Tags
Antigua, CENTRAL AMERICA, changing gears, coronavirus, Guatemala, Southeast Asia, travel problems
The bags were 99% packed, and all systems were go for our trip to Southeast Asia on Wednesday evening. And then they weren’t. What changed? As I noted in my last post, we’d wavered a little on leaving for a long vacation in a place increasingly affected by the coronavirus outbreak, but all of our knowledge, intuition, and local contacts suggested that we were extremely unlikely to actually catch anything.
Including our flights! We’d already rebooked our return flights (a time-consuming and stressful task), which had a problematic Hong Kong layover. As the number of virus cases mounted, however, we began to rethink the seven regional flights we had booked and even our return via Tokyo. We didn’t have that many destinations, but many of our flights involved layovers back in Bangkok, and we started to eliminate some of them in an attempt to salvage our trip.
With every adjustment, we ran into a domino effect of problems. Eliminate Cambodia and the four planes associated with just that one stop? Oops, no flights from Luang Prabang to Danang a few days earlier. Spend more time in Chiang Mai? Nope; Laos was already getting short shrift, and what was the point of flying for over 24 hours to get to Asia and then cut our top destinations short?
Neither our friends on the ground in Thailand and Vietnam nor our families in the U.S. pushed us in any one direction, but there were plenty of signs that this might not be the carefree and fun vacation we had planned six months ago. We are not retired and have obligations at home, and we could ill afford a problem at any point with a return. Though getting sick was not even on our radar, getting stuck or, worse, potentially quarantined based on where we had been, was a worry.
It did us in. Call us wimps, but we wanted to really enjoy this trip and not just get through it. Thirty-six hours before takeoff, we pulled the plug. Before I canceled all the flights, hotels, guides, and drivers, we went online, searched for cheap fares to anywhere we’d never been, and bought tickets for Guatemala for one day after our original departure date. We didn’t even really have to repack the bags!
So here we are in Antigua, the old capital of Guatemala, where we landed two hours before we would have in Bangkok even though we left a full day later! It’ll be a short stay, but it’s a nice consolation prize for the trip to which we sadly bid adieu. For the next few days, we’ll speak Spanish and climb volcanoes, but we’ll be headed back to Bangkok and all of our other SE Asian stops in November if all goes well!
Buenas noches, all, and thanks for all the support throughout our decision-making process!
lievelee said:
Probably wise…. The issue would definitely have been the flights and passing major travel hubs. In Vietnam, we have been granted an extra two weeks off (unpaid I may add), so schools are closed until 17th February at least. The irony of it is that all the local coffee shops are packed with teenagers making the most of this unexpected freedom, whilst all the teachers are sitting at home bored…
Enjoy. The Far East will still be here in November.
Lieve
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lexklein said:
We’re feeling OK about it now. At first, we were almost in grief! We were so bummed out to not be going. But it just didn’t feel fun anymore, and now we are very excited about going later and fitting in this little jaunt to cheer us up. Hope you are back to work soon!
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Steven and Annie said:
Good choice. It will be much more relaxing. Seems like you were even ok getting money back on flights. Ours almost never allow for any refunds. And your pictures are lovely.
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lexklein said:
Thanks! We were very lucky to have booked the long-haul flights on mileage awards, and our airlines were very nice about canceling or changing with low or no fees. We did lose almost all the money for the regional flights, but they weren’t super expensive. It could have been a lot worse overall, and it taught me a big lesson about flexible fares and rates and travel insurance (although that would not have worked for most of these cases, apparently). And yep, we are feeling very relaxed here in the Central American sun this morning!
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Anna said:
I think you do the right thing as it’s definitely blowing up all over Asia now. Antigua Guatemala is not a bad substitute at all, I love this place!
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lexklein said:
Not a bad alternative at all! It’s so different from Asia, of course, which is what we awaited so eagerly, but we’ll get back there some day.
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Len Kagami said:
A great alternative! Considering the current situation, it’s wise to cancel your trip to Asia. You personally might not get infected, but flight disruptions, attraction closure and quarantine are really troublesome. It’s your holiday, and it should be stress-free 🙂 Have a great time there!
