Travel in the time of Pandemic
To fly or not to fly – that is the question. On one hand, there is the unease of dealing with an unknown adversary who lurks in every corner. On the other is my little gal, A, ( no matter that she is now officially an adult ) who is on her own, far away, on a student budget, sans friends who have mostly returned home. We have not seen her since March when she returned to London to complete her semester which ended in May. She soldiered on, taking online courses while making applications for internship next year; as I took note of the barometer of cases and their repercussions.
In July, there was a silver lining – UK opens up, with no more quarantine for incoming visitors. I weighed my options. Double dose vaxxed, no underlying health issues, figures in Singapore were coming down ( or so I thought…) so chances are good that the 14-day quarantine may be adjusted? I decided to hedge my bets, pack my bags and get a return ticket, with flexible dates.
What a happy happy holiday
What was initially a 2-week of food, fun and bonding got extended to another 3 weeks of staying on in London after A flew off for a student exchange. She had leased a more than decent studio apartment in Kensington and I couldn’t let the remaining part of the tenancy go to waste.
Day one in London was surreal. Masks are not mandatory, even if it says so on the inside of trains and tubes. “Exempted” persons, authentic or otherwise, are rampant. Once outdoors, you stick out like a sore thumb if you wear one. I kept mine on.
Otherwise, London is abuzz with activities. Theatres, restaurants, are fully booked and life appears to be back to normal. Their Covid numbers are far from pretty or reassuring, but there is a sense of optimism, of hope, of an expectation of better times ahead, of keeping on and carrying on albeit on a positive tangent. To my own surprise, it caught on to me. I was beginning to feel a sense of liberation, an incredible being of lightness. as the weight of being shut in, the pervasive fear of getting infected, lifted. Not so much as brushing it aside, but taking on a fresh perspective of living pragmatically in an endemic pandemic.
A and I had a truly wonderful time together, shopping, dining, going to the theatre. I was looking at this young lady who just turned 21 come into her own – with unabashed pride – confident, beautiful inside and out – as she charts out her own path with so many possibilities ahead.
Being in London for an extended period also allowed me to catch up with good friends living here and a train ride away.
Hanging out with Dorit at her cosy pad for a zoom session with the GB Tribe
Exploring Hampshire and Jane Austen;s hometown with Eleanor
Lunch Catchup with Neil and Brandi, Greenies from SAM
I also had more than my fair share of West End Musicals and museums galore. It was such a treat! More often than not, it would have to be one or even two persons next to me at the theatre who would not be wearing a mask. I curl up in my seat, secure my mask, and focus on the show.
Train travel is fast, efficient and won’t burn a hole in your pocket. A and I visited Bristol and I did a day trip to Brighton as well.
Just when the late warm days of Summer was descending, it was time to pack my backs and head for home- to a 14-day quarantine. My thoughts on the trip – the way Covid is addressed on the other side of the world – the fear and apprehension is gone for them, every individual is left to decide how much precautions to take – fully, minimally, or throw caution to the wind. I pick up the daily newspapers to do the crosswords and there is nary a mention of Covid anymore. I had mixed feelings – about getting a positive test result over there (and then that vexxed question,how??? ) but the what-ifs did not from stop me from taking a middle ground – making the most out of this trip and being cautious, for my own sake and for other people’s sake.
The 14-day Quarantine – Oh Boy!
This was something I was totally unprepared for! The moment I landed at Changi Airport, it was the first time ever I did not feel welcomed home and dreaded what would follow. I wished I had stayed longer away. The procedure was cold and clinical. Greeted by only people in protective gear, I was asked to submit the health declaration twice – once for a “random” check and another before I took the PCR test, despite telling them I had already submitted the same form online, pre-boarding, as required. When all was done and paid for, each accompanied by a sticker, along with other passengers, we were directed into designated lanes onto coaches which would take us to our hotels for the quarantine. I kept my fingers crossed and prayed for a decent hotel with a balcony.
As I boarded my coach, I asked which hotel I got and was told ” Carlton Hotel” Hmm I was hoping for something better. As if the man in PPE noted my disappointment, he whispered ” It’s a 4-star, won’t be too bad ”
Upon arrival, what greeted us did not have the slightest semblance of a hotel. It resembled a medical facility with people in PPE. I asked for a luggage trolley or porter but got a blank stare – ok, got the message. Eventually a man in PPE helped me when I asked him nicely. I was handed my key card – valid for a one-time use only with a set of rules and regulations. After making a selection for diet preferences and signing an undertaking to pay for all charges incurred, I entered what was to be my prison with four walls for the next 14 days.
There was no balcony but at least, the room had a good view and it was a good size, The tiny bar fridge did not come with a freezer. There was a chair enclosed with plastic wrap outside the room for meals to be placed on. Food is served 3 times a day with the sound of a door-bell. It comes in a plastic container, wrapped in a plastic bag. Accompanying almost every meal is a sweetened packet drink and a fruit ( apple or orange only ) or a dessert, almost always too sweet for my palate.
I arrived at about 10 am on Day 1. It was enough for me for all of the rest of the 14 days. I tried all the meals which turned out to be mostly in the style of economical rice/noodles with two dishes. By evening, the good husband has arrived with one luggage of clean clothes, healthy snacks and my pilates equipment.
