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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

    On the Road Again

    April 6, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    After the freezing weather of yesterday, I was happy to discover that the temperature had risen a fraction of a degree and the rain had stopped. I really wanted to get out on my bike again, but I could see that it was going to involve some careful timing if I was going to avoid getting drenched.

    By mid morning the sky was blacker than a coal mine. It looked like it was about to pour at any moment, but I could not wait any longer. I donned some cold weather clothes and headed out. It did not take long to see how the wild weather had wrought havoc on the local bike paths. Not only were there numerous fallen trees, but in many of the low lying areas the path was completely submerged. On one occasion I had to leave the path completely to detour around a large fallen tree. I didn't mind in the slightest. I was just exhilarated that I was feeling free at last.

    By some fluke of probability I actually managed to complete my ride without getting rained on at all. Although it was not a very long ride, it was sufficient to boost my spirits. I am sure that I must have worn a big silly smile on my face as I rode back up the hill to my house. It certainly felt good.

    I spent some time later in the day calling some friends and seeing how they were coping with the current situation. It seems that everyone's life has changed so much in the last few weeks. Some seem to be adapting better than others. Now that daylight saving is officially finished, the days seem dramatically shorter. This change can also potentially be detrimental to our state of mind. The next few weeks will be difficult for us all.    Read more

  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19

    The "New Normal"

    April 7, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Now that most Australians have been confined to their homes, it is already evident that subtle (and some not so subtle) changes have been taking place. People who once prided themselves on their smart attire are now content to wander about their homes in their pyjamas till sometime after lunch, then change into their trakky pants and tops. Some who used to always rise with the larks are now learning a new skill. It's apparently called "sleeping in".

    Back in the old days when all we had to communicate was a mobile phone, you never knew what the other party was actually doing when you called. I have even heard of cases where (horror of horrors) people have chatted on their phones while they are sitting in the toilet.

    Now with the advent of video calls, it is no longer possible to hide in obscurity. If we answer a call while we are sitting in our underwear, the whole world will know (and see) what is going on. With the proliferation of these video calls, I have been gaining an interesting insight into the way our friends have metamorphised over the past couple of weeks.

    When I now chat with my friends the people that I see looking back at me are not the same people that I remembered from the last time I saw them in person. What I now see are unwashed faces, stubbly chins, messed up hair and unbrushed teeth. If that was not bad enough, the men are even worse ! Is that what they refer to as the "new normal" ?

    If I am brutally honest, I would have to admit that my own lofty standards have also slipped just a little. Perhaps that is due to the fact that I have been living alone for the past two weeks. That will all come to an end tomorrow, when I will be making the journey down to Inverloch to be reunited with Maggie and Lailla (the dog, not a secret mistress).

    So how did I spend my last full day of isolation ? The highlight was a lengthy bike ride exploring some recently completed new bike paths. Although the weather was a bit grey, at least it did not rain. I have to admit that time on the bike is the very best medicine for improving the morale. The only sad aspect was the sight of all my favourite coffee shops closed and empty. I seriously wonder if many of them will survive this challenge, no matter how much government support they get.

    In the afternoon I had another event occur to brighten my spirits. It was a long video chat with my 10 month old grandson. He really is at an adorable age, and it breaks my heart to think that I may not be able to give him a hug for some months. It is looking like he will not even be able to have his first birthday party. I realise that many are much worse off, but it is still a difficult burden for Maggie and me to carry.

    Tomorrow morning I will clean the house and finish packing the car. Then I will turn out the lights for last time in goodness knows how long. Stay safe everyone.    Read more

  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19

    Goodbye Melbourne, Hello Inverloch

    April 8, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Today I finally left my solitary existence and reunited with Maggie and Laila (the dog). It was a day that I had been looking forward to eagerly ever since I returned from Cuba. What I was not so eagerly looking forward to was tidying and cleaning the house before I left. After two and a half weeks of living as a bachelor, it was starting to show the collateral damage from missing a woman's touch.

    The first step was to pack about everything I own into the car. I guess I should be glad that the Skoda has such a large boot. Believe me, I needed every cubic centimetre of the space. After packing clothes, tools, computers and cycling gear, I started packing all the food from the fridge and pantry. The car sunk a little further on its suspension.

