I got an email late, yesterday evening, telling me that a repatriation flight is going to leave early tomorrow morning from the Quito airport. There was a problem that quickly reared its ugly head. How do we get to Quito as the provincial borders are all closed, and there is a curfew in place to restrict movement. A quick call to a trusted source told us that two days earlier, a person we both know, had taken a taxi from here to there. Because of the curfews, it took two travel days to reach Quito. A quick juggling of numbers and we knew that the plane would likely have been ready to land in Toronto before we could get to the airport, if there were no complications en route. We didn’t buy the air tickets. An hour after the announcement, all seat tickets were sold.
This morning, many who aren’t in Quito are realising they bought tickets but can’t get to the airport in time. A number of them are stranded in unknown towns along the way, with no way to return to their rentals or homes, nor any way to go further in hopes of catching a different plane. Naturally, this made for a poor night of sleep. Now, we have come to the realisation that we will likely be in Ecuador until the borders reopen, something that could take months. We accept that reality. I mean, if one has to be in social isolation, as if one is already in quarantine, what better place could we choose?
This leaves me with a lot of time for writing new material and working on the needed editing of my previous efforts. I was working well on my projects up until almost two weeks ago. Then, COVID19 shoved its nose into my life.
We are both healthy, though we are in the target demographic for being annihilated by the virus. To keep it that way, we have been rigorously exercising and being extra careful with our eating and drinking habits. My sorties to go out for groceries as needed, are severely limited. And when I do go out, I wear a face mask. It helps that most I encounter on the streets [and there aren’t many on the streets] are also wearing masks – it’s mandated. Everyone is keeping a healthy distance from each other. Well, almost everyone. There are the young adults who somehow believe they are exempt from all rules that impinge on the sense of entitlement. However, that is a different story which I won’t go into at this time.
Now, we are having a few people deciding that they will do their part to take care of us. Water jug delivery, grocery runs, printing needs – they are offering and are there to make sure that this Abuelo and Abuela are kept safe. This involves both young adults and the not-so-young. It helps when you are visible and friendly in a small fishing village in the middle of nowhere along the Pacific Ocean. Now, all we have to do is stay sane until we can finally return home. And yes, most of the time, I do get to live clothing free.