ROAD BOOK 092
Covid 19
We are also caught up by this virus.
Like everyone else, we follow the news from China, Italy and then France.
On March 15th at the Laguna Arenal, our hostess gives doubts about crossing the border with Panama for a group of cyclists present at the hotel.
We don’t understand why at that time because here nobody talks about viruses in Costa Rica.
On March 16, we are watching the speech of our president announcing the lockdown. The atmosphere is gloomy
At the same time, the president of Costa Rica announced drastic measures: closing schools, tourist sites, bars, restaurants and all meeting places.
There are only 41 cases and no deaths, but the experience of Europe serves as a lesson!
On 18 March, the country closes its borders to foreigners entering but not leaving
On March 19, we discuss with Léa and Carole, nurses at the hospital in Geneva, about the situation and their return to the country scheduled for two days.
The news is not encouraging even alarmists. Return flights to Europe from Costa Rica are suspended as of 29 March 2020.
We ask our doctor how he feels: stay where you are and confine yourself ...
We decide not to return to France for the time being, and to go back to the Pacific coast to wait for the outcome of the events
On March 21st, we arrive in Uvita in a very spartan campsite by the ocean .... but the beaches are closed!
We are not alone. We meet " Babette and Jean-Jacques ", "Marjorie and Alex" and "Peter" our companions for the days to come.
Immediately, in agreement with the group, we respect the barrier gestures, which does not prevent us from sharing meals or aperitifs together: each couple with their table, chairs and plates ...
We organize games ... great atmosphere ....
A new way to receive your friends!
On March 23, we are contacted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which lists the French present in Costa Rica
On March 25, Peter is the first to leave us, his embassy organizes a repatriation.
On March 26th our embassy asks us to organize our return on the last commercial flights. There are still places
We prefer to wait ... the number of cases and deaths in France frightens us.
Our long-planned flight on Air France on April 15th is canceled, we are part of the thousands of travelers that the national company does not reimburse but imposes a credit in exchange (yet our ticket is refundable and exchangeable)
On April 10, the embassy organizes a repatriation flight on the 16th ... we refuse at first then accept ... and finally refuse.
Babette and Jean-Jacques decide to return ... but the conditions for this are very difficult:
- Call at 10:30 for a departure at 17:30 - no mask, no freeze, no distancing - a flight of cattle (327 people on board, confined for 11 hours) - no check-in to Paris - everyone is back home nicely!
The point is: a zealous constarician customs officer confiscates Babette’s gel bottle!
On April 15th, we decide to rent a house, the rainy season arrives and life at the campsite becomes difficult (no comfort)
There are several houses for rent in the village but no customer which allows us to lower prices very easily.
We find a beautiful house and Ivette the owner accepts a 75% discount!!!
Since our life is organized between the races once a week, walk of an hour, internet, visits to the dentist for Christophe (broken tooth) and especially meals with "Majorie and Alex" our rays of sun in these difficult times.
We check daily the commercial flights announced in mid-May ... but cancelled .... next flights beginning of June!!!
Status as of May 9 : covid 19 in Costa Rica 780 confirmed cases - 6 deaths out of a population of 5 million
We settle in a small routine waiting for a return. Fortunately our little Savoyards are there.
We have lunch every two days and it is an opportunity to discuss with broken baton .... no topic is taboo!!!
The rainy season is coming: heavy rainfall almost every day.
May 25: the president postponed the closure of the fontières to 15 June and commercial flights are deprogrammed.
We decide to take the repatriation option proposed by " United " ie a return via the United States, An excessively expensive solution and a long journey, but we cannot wait for the possible reopening of the borders while the health situation is deteriorating.
We are leaving on 5 June.
The last days are devoted to preparing the camper for customs storage.
June 2: last meal with our little ones ... very difficult separation, we had so many good times and their presence above all allowed us to go through this "confinement" in joy and good mood ... we feel like abandoning them.
June 4: departure from Uvita at 8 am towards the capital.
On our arrival we drop off the luggage at our hotel then we go to the storage to drop off our fellow travellers, it can stay 1 year under customs.
The formalities are quick and we leave it with a tight heart and a small tear ... when will we see him again? still a feeling of abandonment.
We finish the formalities at the customs offices before reaching our hotel.
June 5: finally departure ... at 9:00 we check our luggage in an empty airport ... only flight of the day.
We take off at 12 o'clock towards Huston where we pass the border controls quite quickly.
In transit from 2:30 we have lunch at "Ruby’s" chain of real hamburgers created in 1982 and embark for Newark where we arrive at 11 pm in an almost empty airport, looking for our luggage that arrives 45 minutes later.
We are alone at midnight in this terminal waiting for the shuttle from our hotel ... gloomy atmosphere.
June 6; no breakfast because of " Covid " and impossible to stay after 12 pm.
We take an "Uber" to the New York airport "JFK" .... 6 hours of waiting in this empty terminal, it becomes a habit ... We have lunch on site and board our flight to Paris at 7:45 p.m.
The captain announces us an arrival with 1 hour ahead thanks to the back winds ... not a good sign ... turbulence accompanies us during the whole flight ... poor Christophe.
The service on board is limited and there too no breakfast!
June 7: arrival as planned and disembarkation without problems.
We head to the station and change our reservation to take an earlier train for Nîmes
Upon arrival " Daniel " is waiting to drop us off at home.
In total we took 4 days to return and pay a pharmaceutical sum
MAVROS ODYSSEE