PRELUDE
A return to Bonaire was first discussed with friends in 2020. Bonaire is an island some 50 km. north of Venezuela. In the 1500’s, the Spanish raised animals on the island, letting them roam freely.Today donkeys and some goats, decedents from those hers still roam freely. The Dutch took overAruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, the ABC islands in 1633. Curaçao became the centre for the Dutch West Indies slave trade. Bonaire later became an important source for salt in the 1800’s and slave labour was used until slavery was abolished in 1863. Today Bonaire is a province of the Netherlands and Dutch is its official language but its currency is the US dollar.
In early 2020 I had booked our accommodations in Bonaire, plus four days in Aruba, for January, 2021, fully confident that the COVID-19 pandemic would be over by then. As the year progressed, we realized perhaps our trip could be in jeopardy, but hope springs eternal. We tried to just move our trip to January, 2022 instead, but the manager of the Aruba complex said he could not be sure that owners of rental properties there could survive the lost tourist season. I had to scramble to find new accommodations.
Most air travel was grounded in 2021 so we waited for this to resume, no doubt by August or September, 2021. But it didn’t happen. Things did begin to improve in the fall of 2021 and we were feeling better about the likelihood of the trip. But then Omicron happened. On top of that, we got notice that the Aruba condo had been sold and again I had to scramble to find something new. The Caribbean opened up to tourism again and flights began to be scheduled for the area, including Bonaire and Aruba. However, the Canadian government issued a travel advisory, not banning but recommending that foreign travel be restricted to essential travel only, and of course, you had to be fully vaccinated. Returning Canadians would need a negative PCR test upon arrival or face quarantine at their own expense. Many restrictions were put in place for travellers, not only here but in the USA and the ABC islands as well. The USA required anyone travelling by air through the U.S. to have a PCR COVID test with a negative result, which had to be completed the day before travel began, plus proof of full vaccination. Bonaire required proof of being fully vaccinated plus a PCR negative result within 72 hours of travel. They also would do a rapid test at the airport on arrival, and require another PCR test after 5 days. Aruba also required a PCR test 72 hours prior to travelling there as did Curaçao. (All flights from Bonaire to Aruba land in Curaçao first.). These test were not cheap, but we waited a long time to travel. Perhaps we might have been self-serving a little, but because the government advisory was only a recommendation, we considered living in our own unit, apart from others, and virtually living outside except to go in for groceries, we were probably safer from the virus there than at home. We were not deterred.
There was further drama when the unit I had booked through a resort manager in Aruba was not followed up with a clear confirmation. I asked for a receipt for payment and got a non-descrip receipt confirming my payment but not what it was for. I followed this up and got a message confirming that she had us booked, but the dates were wrong. That caused some heavy breathing since it was getting a little late to be finding a new place. It turned out that the dates quoted were dates she had from my original booking for 2021, but she also had us booked for the new dates for 2022. Phew! However, I still did not have a receipt that showed where we were staying and the dates involved. A message sent just before Christmas went unanswered until after New Years’. That too got resolved. Now that nasty Covid to deal with. Despite several travel insurance policies, I did take out a special Covid policy which would cover travel costs specifically related to imposed restrictions including delayed flights, extra days spent being quarantined, etc.
We still debated daily whether it was wise to go, but in the end, with being double vaccinated and receiving booster shots, and being careful to adhere to Covid restrictions, we would manage our risks. One final fly in the ointment came when our friends decided in December that they were not comfortable going due to the omicron issues. There was renewed debate whether to go it alone, or cancel completely. We did find other travel companions within a short period of time, and so the trip was on again! Maybe. This was the most difficult part, never knowing for sure. So much could go wrong. The government could update their travel restrictions to a full ban, or one or more of us could get a positive PCR test or Bonaire could introduce it’s own restrictions to ban us from entering. I could not get excited feeling I needed step foot on the island before I could feel comfortable.
January 19 we all got our PCR test and we had great relief when we got word that night that our test was negative, except one person would had to be retested because the test did not work. Oh no! Now what! The test was done in the morning and was negative. It was a go! We had to fill out a health declaration form online to send to Bonaire. They required you to print out a copy and present it at the airport on arrival. This seemed like a very good time for my printer to stop working. We had to find someone with a printer where I could do the forms for a second time and print it out. Hopefully they don’t notice that in my haste, I made myself the emergency contact person for myself.
One would think that with a travel day ahead that included basically travelling all night, one would go to bed early and get a good rest beforehand. One would think. However, our practice of late was to watch the evening news, and end the evening, (more correctly the morning) by watching a few episodes of Friends. Sometimes after agreeing to turn the TV off after an episode, my dear spouse will argue that her wine glass in not empty yet, so we should watch another. We also feel that some nights, at 1AM, after a drink or two, this is a good time to get into a heavy, discuss involving important decisions. We are night owls after all. This particular night followed protocol and I got to bed at 2:30. No problem. I was packed so I could sleep in. At 6AM I woke up thinking, “I didn’t pack any belts for with my shorts. I better not forget.” That was it for sleep. 3.5 hours.
We did get some good news before we left. Bonaire changed their Covid rules by eliminating the need for a PCR test on day 5.
Despite seeing many things sent on Facebook that I would consider highly offensive, I have decided not to engage in unproductive responses. I also do not ever promote my own ideas about the pandemic, or vaccinations on social media. However, we are aware that some might not agree with our choice to take this trip at this time, and I understand that, and others might have difficulty seeing us travel while they may not travel because of not being vaccinated. Therefore, not to be in anyone’s face, we will not be posting pictures of our trip on general social media.
January 18 - 19 - The Journey
Travelling to the airport for our 5:30PM flight to Seattle was surreal. The airport was very quiet and we were one of the first to be booked in. Unexpectedly, our luggage could go all the way to Bonaire without needing to be picked up and taken through security at the point of arrival in the USA. It felt quite safe. We had dinner in Seattle and after 5 hours we were still only 45 minutes from home. At 10:30PM we left Seattle arriving in Charlotte N. Carolina at about 6AM EST. Charlotte was a lot different than Seattle. You could tell that, despite frequent public announcements about the need to wear face masks that covered your mouth and nose, many people just went through the motions. People frequently took off their mask, whether to attend to a child, talk on the phone or any other reason. A few wore no mask at all and even an attendant assisting wheelchair travellers board the plane wore a very loose fitting mask that often slipped below his nose. On the plane some passengers had to be told many times to pull up their masks. After a brief layover, we were off again to Miami, which was like Charlotte with its mask adherence. I was so glad to leave then USA.