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lexklein said:
Thanks! At least we don’t have tons of flights, some of them very long, to deal with. We got here in under three hours, and the fare was so inexpensive I thought it was a mistake! A stress-free time so far – just what we needed after all the itinerary juggling.
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J.D. Riso said:
I was one who encouraged you to go to SE Asia.,but it’s good that you followed your intuition, which never lies. Even if you didn’t run into problems, your mind would have been focused on them. It’s great that you found a cheap flight to Guatemala. I’ve never been there, but it seems so vibrant. Love the photos. Have a fabulous trip, Lexie.
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lexklein said:
Thanks, Julie. When there are two people involved, that makes a difference, too. The lady I work for would have been cool with a delay getting back, but J’s work is such that any real problem would have caused some serious stress! J was ready to go (mostly for me), but it just felt wrong. As you say, sometimes intuition wins over objective reasoning. Antigua is cheerful and easy, and it feels very relaxed. Getting SUPER cheap flights that were under 3 hours long made it a no-brainer as a way to still get away!
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Green Global Trek said:
Lexie, so glad that you booked a (consolation) trip. Ultimately because you guys had obligations to get back to in a timely manner, you probably made the right decision. It took Ben 24 hours to get back to Viet Nam from the Philippines for a trip that should have taken 10 hours. Everything got impacted by Hong Kong airport shutting down…
As of todays paper here, the death toll has exceeded SARS and all schools here are closed for yet another week. It’s not an insignificant risk to travel through 7 airports in South East Asia right now. And of course things can easily escalate…
Anyhow ANTIGUA is such a gem of a city! Your first photos are fabulous and can’t wait to see more of them. We came here years back en route to what would become our home for six years in Nicaragua and we wanted to get design ideas from the beautiful Colonial restorations in Antigua. And we certainly used quite a few of those when it came time to rebuild the house we bought in Granada. Our little secret patio with a tiled staircase in tones of blues and greens always reminded us of our trip to Antigua which had influenced its design.
ENJOY!
Peta
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Green Global Trek said:
And we look forward to meeting you in February !!!
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lexklein said:
Or maybe November! Just have to find a flight home (and hope the virus has petered out by then …)
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lexklein said:
You know the worst part was missing getting to see you guys! Seriously, that hurt.
So far, Antigua is reminding me a bit of Granada, where I know you lived and where I traveled solo for a week one winter. And San Miguel de Allende. And … it’s just a wonderful Central American city like many others, and we are so happy to be chilling out here for a few days. I STILL would have preferred to be on our trip, but I’ll have to get happy with doing it later. We’ll be just as excited to see you then … and probably a lot more relaxed about it!
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restlessjo said:
Good for you, darlin! Have a fabulous time- it looks great 🙂 🙂
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lexklein said:
Thanks, Jo! So far, so good. Just what we needed to salve our wounds right now. We’ll get back to Asia some day, and it’ll be a better time, I’m sure.
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Jolandi Steven said:
Not a bad consolation prize, Lex. Enjoy the break.
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lexklein said:
Not bad at all, but I still find myself thinking about the “real trip.” It was the right move at the time, and we are working hard to figure out how and when to try again!
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Jolandi Steven said:
I can understand that, Lex. Good luck with figuring that out. I trust it will work out so perfectly that you will say in the end: “A good thing we had to postpone the trip, as otherwise we would never have . . . .”
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lexklein said:
I’ve had that very thought! At the very least, I hope to avoid the terrible indirect flights I had to book this time!
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Jolandi Steven said:
That on its own will be a blessing! Fingers crossed.
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Yeah, Another Blogger said:
Enjoy!
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lexklein said:
We are!
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pam@ichoosethis said:
Take copious notes!! Have a great time!!!!
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pam@ichoosethis said:
Also, great idea to go right away 🙂
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lexklein said:
SO key to have made this plan right as we canceled. I can’t imagine sitting at home right now, thinking about what would have been ..
Have fun in Mexico! We are so close – wish we could zip right up and say hi!
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pam@ichoosethis said:
I agree, about your plan. You all are right next door!! Hope u are having a blast!
