Patience is the one of the most important words in our vocabulary right now, especially in these times of uncertainty.
As we’ve all experienced in 2020, life as we know it can be extremely tenuous.
I think back to our relatively carefree days leading up to 2020 and think how incredibly lucky we were.
My belief is that in situations like this all we can do is take each day as it comes while staying positive and patient.
Easier said than done! Right?
For me personally, 2020 has felt a little like solitary confinement. With little social contact, limited opportunities to get out and zero travel.
I’m sure many of you think that me deciding to move back to Australia in a time of pandemic is completely crazy….
Yes, that truly is your outside voice by the way. 🙂
Strangely, I just know its time and I’m following my gut on this one…like so many other things in my life. I’m surrendering myself and trusting that everything will work out the way its supposed to.
There have been many more barriers to overcome for me to make the move than just making the decision.
Not just the obvious ones of selling my house, car, furniture and packing up 32 years of memories.
To be fair, with international travel at a standstill, my only saving grace is that I’m an Australian citizen repatriating back home, albeit after many years away.
Like many countries, Australia is completely locked down with only citizens being allowed to return. Zero tourists, no work visas unless under a special situation that requires an exclusion from the government.
Trust me…this would extremely rare!
One of the first challenges I came up against was my ability to fly into Australia. Originally I had booked a flight 9 weeks in advance with Air Canada.
Only to have them cancel all the flights last week…
Bugger!
After analysing my options and spending more than two hours on the phone the best I could do was from Air Canada to fly me into Hong Kong.
Strangely for the same price as I paid to go to Australia…. 🙁
Okay, I thought to myself where to from here?
There were no flights direct from Hong Kong into Brisbane, and only one per week into Sydney or Melbourne. None of the dates came anywhere near matching.
If I took this route I would definitely be quarantined in Hong Kong for two weeks.
Plan B was to look farther afield and to see where I could get to that was closer to Australia. At this point I even looked at trying to get a berth on a freighter from Hong Kong to Brisbane.
You don’t know how hard that was to even contemplate this option as I get sea sick at the drop of a hat. Yikes!
I drew a sigh of relief knowing that this option also wasn’t going to come to fruition.
Plan C perhaps???
Next was trying to determine what other ports of entry I could get to that might give me at least a fighting chance of getting home.
Singapore was the obvious next spot.
Sure enough I could get a flight to Singapore from Hong Kong. The caveat is that will have to wait 23 hours in the Hong Kong airport transit area.
Fine I thought…one step closer.
Okay, now in Singapore what were my entry options to Australia?
Two choices – I could fly to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea then onto Australia with Air Niugini. Hhhmmm – not my first choice as I’d flown with them before…
I discovered a ray of light in that Singapore Airlines had a flight into Melbourne, with a 1.5 hour stopover before flying into Brisbane.
Oh and just to add a little spice I have another 23 hour stopover in Singapore transit lounge before my flight to Australia…
Opting for this flight there is conflicting information about my arrival into Melbourne.
As is somewhat expected the Australian government website says I must stay in Melbourne for my 14 days mandatory quarantine, no if’s and’s or but’s. Which understandably makes sense.
But the airline website says that because my final destination is Brisbane I will be segregated while in the Melbourne airport before my flight onto Brisbane where I will have to undertake my mandatory quarantine.
As it stands right now I leave Friday Nov 20 at 9:00 am and arrive into Brisbane if all goes to plan the night of Nov 24th.
Fingers crossed.
Many of you might this completely insane…and you’d be right! 🙂
My point of view is that I’m looking at it like a huge adventure!
What is going to happen will happen, and so am surrendering myself to the situation and will make the best of it no matter what.
Clearly not everyone’s idea of adventure, least of which during a time of pandemic.
Who knows I may have to quarantine in Hong Kong, Singapore and Melbourne before making my way to Brisbane.
This would definitely elongate my trip and potentially triple the cost given that my quarantine in Australia is already going to cost me $3000 whether I like it or not.
I’m hoping not, but anything is possible during these uncertain times…
It will be important to stay positive throughout my adventure and keep my eye on the prize.
Not for the faint of heart, or those who like a predictable outcome…
Not sure I would recommend this for anyone other than me to be honest, especially in these uncertain times.
Until next week!
Ciao