Sleep and air travel are constant adversaries in my life, and this trip was no different. I did not sleep a wink the entire trip. We had to split off from our travel companions in Seattle, as they could not get the same flight to Charlotte. They stayed behind in Seattle for a few more hours and then flew directly to Miami. We only had 55 minutes between flights and when we got to the gate, they already announced that they were beginning boarding. There was a little panic as our companions had not arrived yet. Joanie went to the gate to check about their flight, but just then they showed up. The plane was less than half full, so we pretty much had the last 5 rows to ourselves. Arriving in Bonaire was much easier than anticipated. We showed our documentation and we admitted with few questions.
We rented a “car” from Avis and it took an hour to get it done. Then when we went to get the car it was actually a pickup truck, not the suv we ordered. We decided not to challenge it, but it was too large and I had one heck of a time getting out of our parking spot at the accommodation. We were welcomed with 29 degree weather. After settling in at our home by the water, we went to the Dutch grocery store. Joanie got a buggy and went in. I followed and was told to get a buggy. I said I was with her. Didn’t matter. The new rule was every person entering the store had to have their own buggy. Each needed an American quarter. I paid for one buggy and we got two more where people turned them in without getting their quarter out. So I had the last laugh. I paid $.25 and got $.75 back. Take that Jan Tiel! Ha!
Our place was amazing. It had an outdoor eating area overlooking the water and Kliene Bonaire, a small island know for snorkelling. It was more comfortable than being outside. I think it came with its own Happy Hour, apparently. For dinner I had one of my favourites, Hutspot, an already prepared carrot, onion and potato dish served with meat and gravy.
January 20
After some of us had a good sleep and another of us did not due to the 4 hour time change adjustment, we began checking off our To Do List. Have a leisurely breakfast outside- Check
Have one of those prepared “stampots ” you can buy at the Dutch grocery store - check, done yesterday
Figure out the best way to drive out of our complex (the one gate was locked at 5PM) - check
Go to the pool - check
Go to our favourite restaurant down the shoreline. Discover Mighty Mango drink - check
Spend a day just relaxing - check
January - 21
After checking out the local, newly renovated grocery store across the street, we went into town to check on excursions and have a lunch with croquettes at a bar over the water. We did notice the effect of the past two years, with many shops closed and some gone. It seems that some stores only open when cruise ships are in town.
We did try to go to the local excursion office in downtown, but it was gone. We learned from the tourist office that they still existed, but had moved to auto dealership a ways out of town. We drove there and had some problem because the place we were directed to had no such obvious office. We finally found a little sign saying car rentals and tours. The place looked abandoned. It was the place, and we arranged a tour to the Washington National Park for next week. Going home from there was interesting. We zigged when we should have zagged and ended up on windy roads leading through dingy old sections of town where we looked conspicuously out of place. After a long drive we ended up a few blocks from where we had turned the wrong way on the main drag, which incidentally seem way more pot holed that before.
Afterwards, Jo and I tried out our snorkel gear, some of which I had for two years without ever using it. We were able to go right off of the dock at the dive shop next door and it was wonderful. The water was such a nice warm temperature. An other good day in paradise.
January 22
Today was a relaxing day, like the last few were not? We stayed around our place, going to the pool, which was cooler than yesterday, and then Jo went for a snorkel. I was feeling lazy so I just watched her snorkel in front of our place. Then we cooled off in the pool. Jo said the ocean was warmer than the pool. Another fine day in 30 degree weather.
After a happy hour or two, we headed back to our restaurant, The Rumrunner for dinner. Jo had the special , wahoo fish which had been the catch of the day two days ago. The food was good but like always here, the service was very slow. Our waitress seemed to like socializing with another table of Dutch people, and after we finished our main course, we waited some 45 minutes before she came back to see if we wanted anything else. Various coffees were ordered and we were told we had to finish and be gone soon because under covid protocol, they had to close by 10PM.
It is interesting that despite the government advertising about how they have strict covid protocols to keep tourists safe, many people did not wear masks at all when entering or exiting the restaurant (probably stubborn Dutchmen or rebel Americans), and even the staff were not consistent. Some wore masks, while others had masks on their chins that they pulled up the odd time. There were groups that did mask up. The only saving grace was that it was outdoors.
In the middle of the night unfortunately, Jo developed food poisoning, a violent, stinky affair that lasted for hours. There was little I could do except lay in bed praying for healing. Lesson learned though. If you want fish, order the catch of the day. If there is a fish special, it is probably the catch of the day from a few days ago that did not sell. Stay away!
January 23
Due to the aforementioned illness, today was a quiet day as well. It was hot and clear outside and we did what we do best, sit in the shade and enjoy the view. I went to the big grocery store again today to pick up a few things including dinner, since Jo did not seem up to nasi goreng just yet. At last, we were able to find the store and return home without doing a vast tour of the residential areas. We picked up some of my favourite Dutch dinners, “stamp out”, with fully prepared trays of sauerkraut with sausage, endive and potatoes stamp out, and carrot and potato hutspot. Of course, a dip in the pool is a requirement after an outing. One thing that has stood out more this trip than last time was the number of Dutch guests everywhere. Perhaps it is because Covid has restricted travel, but it seems that at least 80% of people here are Dutch. Dutch is spoken everywhere, although most can quickly change to English if needed. There are also more elderly smokers, even at poolside.
January 24
We all had a good sleep last night. Either the effects of the time change had worn off, or the lack of sleep because of illness allowed me to sleep until 8:30. For those earlier birds out there, that is 4:30PST. We had a leisurely breakfast before heading out to one of our favourite spots on the last trip, Coco Beach. It was a nice snorkel beach a few minutes down the road, with covered lawn chairs, a food hut that served good sandwiches, and a bar for enjoying a mango smoothie at the end of the day. It was gone! The area is a construction zone with a new resort going up. Grrrr. We then proceeded to visit one of the most beautiful beach spots we have found, near the airport. Stairs down the little embankment led to a very sandy little beach with beautiful aqua coloured water. We stayed in the water for some time before moving down the road a short way to Batchelor Beach. Along the way we stopped at a food truck that served amazing wraps. I had a ground beef wrap with curry, cheese, bacon and other ingredients. We had a homemade mango drink that was served in recycled Corona bottles. They also served lionfish burgers, but as they said, if you have to ask about it, you probably shouldn’t order it. Due to the few lionfish, around, it is quite expensive for the small amount you get and most people would not like it. I have seen lionfish and they do not whet my appetite.
