hey dutchie, thanks for the birthday wishes. i actually try hard not to think much about it but its unavoidable and preferable to some alternatives! from the frying pan to the fire is a US expression matching rain to drizzle. i gotta write yours down tho as a conversation starter. i agree generally with what you have said, esp shame on anyone leaving family behind. the one i know went to thailand right after his significant other dumped him. the other just married his sweetheart and plans to take her with him. every country presents its own covid issues although i am shy about placing a lot of confidence in the official numbers. i guess my biggest issue in the phils is not the disease but the cure which i read is more stringent than any other asian nation at least. certainly it is most confusing and internally contradictory and in many cases simply pointless (fearmongers not withstanding) so thanks to the fact that for most of us we can still make our own choices about this and choose what we think is best for us. for me the choice is still personal freedom, red rock and my asawa!!
Just read a news update on Thailand: quote: Thailand stops the temporary visa amnesty that had been introduced since the coronavirus outbreak. From Saturday, September 26, people with an expired visa risk a fine, an entry ban in the future or an arrest. The hope for another extension has therefore disappeared after two previous extensions of three months. /unquote Hopefully the Philippines won't follow this example, or we might witness another string of "sweeper flights".