    Then I started the housework. Vacuuming really is exhausting work, especially when you are just not really into it. It was somewhere during all this activity that I made a shocking discovery - one of the car keys was missing. From bitter personal experience I already know that a replacement costs about $600. Considering the massive hit that our finances had taken over the past few weeks, that was enough to send me into a tailspin.

    I searched high, I searched low. I even unpacked all the stuff that I had already packed, just in case it had accidentally got caught up in other things. There was no sign of it. I did what any other elderly lunatic would do under the circumstances - I started to panic. The problem was the more I panicked, the less logical my searching became. I needed to reset.

    I decided to return to the vacuuming, hoping that it might also suck some of the cobwebs from my addled brain. My strategy worked. After a short time of cleaning, my mind started to clear and I thought of some other very logical places to look. Within a couple of minutes the lost key was found. I almost jumped for joy.

    The final step was to put the bike carrier on the car and load our bikes. Then it was a final look around, not knowing how long it will be before we can return home. By 3 pm I was backing out the driveway and on my way.

    I had heard about police stopping people in their cars and hitting them with monstrous fines. With the bikes on the back and the car packed to the roof, I guess I looked exactly like someone heading off for an (illegal) Easter holiday. I would not have been surprised if I had been pulled over and interrogated, however the entire journey was achieved without incident.

    Maggie and I will now be settling into a new lifestyle, until the isolation period is officially over. The hardest part is being separated from our family and friends. It will also be interesting to see if our marriage survives being trapped together in such small quarters for an extended period of time.    Read more

  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19

    Settling in to our New Normal

    April 9, 2020 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    After arriving in Inverloch last night my solitary life has finally come to an end. It feels a little strange to now have someone to talk to and a dog to sit on my knee. We were worried at first at how we would be able to squeeze so much stuff into a small house, but somehow we seem to have managed the impossible. Maybe we should rename the house to "The Tardis". We even managed to find a place for our two bikes inside the house !

    Today was just too glorious to let it go to waste. As soon as we could get sorted, we jumped on our bikes and headed out to explore some of the bike path network. Although Easter is normally one of the busiest times of the year for Inverloch, this year it is almost deserted. Apart from the people who live here all year, there has been absolutely no intake of visitors.

    It was a strange feeling to be able to ride up the main street and see most of the shops closed. I don't how how some of these businesses will survive the loss of such an important trading period.

    We stopped to gaze across Anderson Inlet and admire the beautiful blue ocean. Earlier in the day I had seen some images on the Internet of towns in northern India where, for the first time in decades, they were now able to see the snow capped mountains of the Himalayas. For many of the younger people it would have been the first time in their lives that the mountains were visible, as they are normally blocked by a curtain of air pollution. Now that so many cars are off the roads, it is as if the earth is starting to rebuild its damaged atmosphere. The same phenomenon is happening in cities all over the planet. It is ironic that it might take a virus to shake us into action about what has been destroying our beautiful planet. Changes that take place slowly can somehow go unnoticed. I wonder if the people even realised that their amazing mountains were gradually being hidden from them.

    I spent some time practicing my new skill and I must admit that I am quite pleased at the progress I am already making. I can see why some people really get involved in this. My first few successes did give me something of a rush, and inspired me to keep practising and improving. One day I might even tell you what it is.

    Our first day together ended with a delicious crock pot stew. We have plenty of food and plenty of toilet paper too, so we should be OK for the next few weeks at least. The weather bureau has promised another lovely day for tomorrow, so I think we will be back out on the bikes in the morning.

    It's almost 9 pm already. Time for bed.    Read more

  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19

    Good Friday in Inverloch

    April 10, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    I have to admit that it looks a little weird. Easter time in Inverloch is usually one of the busiest times of the year. The caravan parks and B&Bs are always packed out. The main street is full of happy holiday makers, enjoying al fresco dining at one of the many eateries. Not so this year.