We did some snorkeling which was quite nice, but saw nothing too exotic. We did get caught in two showers. They last maybe 10 minutes at most, an no one even flinches. It remains 30 degrees. A very nice day, but alas, it is happy hour again.
January 25
Today was excursion day. At 8:30 our tour guide was at our door. We loaded ourselves into the old Land Rover and headed out for a 6 hour tour of Washington/Slagbaai National Park, which occupies the northern part of the island. Like many here, Robbie was born in The Netherlands and immigrated here many years ago. We had a good day together. We first headed to the eastern coast where there were dramatic rock upheavals clearly distinguishing different rock formations. All the islands here are formed from volcanos though the rocks lack the black lava look. Many rocks were amazing with imprints of large sea shells, tubes, etc. The water here was rough, although Robbie said it was very calm by normal standards. Local fishermen ply these waters, but sadly none of them know how to swim. It is not unusual for boats to sink in the rough water and the crew all drown. You would think the next generation would think swimming lessons and using life jackets might be a good idea, but apparently not.
We enjoyed many terrains but due to the heat, few birds. Near the end of the tour we stopped at a little beach carved out of the cliff. It had a cave where we settled in and put down our gear before going for a swim and snorkel. The fish came almost right to shore. It was wonderful. We then had a small lunch consisting of a local thing, what looked like a samosa filled with either a curried chicken or cheese “pasty”. Very delicious. The travel through the park was very slow. Only short sections before big hills were cemented. The rest was extremely pot-holed clay. It was a great day.
By the way, we finally established the current name of this area. Originally there were six islands which made up the Dutch Antilles. There included Curaçao, Bonaire, Aruba, Saba, Sint Eustatius and St. Maarten. Now, Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius are referred to as Dutch Caribbean. Aruba and Curaçao are independent but still part of the Dutch Kingdom.
January 26
Today was a beautiful day with a high of 31. Oh, that is much like yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. The only variant is the amount of clouds in the sky. Tonight will be a cooler night, with lows of 23 degrees Celsius. It has been 24 degrees most nights. We learned on our tour yesterday that the ocean water temperature is about 28 degrees, usually about 2 degrees lower than the air, allowing you to still feel refreshed without the heart attack sensation when you first get in.
We drove to “downtown” Kralendijk after breakfast for the women to do a little shopping. A Carnival cruise ship was in town and all the shops were open. It was actually a little busy. While all store display notices requiring mask wearing due to the pandemic, some people paid no attention and there seemed to be no effort to enforce the rules. For lunch we stopped at Karel’s, our bar on the water for croquettes and a drink. The waitress was surprised when the two women ordered beer and the men ordered mango smoothies. She thought perhaps we were in charge of steering the cruise ship later.
Then we went back to the large Dutch grocery store. We learned our lesson from the last time, and all four of us got shopping carts. A security guard was at the door enforcing covid restrictions. Only one member of each party was allowed to enter the shopping area. Joanie was let in while the rest us sat in the waiting area with our empty carts. I felt a little foolish. Most men seemed pleased not to be allowed in and sent their wives in to do the shopping alone. Of course when it came to paying, suddenly we were allowed to go to the checkout. It seemed strange that one significant establishment, (the grocery store across the street required masking but nothing else), would be so strict while restaurants and bars did not take it too seriously.
A drip in the pool and it was happy hour again. Today it will be one year since mom died. To honour her, we went to have dinner at a new place, Bari, and drink a Black Russian, a drink she and dad drank regularly in the day. Bari is a restaurant and beach eatery in the new complex that destroyed our favourite snorkeling beach, Coco. The bartender knew how to make Black Russians so we toasted mom. It was a fine evening.
January 27
After a leisurely breakfast we headed out about 11 o’clock for a drive around the southern end of the island. This was a luxury tour so my guests saw extras like a very nice view of the colourful houses near the airport. We also checked out Te Amo beach, just steps where we snorkeled with our friends on our trips several years ago. Who knew there was such a nice sandy beach there. Definitely a beach to return to in the coming week. We drove around the salt fields where Cargil Corp. has large fields of water, much like when they flood the cranberry fields. The water evaporates leaving behind a huge volume of salt, which is scooped up, trucked to a conveyor belt which transports the salt into ships for exportation. Most of the southern tip of the island is salt flats. The road around the Cargil land has many, many dive spots and long stretches of soft, white sand. We also stopped at several locations where there were slave huts. These small, square concrete huts housed many slaves, crowded together, who worked the salt fields across the street. The huts were built in 1850. After these, we passed salty lagoons where there were flocks of very orange flamingos, and ended at a beach bar. It was called Jibe City and was obviously a young people’s hangout, although a few of us seniors were there too. It was right on the beach and fronted a shallow lagoon where the popular activity was learning how to wind surf. We all enjoyed my favourite, mango smoothies and I think Jo might be hooked. From here we stopped at some picnic tables for lunch and then on to Kralendije, where we returned to our grocery store. Thursday afternoon seemed to be a popular shopping time because soon all the karts were being used, and despite a not so large shop, it took 40 minutes to get through the lineup. Of course, only one could shop and we sat in the truck the whole time.
It was a fine day and despite my premium tour deal, tips were very sparse. We encountered a number of heavy downpours and unsettled weather, but it did not effect our day, except that it was probably the best activity to do today. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, chasing down photo ops with parakeets, and having dinner in.
January 28
The day started with a show over the water. A trio of magnificent frigatebirds were swooping down and dive bombing a school of flying fish that past by us. We also saw a large fish, which I later identified as a bar jack, chasing this same school. It was difficult to photograph flying fish when the group shoots out over the water, but I did capture some, plus the bar jack. This may seem trivial to some, but one can not get on with their day while such activities are taking place.
Today we decided to change things up a little. After a leisurely breakfast of eggs and hash browns outside at about 10 AM, we did a few things like make dinner reservations. Then we had coffee and cake, even though it wasn’t Sunday. After breakfast, a spouse who shall remain unnamed became antsy for something to do. We went snorkeling out front of our place. There were lots of fish. Later we hung out by the pool. Dutch continues to be about the only language heard there. For dinner we returned to our usual place, Rum Runners, despite Jo’s food poisoning incident but we avoided the fish, opting for pizza instead. We actually were served fairly quickly this time. For the first time, we had the fan on outside after dinner and it actually felt a little cool. Even our resident gecko seems listless. Does that mean we are acclimatized? Reports from home say the temperature there is 1 degree. I don’t want to go back to that.
