Antarctica … or Not?!
Corona can really disappoint you …
January | 2022
This is a little example of how much the corona-pandemia, currently Omicron ruling the world, can change travel plans; or why travel excitement is only possible in homoeopathic dosages.
Steffi will write this blog again in "I" form, as she was once again travelling with her mother ;-)
Once upon pre-covid times, my mother had booked an excursion to China for August 2020, which I denied going with her as peak season at work. As covid hit the world, this tour has been postponed for another year, so this time my mother booked me also on that tour, even though impossible at work. End of 2020, beginning of 2021 it was clear that this tour will be also be cancelled, however, my mother got a fantastic offer for a cruise tour down to Antarctica in January/February 2022. So far the short version is about the "how".
This planning went parallel with the preparation of our moto-momentum-tour starting February/March 2022 (see our separate blogs about our preparation). However, this tour was the reason handing in my notice already the end of October for leaving the Family Medical Centre Lda, Algarve end of 2021, after 16years of work.
As all year the pandemic made plans unpredictable, I couldn´t believe that we will really go, especially the closer the departure date came. This covid, now even worse with Omicron, really put a brake on pre-travel excitement. Beginning of January 2022 I flew finally to Cologne, Germany, suitcase fully packed. As visiting Antarctica up to Rio de Janeiro we needed clothes for all sorts of climate, plus the additional presentable clothing for being on a cruise ship.
My mother and I spend some lovely time in Cologne, but very anti-social as we had to have a PCR test before travel. So sitting outside of cafes for a coffee in 5C, brrrr, and all of the time wearing the face mask everywhere. I think people thought I must be very paranoid even wearing the mask having a drink in posh or trendy bars. Well, our motto was "no risk"! So 48 hrs before our departure we went for our PCR test and then it was 24 hrs of praying.
Monday lunchtime my test came through first - negative! Phew, took me 20 seconds to realise. Unfortunately, the result of my mother was not back yet, which didn´t worry me too much, but my mother got really nervous about it. What didn´t help was that we received that morning a phone call of friends we saw 3 evenings prior for a drink and one of them was now with covid! And listening to the news didn´t help my mother to calm down.
One hour later finally came her result through - take a deep breath - it was negative! HALLELUJA! We both danced in our little kitchen and put a bottle of Champagne in the fridge to celebrate later! The first crucial part successfully ticked off the list!
Now off to the internet cafe to battle us through the passenger location form for our entry into Argentina. We had already received so many emails from the organiser with the equivalent information, plus daily updates of corrections for that entry form as it is in Spanish. Spanish wouldn´t be in general our problem as we speak it, but this entry form is an official paper and all of us know how careful you have to be with this! Not to mention that my mother had done it wrong once and was not allowed to enter the plane, but this is a different story!
As my mother has no internet at home, we went with my laptop and all our necessary paperwork to a lovely (internet) cafe close by that we found coincidently the other day. We just started the online check-in for us both, with all the equivalent information, as my mother said "another email from Mr Meier who was our tour organiser... the tour has been cancelled ... " BANG! SERIOUSLY??! It took us 20 seconds to realise what she was reading out loud! What a shock! We looked at each other in disbelief! Just like that! Cancelled!!
Apparently, there was on the current tour a covid case, and due to the Omicron situation within Germany (and the rest of the world), the Argentinian authorities didn´t allow the ship to go on the next tour which was ours. Just like that!!
Now slowly brain starts to kick in! Positive thinking ... sarcasm ... disbelief ... call it whatever! We booked me a new flight back home to Portugal as there is no use in hanging around another 4 weeks in Germany. After a while we packed all our stuff together and went home with hanging heads, looking like badly treated dogs. At home, we tried to drown the sad news - in style with that bottle of Champagne.
So, here I am, in Cologne, with a suitcase full of luggage and a negative PCR test! In the meantime, we are still being shocked and in disbelief but mainly sad.
Now I am praying that we will be able to keep up our leaving date for our motorcycle trip of 22.2.22! I went today to light a candle at our famous cathedral in Cologne; let's hope it helps! Fingers crossed!!
However, I hope you like the impressions of Cologne.