    Since the weather was so perfect, Maggie and I took the opportunity to get out on the bikes again. We decided to ride out from Inverloch on the road to Korrumburra. At peak times this road can be quite busy, and it would not normally be a road that we would feel comfortable riding along. Today there was barely a car in sight. We could have been riding on one of those beautiful back roads in rural France. We might have been the last people left on earth.

    After riding about 10 km, we decided to turn back to Inverloch. The same scene of complete solitude was replayed everywhere we went. It felt sad to ride down the main street and not see another soul. For many businesses, Easter is their last opportunity to make some profit before the off season begins. This year their turnovers will be close to zero. I wonder how many will survive.

    In the middle of all the focus on the coronavirus, I guess that Easter has almost been forgotten. Yet the story of Easter is all about hope rising from despair, joy being born from grief and new life coming from death. If ever we need such a renewal, it is now. It seems that the entire population of the earth is suffering together. It is hard to recall any other time in history when all the nations have been united in their struggle. This is made all the harder when the common enemy is invisible and can be imagined to be lurking everywhere.

    Some people think that the planet has its own way of defending itself. If that is the case, then maybe it has finally got tired of us pouring our rubbish into the oceans and our filth into the atmosphere. If no other good comes out of this, it is clear that the world has had a little time to recover from some of this destruction. I guess time will time if we ever learn anything permanent from this.

    After returning from our bike ride I settled down to read some of the collected works of Arthur C Clarke. This guy really was a genius. The story I read today was written in the same year that I was born and yet it is still scientifically accurate.

    Tomorrow the weather is predicted to take a turn for the worse, so I suspect that our cycling might be over for the time being.    Read more

  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19

    Hello NBN

    April 11, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    If yesterday had been a perfect Autumn day, today was anything but. Sometime during the evening the predicted storms arrived with a vengeance. The rain poured heavily all night and the wind steadily built up to a real crescendo. I recently learned that Melbourne has received as much rain in the first three months of 2020 than it had in the whole of 2019. That is quite a statistic, especially as it was only a couple of months ago that it seemed that the entire state of Victoria was engulfed in bushfires. Another example of how quickly things can change.

    When the sun rose this morning the storm was still raging. It was very obvious that there would be no bike riding today. This was a reminder that winter was surely drawing closer and that we would have many cold days indoors in the months ahead. Since our main connection with the outside world is the Internet, we will become increasingly dependent on having a reliable connection with a generous bandwidth.

    At that stage I had an idea. Since, for the foreseeable future, we will no longer be living in Pakenham, I wondered if it would be possible to transfer our NBN service from Pakenham to Inverloch. I suspected that there would be a hundred reasons why it could not be done, but I have learned that you never know unless you ask.

    I wasn't even sure if our Internet company Aussie Broadband would be open during Easter, but I decided to call them anyway. One thing I really appreciate about Aussie Broadband is that they are situated nearby in Morwell and that their support staff all speak Australian English. Soon I was chatting to a friendly young man who knew exactly where Inverloch was (something you would never get with those call centres in Manilla). I explained what I would like to do with my Internet connection. To my surprise he said that it "should not be a problem". After a few minutes I had begun the transfer process. It was simple and painless. What I didn't know was how long it would take for the NBN to be connected to our house in Inverloch. I suspected that it would be a couple of weeks at least.

    You could therefore imagine my surprise when my phone chirped with an incoming SMS about an hour later. It told me that my new service was now "ready for use". I connected the router and was delighted when the Internet was up and running just a few minutes later. The NBN often gets bad publicity when things go wrong, but I could not believe how quick the whole process had been . There was no charge for the transfer and I did not have to enter a contract. How good was that ?

    The rest of the afternoon was spent experimenting with our new and improved Internet connection and trying to learn how to use Skype. It might help to maintain our sanity over the next few months.    Read more

  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19

    Coffee by the Inlet

    April 12, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    While most people agree that everyone needs to play their part in reducing the spread of the virus, some of the restrictions do seem confusing and counter productive. According to some of the interpretations I have seen, it is illegal for a husband and wife to have a picnic in their car as that would represent "unnecessary travel". While I can see that it is important to cut down the amount of travel for trivial purposes, I see that a quiet coffee in the sanctity of their own vehicle constitutes absolutely no danger to the couple in question, or to anyone else. It may also be an essential for maintaining mental health.