We have talked to our family on a regular basis. We also sent pictures of us enjoying a mango smoothie. Yesterday my grandson announced that for his birthday in March, he wanted to have a mango smoothie and share it with his Opa who loves them. Awe.
January 29, 2022
After a very cool night where the temperature dipped to a low of 22 degrees C., we started with breakfast, a very good place to start. With a heavy agenda, we rushed to the grocery store across the street to recycle our empty bottles and cans and pick up a few things. Then the day began in earnest. First we had to solve some of the world’s problems like whether the Canadian legal system is really working, benevolent dictatorships vs. Democracy and whether some of the elements of LGBTQIA+ are redundant and what does the “IA” stand for. I think we succeeded in coming to solutions. You’re welcome.
Then it was off to the pool area for a round of laying around like seals and plopping into the water. The pool is unusual in that it is one depth, 1.75 M. Not ideal for kids, but then most guests seem to be either Dutch seniors who come here every year or what looked like Dutch newlyweds. Then we had to rush off for a time of puzzling, scheduling covid rapid tests for our travel to Aruba and of course, happy hour. So busy! After eating dinner in, actually technically dinner out because we never eat inside, we spent over an hour and a half with my brother on FaceTime. He is only a little ways away in Curaçao. Tomorrow we need to relax.
Each is also about gaining great knowledge with new information learned. Today it was ablaut reduplication. There is a order in which repeat words are combined words are used. For example we never say tock-tick for a clock, or the bad big wolf, or chatchit, or dong ding, etc. There is an order which is followed relating to the vowels in the words, I-A-O. Unconsciously, we all follow this rule without knowing it. Who knew?
Today was also unusual in that I did not take one photo the entire day.
January 30, 2022
It is beginning to get difficult to describe each day, as we have fallen into a routine which does not vary too much. Today was a little different. After a relaxing morning with breakfast and then of course the Sunday coffee and cake, we headed out to the downtown area of Kralendijk with the intent of picking up a few clothing items we had seem several days ago. We had checked the website which said there was no cruise ship arriving today so we thought things would be a little quieter and we could get a better table at the bar we intended to go to for a lunch of bitterballen. We discovered there was a cruise ship in after all, but there were very few if any people from the boat in town. Perhaps it was here with no shore access because of Covid or something else. The town was almost eerily quiet. Almost all stores were closed. There were few people on the streets. We could not get the items we wanted. The bar/restaurant we returned to, Karel’s, was still busy but I am not sure how many if any cruise passengers were there. The ship was very near by and we saw no people coming or going. In the restaurant we were invisible. We waited quite a while to be served, even though our table was near the counter where the servers put in their orders. I noticed that the two waitress always diverted their eyes to the other direction when the passed our table as though avoiding eye contact. Finally we flagged one of them down and asked who served this area. She said it was her, so we quickly put in our order, which included bitterballen and chicken peanut satay. The food and drink came fairly quickly but we again had to flag the girl down to pay our bill. I need to keep better company because clearly my travel companions were seen as undesirables.
When we got back to our place Jo and I planned to go snorkeling in front of our place. Jo was upstairs in our bedroom getting changed when she called down to me and said to look out the window. I did, and what to my wondering eyes did appear, but six dolphins very near shore in front of our yard. I grabbed my camera and dashed to the door. It had not yet been unlocked since our return, so I rushed to the back door to the sound of breaking glass as our travel mates jumped up to follow. I ran to the water’s edge to see two dolphins crest through the water very close by. I raised my camera and set the focus. Nothing. The next time the pod surfaced, they were quite a bit farther away. It was like they knew I had my camera ready and therefore stayed under water. Dolphins are much like birds that way. It was exciting nevertheless. We went snorkeling after that, hoping that perhaps the dolphins would return and maybe we might swim near them but we never saw them again. We did enjoy many of the usual reef fish and I was taking a picture of a fish under a dock while a very, very large tarpin apparently swam right in front of me. I never saw it but Jo got a picture. We followed up our snorkel with a dip in the pool before taking in the first of two NFL playoff football games.
We again had prepackaged kale and sauerkraut for dinner. What a great idea. I wish we had these back home but I am not sure Customs would allow me to transport these in my suitcase. We played a card game at night. I only mention this because I won, a very rare occurrence. I also learned another new fact today but it is 1:15AM and I forgot it now.
January 31
Today was to be a day where we were to go to a beach near by that has beach chairs and supposedly a nice sandy beach. It was only about a 5 minute drive away. However, after a late breakfast the skies were overcast and a little threatening and we were not inspired to hang out at the beach. Breakfast turned into coffee break and then voila! It was lunch time. Of course, having seen a school of dolphins pass by here yesterday, it seemed only reasonable to assume we would now see them regularly so we kept a close eye on the water. I did see several black objects bob up, which proved to be divers. Jo went for a walk to a local store and I went for a snorkel. I did see a tarpon, a huge fish about five feet long. I returned to our place, having not worn sandals because the path to the dock was tiled. I found a note saying everyone was in the pool and the doors were locked. Jo had left my glasses on the outside table for me, but of course did not leave my sandals outside, assuming I had some shoes on my feet. I have trouble walking in bare feet on course sand let alone across the gravel driveway leading to the pool. One has to make extreme sacrifices when on vacation, so I braved it. So if anyone had a difficult day today, remember what I went through to please the crowd and get in a swim. Apart from that, the day was uneventful, the threatened rain never appeared and I got some crosswords done.
The couple living in the unit next to ours are probably both in their late 60’s. They are Dutch and very unsocial. They ignore us and never wave or say hello. She is very slim and changes her clothes three or four times a day. She putters in the yard, pulling two or three weeds now and then. However, in true Dutch eccentric fashion, she does laundry every single day, sometimes more than one load. Towels, bathing suits, cover up clothes she puts on for dinner, etc. We are stunned how you could have the need to wash clothes every day!