Day 2 – it was going to be same old, same old…. Couldn’t sleep due to jet lag so the day before seemed extra long. Also, the sugar overload from snacking and carbs laden meals were beginning to act up on my system. I counted 12 more days of this and felt my shallow self unravelling…
View Outside the Closed Door
View From The Window
Day 2 -In the wee hours of the morning, with eyes wide open, I penned my whining on FB, wondering if I was the weird one who found the isolation and shut-in very trying, while others seemed to sail through it like an extended stay-cation, with wine, roses, peace, self-reflection, me-time, etc, etc. I wanna scream and break some furniture. OK, self-pitying indulgence time over, I worked out the frustration, took a shower, and started over.
Day 3 – 14Friends who read my FB musings started sending me goodies, flowers, treats, well-wishes, prayers and encouragement. They also helped me compile a binge-list of what to watch. Those who served quarantine before told me that it ain’t always easy ( so I ain’t weird after all ) and they hit a hump at some point, usually mid-way. I resolved to tackle this mindfully and sensibly, starting with eating right, exercising, tackling small tasks like finishing jigsaw puzzles, listening to audio books on Libby, following Jon Courson podcasts on Youtube on books of the Bible, ( His teaching on the Book of Revelation was illuminating even as the pieces of my jigsaw puzzle began to find their rightful place ) watching Netflix occasionally, even jump-starting a sluggish brain by watching TV5 Monde to refresh my rusty French.
The Flowers bloom, the sun is shining, I have my wine and cheese
Satisfied with my OCD
The Luggage kept growing but the chair remains
REFLECTIONS
No earth-shattering epiphany but some gentle rumblings. I was released on 23 Sep after being tested negative. The first thing I did was to get a hair-cut so that I can recognize myself in the mirror. Now here’s the old me talking and I’m so glad to be home…
Being cooped up ( from just staying home to the 14-21 days’ SHN to study/work from home to the ultimate workers’ dormitory shut-in – now more than 15 months and counting…) exacts a mental and psychological toll on all of us, you and me included. Sometimes it just cracks people up and we know who those people, now infamous or deported, are
When you are down to basics, it’s amazing how simple acts of kindness and the showering of love from friends and family uplifts your mood and improves well-being
Wearing a designer scarf around my neck, with a pat of make-up makes me feel better, even when no one’s looking
You don’t get too much of pampering while doing the quarantine solo. Just load it up and bring it on to soothe frazzled nerves.
Why 14 days in a designated facility when you come back overseas from most countries when it’s 10 days for home quarantine when you test positive here? According to the good hubby, who is more well versed with government policies than me, he thinks it’s because people like me run the risk of bringing in an unknown variant which the country is not prepared for. Right now, they are dealing specifically with The Delta.
Why all this talk about opening up and then pulling the plugs?
From now onwards, I want to dress up, put on make up, go out, eat out, keep my mask on, and turn off the usual comments about Covid statistics that turn hope into fear, optimism into pessimism, gloom into doom. When unwell, I will self-isolate and monitor the situation. I will take the booster when it comes to my turn.
In a few months’ time I will be travelling again and again and again.I can only hope by that time, more Singaporeans will grow up, whine a lot less, learn to take sensible care of themselves when they fall sick instead of taking up precious bed space in our hospitals when it is not necessary, stop blaming the government for everything and anything but expecting hand-outs and hand-holding all the time, grit our teeth stoically during this very challenging period when Covid numbers will go up and then drop gradually, get the facts right before blaming the government or foreign talent, etc, etc…AND finally, for an end to quarantine away from home, open skies for the feudal minded to enter into a much bigger universe outside small-town Singapore to see what an endemic pandemic world is all about.
To fly or not to fly – that is the question. On one hand, there is the unease of dealing with an unknown adversary who lurks in every corner. On the other is my little gal, A, ( no matter that she is now officially an adult ) who is on her own, far away, on a student budget, sans friends who have mostly returned home. We have not seen her since March when she returned to London to complete her semester which ended in May. She soldiered on, taking online courses while making applications for internship next year; as I took note of the barometer of cases and their repercussions.
In July, there was a silver lining – UK opens up, with no more quarantine for incoming visitors. I weighed my options. Double dose vaxxed, no underlying health issues, figures in Singapore were coming down ( or so I thought…) so chances are good that the 14-day quarantine may be adjusted? I decided to hedge my bets, pack my bags and get a return ticket, with flexible dates.
What a happy happy holiday
What was initially a 2-week of food, fun and bonding got extended to another 3 weeks of staying on in London after A flew off for a student exchange. She had leased a more than decent studio apartment in Kensington and I couldn’t let the remaining part of the tenancy go to waste.
Day one in London was surreal. Masks are not mandatory, even if it says so on the inside of trains and tubes. “Exempted” persons, authentic or otherwise, are rampant. Once outdoors, you stick out like a sore thumb if you wear one. I kept mine on.
Otherwise, London is abuzz with activities. Theatres, restaurants, are fully booked and life appears to be back to normal. Their Covid numbers are far from pretty or reassuring, but there is a sense of optimism, of hope, of an expectation of better times ahead, of keeping on and carrying on albeit on a positive tangent. To my own surprise, it caught on to me. I was beginning to feel a sense of liberation, an incredible being of lightness. as the weight of being shut in, the pervasive fear of getting infected, lifted. Not so much as brushing it aside, but taking on a fresh perspective of living pragmatically in an endemic pandemic.
A and I had a truly wonderful time together, shopping, dining, going to the theatre. I was looking at this young lady who just turned 21 come into her own – with unabashed pride – confident, beautiful inside and out – as she charts out her own path with so many possibilities ahead.
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