Riding the Waves

… and doing my best to go with the flow…

September 28, 2020

It’s funny that at a time when travel restrictions abound I should start my travel blog… well, here I go. Going with the flow – the inner one that is – I was inspired to plan a three-month trip to Taiwan to spend long-overdue time with my daughter – despite dire warnings, restrictions and numerous hurdles to overcome. Getting on a flight to some European destinations would have been much easier, but she’s just not there. And Taiwan with its very low Covid cases – 518 with only 7 dead in a population of 25 Million – has very strict entry rules.

Hurdle #1: the visa for Taiwan. Generally not required if you are a Canadian citizen, this time we have to apply and provide supporting documents… a written invitation from my daughter; bank statements; photocopies of passports and work permits; and of course the fee ($67) to process it all.

Hurdle #2: flight cancellations… so far two, which have required rescheduling of all flights; and Hurdle #3 and question “How do I provide a required negative Covid test within a short window of time (three working days before boarding a flight) when it’s not provided by BC Med, may need three to five days to be processed, and has to be arranged and paid for privately at the cost of $350 with limited availability of appointments?” And what happens if it doesn’t align with flights if the departure date gets moved again? Well, that’s all part of the package! So after venting to friends and relieving the stress though exercise, I take it as an invitation to take a deep breath (or  rather many), relax, let go, inform myself to the best of my abilities, let go of any outcome, and well, go with the flow… It’s kinda exiting and I feel very alive!

Isn’t life actually always like that?! We really don’t know what’s gonna happen, we just think we do and don’t question or look or wonder? Don’t know what’s around the next corner, what curveball or gift is coming our way? Life just happens. It’s simple! At this point in the game I don’t know whether I’ll be on the plane October 6. I don’t know if my Covid test will be positive or negative and if I will get the results in time.

And I don’t know what awaits me on the other side – well kinda, but not really – which brings me to Hurdle #4: two weeks of isolation in a quarantine hotel in Taipei where I am not allowed to leave the room for the duration. Hmmmmmmm… 

Side note: I’m an outdoorsy, active healthy woman in my sixties who generally wouldn’t consent to being locked in a room for two weeks. So I’m inwardly preparing for a somewhat luxurious “prison” with plenty of time to blog, meditate, stretch, do yoga, read, catch up on movies (cause I’ve been too busy with my outdoorsy life), clean up my computer files, and so on. A prison with wifi, a hopefully comfy bed and own bathroom, tv if I want, room service – or rather Ubereats or Panda which I’m choosing to go with. I’m confident I’ll be fine, but maybe I’ll go stir crazy? Look for the continuation of this one and my quarantine blog next 🙂