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| New Year's Eve in Cali, Colombia |
I started the year in Cali, Colombia. Subsequent to spending another two weeks in Colombia. I flew to Costa Rica. Based in the capital city, San Jose, I made day trips to different parts of this small Central American country. Inter-city transportation in Costa Rica is sporadic but still doable for the most part. I could have enjoyed Costa Rica more if I were an outdoor sports enthusiast. I, however, enjoyed its renown biodiversity. Following my Costa Rican visit, I flew to El Salvador. In order to avoid the stringent Covid requirements of Nicaragua, I had to forgo land transport from Costa Rica to El Salvador via Nicaragua. That would have been a 25 hour bus ride with a transfer in Managua. I saw a lot more historical sites than expected in El Salvador, which is one of the less touristy countries in Central America.
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| El Rosario Church in San Salvador, El Salvador |
In early February, I travelled from El Salvador to Cancun so that I could get a PCR test to fulfill a requirement to fly into Cuba. Cancun, Mexico is a hub for Cuban flights from North America. I had planned to spend only three days in Cancun but ended up spending six days. To sort out all the trouble boarding an airplane, I stayed in Cancun Airport for over 60 hours and took 3 PCR tests. I believe the real reason for so much red tape was that the Mexican airlines were profiting from operating the Cuba-bound passenger flights as cargo planes. Cuba was in such short supply of food and goods. Less than 30% of the seats were occupied. Mexicans labs also benefited from conducting the PCR tests on transiting travelers.
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| Cancun, Mexico |
I spent four weeks in Cuba. Even though I travelled from one end to the other in Cuba, I was not able to visit all the places that I wanted to visit. There were few independent tourists. Even the resorts in Varadero were half full in February. Food was scarce and I made a conscious decision not to eat at restaurants in Cuba. Cuban government had special provisions for the tourists. I ate what was available to the locals. Soon I was also fasting for the Ukrainians when news of the Russia-Ukraine war broke. The visitors in Cuba at that time were mainly from Europe. The war was the only thing that the young travelers could talk about. Although there is internet access in Cuba, many websites are not available in Cuba. Using VPN’s was the only way that I could obtain contact with the outside world. I have posted another blog about my visit in Cuba.
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| Varadero, Cuba |
When I returned to Vancouver in early March, I stayed in a hostel in downtown Vancouver. Masks were mandatory throughout the hostel even though there was no quarantine requirement upon entering Canada from overseas. The hostel was completely filled with returning international students and working holiday visa holders. Housing shortage was once again in a crisis state in Vancouver. I managed to find a place in a suburb called New Westminster. As luck would have it, my current home is in the oldest part of Metro Vancouver close to Fraser River, about 7.5 km from where I grew up in Burnaby.
Spring and summer came very late this year. It was raining so much that I hardly had any opportunity to explore the hidden gems of Metro Vancouver. Instead I took up indoor hobbies such as making crafts and joining online groups after my numerous attempts in creating an edible garden failed miserably. When the rain stopped, I would be out exploring various historic neighborhoods in New Westminster on foot. I consider myself lucky to be able to relearn the history of British Columbia and Vancouver this year. I have also developed a stronger sense of belonging and a helping spirit. New Westminster reminds me so much of my younger days growing up in Burnaby.
My heart was broken at the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in September. She was my role model for as long as I could remember. I am not a monarchist; however, I admire QE II for her loyalty to her realm and people, and for her life of service. The whole world had changed, and yet her steadfastness to the vows she made 75 years ago, did not change. In the same month, I turned 60. My bank changed the label on my account from Everyday Chequing Account to Chequing Account With Seniors Rebate. In reality, nothing changed with the account. I simply do not understand why our society still likes labelling so much.
Inflation hit the world big time. As if the pandemic was not a convincing enough cause for rapidly rising prices, we were told that broken supply chains and the Russia-Ukraine war would further reduce supply and raise prices. If Canada is not a major oil & gas and wheat/Canola oil producer, I would have agreed with the reasons and paid the drastically higher prices. I resisted instead. To combat the ever-ballooning prices, I tried to take less bus rides, buy almost no processed food, cook from scratch, make my HBA products from natural ingredients and refashion my old clothes. I remained on track with my monthly budget. These activities are time-consuming and my days became very full.
The West Coast had severe winter conditions a week before Christmas. With the portable heater cranked up in my bedroom, I stayed inside for a week with only 3 activities (eating, watching videos and sleeping) everyday. I began to understand how it felt like to be in hibernation. It seems to me that winter in Vancouver is turning as harsh as it is in the rest of Canada. This winter gives me more incentives to reside in a warmer place during the cold months in Canada. After all, I am a “senior citizen” now. LOL