February 1, 2022
Last night we were under siege. I guess more correctly it was this morning. We were sitting in our covered area outside finishing the last drops of wine in our glasses before turning in. Suddenly it began to rain. When it rains here, which seems to be almost every day, it pours, but only for a few minutes. Last night it came down in buckets, but it lasted longer than usual. Unfortunately we have a side door to our patio that was locked and the unlocked door required going through the rain. We were trapped for some time before the rain subsided and we could make our way into the house. Nevertheless, in the morning our lady next door, after doing her laundry, still came out with her little container to water a few plants.
We spent the day at Edon Beach, a new resort that destroyed our favourite beach from our last trip. For $5 we got a reclining chair and access to both the pool and the ocean. Unfortunately, the only shade was provided by some palm trees, so the shade moved and the sun was filtered by the frons. I came prepared. I had put 50 block on my nose and ears before we left, planning to do the rest when we got to the beach. Jo on the other hand, fully sun screened and decided not to take it along. I am nevertheless happy to report that I do not feel any burning session at this time. The beach was nice soft sand, obviously trucked in. Along the water’s edge was dead coral so the only way into the water was via a dock. There was no where to stand in the water, only treading. I was done with that after not too long. We were also entertained (?) by three women who chose to sunbath and snorkel topless. Not to be sexist, since all agreed, this was not a pretty sight.
We overheard some girls who were all dive guides that a few days ago the sighting of dolphins had been the talk of the beach. So we were not the only ones excited.
For dinner we returned to the Bari and enjoyed eating schnitzel under the stars.
February 2
In a WhatsApp chat tonight we were reminded that today is Groundhog Day. It seems irrelevant here where almost every day is sunny with cloudy periods, with a high of 29 or 30 Degrees C. and a low of 24. I don’t know why they would even pay weatherpersons here.
Jo and I were on our own today and we returned to Te Amo beach, which is almost across the street from the airport terminal. It had nice soft white sand water access without rocks. We did manage to find the last shady spot between two large bushes. This was probably more of a young people’s beach so of course we fit right in. The snorkeling here was very good. It also had a few food trucks. I would highly recommend trying some of these if you are ever here. I would like to write about some amazing things we did or seen but alas, it was an uneventful day. We got back in mid afternoon and cooled off in the pool. We have all got hooked on “Wordle” , the free daily word game.
One thing I did learn is the joy of overseas banking. I wanted to open my banking app to pay a bill and look at some other information. Our cell phone is on “airplane mode” to avoid the outrageous roaming fees that can occur. The bank insists on sending a SMS text message which has a code you need to enter before your bank opens up. The phone blocks such messages. I then discovered that you can not communicate with the bank by email. You must call them on a toll free number. That would be great but the airplane mode also prevented making any LD calls. So, I am completely cut off from online banking. Not happy about this and there will be a phone conversation to be had when I get home. This is an issue when you are outside Canada and the U.S. I did not bring my laptop so am not sure if this is a smart phone issue or general online issue.
February 3
Another day of snorkeling and lazing at the pool. After a late dinner we wandered over to the bar for a final Mighty Mango drink. We were informed that we had about 20 minutes before they had to close under Covid guidelines. We were told however that Bonaire today announced that they were lifting some restrictions due to declining hospitalizations that were reducing the strain on the system. Effective tomorrow bars and restaurants could be open until midnight and the restriction to 4 people per table, (really, we had no idea), was being lifted. That was positive news although it probably would not effect us personally. Later I got a message from my brother in Curaçao letting us know that effective today, Aruba announced they were opening up to the world and anyone with full vaccinations and a booster shot would be welcomed without the need of a PCR test. Great news but it did leave us a little confused. We were scheduled for an antigen test tomorrow morning for our flight to Curaçao and Aruba on February 5. While Aruba did no require this test, we had no idea if Curaçao would admit us without it.
It is really difficult to remember that it is still only early /February, as you get into summer mode. I so enjoy the comfort of warm evenings and never having to wear shoes or even a sweater. From the moment we arrived my jacket and my shoes and socks have not been touched. I live in shorts, t-shirts and sandals if I am not in swimming trunks. I wish I could somehow bottle the feeling of a nice stroll on a warm evening, with a gentle cooling breeze, to be opened and experienced again when we are home and hit with the reality of winter.
February 4
The day started with getting a PCR antigen test a few minutes down the road. Having no assurance that Curaçao would be okay with us being at the airport for 20 minutes between flights, we decided to get our test just to be safe. Within 15 minutes we had the results. All negative!!! To celebrate, we went for breakfast at Karel’s, our bar and grill over the water in downtown Kralendijk. Of course we had to have the Dutch Uitsmijters, with toast, eggs and ham, all covered in gouda cheese. After breakfast it poured just like in Vancouver. Oh, except it was 28 degrees, the rain was warm, and it lasted about 3 minutes.
After lunch we went for our last snorkel and dip in the pool. Yesterday it got so that when we left at the end of the afternoon, people there said goodbye as though we were friends, even though we only talked to one or two of them. Today there were new people so no one said goodbye. ☹️ After waiting in anticipation for one last pass by of dolphins, which surprisingly didn’t happen. We did get a few schools of flying fish go by. Each time I spotted them, jumped up to get my camera and three of us raced to the edge of the water only to be too late. For dinner we went back to Bari’s, the restaurant on the beach. We had live music. What a nice way to end this part of the trip.
We had gone through most of our food and drink but there were a few items we bought that were still not used up. I had a quarter bag of sugar left for coffee. We left the toilet paper I had bought. No one seemed to want it. It was one ply. Did you know you could get one ply? I didn’t either and never paid attention. The advantages of one ply is that it nice and light and airy. It floats well. You can also see through it. The disadvantage is you don’t want to use it to wipe yourself unless you triple it up.
