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Canada, Cuba and Covid 19Canada, Cuba and Covid 19
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Canada, Cuba and Covid 19

March - December 2020
In March 2020 a group of 16 riders from the Australian Ghostriders cycling group travelled to Cuba to complete an extended cycling adventure around the island. This journal documents Cuba and the COVID aftermath that cut our trip short. Read more
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  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
    Day 17

    Mexico City

    March 18, 2020 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    As far as flights go, my flight from Havana to Mexico City was about as good as a budget airline can be. I was just relieved to be finally on my way after so much time waiting at Havana airport. When I stepped into the plane it was evident that airlines were already shutting down. The plane was less than 50% full and I was pleased to discover that I had three exit row seats to myself. After 40 hours with no sleep, I might finally get a chance to catch a couple of hours sleep..... Or so I thought.

    As it turned out, the sleep did not come. Although I was exhausted, there were just too many thoughts crowding in my head. Our world was changing so rapidly that it was impossible to absorb it all. My main fear was that the borders and airlines would shut down completely before I completed my flights to Melbourne. It was a terrifying prospect.

    Three and a half hours later we were landing in Mexico city. When I landed I leaned that my ESTA application had been successful. This is a necessary security clearance that evryone who travels through the USA must have. My original plan had been to wait a day in Mexico while the ESTA was processed, but since the ESTA was already granted, I contacted Flight Centre again to bring the next flights forward. I did not want to linger a minute longer than necessary.

    After several emails, I was given a space on a flight to Houston, followed by a flight to LA and then home to Melbourne. Since the flight to Houston was not due to leave until 11 am the next morning, that meant another 10 hours of waiting in Mexico airport.

    I collected my luggage and then wandered the airport. It was around midnight and things were shutting down. Worried travelers wandered about in a daze, presumably looking for a place to spend the night. I have often wondered why airports make so little provision for comfortable seating and Mexico was a typical example.

    I did manage to get some food and a coffee, before looking for a relatively quiet place to rest. Using my luggage as a pillow I settled down on the cold tiles to try to rest. It had now been over 40 hours since I had last slept and I was feeling like I was on the verge of collapse.

    Somehow between midnight and sunrise I managed to grab a couple of hours sleep, but was awakened by a security guard who was obviously not happy for me to use her airport as a hotel. When I checked my watch I still had several hours to go before my scheduled flight to Houston.

    After what seemed like another eternity, I was finally able to check in for the Houston flight and at least get rid of my large luggage. The normally bustling airport was getting quieter and quieter. When I arrived at the designated departure gate with my boarding pass I could see that there were very few other passengers. It was going to be a quiet flight, or so I thought.

    It was only when I presented my boarding pass that things again took a turn for the worse. No one wants to see the dreaded words "UNKNOWN PASSENGER" come up on the computer screen, but that's exactly what happened. My heart started to thump in my chest.

    The steward pulled me to one side and started tapping away on the keyboard. She seemed confused at first but finally discovered that the problem was due to the fact that my connecting flight from Houston to LA had already been cancelled ! She started looking for another option and finally found a combination of flights through San Francisco that would get me to LA in time to catch my final flight to Melbourne.

    Since my luggage had already been checked onto the Houston flight I began to have serious doubts as to whether I would ever see it again. I could not help but feel like I was in one of those Indiana Jones movies where I was only one small step ahead of the collapsing bridge. The whole system seemed to be shutting down in front of my eyes.

    I was eventually given a new boarding pass for a flight to San Francisco. When I looked at the arrival time I could see that there was going to less than 60 minutes between flights. In that time I would have to clear immigration, collect my luggage, go through US Customs, recheck my luggage for the next flight and then find the right departure gate for the flight to LA.

    At least my flight from Mexico was still due to take off on time. There was still hope of making the connection, but it was going to be tight.    Read more

  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
    Day 17

    Hello and Goodbye to San Francisco

    March 18, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    After being rejected from my flight to Houston, I again had to resort to the waiting game till it was time to board my new flight to San Francisco. If it was hard for me to keep up with the constant changes of flights, I could only imagine how hard it would have been for the baggage handlers to keep my luggage heading in the right direction.

