Hey hey again,
From my room in the Northern Territory, Australia. I have the air con on low, yes, i still use it in winter, and can hear a flurry of bird activity outside - from screeching cockatoos to the crowing crows. Theres a slight breeze and some high level cloud, and aside from that, a whole lot of space and quiet!
Iv been back in Australia since the start of April, after making a hasty exit from India, and to be honest, I think I underestimated just how badly this was going to pan out for the world in general. Here we are now in July, and theres no sign of a let up or recovery - health wise or economically. People are asking, demanding, when will we go back to normal - when the truth is, we're here! This is the new normal, of fist bumps and masks, social distancing guiding us in activities outside the home - and of course, in travel, both domestic and international, which for me, an active, passionate traveller, is the scariest part. What about my future plans? What about the Americas I haven't visited yet, and on it goes. The flip side is, Im grateful - grateful I got out of India and came to a secure job, one that doesn't rely on tourism or that is not affected by social distancing. In my remote bubble, I work, practise yoga, exercise, read, cook, create and keep an eye on the news. My new normal is starting to feel very normal.
From my room in the Northern Territory, Australia. I have the air con on low, yes, i still use it in winter, and can hear a flurry of bird activity outside - from screeching cockatoos to the crowing crows. Theres a slight breeze and some high level cloud, and aside from that, a whole lot of space and quiet!
Iv been back in Australia since the start of April, after making a hasty exit from India, and to be honest, I think I underestimated just how badly this was going to pan out for the world in general. Here we are now in July, and theres no sign of a let up or recovery - health wise or economically. People are asking, demanding, when will we go back to normal - when the truth is, we're here! This is the new normal, of fist bumps and masks, social distancing guiding us in activities outside the home - and of course, in travel, both domestic and international, which for me, an active, passionate traveller, is the scariest part. What about my future plans? What about the Americas I haven't visited yet, and on it goes. The flip side is, Im grateful - grateful I got out of India and came to a secure job, one that doesn't rely on tourism or that is not affected by social distancing. In my remote bubble, I work, practise yoga, exercise, read, cook, create and keep an eye on the news. My new normal is starting to feel very normal.
When I made the kinda hasty decision to leave Rishikesh, there was my Australian job offer involved too - I had been waiting desperately to hear from a possible job opening on the island of Svalbaard, and when that came through as a negative, because of potential virus impact (boy did it ever impact!) I said yes to Australia.
I have a one room place I use in India, which is common for accommodation, but had acquired a few more things than I realised, so felt the need to start packing. A friend who was studying yoga there at the time, messaged me to say health officials were at her ashram temperature testing, an Indian friend confirmed they were going through ashrams and accommodations in that whole area testing.. ohhh ok, so this was getting real. I met an Aussie mate for coffee and told him how it was looking, oh and that by this time, my brother was messaging me from NYC telling me to get out of India asap - that he was going to do the same from USA. So I decided to leave, took a couple more days to pack, and my mate ummed and ahhed but finally decided he would leave too, about ten days earlier than he was booked for. I didnt book a flight out of Delhi though, I wanted to wait til I was actually IN Delhi because I know how hectic the taxi there can be for starters... so the night before we were going to leave, I went to book us into a hotel for a night in Delhi but was told we'd need to have certificates saying we didnt have CV, and there was only one hospital in Rishikesh doing those and it took four days for results, and my brother was still pushing me to get out... air bnb! I messaged a host Id used previously and she told me she wasnt taking bookings because.... CV.. ugh! Ok, this is getting real now, really real! Anyway, I did manage to find place in Delhi and it was not too far from the airport - score! So the next day, we would taxi to Delhi - a trip of250km that has taken 10 hours before, you can never estimate an arrival time! With final packing done, sort a taxi - theyre a dime a dozen, and with friends, I can get a good rate... n0 taxis.. WHAT! Omg! But wait, a friend called the brother of a friend.. we got a taxi, and it was only 2 hours late - see why you dont book a flight for the same day!
So we had one night in Delhi, at a great place with lovely hosts and left on our separate flights, mine was ten hours earlier than my mates - I landed in Darwin with 8 hours to spare before mandatory 14 day quarantine, meanwhile, my mate wasnt so lucky, he just missed the cut-off and had to quarantine at home in Queensland. My new job wanted me to do two weeks in Darwin, and they paid for that, and I basically sat and watched the world close down via tv and the internet. I cant believe how lucky I had been to get out of India and back to Australia when I did!
Fast-forward to August 31st and now its looking unlikely that I will get to NZ for christmas at all, Australia is still locked down for all outward travel, with inbound passenger numbers and flights capped, and only certain airports receiving, oh and Melbourne is still on level 4 alert, I mean.... Sometimes I get hopeful, and other times I realise the futility of dreams about travel in the near future.
As I write, the Tour de France is underway, and I haven't even watched the first stage - I did see a headline though stating people believe as soon as a French rider is in yellow, the Tour will end. Its also the only large sporting event on, anywhere.
I splashed out and got myself an apple watch during winter. And took the bait to sign up for some of these virtual challenges that seem to be the in thing now - walking / running / cycling etc set distances and tracking it all with a device. And its been great! Winters in the outback offer respite from both heat and flies, and Iv seen shooting stars, amazing moons and plenty of sunrises. And now, the medals for my efforts are starting to arrive in the mail. An average day at work can get me up to 9km, and my morning walks were up to 12km - its been a lot quicker churning through the distances than I imagine. I am still feeling a bit of the covid curse - weight gain, but I keep on keeping on, and am getting more and more into my groove again. It seems to be one of the biggest side-effects, on and alcohol consumption, which also includes me but only here and there, it will never be a large part of my life!
I ended up stopping searching for updates on India and how its going during the pandemic - so much conflicting information, even from friends that are still there! Like anywhere else, no tourists incoming, state borders have only just reopened, masks are mandatory etc etc. A large number of the yoga schools in Rishikesh jumped into offered YTT courses online, but of course, the knock-on effect lockdowns and job losses is less income.. a never ending circle, that is what it is.
