The first quarter of 2021 was uneventful and is now pretty much a blur. For months, I was in a cocoon. I hardly got outside the 2 km radius from my place. I was checking CV 19 updates everyday. I gained so much weight eating all the food that I was learning how to cook. Come to think of it, having anxiety attacks and learning how to cook are a deadly combination. I suffered from a litany of illnesses for months. My face started to break out and I had problems sleeping through the night. But the clinics would not schedule me for face-to-face appointments with GP's. Telehealth was unable to solve any of my health issues.
By March, I was worried sick about the Delta variant and what was happening in India. When news about vaccines being approved for emergency use and the general population would be asked to be vaccinated in descending order of age, I became more hopeful that I could somewhat resume my part-time nomadic lifestyle. I know once I get to do what I want to do the most, all my health problems will disappear. I was also aware of the fact that those vaccines would not be the ultimate end-all solutions to the pandemic. In early May, I received my first shot of Pfizer vaccine. I started researching and making real plans for my next journey.
I got my second shot of Pfizer vaccine on June 29. Theoretically, I would be considered as fully vaccinated by mid-July and possibly fit for international travel. By then, several of my traveler friends were already vacationing in Europe. The day after Canada Day I took the plunge of purchasing a one-way plane ticket from Vancouver to Krakow, Poland. Why Poland? I have never visited Poland before and it had the least CV restrictions. My daily routine had changed to checking CV updates and entry requirements with regards ro Covid 19 to different countries after I bought the plane ticket.
In the following couple of months, I considered several scenarios. Then I finally decided to combine two journeys into one. For the first half of the journey, I would visit Eastern Europe, the Baltic States and Scandinavia. I was planning to leave the region no later than late November for the Caribbean which be the second half of my journey. Because I had to return to Canada earlier than planned in 2015, I was missing a few countries in Central America and all the Caribbean countries. So this time I would be just filling in the gaps. I kept reminding myself that I should be even more flexible on this journey in light of the ongoing pandemic. I would still practise all the safety measures for CV 19 wherever I go.
My "Filling in the Gaps" journey started on Sept 8th, one day after Canada opened its borders to international travelers who are fully vaccinated. I spent 22 days in Poland. Then I moved onto the Baltic States and four of the Scandinavian countries. From Copenhagen, I flew to Madrid where I should be flying to Havana, Cuba. But the airline staff would not check me in unless I had an antigen test done at the Madrid Airport. I walked away and stayed in Madrid for another ten days before flying out to the Dominican Republic. I stayed in the Dominican Republic for seventeen days. By then, I realized that if I stayed in any country for longer than 14 days, I would be considered as coming from that country instead of Canada. Even if any country red-listed Canada, I would not be affected.
Technically Columbia was not included in the original itinerary. However, I found a cheap ticket to go from the Dominican Republic to Colombia. I have been travelling in Colombia since December 7th. I am writing this blog in Cali, the third largest city in Colombia. Tourism is in different stages of development in Colombia. Much effort was spent in promoting Medellin, the second largest city in Colombia. However, I do not consider Medellin as an interesting or unique place to visit. Many people still consider Colombia as a dangerous country for tourists. It would take more time for Colombia to build a positive image and better roads for massive tourism.
2021 has not been an easy year for many people. Covid 19 has not been obliterated from the planet earth. I only hope that more people would be fully vaccinated. High vaccination rates make herd immunity possible. I always tell people that I would consider myself lucky if I die doing what I love to do. The pandemic is no exception to my beliefs. I would always choose freedom to move around than being imprisoned in self-imposed fear of dying or suffering. My life is somewhat back to normal already. I am as happy as I could be, exploring the world.
