Phuket

If the flight ban remained, the contingent plan was to do a "wash out" either in Singapore or Thailand. Fortunately, the flight ban from Australia was lowered. Due to the lack of perceived urgency that work needs me back in Hong Kong I figure it would be a good opportunity to do some travel before returning to Sydney and onwards to Hong Kong. First block of annual leave for 2022. First night stayed in a SHA+ hotel, while waiting for negative PCR results, I'm sure this process will all sound so unfamiliar in the future.

La nina

It's been a funny old summer. La Nina has brought about cool, damp weather for most of the time I've been back. We are also experiencing "once in a hundred year flooding". Not sure what's worse,  being stuck indoors because of covid, or being stuck indoors because it's too wet to go outside.

 

Snitches get stitches ...

An A4 sheet of paper is put in front of me. On the page are three outlines of the human body. The most left outline has a couple of dots within the outline, let's say 5% of the body is filled with black dots. The middle has more dots, closer to 10-20%. The third on the right is littered with small black dots, 40-50. "So, if you had to say how many moles you have, which of these three do you more closely resemble?". I point at the right hand side diagram. "Oh, you're considered very moley, you should be checking your moles yearly".

It's an interesting process to have somebody look at every mole on your body. Brushing through the hair line. Looking under nails, at your lips, at your toes, are the soles of your feet. Turns out I have a mole on my lip and a mole on the front of one of my toes. We also found a mole that isn't quite like the others. They decided to cut this sucker out for further biopsy. Turns out it was of no concern.

A little uncomfortable sleeping, and you have to keep it dry and clean, that's a bit annoying. Oh, and you can't do yoga else, this the stitches may pop out.

How I became stranded: the Timeline of events

Timeline of Hong Kong government announcements.

November 29th - Government moves Australia to "High Risk" category, ie: 3 week hotel Quanrantine

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202111/29/P2021112900754.htm

January 5th - Government bans flights from Australia 

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202201/05/P2022010500713.htm

January 14th - Government extends flight ban

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202201/14/P2022011400637.htm

February 11th - Government extends flight ban

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202202/11/P2022021100536.htm

February 22nd - Government extends flight ban until the 20th April

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202202/23/P2022022300339.htm

It's the end of February, I should have been back in Hong Kong on the 2nd of January. Then back on the 4th of Febuary. So here I am, end of February with no Quarantine Hotel, no flights and an expected return date of the end of April. 

Not a bad outcome, if I do say so myself.

Flight update

 Extension to flight ban. New target 4th March - moving to 4 months of being "stuck" in Sydney.

Covid Isolation (Second week)

There's something about having to do another isolation for a second time. There's also something about having to do isolation in what could be the best week of an ending summer time. In hindsight, that first isolation feels like a complete waste of time. So here I am, out in Olympic Park, listening to the sound of Cockatoos in the morning and cicadas in the evening. Thankfully Ali managed to hook me up with a serviced apartment. Aircon doesn't work, but it's comfortable. This will be home for the next seven days.

Day 7, symptoms all but gone, slight cough remains as does the faintest of lines on the RAT. Will wait another day before discharging myself.

Covid strikes

 "The vaccine works! I was the only person who had a booster and I managed to avoid Covid" were the words of proclamation. That is, until last week. They said it starts with a sore throat, and a spicy cough. Thursday, my throats starts to become scratchy. Friday I wake with headache, and mind fog. The RAT still remains negative. Come Friday evening, I have a fever and body aches. Covid strikes.