    When I arrived at the departure gate I was met with a sight that I have never seen before - there was not a single passenger to be seen. Apart from the check in lady, there was absolutely nobody else. I started to fear that the flight had either been cancelled or had already taken off, however when I showed my boarding pass, she invited me to immediately board the waiting plane.

    From time to time I have had the rare privilege of flying on a scarcely filled plane, however I had never been on an empty one before. According to my count there could have been no more than about 8 passengers on the entire plane. I had the entire rear half of the plane to myself. In more normal circumstances this would have been like winning the lottery, however to me it just looked sad. There was no way that United Airlines could run many more flights like that one as it would have been costing them a fortune. The rather morose flight attendants would also have been aware that they were about to be laid off from their jobs.

    The flight took off on time and I was hoping that the pilot might be able to make up some time by flying with his foot to the floor. After all the plane must have been much lighter than expected. I was still worried about making my way through San Francisco airport in such a limited time.

    I can't remember much about the flight, but I do remember flying in to land in San Francisco. My first impression was that the entire city seemed to be surrounded and covered with water. I looked hard to see the famous Golden Gate Bridge, but it was nowhere to be seen.

    The empty plane bounced to a standstill on the tarmac. I started looking at my watch. The pilot taxied up to the terminal building. Another five minutes had passed by. We waited. There were a few loud bumps outside the plane. We were still waiting. Another 5 minutes had passed.

    Finally the pilot came on the PA to announce that there was a problem with the skybridge. They were waiting for an engineer to sort it out but that there "might be a 20 minute delay". My heart sank even further.

    Finally they must have got the skybridge working and the 8 passengers were able to get off the plane. I started running through the almost deserted airport terminal. The first step was to go throug immigration where I was thoroughly scrutinized and fingerprinted. Then I went in search of the baggage collection. Time was passing.

    The main thing in my favour was the fact that the airport was SO QUIET. When I reached the lugagge carousel my bag was already there. I grabbed it and proceeded to re check it for the next flight to LA. It started to look like I might do it after all.

    The final step was to go through security screening for the next flight. It was a case of "empty your pockets, remove your belt and shoes and enter the Xray scanner". It was the most thorough security check I had ever experienced, but it all took time.

    After a final frisk search with my trousers about to fall down to my ankles, they finally gave me permission to grab my stuff and continue my run to the departure gate. By this time I had gone well over two days without sleep and I was feeling like I hardly knew my own name. It is incredible what your body can do when it is running on pure adrenaline. Somehow I found the correct departure gate and was happy to see that the flight had not left without me.

    I immediately walked into the flight to LA. I was still doubtful that my luggage was still following me, but at least I was still on course to catch my final flight back home. It was only a very short flight but I think I might have finally succumbed to exhaustion and managed to shut my eyes. The next thing I remembered was the plane taxiing along the runway at LA. We had already landed without me even knowing it.

    Only one flight to go !    Read more

  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
    Day 17

    Last Plane from LA

    March 18, 2020 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    After the stressful tight transit at San Francisco, by the time we landed in LA I was finally starting to believe that I really was on my way home. All that remained was one final 2 hour transit and I would be winging my way towards Melbourne.

    The short flight from San Francisco was soon over and I was finding my way to the final departure gate for my 16 hour marathon flight. Any hopes of another empty plane were soon dashed when I saw the huge crowd of passengers that were already waiting to depart. It was comforting to hear the unmistakable sounds of the Australian accents that were all around me. It almost felt that I was among friends already.

    Over the past few days borders were being closed all over the world at a frightening rate. Governments were scrambling to show their citizens that firm action was being taken. In the back of my mind I was still worried that the plane may not actually lift off from LA after all. I knew I would not really relax until we were off the runway.