February 5
I woke up to the sound of pouring rain. Everything was drenched. we were concerned about having to put our luggage in a wet box of the pickup truck, but by the time we were ready to leave, everything was dry. I decided that for the last morning here, I would take a scenic route to the airport, saying goodbye to the residential neighbourhoods around the city. Some might argue that I missed the turn to the road to the airport. (Driving through the city, there is a stretch where you need to zig zag, left and right and more because of one way streets.). I will always deny that did not intend to take this route, after 17 days here. We arrived at the car rental place at the airport on time. I should say that signage in Bonaire is horrible. Street signs generally only have the name on one side and names can be long. Therefore, we often can not see street names unless we happen to look backwards at just the right time. Similarly, signage at the car rental area is also lacking. We drove past the entrance because the sign saying to turn for rental returns was only visible from the other direction. Then there was a sign for turning for rental returns. I ended up in a parking lot next door because some how the turn sign was a little past where we actually had to turn. The pickup was larger than most, so turning was often a challenge. I did manage to turn around and drive the wrong way up the one way road to get in. There was another factor which made this choice less than satisfying. Just as we parked, it started pouring. It was torrential rain. Some suit cases had little pools of water on them before it seeped into the case. One would think renting and returning cars would be a routine, straight forward ordeal, but no. It took forever to get our truck because the guy handling the forms had trouble processing my credit card, and then supposedly the printer broke. Now, returning the vehicle, their records did not match because the credit card number on record was not mine. Again confusion. Finally we got things straightened out, I hope, and we hauled our soaked luggage to the terminal. There we were the only flight leaving. One employee, an elderly gentleman came to the check-in counter. He took forever. He studied the screen, hunted and pecked slowly on the keyboard, often got interrupted by others and didn’t seem to be consistent. Our travel companions were ahead of us and were asked to show their online form for entering Aruba. He barely looked at it. We did not get asked. The ticket said check-in would end 40 minutes prior to departure, but but he was busy with the 15 passengers right up to 10 minutes beforehand. Then, we went to the gate and guess who showed up to check boarding passes and lead you out on the tarmac for the walk to the 20 seater plane. Yup. Nevertheless, we left only a little late and our flight to Curaçao, where we stayed on board for about 15 minutes before departing for Aruba, went well. No need for that antigen test after all.
Arriving at the airport in Oranjestad, Aruba was an eye-opener compared to Bonaire and Curaçao. Their airport was large with many planes, probably 5 carousels and a lot of people. Again, with our documentation prepared online beforehand, and no need to show covid tests, it went fast and smoothly. We immediately got a cab and arrived at our condo, in Jardines del Mar, only a few blocks from gorgeous Eagle Beach. That’s where smoothly ended. Keys were to be in the mailbox in front of the unit. I only found a fob that I still don’t know what it is good for. I went to the side facing the pool with the sliding doors. The sliding door was unlocked so we could go right in. Clearly the lock had been damaged and I’m not sure what the repairman was thinking, but there were many drill holes that served no purpose, a screw was roughly put in to replace what was no doubt a pin that the lock mechanism was to hook around. The handle was coming loose. The frame around the lock was bent and pried. There was a set of keys that fit the lock, but the arm would not go over the “pin” when the door was closed. There were holes in the wall where pictures had hung. The kitchen had no toaster and at first glance did not appear to have any cutlery, until we found 4 knives, 3 forks and 6 spoons buried under an assortment of large plastic stirring spoons, spatulas, etc. in the junk drawer, the only drawer in the kitchen. There were two hand towels but no dish towels or wipe cloths. There was a dishwasher but no detergent. The entire place had only one bar of soap. We had 3 bath towels for 4 people. The bedrooms were upstairs, and our bedroom had a balcony overlooking the pool area. It had sliding doors. The lock mechanism was missing entirely, so no need to worry about locking it, that would be impossible. One of the toilets also had a hose that popped off every time you flushed. We do have a dishwasher, but alas, no dishwasher detergent. And there is one garbage can for the entire two story house. We met a fella, Sebastian who knocked on our door and wanted to check around for a power drill he thought he might have left in the place while hanging a picture. When we informed the owners about some of these issues, particularly being unhappy to not be able to lock our place up, we were informed that Sebastian was the resident repairman for the complex and would be coming to look at the lock. The other door had a dead bolt so we could lock it from the inside, but none of the keys we had locked the door, so we left it locked and left through the sliding glass doors. Note everyone was equally jovial about the situation and state of the accommodation. Sebastian came by again and worked on the sliding door. We can now lock it with some effort although so far, I only managed to lock it from the inside. I haven’t found the sweet spot for locking it from the outside. (I did eventually find the knack for it) The owner said it was a safe complex and even if the door was unlocked, chances of a break in was very slim. We also mentioned to Sebastian that we could not find the TV remote. The TV has no manual buttons so could not work without it. He did not seem surprised. He said we would probably get a remote tomorrow or the next day. We haven’t watched TV except NFL playoffs while in Bonaire so it was not a big deal, but with olympics on, it might be nice to check them out. Apart from these issues, the layout of the complex is very nice. (The remote did get delivered the next day but with only specialty packages like Netflix and Hula, we still couldn't watch olympics.)
When we opened our suit cases, we discovered the effects of rain on suit cases. Most had very moist clothes. Being cheap, I took along the large shopping bags we had to buy for our groceries. These were on the top of my things, and gave a little protection. I still had a few damp shirts but they were sweet. I think that might have been because the sugar I had packed had a tear in the bag beyond the rolled up portion, so there was sugar throughout my case.
We took a stroll to Eagle Beach, a 10 minute walk. It was beautiful, with soft white sand and, unlike Bonaire, no rocks anywhere. There were grass thatched shade huts, and just behind them, trees with sandy spots. It should be no problem finding shade. The beach was busy with people. We wanted to pick up a few groceries and asked a girl on the beach where the nearest grocery store was. She gave us directions and said it was about 3/4 of a mile away. It was now the heat of the day and after a long walk and no store, Jo ask someone in a drug store who said still a long ways off, and perhaps we might want a taxi. We got a cab and finally got to the store. It cost the standard rate of $10. After shopping, we got another taxi who charged us $11, ten for the drive plus another dollar because there were groceries involved, even though he did not ever tough the bags. Strange. Also strange was the joy some had when the pill box I had on me exploded in my pocket, with three compartments containing 6 days worth of pills emptying out, mostly in my pocket, but several fell out onto the street. Apparently picking up pills on the street is funny. Now I am doing street drugs.
For dinner we went to The Screaming Eagle, a fancy restaurant across the street from the beach. Entrees started at $29 for bacon wrapped Grouper fish, and went up to $55 for a beef tenderloin. Now if only we can find a McDonalds to help even out the cost of eating.
The end of another day and I am one of only a few people sitting on their patios enjoying the warm evening. Tomorrow starts early at 7AM.
February 6
Last night. February 7, I stayed up after everyone went to bed to finish my blog for February 6. I now see on February 8 that all my work was not saved. So much for lost sleep. Here I go again. (A review of what I rewrote a few days later makes me question the wisdom of blogging at the end of the day. I had to make all sorts of corrections and probably still missed some. Probably dozed off between sentences.)