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Cheryl Capaldo Traylor said:
Enjoy! It looks beautiful and so colorful. (Thanks for the update as I had been wondering.)
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lexklein said:
I figured most readers would assume we went, just as I thought we would up until almost the last minute! I’m glad we hit pause and did what we did. It’s a bummer in many ways, but I think it was the right choice. Hoping we can redo it sooner rather than later.
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lexi@thelifebus said:
I’ve been thinking about you and wondering what you were going to decide. I would’ve completely done what you did given the worldwide impact of the coronavirus and all that it seems to be impacting; i.e. cruise ships, HK flights, etc. Guatemala is a great alternative choice. When I was a Sr in college I taught Public Health and translated for a medical /dental mission trip in Guatemala. We were there for a month. Outside of the very remote, rural village where we were located, my favorite places I remember were: Lake Atitlan (we took a boat across the lake and there was a large, indigenous market going on it felt like we were Gulliver in Gulliver’s travels), Chichicastenango’s market, Antigua was lovely, and Tikal was magnificent. Que te vaya bien en Guatemala y que disfrutes mucho tu viaje. At least you can relax and just enjoy the experience now and not have to constantly wonder if you can get home. Chin chin, Lexi
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lexklein said:
What a cool place for you to have spent some time! Our daughter is in public health also, and she snuck away for a weekend in Antigua a few years ago while working in Guatemala City. Her rave reviews are what prompted us to pounce on the crazy low fares we saw the day we were having to cancel SE Asia. Nos estamos divirtiendo mucho!
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lexi@thelifebus said:
Yes … I really enjoyed my time there and the pubic health work. It sounds like your daughter has a really fun, adventuresome job! So glad you’re enjoying your trip!! You definitely deserve that after all of the travel drama you’ve been through. Cheers, Lexi.
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Heaven’s Sunshine said:
Sounds like lots of fun with less worry. Good reason for change of plans. 😊
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lexklein said:
For now, I think it was a good decision. Guatemala has been relaxing and fun, and we can always go back to SE Asia.
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Manja Mexi Mexcessive said:
Judging from your photos, you are truly at peace. I would love it there. I hope the world goes back to relatively normal and you get your Asia later. Hugs!
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lexklein said:
Some of the ruins are very Roman, Manja! You might even feel a little bit at home!
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Christie said:
Enjoy your vacation, definitely less to no stress now. After all a vacation is to relax, right? I’m sure you will find a better timing to visit SE Asia.
Looking forward to hear about your adventures in Guatemala!
xoxo
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lexklein said:
Did you get to Central America when you took your Peru trip? It is definitely much less stressful, especially right now. I still sometimes wish I could have gone to SE Asia simply to boost their poor tourist economy. But I will get another chance!
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Christie said:
We did only Peru last year, and hoping for next year to try something else. So many beautiful places, amazing destinations, but so little time LOL I’m sure you’ll get your chance with SE Asia when the things are getting better🙂
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thirdeyemom said:
How wonderful you got to go to Antigua! I love it there. I am not sure what I would have done in your position but I most likely would have changed my plans too. I think you are indeed right that all the hassle and stress would have been tough. The bright side is you get to enjoy gorgeous Guatemala!
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lexklein said:
Yes, it’s been great, Nicole! I searched a number of my best travel blogger friends’ posts for Antigua stories in the 24 hours before we came (crazy, right?), and I read all of your posts from your trip here! Wow – you’ve been blogging for a long time. It was so helpful to read them – I apologize for not commenting but I was flying through stuff in those hectic hours before departure!
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Liesbet @ Roaming About said:
Good decision, Lexie! That was my one worry, that you wouldn’t be able to enjoy the SE Asia trip if you would have gone – too much stress and logistics… I’m glad to read that none of it is canceled, but solely postponed. Enjoy Antigua and Guatemala. When we were there, we hiked on an active volcano that had lava flowing underneath us. An interesting experience, as our soles heated up and the stick we put into the lava through the cracks caught fire.
