On Holiday — With COVID!

This is a trip I will remember forever. When I planned this trip, I combined a conference with a nice trip to Nadi Fiji because I was flying through Seattle and could get a decent priced ticket from there down. I chose to go after the conference so I wouldn’t have to worry about time changes as much.

The conference was great. I saw lots of people I hadn’t seen in since the beginning of Covid. The conference required everyone to be vaccinated which wasn’t a problem since I made sure I had every shot and booster I could get. I got the last booster in May, just before I went to Croatia. I felt prepared. The conference also required everyone wear a mask when in any official space associated with the conference. Again, not a problem.

I think the problem came when I went out to dinner with friends because at least two other people I had dinner with, tested positive but I didn’t know they’d tested positive until much later. Just after the conference ended, I got a minor drippy nose, almost as if I had a slight cold or my allergies were acting up. I took some over the counter meds and that seemed to get everything under control. The symptoms disappeared within a couple of day.

So I headed off to Fiji on my regularly scheduled flight. To go, I had to prove I was fully vaccinated, had travel insurance that covered COVID 19 and I had to prove I’d arranged for a rapid antigen test at the place I was staying. I got there, checked in, wandered around a bit, and had a great first day.

The next morning, I took the test because the hotel only did tests between 7 and 8 AM. They said they’d call me if the test was positive but if we didn’t hear by 8, we were negative. So I waited but didn’t hear anything so I thought I was positive. I spent time arranging for two different tours, one for the next day, and one that was for a couple days later.

Then, just after lunch, there was a knock on the door. On the other side stood a representative of the hotel to let us know they’d been trying all morning to contact me. It turns out the volume on the phone so low, I couldn’t hear it and the volume could not be increased at all. Anyway, my test turned out to be positive, and I am now under quarantine.

I was told I had to order my meals in. I have to write the order on a paper, someone will pick it up, and the meal will be delivered. If I need any sheets changed, towels, etc , I let them know and they will pick up the old ones and leave the new stuff.

The only good thing about this whole situation is simply that I have a free standing room so I can sit on the front porch but I can’t go anywhere. I’m told I will be rechecked in a couple of days.

I honestly didn’t think I had COVID simply because I never lost my sense of taste. Everyone I know who ended up getting COVID, lost their sense of taste — Everyone. The only symptom I had was a very minor drippy nose which was more like one I have when my allergies start acting up. I never thought of it being related to COVID.

I was under the impression that if you got COVID, you either had definite symptoms or you had none. I didn’t realize you could have maybe one symptom that was so minor, it could easily be thought of as something elso.

So, if I’m lucky I’ll test negative again in a couple of days so I can see a little bit of the countryside. If I’m not so lucky, I’ll get a negative test in time to go home. I’m having to think about this as being forced to slow down, enjoy relaxing (something I don’t do well) and get caught up on my reading.

Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear. Have a great day.