Originally Posted by
act1966
Hi Everybody!
Long time, no post! I’ve been off social media for quite some time now but thought I’d give an update on the state of the nation on island as we’ve been here since November 1st.
We made the decision in March/April of last year to bail on Canada and ride out the pandemic down here. So we booked our flight and started loading up on things we’d need (in particular, meds). Then Air Canada started canceling flights. We didn’t get out until November 1st.
The flight was “interesting”: everybody was nervous. We had both masks and face shields on and The Spouse was constantly dousing us in sanitizer. I’m pretty sure we killed every germ on that flight. We opted to test at AUA as we couldn’t get a guarantee of a test result in Toronto in time for the trip.
Going through customs was easy but then everybody was herded into a corner to line up for the testing. That wasn’t fun – no social distancing so it was a bit of a nail biter. But once out, we went straight to the house. The Neighbour had stocked us up with enough food and wine to make it through a few days while we waited for our results. By 8pm that night, we’d been notified that we were negative, and quarantine was over. We ordered in and started isolating in Aruba! I’ll give it to Aruba: for all the “challenges” the island has in normal times, they really got their act together on this to manage the hordes of travelers coming on island. I found it really disheartening when we’d see foreigners in the news breaking quarantine protocols for stupid things like groceries (see below), It’s a level of arrogance that’s a real turn off.
Speaking of groceries, one by-product of the pandemic is that it’s forced a lot of businesses down here to pivot to new service models including delivery, curbside pick-up and online shopping. It made isolating a lot easier with those aspects available. We bought a tv and it was delivered two hours later – beat that Amazon!!
So, what have we been doing? The Spouse is working so that accounts for forty to fifty hours per week communicating with Toronto. I recently retired so I’ve been mastering artisanal bread making and pizza dough. A boy needs a hobby! I do a 7-10km walk each morning – usually to the lighthouse and back. Chores, meals, dinner with lots and lots of wine. Rinse. Repeat. On the weekends, we’re out at the pool debating the best time for margaritas. Let’s face it: any time is margarita time. Of note: on my morning walks, I’ll be surprised if I see three or four people; in “normal” times, I’ll see dozens of people. The island is a bit like a paradise ghost town. A little creepy at times but nice from a safety standpoint.
So, we’re locked down: we weren’t going to take any risks and that includes going out to restaurants. But my cooking skills have moved up quite a few notches and we’re happy to be healthy and safe and in the warm weather. We’re having work done around the house and we finally got rid of “count down panic”.
We’re probably here until May/June depending on whether Canada gets its act together.
I hope you're all well, healthy and safe and look forward to getting back to 'normal" sometime in the future!
Take care.
Thanks: 
Likes: 
Reply With Quote