    Whether it was illegal or not, this morning we decided that we needed to get out for a short time. We filled the thermos, packed a couple of biscuits and drove the short distance to the waterfront. It felt great to be able to watch the water in the inlet while we enjoyed our coffees. Fortunately no law officers tapped on the window while we were there.

    Later in the day we enjoyed some more video chats with other Ghostriders. We are learning to embrace this technology, as are our friends. It is becoming very clear that it was a wise move to get the NBN connected as we would have exhausted the data allowance that was included in our mobile phone plans.

    It has been interesting to see how everyone else has adapted to their many housebound hours. Gardening and home maintenance seem to be the two most popular pastimes. I have already said that I have taken up a new hobby that I have been finding quite interesting. Tomorrow I might even reveal what that hobby is.

    I just glanced up at the clock and saw that the time is almost 8pm. No wonder I am starting to feel like bedtime.    Read more

  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19

    It's Not Easy

    April 14, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    It's not easy. No, it's not easy. After three and a half weeks of lockdown, it is starting to sink in that this might be our lifestyle for some time to come. Although the effectiveness of this strategy is being shown in the latest statistics, it is not easy to be separated from our family and friends for such an extended time.

    I think it is also the complete uncertainty of the whole thing that makes it harder. If we knew just how long it was going to last for, we would have something to look forward to. As it is we don't know whether it will be for just a few more weeks, or maybe to the end of the year or longer. Maybe the only way to approach this is to take each day at a time. Each day that we get through is another day closer to that day when we will all be free to return to our normal lives and relationships.

    I know another thing that is not easy. Adjusting derailleur gears has always been a black art, but for some unknown reason I decided to give it a go this morning. On the past couple of rides I had been conscious of the fact that my gears were not engaging as precisely as they should. Since it was a pretty good day as far as the weather was concerned, I had promised Maggie that we would go on another ride.

    Just as we were about to leave, I called out to Maggie.

    "Hang on a moment, I need to adjust my gears", I said, as if I actually knew what I was doing. It did not take me long to upend the bike, spilling the entire contents from my pannier in the process. I had forgotten to close the zipper.

    Then I attacked the gear cable, succeeding in almost immediately ripping off the cable cover on the end. It was not going well and I hadn't even started. Very soon I could not engage any gears at all. That was not the result I was planning.

    "How long will you be ?", Maggie asked.

    "Not long now", I lied.

    About 30 minutes later I had managed to repair most of the damage I had inflicted on my bike. The gears might have been marginally better, but then again they might have been even worse. I washed my hands and announced that the job was done.

    When we finally got underway the weather had deteriorated a little. At least it was not raining (yet). We first headed up the main road to Korrumburra, before turning left into Lynnes Rd and heading towards Wonthaggi. The traffic was still light, but was substantially heavier than it had been in the Easter break. Fortunately none of them managed to knock us off our bikes.

    We eventually reached the road to Wonthaggi and that is when the rain started. The pace quickened in an attempt to find somewhere to shelter. Unfortunately we never did find shelter, but fortunately the rain stopped after about 15 minutes.

    The final section of the ride took us along the Bass Highway from Wonthaggi to Inverloch. Although there is a generous shoulder for cycling, it was a little unnerving when large trucks flew past at 100 kph. We did make it home in one piece and decided that overall it had been a successful ride.    Read more

  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19

    Oh No, Not The Tour

    April 15, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    I woke up this morning to the news that the 2020 Tour de France is the latest casualty of the Covid19 virus. Although it was almost inevitable that it would join the likes of AFL football, the Melbourne Grand Prix, Wimbledon, The Olympic Games and so many others, it still seemed a little hard to accept that we will not be glued to our TV sets in July watching those glorious views of France.

    So many things have been taken away from us this year. If 2020 was a computer program, I am sure that we have hit the Ctrl-Alt-Del keys to reboot and start again. Unfortunately it's not that simple. It is looking like it will be a long, long winter for most people.

    Since we can only live one day at a time, we decided to make maximum use of the fine and sunny weather to get back out on our bikes. This time I left the gears well alone and we were able to get underway without yesterday's delay.