I woke up to the Everly Bros. singing "Wake Up Little Suzie" at 5:50AM. Who knew that a world existed before 8:30? We were picked up by Michiel Oversteegen , a local birder who, after suffering severe depression some years ago, devoted himself to becoming a birder and now world renowned expert on birds of Aruba. He has done speaking engagements a various universities and was asked to lead an online course by Cornell College of Ornithology. He turned it down. Michiel is obviously of Dutch but unlike most Hollanders, who are reserved and keep their opinions to themselves, Michiel had no problem sharing his critique of Aruban politics, he claimed the country is run by two or three families who control everything and aware government contracts or favours to those they favour.
Our tour was a private one with the four of us and lasted 5 hours. Michiel's website showed photos of burrowing owls and I told him that was on the top of my wish list. Michiel delivered within 5 minutes of leaving our place. He drove around the block of a construction site across the street. He stopped and there at the edge of the site, near the ditch stood the cutes burrowing owl. Michiel said said he knows where most of the owls on the island are, but only shares locations with birders who care about the fate of these vulnerable birds. This construction site had a number of breeding couples on it and Michiel and others fought to prevent construction because they are a protected species. They took the government to court and won. While they were still celebrating the victory, the government quickly introduced legislation to allow construction anyway. Seems some government bigwigs stood to make money on it. The Aruban government claims to protect the environment but only pays it lip service, pursuing the mighty $$ instead. This little guy has stayed put so far. We saw a number of other burrowing owls including one guy standing in the median of a busy street in front of the large supermarket we shopped in before. There was an exposed plastic pipe with a hole in it that the owl made into a burrow. Few people even know it is there. In addition to burrowing owls, another exotic bird we pursued successfully was the ruby topaz hummingbird.
Michiel also ranted against the ATVs and dune buggies that we saw everywhere, (Aruba really caters to adventure seekers and young at heart), and he despised the major bus tour company that advertises being environmentally friendly while destroying it. Seems his biggest concern, apart from vehicles tearing up the ground and terrorizing the wildlife, is the dust they kick up. Insects hate dust but insects feed lizards and birds who are preyed on by larger critters and birds. He fears many species may not last at the current rate. No one dared speak up and tell him we had booked an excursion tomorrow sightseeing in jeeps. The tour was also scenic and we learned a lot about the culture and local politics. Aruba, like Bonaire and Curaçao is very dry. Cacti grow everywhere and Aruba is a major supplier of Aloe. Michiel said while other islands get rain, it never rains in Aruba this time of year, even though we saw dark clouds to the north of us. We did see some rain that evening. We were very drained from the tour and heat so it took some energy to leave our A/C'd place to walk to Eagle Beach. Being Sunday, it was full of people. However, the beach, which has a soft, white sand, goes on forever and is bordered by trees with large canopies and palapas so finding shade is easy. There were no rocks to stub your toes on and we enjoyed the warm water. After an expensive dinner the night before, we thought we would go a little cheaper since it is not my responsibility to support the entire island. There was little near by (so we thought) so we took the lazy way and went to a little Italian restaurant only steps from our gate. It was great food but again, pricey.
February 7
I was happy in the thought that our jeep excursion, which came highly recommended, would start at 8:30, a civilized time. However, a closer look at the instructions indicated that we would be picked up at 7:45 and begin the tour at 8:30. Another short night. We were with 4 other people in the back of an open jeep and this outfit was clearly made for young people. We drove with two jeeps and there was a lot of honking to start the drive, and a lot of honking and waving at almost every other tour group, even some guy sitting at a bus stop. Don't ever rent a condo that is near ABC Adventures. I was worried that we would be visiting the same sites we visited with Michiel but of course this time there was no concern with if there were nice birds around. We did see some duplication but also barreled or bounce around on ridiculously rough roads. After lunch of either BBQ chicken or grouper, with mango smoothie of course, we went to a natural pool formed in the rough coastline where in days gone by, locals used to catch turtles and keep them in the pool until they were sold. Now it is still a pool with reef fish in it and every now and then huge waves would crash over the rock walls and splash into the pool. To access it, you had to walk down a long set of stairs cut into the rock, and then clamour over and around some sharp and slippery wet rocks to get in. Here it would have been helpful to know that we should have worn water shoes. We all had them and most of us have never used them. I hae taken mine to many countries just for fun, but never had a need to wear them. The pool was cool! We also visited renowned Baby Beach. It was a little disappointing. We had an hour to swim and snorkel. Snorkeling was very poor. The beach looked beautiful and is great for families because it is protected by a rock jetty, but you can walk out a long way and still not have water over your waist. While quite different from our birding tour, it was really a good day and combined, we got a really good sense of the island. At one site, we visited some caves that the local Venezuelan Indians had used to hide from the Spaniards when they came and carried away natives for slaves. The caves had only one way in or out so hundreds died in the caves, choosing to die there rather than come out and become slaves. By the caves there was a place where you could put your feet in a little creek, and the fish, juvenile tilapia, would nibble your feet. My first pedicure. No more need to do that now. Just before we left, a guide asked who wanted to see a rattlesnake. I of course jumped up, but most followed. There was a white rattlesnake on a ledge behind the potable toilets. Very cool to see!
While in the natural pool there were dark clouds nearby. We did see puddles in some areas. When we got home, we discovered, regardless of what Michiel says, that it had poured buckets. The balcony of our bedroom had and inch or two of water on it, which slowly dripped down on the patio below, rendering it undesirable to sit on. We spent the evening inside, with some muttering loudly about the poor wi fi which eventually stopped working all together. We did not even feel like going out to eat, so settled for grilled cheese sandwiches.