    At least flight UA98 started boarding on time. The huge throng of passengers started snaking aboard. Clearly every seat was going to be taken, but I was just happy to be starting the final leg of what had been a true marathon of a journey. I found myself seated by the bulkhead, next to a young couple with a tiny infant. By that time I would not really have cared if I had been seated on the floor - I just wanted to be home with my family.

    When boarding had finished we sat and waited. I wondered what the delay was. Finally the pilot came on with an announcement and I felt my stomach clenching again. "We are waiting for latest updates from the Australian Government", he said. "Both Melbourne and Sydney are currently in gate lock". I wondered what the hell was gate lock. Surely it did not mean that the plane had been refused permission to take off ?

    After what I had been through, the thought of being stopped at that late moment would have been too cruel to bear. We sat and waited some more, until eventually the plane started to move. A few minutes later we were in the air and heading westwards. All that remained was another 16 hourrs of flying time and I would be home in Melbourne.

    Almost immediately the tiredness was overwhelming and I felt myself dropping off into blissful sleep. If only I could sleep the next 16 hours.....    Read more

  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
    Day 19

    Back in Melbourne

    March 20, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Sixteen hours in economy is never a pleasant experience, especially when it follows almost three days of sleepless transits. In normal circumstances, I would be dreading the whole ordeal, but this was different. I really was just relieved to be on board. In my mind I decided that, once we were in the air, we could not be turned back.

    I normally find it almost impossible to sleep on planes, but in this case I was just so completely exhausted that I could not possibly stay awake any longer. Even though the plane was overheated, I wrapped myself in the blanket, lay back the seat and fell asleep. In fact, such was level of sleep deprivation, that I never watched any movies like I normally would, I just wanted the world to leave me alone. I had to sleep.

    Somehow the long flight over the Pacific went by in a blur of sleeping interspersed with short periods of wakefulness. From time to time I checked the little flight map to see how far the little plane icon had crawled across the map.

    Due to the mysteries of crossing the International Date Line an entire day disappeared into the ether and I finally found myself landing at Tullamarine at around 9 am on Friday morning. I was finally home. Almost. Of course I still had to get from the airport to my house, but after what I had been through, that seemed like a trivial matter.

    I did not know exactly what to expect when I got off the plane, but I thought that at least we would be thoroughly debriefed about what it meant to undertake 14 days of self isolation. I thought that we might also be supplied with a mask and hand sanitizer. What I actually received was a sheet of information. I wondered how the many non English speaking people on the plane would make any sense of it.

    I was somewhat horrified to then discover that the passengers were then all free to exit the airport and catch taxis, buses and the like. If such incoming travellers are a high risk of infection, there was no control whatsoever at limiting their exposure to the population.

    Considering the number of flights I had undertaken and the changes of plans along the way, I was expecting that my luggage would not have made it to Melbourne with me. I was wrong. My familiar blue case was soon reunited with me and I made my way out of the terminal.

    Maggie and I had previously worked out a system whereby she would drive my car to the parking lot and then leave the key on the boot lid. In that way we did not need to contact each other at all. Soon I was driving home. I could not help but feel that I was still in some sort of dream. So much had changed in the very short time since I had departed from that same airport, that my head was spinning.

    I finally pulled into my drive, parked my car and collapsed inside the house. Now I was really home. It was a somewhat hollow feeling to be back and have no one to share my experiences with. I now begin my 14 days of self isolation, however the very first thing I needed was a shower and a proper sleep in my own bed.

    We are all now in uncharted waters.    Read more

  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
    Day 20

    Day 2 of Quarantine

    March 21, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    I spent a very unsettled night, trying to come to grips with how rapidly everything had changed. Not only had I just made an unplanned rush across the plant from Cuba back to Melbourne, but the place that I had returned to was so completely different to the one that I had left, just three weeks earlier.

    Alone in an empty house, I was not sure what to do. I still had my luggage scattered around. The memories of my time in Cuba were already beginning to blur and fade in my mind. In some ways it felt like I was still in some sort of crazy dream and that I would be able to awake to the familiar world that I had left.