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lexklein said:
We hiked an active volcano yesterday, but apparently it has not had much lava for the last 4 months or so. Maybe better?! In any case, it was a fun day and fun trip overall – no stress whatsoever and maybe what J needed right now more than a bunch of potentially messed-up flights and empty streets everywhere we went. Glad we could substitute Antigua very quickly and still feel like we got away!
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Sheryl said:
This probably was a wise decision. The alternative location you selected looks wonderful. I enjoyed virtually visiting Guatemala via this post.
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lexklein said:
It was the best choice at the time for sure. I’m sometimes a second guesser, and since we were not really afraid of getting sick, it’s easy to look back and say we might not have had any travel problems. Then again, friends in some of our destinations have said their cities are quiet and lifeless right now with everyone scared to go out. That’s not how I’d want to remember the trip!
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Bama said:
There’s always next time — hopefully for that next time you’ll include Indonesia in one of the places you visit. You know I’ll be more than happy to show you around Jakarta. In the meantime, enjoy Guatemala. After those restless days of changing and adjusting your itinerary as well as rebooking your flights, you deserve a calm and relaxing holiday, indeed.
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lexklein said:
You KNOW how much I’d love to see Jakarta and other arts of Indonesia! My “problem” is that I want to see huge swaths of Asia, and it’s just so far and requires such long trips. J is not quite as keen as I am, so I really want any place we do go to be vibrant and fun and appealing to him, and everything I was hearing from some friends was that life was not really normal right now. I know we will get back for at least this region we had planned (and maybe Japan), but then I may end up in Indonesia and some other places on my own someday!
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awtytravels said:
Oh well at the end of the day better to be safe than sorry… and I’ve never seen a lot of blogs on Guatemala so now, Lexi, you have a moral obligation to provide us with plenty of blog posts! Yay!
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lexklein said:
Believe it or not, I am preparing a post!
We were pretty bummed to give up the big trip (me more than J), but even now, our friends in two cities in Vietnam are saying it just wouldn’t have been a ton of fun. I still think we would have been totally fine, but we just can’t keep second-guessing. And guess what? We both caught colds in Guatemala and are sniffling and coughing and sneezing as if we had been on seven airplanes in SE Asia! 😦
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awtytravels said:
Ha! There’s no escaping the flu. Looking forward to read about your escapades.
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Lisa Dorenfest ~ One Ocean At A Time said:
Guatemala is a lovely consolation prize. And a much easier commute. From the beautiful scenes pictured here, I could tell you were somewhere nearby. We’ll be back on board tomorrow at Marina Chiapas, a mere 45 km from the Guatemala border. Great to see you on the road again in such charming surrounds. Hugs from Salina Cruz, Mexico
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lexklein said:
Can you believe it? After having to bail on a meet-up in Mexico because of our SE Asian adventure, here we were a stone’s throw away! I’m going to have to look up where you are … so did you get to Oaxaca at all? That was J’s choice for a quick trip, but we’ve been all over Mexico and I wanted a new place.
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Lisa Dorenfest ~ One Ocean At A Time said:
Spent a total of 84 hours in Oaxaca (36 on the way to Puerto Vallarta and 48 on the way back to the boat). Loved it. Thought of you yesterday when we were arriving in Chipas with road signs beckoning us to continue onward to Guatemala.
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Dave Ply said:
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. It’s trite, but it looks like you’ve come up with a tasty brew to drown your sorrows – and with the main entrée still to come.
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lexklein said:
We did regroup quickly and plan something to salve our sorrow at having to give up the big trip. Now that we’re already back home and I have a big chunk wide open on the calendar, I wish I could escape yet again!
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equinoxio21 said:
Anitigua is lovely. You won’t regret it. Sorry about Asia, but you will make it another time. The daughter of friends of ours who’s been working in China for some years has been repatriated. HK is facing a mask shortage… Best decision.
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lexklein said:
Yes, we have a friend also whose sister is leaving her work in Hong Kong for a while. Friends in Vietnam and Thailand are saying things are feeling deserted and lifeless. We’ll be happy to go back when some liveliness and lighter moods return!
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equinoxio21 said:
It may take a few months but eventually it will be controlled… Enjoy Guatemala.
