The long way home

We got up very early today.....  breakfast was going to be at 5 am, so we had to be up around 4:30 am, but Joe misread his clock, and got up at 3:30 instead.....

We had a scheduled charter flight at 10 am, but because our tour director was worried about check points, road closures, etc., we left for the airport at 5:30 am (it’s about an hour drive). But we were happy to be on our way! 

 We were stopped at 3 checkpoints, but did not have any problem going through.  

We all had a letter from the consul that said we had the right to be there.  Made me feel special. (Also, this is literally the only thing the embassy did to help.  They have been completely useless. Their website still says “call your airline”....)

The airport was completely closed.  So we had to wait at the back door for about an hour for someone to open it, go through another checkpoint and then go to boarding. Turns out that evacuating a shut down country involves a lot of waiting and going on multiple lines.....  there did not seem to be too much concern about social distancing...

That famous picture of people evacuating Saigon at the end of the Vietnam war came to mind....  It is of course a completely unwarranted comparison:  We never felt in danger, or even uncomfortable.  Still.... these long lines, waiting for the only way out....  very unsettling

The airport itself  was completely empty and shut down. Could not even buy water.
Oddly enough, the only other flights (and there were more than one) were to the Malvinas Islands  (the Falklands).  None of us could come up with an explanation for this......

As we got on the plane, everyone took out wipes to clean every surface..... not sure it helps given the line situation, but it can’t hurt.....The plane was packed, and I had a middle seat, but it was really not bad.  It even had entertainment, so I got to watch Jojo Rabbit.... which I recommend.  No one checked our temperature upon landing, nor gave us any directives, or even suggestion about self-quarantine!!!!!! which is just crazy!

Miami international arrival was uncharacteristically quiet (I guess most people who were trying to get back are here already), so we considered flying back to New York, but a lot of flights had been cancelled (someone tested positive for COVID-19 in the main New York control center, slowing down all traffic). Besides, we were really tired by then. So we went to the airport hotel, and had one last social dinner (top picture). with some of our group. It was very nice.  We are probably going to feel quite lonely for the next few weeks, not having this nice bunch of people to hang around with.   The hotel itself, right in the airport is mediocre at best, but "location, location, location".....

Our flight on the next day was at 12:01 pm - we were originally booked on the 8:30 am, but that one was cancelled.  So we took it easy, but still ended up spending over 3 hours in a very quiet Miami terminal...  Quiet- but not empty.....  There seem to be no rules in Florida about sitting together in restaurants, or any other rule for that matter.

While a lot of flights were cancelled, there were a surprising number of international flights still going.....  The weather in Belize looked really nice....  it was tempting.... 

And there were a lot more flights to Cuba than to JFK??????

We had a nice view of Miami beach while taking off....

And another nice view of the beaches on Long Island......

Our flight was about 20% full, so we had lots of space, and the luggage came out quickly....
The ride from JFK was of course very quiet- did it in under an hour....
And then, as we got home, we discovered that the Lenten Roses were in full bloom.  What a nice welcome home present!