    The combined effects of exhaustion and jetlag made me feel weak and disoriented. I was quite surprised when one of my sons told me that it was Saturday. Things had happened so fast that I semed to be operating outside of the normal progresion of time.

    I spent quite some time on a succession of phone calls from people who had been following our progress and who were concerned that we may be trapped overseas. High in my thoughts was the welfare of those who were still in Cuba. I knew that I could not relax until they were all safely home.

    The rest of the day I spent catching up on the laundry. This is always part of my routine when getting back to Australia, but with the feeling that microscopic viruses could be hiding everywhere, the task assumed an even higher priority than usual.

    Although my quarantine has only just begun, I am already feeling the effects of loneliness and isolation. We normally take so much more granted in life, including the simple priviledge of being surounded by family. It is a horrible feeling to be separated and not know when you will be able to interact with them again. I can see that the next 12 days will drag by slowly. Although I have plenty of books to read and videos to watch, I am already missing the company of others.

    On the positive side I can report that I have no signs of fever or cough, so that is encouraging.    Read more

  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
    Day 21

    Day 3 of Quarantine

    March 22, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    After arriving home two days ago, I am finally starting to feel a little human again. Maggie and I made the decision to live in separate homes for at least the next two weeks. That means I am rattling about in this big place by myself. It is amazing how much we all crave human interaction. We were meant to be social animals and it is difficult to live without human contact.

    Although the next two weeks will be quiet and slow, I think it is a trivial price to pay if it slows the spread of this cursed virus. The best way to put out a fire is to starve it of oxygen and the best way to slow the spread of an infection is to starve it of the means of transmission.

     I think that this is something we can beat, but it will require discipline and sacrifices from us all. It is not as if we are in danger of being blown to pieces by falling bombs, like they were in the war. We are comfortable in our homes, we have mobile phones and the Internet to keep us connected. If everyone thinks more of their neighbours and less of themselves, we can get through.

    As far as I am concerned, I am feeling fine with no sign of fever or cough. I have an adequate supply of food and plenty of books to read and videos to watch. Two weeks is really not that long. The strangest thing is the silence. I just cannot hear anything at all. In some ways I feel like the last person on earth. Strange times indeed.    Read more

  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
    Day 22

    Day 4 of Quarantine

    March 23, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    It's been a lifetime since I last posted any "footprints", so I thought that I will start now to fill in the blanks of what has been happening over the past few days. I thought I would first do today's entry and then progressively work back to fill in the story of what has happened since I left Cuba.

    In case you did not already know, I am now safely back home in Melbourne and now undergoing my period of compulsory self isolation. According to my count I am now up to day 4 of 14. I have a reasonable supply of necessary items, so I am not starving. Maggie even left me a new digital thermometer to check my temperature. If the technology is reliable, I can tell you my current temperature is 36.6 C - low enought to give me the green light on the thermometer.

    I can also tell you that I am feeling fine. Even my sleeping patterns are not as disrupted as they normally are after returning from the other side of the planet. According the scales I have also dropped 5 kg since leaving Australia. I am not sure if that is due to the cycling or the stress, but I am actually the lightest I have been for some time.

    One thing that is quite eerie is the deathly silence outside. Not a single car has driven past my home this morning. The park opposite is deserted. I cannot hear even the distant sound of traffic on Princes Highway. Either I have lost my hearing or no one is moving anywhere.

    It may be some time before we will be able to resume the shared activities that are so precious to us, however we still have the Internet and mobile phones to keep in touch. I am sure that we will all crave human interaction more than ever, so please call your families and daily let them know how important they are.

    I just heard this morning that another batch of the Cuba team arrived back in Melbourne. According to my calculations that means that only one person is still making their way home. That is a remarkable result under the circumstances, especially considering the dire straights that some other Australians have now found themselves in dozens of countries around the world.

    Stay safe.    Read more

  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
    Day 23

    Day 5 of Quarantine

    March 24, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    I am starting to feel that I am in solitary confinement. I had not realised how much we rely on talking and personal interaction to make our lives meaningful. I awoke to another day in a quiet, empty house and knew that the time would pass slowly.

