Sat 1030 Still in bed (sitting up). Don't feel great, I sort of finally looked at the time maybe 10 mins ago, I don't feel terrible or anything. Throat/eyes feel a little raw, but colds nearly always seem to feel worse for me when I've been lying down for a while. I still think my cold is on the mend, it wouldn't surprise me if I hardly notice it today once I've been up and about a bit.
Had check of FCO travel advice for Colombia, no obvious change. Found this on gov.uk page (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus):
"If travel advice changes while you are abroad
If we change FCO travel advice, we usually advise you to follow the advice of local authorities. Your safety and security is the responsibility of the local authority where you are.
If you are abroad when our travel advice changes, contact your airline or travel company, and your insurance provider as soon as you are able.
You should also keep checking our travel advice. If we advise people to leave a country we will say so. We only organise assisted departure in exceptional circumstances."
Last paragraph is most relevant. They are not advising people to leave the country, nor has the travel advice changed in a way which seems relevant to me already in the country for more than 14 days (otherwise, having transited Spain, I would have had to self-isolate until I'd been in country 14 days without symptoms). So right now I don't see that I'm supposed to leave.
Really not sure what (from a pure touristy POV) going to do today. I could maybe go over to MCDM; it might be a bit depressing but probably, it is something I want to do. I might well go over on Metro as I shouldn't be on it too long and I'd hope it wouldn't be too busy at weekend (though IME it has not been exactly quiet).
In some ways given been out every night during week I'd be quite happy not going out over weekend, but I do sort of feel it would be reassuring to *see* other foreigners are still here (talking to them being less essential). CS has a comuna 13 thing this afternoon, I do want to go but had intended to take a "proper" tour, OTOH this might be interesting *but* as of now there are no attendees showing. Onda's also has a "party" at 8pm, I'm not sure that is exactly up my street but if I went earlyish it might not be too BNMish and if I just pissed off quietly at 9pm or 10pm after failing to talk to anyone it wouldn't be the end of the world. Comuna 13 thing is at 2 so maybe it's too early for people to have signed up and I will keep an eye on it, though I'm not inclined to sit around at home waiting to see if it gets busier and if I decide to do something else it can just fuck off.
Meetup has Onda's event at 7pm FWIW. There's also Dancefree as a LE (which fits with what those guys told me Thu after school LE, but makes invitation to go with them slightly less flattering) but not my scene, and a LE somewhere not too nearby at 1730. Looking at map, it's in Poblado - obviously I could get a taxi, but I'm not super keen.
1111 Had a poke on MG. They have an article on CV but it's not saying much directly relevant about whether you should leave or not if you don't live here. Anyway, scanning their "top 35 things" list and ignoring (for today; I will have to see how things develop re local travel) the outside Medellin things, since MCDM is on there and it feels like a low-ish stress thing to do I think I'll pop over there on Metro and see how it goes.
Sun 0342 Just got home. Odd but interesting evening, and indeed day. Will write up later, just wanted to get time down.
It's odd, it almost feels like the world isn't going to end and we're not just in the grip of panic while something bad but not civilisation-shattering happens. I must be drunk, obviously we are actually teetering on the bring of the world ending and to suggest for a second things are serious but not disastrous would be ridiculously naive.
Sun 2140 Right, I need to write up last night but want to get more recent emotions etc down first. Also really without betraying confidences last night comes down to "went to Ondas for Sat night then via Metro about 730pm, v cool views from elevated Metro stn, hardly anyone there - a couple of pairs round the largish terrace at times - spent most of night talking with owner Dave who gave me some good advice re body lagnuage/confidence in street, later on joined by Aidan Ring - a fire performer - for chat and when Dave closed up we all walked over to 70 and had a burger at a street cart then a beer - Aidan paid - at some bar" .
So I felt a bit - not terribly - rough this morning, alarm at 11, snoozed every 10 mins til gone 12. Checked FCO advice and (have screenshot) they strong advised non-resident Brits to consider leaving. Phoned parents, went out for lunch at Carrazal, came back. Spent over an hour in queue for travel insurance helpline. When got to speak to someone, was told they *would* pay for a return flight (up to, as it turns out, £2k on my policy less £100 excess) but if I stayed I would *probably* be covered but any claim would be referred to underwriters. So despite - whole day - feeling sort of (hard to exactly describe feeling) disappointed and annoyed to have to leave (*esp* when fewer cases here now than back home) I kind of felt I had no real choice.