February 8
Today is Tuesday. The third Tuesday of this trip. Tuesdays are so good when on vacation. You get up and do what you want, all day long! No dusting, no vacuuming, no cleaning toilets, just ignore these things. So good. As we are leaving tomorrow, we need a COVID test. While the USA now accepts antigen tests for arrivals, Canada does not, so we still need the PCR test to cover both our USA and Canada destination. Fortunately, we are across the street from the main hospital. They have a testing drive thru. We walked there and there was no one ahead of us, so we all got the throat and nasal swab. A few hours later we had the results, all negative for COVID! Good to go. It was a typical hot but windy day. It seems the wind blows all the time in Aruba, but it also makes the heat bearable, at least to some. We got home just in time. A dark cloud came by and there was torrential rain. Our balcony was back to 2 inches of water. If we had rubber duckies we could have played up there. And then, it was sunny and hot again. Jo and I went to the beach for a last swim. We also did a long walk down the beach, and found several beach bars and restaurants which would have been fun to visit if we knew earlier. Could have saved a hundred dollars or so from the restaurants we did eat at. We did find one with a well priced breakfast menu, Ricardo's. After returning home, we took the bus to downtown Oranjestad. We had to walk quite a ways to find the bus stop. Oranjestad was an eye-opener compared to Bonaire. There were three cruise ships in town. The main street near the docks were lined with mostly jewelry stores and souvenir stores. It seems all cruisers buy expensive jewelry when they travel. Who knew? We have been doing cruising wrong all this time. There were lots and lots of American tourists. Cruise ship travelers have changed over the years. Some of these looked like they came out of the back woods of Arkansas. I did find my much needed shot glass and a hat, but for the rest, not much interested us. We found a market place and many restaurants including a Dutch Pancake House. We ended up here for dinner and I enjoyed a savory ham and Gouda cheese pancake with Dutch syrup. Someone ordered a chicken schnitzel and it came with two huge pieces, plus salad and a huge pile of fried potatoes. So good. We caught the bus home. It was dark by now, (sun goes down around 6:30 now) and I had to pay attention, (somehow, all travel arrangements seem to be my responsibility), trying to figure out which stop to get off at. Bus stops were far apart. (Bonaire has bus stops too, but no buses.) We recognized that we were driving around the hospital so I quickly hit the button to get off. The bus stopped and let us off. We were directly in front of the entrance gate to our complex. Don't know how that happened because there was no bus stop marked there, but we were grateful.
Being our last night here, the rest of the evening was quite a challenge. Pre-booking our United flights home and updating our ArrivCan online form for entering Canada proved an insurmountable challenge. Despite hours of trying the past two nights, we could not get United's site to work. We entered and reentered the same data over and over with the same results. This is part of the definition of insanity. It always ended up dropping data and saying we had been vaccinated in the US. I finally concluded that this site simply did not work for non-Americans and gave up. A bigger challenge was that we had overestimated the number of bottles of wine we needed for the time here. Dutch people, even Dutch immigrant people do not leave full bottles behind once they have paid for them. We all did our share and motored on, finishing the last 2 1/2 bottles just in time for bed. Ate all the cheese too! There is still sugar left but it has been banned from my suite case.
February 9
Our flight out of Oranjestad did not leave until 5:20PM, and COVID protocol required staggered entry into the airport for checking in. We could start at 2PM. We had the morning to relax and luckily, the manager said we could stay in our place as long as we wanted since no new guests were arriving that day. After another torrential downpour, we hung around the pool and I kept thinking about how wonderful the warm weather and warm breeze was compared to what we were going back to. We waited until the last moment to change into long pants and regular shoes. We took a taxi to the airport and the place looked deserted. We were the only ones at the checkout booths. Jo and I were a little worried when the attendant checking us in got on the phone for a long time. Seems there was a problem with our booking. My original booking was for 4 people. Two canceled this trip, so the booking had to be split off. Something went wrong, but after a lengthy delay, it seemed all was well. Our bags were checked in right to Vancouver. We would enter US customs right here so we did not have to worry about that again in Washington or San Francisco. However, we only got United Airlines boarding passes for the Aruba to Washington/Dulles trip and the Washington to San Fran trip. The leg from San Fran to Vancouver had been changed some time ago from a United flight to an Air Canada flight. We were told we should contact Air Canada and they would issue boarding passes in San Fran.
Like most of the flights, the Washington flight was only half full. That also made for quick boarding and short unloading times. We left early and arrived early in Washington. Here we parted ways with our travel companions who were flying to LAX before going to Vancouver. It was 10:30PM. I could not call Air Canada because my phone was on airplane mode, so I found I could message them. I started a conversation asking how we could get boarding passed for our flight to Vancouver, as this trip did not appear on my Air Canada online account. They wanted ticket numbers but I never received any. I sent what I could for identification, but then had to sign off as our flight was boarding. We arrived in San Francisco at 1:30AM local time. By now the Air Canada office that I was corresponding with was closed for the night. We have spent several nights in air ports on previous trips, including one in San Francisco. We were so happy to see that the noisy floor polishers had been replaced with much quieter ride-on polishers and it allowed me to get three or four 10 minute naps between pacing. Our flight for Vancouver was leaving at 7:30AM. When the flight attendants came to the gate I explained that we did not have boarding passes but were told that they could be issued here. That prompted all three attendants to get involved. Seems United Airlines, when they cancelled their flight to Vancouver and replaced it with an Air Canada flight, had not cancelled the previous ticket and issued a new one under Air Canada. The woman I was mainly dealing with started calling and discussing it with the other two but did not give much hope. She said they had to go through United and get them to do something so new tickets could be ordered. With only 30 minutes until boarding time, she suggested we might be better off going to their booth in another terminal, which required exiting and entering the security area again, and having United issue us a ticket. Most likely we might not make it back on time, and our bags would be removed from the flight. Our hearts dropped. I was getting ready to leave, resigned to the fact that we might be stuck in SF when the other attendant said to hold on. She had been calling various phone numbers, trying to find someone at United who could help. Sure enough, she found someone and they were able to resolve it electronically. We were issued our tickets with 20 minutes to spare! Relief! I did say a few prayers. This flight was a very small plane and was perhaps 3/4 full.
When we arrived in Vancouver, early, it felt like YVR was deserted. There were less than 10 people in the area for doing the passport entry system and talking to a customs & immigration officer. we whisked through. The baggage carrousels were all empty. Only our flight was listed and with only about 10 of the passengers actually having Vancouver as their final destination, this should be done in no time. Wrong. Lengthy delays before finally our luggage came on another carrousel. Then we were randomly selected to do a PCR test. We we left the secure area, I believe there were four officers for every person leaving. The COVID testing area had about 10 workers per customer. Of course, this did not mean things would go quickly. The computer that they entered our data on did not work and we had to begin the process over again twice. Finally we got our swab and were home! By now, I might be comfortable if I had a wooden swab permanently hanging from my nose. And each test we had was different. One was a swab up both nostrils, ending somewhere near my brain, which brought me to tears, literally. Another was a swab to the back of my throat and then up one nostril. This last one was best. A swab to each inside cheek, then up one nose but not very far. Time to go home, in a sleepy daze, and let my ears recover from the pain of having a face mask on for about 24 hours straight.
