2020 in Review

My usual practice is to compose a yearly review in the last few days of a year but I have decided to write my review earlier this time around. 2020 is a memorable year for most people around the world, better be gone and forgotten. The Covid 19 pandemic has turned life upside down for a great multitude of people since mid-March. My daily routine did not change much except for the 3.5 months that I stayed in the Philippines during the lockdown. Well, there is a first for everything.

Fireworks at the Dubai Mall for the New Year countdown

I celebrated the birth of 2020 in Dubai, U.A.E. My visit in the country was pretty unremarkable until I met a local man in Al Ain. I spent a couple of hours in his farm in the oasis. I learned so much about the culture of UAE from him and experienced Arab hospitality.

In Al Ain Oasis

The late Sultan of Oman passed away on the day that I arrived in the border town, Burami. The country was then in public morning for the following days, and everything was closed. If it were not for the Pakistanis and Indians residing there, I would starve and die out of thirst in the first week there. LOL Out of the many places that I visited in Oman, the Sunday market in Nizwa stood out the most. It is the kind of authentic experience that I would not experience elsewhere in the world.

Animal auction at Nizwa Market

Pakistan was the next country that I visited. By then, there were more news about rapid spread of Covid 19 outside China. International travel was still business as usual and I thought I would be able to complete my itinerary by April 22nd. The obstacles in my Pakistani visit were of a different nature. Budget accommodations are very limited and so is intercity transportation. However, I managed to visit all the UNESCO sites in Pakistan in the alloted time. My most memorable experience has to be Mohenjodaro. It was the first time that I was accompanied by an armed policeman throughout the duration of my visit in an archaeological site.

A group selfie with my tuk-tuk driver and armed policeman in Mohenjodaro. 

My visit to Myanmar was remarkable even though there are many similarities between Thai and Burmese temples. Many people raved about Bagan. But I really liked Mandalay and particularly enjoyed my stay there. When I was visiting the reconstructed Mandalay Palace, I felt like I was time-transported back 200 years ago. I was at ease with my surroundings even though it was scorching hot.

 

My favourite selfie at the Mandalay Palace

Before flying off to the Philippines, I made a detour in Thailand to visit River Kwai in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Crossing the land border into Thailand from Myanmar made me realize that Covid 19 had turned into a pandemic. I witnessed a Japan tourist being detained at Thai Customs when his body temperature was higher than the acceptable 37.5 C. By the time that I got to Don Muang Airport in Bangkok in a couple of days, many international flights were cancelled. I was given a face mask by a stranger at the Don Muang International Airport.

At the Kuala Lumpur Airport on March 15, while waiting for the connecting flight to Yangon, I learned that Philippine President Duterte had just announced that Luzon would be under a lockdown for a month. The staff at Air Asia told me that my flight was not cancelled and I would be allowed to enter the Philippines if I did not come from China, Italy or other outbreak countries. I took the flight to Manila and was instructed to go to my reserved accommodations right away. I was not allowed to take a flight to other islands until further notice. I was told by my host that people would not be allowed to go outside except to the supermarket or pharmacy starting on March 16. There was a curfew from 8 pm to 6 am. The streets of Manila were empty.

All my subsequent and rebooked flights were cancelled. In the first week of the lockdown, most of my waking hours were spent calling airlines, banks, travel agencies and accommodations. Nobody knew when I could fly out of the Philippines or receive the refunds. When things started to settle, I formed a support group on Facebook. For three months, I prayed the rosary every day and tried to help stranded Canadians to return to Canada. When limited public transportation became available in early June, I took the LRT and MRT and visited several places in metro Manila. The most memorable visit has to be the old city centre, Intramuros.

Intramuros, Manila is full of Spanish colonial structures.

After the 14 day of quarantine, I moved to my current home in July. Many international students and working holiday visitors had returned to their home countries by that time. Finding a decent place to live in Vancouver was relatively easy this time. During the summer months, there were very few new cases in British Columbia. However, I chose to stay inside and learn how to cook even though there were no health restrictions. I have mastered a few dishes that I thought I would never be able to make from scratch. I also sewed a couple dresses by hand. I had plans to form an NGO to help eradicate extreme poverty in developing countries but once again these plans were put on hold. Instead I am all caught up on old TV shows and movies that I did not get to watch for the past ten years. LOL

By early November, the second wave of the pandemic arrived in Canada with a vigor. There were numerous health restrictions. Even there was no lockdown in Vancouver, people were told to stay home as much as possible. Non essential businesses were closed by Christmas. The new normal is wearing a face mask in public places and carrying bottle of hand sanitizer in my purse at all times. Starting next year, I would also be carrying a reusable shopping sac because one-time shopping bags are banned in Canada starting Jan 1, 2021. I prayed for a white Christmas but got a soggy Christmas. 2020 had been unpredictable from beginning to end.