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Jeff Bell said:
There is no shame in canceling your trip to Thailand. There is no need to put yourself at risk of getting stuck here. And Antigua and Guatemala are a great alternative. I spent nearly five months there studying Spanish – it is a great country.
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lexklein said:
I don’t feel ashamed, but I do feel sad. I wish we WERE retired or less busy at home, so we could have just come and taken our wonderful trip and figured we’ll get home when we get home! It’s so hard to even fathom how we’ll find a time and the energy to rebook all that stuff. 😦
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Monkey's Tale said:
Thailand will always be there and Central America is great!
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lexklein said:
Yes and yes! My only feeling of loss/frustration is that the trip took so much time to put together and now we have to start over!
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Monkey's Tale said:
Yes that’s tough but now th research is done for November😊
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bluebrightly said:
What a story! We were scheduled to fly to Hanoi for a 3-week tour of Vietnam with a small group – the first tour we’ve ever done, but being Asia novices we thought it would be better. Then the virus, and numerous discussions, reading comments from people already there, everyone with a different opinion…and finally, we made the decision to cancel. We’re so glad we did now! We would have just gotten through the trip (as you said) in the best of scenarios but chances are it would have been a nightmare getting home. We may be a little older than you, and there are some issues that require us to be warier, so making alternate plans would not have worked. At this point I don’t even think domestic travel would work! But I’m glad the Guatemala trip is working well for you. I’m enjoying your narrative and photos immensely.
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lexklein said:
Thank you! At the time we switched gears to go to Guatemala, the virus was still thought to be largely centered in Asia. Now, of course, we would not go anywhere! For a while, I regretted our decision to not go to SE Asia when cases there stayed pretty low, but now we all know better, and I think our decision seems to have been a good one. I’m sorry you missed your trip, too, and I hope we both get a chance to go back some day!
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bluebrightly said:
Let’s hope so, and safe, hassle-free travels to you.
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carolinehelbig said:
Hey Lexie, I don’t know why I missed your last three posts. I usually get a notification. Blame it on the virus. As tough as it was missing out on SE Asia, you made a smart decision. Antigua Guatemala is a lovely plan B. It’s such a gorgeous city. I have beautiful memories including drinking the best margarita of my life (still the case after more than 15 years).
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lexklein said:
Weird … sometimes I miss stuff, too, and I’m not sure why. Anyway, now I look back and think two things: 1. that we could have gotten to SE Asia and back before all hell broke loose! and 2. that we were probably still smart and responsible to not do it! I have elderly parents, who in fact came here to Texas soon after those trip dates, and whom I then had to drive home (2000 miles RT!) when their flights got canceled. I would have felt terrible if I had gotten sick and passed it to them. I also have a new (first!) grand baby arriving very soon, and I thought long and hard about exposing her parents to anything. As it turns out, I suppose I could have picked it up on a plane to Guatemala or back, or in my gym, or wherever … none of us is totally safe now.
But back to Central America and margaritas! I had a few good ones there myself, and it was a great little consolation prize of a trip! Stay healthy, safe, and sane!
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carolinehelbig said:
Exciting news about the imminent arrival of your first grandchild! I agree that it’s the people around us like old parents and new parents that give us pause to think about our actions. I’ve been beating myself about stuff I did 2-3 weeks ago when I really didn’t understand the magnitude of the situation. It has definitely sunk in and I’m laying very low.
Take care of yourself!
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lexklein said:
Thanks – makes me sound sooooooo old! 🙂
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Becks said:
Such a crazy and unknown time, it’s a hard decision to make but I hope you make it there later this year! And at least you still got to have a different trip 🙂
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lexklein said:
It’s been a crazy time all right! It was such a tough decision and, in retrospect, it seems it would have been safer to be there than in the U.S.! But we were not able to be away for long (if we got stuck), so it was the right choice (unfortunately!). Antigua, Guatemala was a nice little substitute, but I sure hope we can rebook the whole SE Asia trip sometime in the next year. (We already felt we needed to cancel the flights we rebooked back then.) Thanks for visiting and commenting!
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