most travelers to Beijing might know what to expect: crowds in gauzy face masks and buildings with heavy grade air filtration systems. Why? The air quality index here can get as high as the 400s — and have even surpassed the maximum grade of 500 before.

Paris, France

Paris, which has gone so far as to ban old-model cars (pre-1997) in an effort to go green, is still striving to fight car emissions that contribute to its poor air quality. Paris public transit is free to passengers on days with high smog, a move meant to encourage residents and visitors to ditch their vehicles and instead use the sprawling Metro system to get around. Recently, legislators have even proposed making free public transit permanent to improve air quality.

Bangkok, Thailand

Thailand is a popular bucket-list vacation for its awe-inspiring natural wonders and religious sites, but flying into Bangkok brings a heavy dose of urban air pollution. Air quality in the Thai capital can hit dangerous levels that cause residents – especially children — to stay inside until the smog lifts, and make masks commonplace.

Lagos, Nigeria

The largest metropolis on the continent of Africa is in the country ranked worst in the world for air pollution. Lagos, Nigeria is infamous for traffic and home to an unreliable electrical grid that means many residents rely on diesel generators instead. The intense sunlight near the equator only worsens the air quality index, making for thick smog and health problems for many of its residents. Lagos’s resort-addled Victoria Island is no exception.

The post Seattle and James Bear Award Winners; Air Pollution and 8 Travel Destinations appeared first on Traveling Archive.