    Our first destination was the RACV Country Club at Inverloch. Of course we knew that the lovely restaurant would be closed, but we thought that it would be fun to at least ride around the bike paths.

    As we entered the main gate a group of maintenance staff gave us a friendly wave. We waved right back and continued up the hill. It was only when we riding past the main building that we heard a shout somewhere behind us.

    "Did you know this centre is closed ?", it shouted.

    Well actually we didn't. There was no sign at the entrance and the maintenance staff obviously didn't know it was closed either. I could have debated the situation, but it was much easier to play the "confused old person" card instead. We Uturned our bikes, waved to the grumpy guy and headed back down the hill. There were plenty of other places to explore.

    A short time later we were at the other end of the town and looking out over the beautiful waters of Anderson Inlet. If we are going to be locked up for the next few weeks, this is not such a bad place to be.

    Later in the day we returned to the beach with our dog. Over the past few years the beach has been steadily retreating away from the Esplanade. There is now a wide expanse of sand at least 500 metres wide where the sea used to be. This makes for a lovely quiet walking location - absolutely perfect in times where we have to practise social distancing.

    I guess the only people who are probably not excited about the retreat of the sea are the people who own the mansions along the waterfront. These places used to be able to boast that they were within a few metres of the water, now the water is a 10 minute walk away.

    The Weather Burea is predicting that the fine weather might be over for a few days. That probably means that we will not be able to get out on the bikes for a little while. It's just as well we have plenty of books to read.    Read more

  • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19

    Almost Like Christmas

    April 16, 2020 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Life in lockdown does tend to become a little monotonous. In our previous lives we had lots of things to look forward to. Visits to the grandchildren, bike rides with our friends, coffees by the lake, lunches at our favourite cafes. The weeks tended to pass quickly because there was always something to do or a place to go.

    Now that most of those things are no longer possible, the days do tend to drag by rather slowly. There is only a limited amount of time you can spend reading books (or picking locks) before you start yearning for something else to do. Today was a Thursday, not that it really makes much difference any more. Every day is the same. Rather than calling them by the days of the week, I have started to classify them by their weather type - lovely day, windy day, wet day, etc.

    On a normal Thursday we would have had the regular Thursday ride to look forward to. We might have been riding the Warby Trail and having lunch at the Carriage Cafe, or maybe we would be riding to Waterways and having lunch at the Nest, or maybe exploring a brand new trail. Thursdays were always active, and the time spent with our friends was precious.

    But what about today ? The sunshine had retreated for a while and it had been replaced with a canopy of grey clouds. It was not perfect riding weather, but I had another idea. We had previously noticed that the big bakery in Inverloch was apparently still open, I suggested to Maggie that we could buy a couple of take away pies for lunch. She did not seem convinced, but reluctantly agreed to come along, provided she could marinate herself with antiseptic every few minutes.

    AT least we did not have to touch the door handle, as the doors opened by themselves. Inside the huge bakery all the tables and chairs had been stacked against the rear wall. The place was deserted and it looked so sad. This place is usually one of the busiest places in the town. It just looked wrong for it to be completely empty The display cases were still fully stocked with pies and a wide range of cakes, but there were no customers to buy them.

    The young assistant seemed happy to have something to do. I commented on how sad it was to see the place empty and she replied that it was like that every day now. I could not help but wonder how much longer the business will be able to survive under such circumstances. We bought a couple of cakes as well, just to help the bakery (and also because they looked delicious).

    The other highlight of the day was the food delivery from Woolworths on line. We have been ordering our groceries once a week from the Woolwoths in Wonthaggi. Although the process is rather tedious, it does avoid the need to attend the store and I have to admit that it is sort of exciting to have a driver bring all the parcels to our door.

    When you are of great age, you do quickly forget what you might have ordered. That means that opening each bag is a bit like opening a lucky dip parcel. You find all sorts of stuff that you cannot remember ordering. To add even further to the excitement, we find that Woolworths will randomly replace out of stock items with other items that they seem to think you might be interested in. We had ordered blueberries, but got raspberries instead ! Just as well we both like raspberries.

    It was almost like Christmas Day.    Read more

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