By time I was booking flights (maybe 5pm) it was hard. I had a direct flight home (Medellin-Bogota-London) and as I dithered about booking it - though maybe it would have gone anyway - because expedia weren't showing class and insurance had told me I had to travel back same class as normal - I lost it, when I clicked buy it said it had gone (£1.3kish). Panic ensues. Felt really shitty, yes it would somehow be cool to have had to stay but given insurance situation and "decision" to leave not being able to leave felt shit. Various flights via US (no chance, even without current restrictions the ESTA shit makes them useless - and thanks Opodo for not showing the stopovers in the search results, super handy) and via Marid at similar prices but massively unclear if I am allowed to fly home via Madrid. Phone lagging like fuck despite rebooting it after calling insurance co (was on hold prob 1h15m BTW) and super stressful.
Ultimately - I am sure the booking sites are struggling one way or another - I managed to short-circuit the issue by searching Bogota (instead of Medellin) to London and the direct Avianca flight I'd "missed out on" earlier came up (I had been shown the last ticket, if site not playing games). I dithered - what if no flights to Bogota? - but booked it and my fucking credit card company rejected it. This again was showing as last ticket. Luckily I tried again with another card and it hadn't sold out and it works (sincere thanks to Barclaycard). I dithered a bit more, the flight leaves Bogota 11pm ish tomorrow, but esp as I am booking other flight separately and even if I weren't this is real "last flight out" territory, so I've booked an 842amish flight to Bogota tomorrow and have got hotel to book me a taxi for 530. Fingers crossed it's all OK, I will be in Bogota airport for ages (longer than the actual flight home) but I have to play it safe.
This is probably the closest I will ever come (h/t Cryptonomicon) to walking up to an airline check-in desk and saying "get me on the next flight to London" .
The flight is about 1300, maybe a hair under 1400 with Med-Bog flight. So I should be OK on insurance, tho if this falls thru I don't have much headroom left of my 2k allowance for another try at a flight out.
If I *had* got stuck here - and I still may, who knows what will happen tomorrow? - that would suck but also be sort of cool and I like to think I'd play the hand I was dealt. (If - and I'm glad this *isn't* the case, of course - my parents were dead, I might have been more inclined to just stay on here in Colombia) But equally I have to play the game and in face of FCO advice and travel insurance iffiness of remaining I had to try to go home (for all the fact it feels silly to be fleeing a country with currently low virus cases for one struggling a bit) and it seems I *am* able to, so we are where we are.
In some ways if all goes OK I am not too badly out of pocket - my hotel reservation expired tomorrow morning anyway, I had no school or other accom booked. I paid hotel in cash since I want to run down my big cash reserve - will still be stuck with loads but can't be helped and it wasn't foolish to withdraw it.
Global health and economic situation permitting I plan to return soon-ish. If things settle down and I can afford it I might perhaps use the "spare" 5 weeks holiday cash I am not spending now to go to Guatemala before Christmas and then do another 90 day trip to Colombia in Jan 2021. All up in air but that's rough thought now.
I feel sad and a bit cheated to be leaving. But the world is *not* ending, and unless I happen to die I *will* come back. Esp after talking with Dave last night the tourist industry here may suffer a huge blow if this isn't over sharpish, but there *will* be a Colombia to come back to and with a bit of luck I'll be able to go see Dave at Onda's too.
I went out for some beers at Fonda La Colombianita after sorting flights out, technically foolish but (as with last night in Argentina and HMRC shit) I couldn't just slip off miserably. Had told myself would only have three but had seven Aguilas. Before that I poped over to small shop and spent 28k cash on misc snacks for tomorrow in hope of avoiding feeling too hungry - not time to eat in morning, I *will* have to eat at airport but this might help, TBH 28k feels insanely pricey for snacks but couldn't be helped.
I have tickets only on phone but I think that will be OK.
Had a couple of empanadas at street stall after leaving FLC, very nice, had some of the thin spicy sauce on them. Got a massive quantity of apples and bananas left in room and going to gorge on them despite not being hungry. Need to pack of course.
Worth noting that although this feels shit, it's not like this was a once-in-a-lifetime trip. I have the luxury of a hell of a lot of control over my time and I can take the travel I'm missing out on now later. And I did at least get the bulk of my holiday in before SHTF - 90 day trip, I think I am returning almost exactly 5 weeks early, so I still got 55 days of travel in.
2328 Semi-packed. Wasn't going to but got e-mail from Avianca re Bogota-London flight and have checked in online. This means I do have an aisle seat but it's fucking saying I have to print my boarding pass. Fuck knows if this means I'm shafted.
2336 Just been down to reception, can't print here. Woman reckoned I can print at airport (I didn't go into detail about this being my flight from Bogota) but I may get stung for 10-20k. Just have to hope this is OK, I guess barring major fuckups tomorrow morning I will have hours in Bogota to sort this out (I am assuming I can show my e-ticket on phone for first flight when I check in) and if push really comes to shove I can get a cab over to an internet cafe somewhere in suburban Bogota.
Mon 0015 Bed. Don't know how much sleep I'll get but ought to try.
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