    The thing that I find the most strange is the complete absence of noise. I suppose I have become conditioned to the constant background noise of someone else moving and talking in the home. The dog quickly tells us whenever anyone walks past in the street, and there is always the subdued sounds of distant traffic on nearby roads. All that seems to have stopped. Apart from the birds singing, there is almost complete and utter silence and I am having trouble coping with it.

    On the positive side, I am feeling fine. The thermometer tells me that I have a temperature of 36.5 C, which is quite normal. I am not sure how many more days I need to go before I can start to feel confident that I did not pick up the virus on the plane. In the meantime I am working my way through a succession of canned food. I have no idea why I ever bought tins of sardines in tomato sauce, and now I know that I will never, ever buy them again.

    I suppose this is an excellent chance for me to rearrange that messy sock drawer. I will let you know if I ever really get around to it.    Read more

  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
    Day 24

    Day 6 in Quarantine

    March 25, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    I am starting to understand what solitary confinement feels like. It is hard to understand how much we need other human contact, until we no longer have it. For me the strangest sensation is the silence. I am normally surrounded by a constant background noise of cars passing, children in the park, dogs barking, etc that it seems so weird when they are all removed at once.

    At least I am up to day 6 of my quarantine and all is well on the health front. My temperature is still normal and I feel fine. The unexpected side benefit is that I have lost a few kg. It's not the way I would have liked, but heck, I need every win I can get at the moment.

    Today I have regressed about 35 years to my earlier occupation of school teacher. Since my grandchildren are home from school, I thought that I would prepare a few Science lessons for them to work through. It's been more of a challenge than I thought as I have had to wind back the memory so far. Even so I am happy with the finished product and it is looking like they might get passed on to some other kids as well.

    I had to be reminded that we are still in daylight savings. I had completely forgotten all about it. I guess there is so much other stuff rolling around in our heads at the current time that I can hardly remember what month it is, let alone know whether we are still in daylight savings time.

    Today I did have one great piece of news. All 16 members of our 2020 Cuba Adventure are now "safely" back in Australia and have entered their time of self isolation. It was a disappointment that the trip had to be ended prematurely as it really was going sensationally well up to that point, but that was the only option open to us. Cuba has already closed its borders, like just about every other country.

    The consequences of such a shutdown are going to be devastating, especially for anyone involved in the travel industry. In many countries tourism is one of the main sources of income, and without this income the people will suffer enormously.

    I am also enormously grateful for Lothar and Celia who have very kindly dropped off some survival groceries for me. It was an act of love that was very much appreciated.    Read more

  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
    Day 25

    Day 7 of Quarantine

    March 26, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Life seems to have adopted a new pattern for me. I am now almost half way through my compulsory self isolation and I can now make a few observations of how I have been spending my time.

    Television - almost zero. In fact I think I have only turned the TV on a couple of times in the past week.
    Streaming videos on my computer - I have watched a few episodes of "The Office", but that's all. The nonsensical nature of the characters in The Office seems like a good counterfoil to all the doom and gloom elsewhere.
    Talking on the phone - probably several hours each day. I have had a large number of calls, some of them from people I have not spoken to in years, and it has been a great way to renew and strengthen friendships.
    Answering emails - I have been trying to keep up to date with answering every email message I have been sent. This can take quite a while.
    Video Conferencing - this is a new skill for me, but I have been developing my use of various video conferencing apps, including WhatsApp, Hangouts and Google Meet. We are all busy working out the platform that operates best and practical matters such as reducing background noise. I suspect we will all be using these a lot more in the weeks ahead.

    I can happily report that I am still OK, with no sign of a temperature, so that's good.

    At 6 pm there was a knock on my door. When I got there I found a delivery had been left on the doorsptep. It was an UberEats delivery of hot food. It had been ordered by my kids and it was a wonderful gift. I can assure you that it was so much appreciated.

    Tomorrow I reach the half way point of my self isolation. I am so looking forward to being able to go on walks and bike rides again.    Read more

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