Jail Break

 We have had a fantastic  time in the east ( India and Maldives ) , and  we were now heading west  ( Madrid and Quito ).  We had avoided eastern Covid, arriving and leaving all destinations with negative PCRs, our vaccine certificates and multiple forms . You never know whether the  upcoming journey is possible until the day before, and that PCR result arrives  . Have I unknowingly caught the latest variant ?and with it a 10 day confinement, in some cases in a government establishment ; an Indian nightmare !

The trip out of Dubai was on our favourite plane , the A380 : passengers get more room and a smoother ride. Room was plentiful with our adjacent seat free and in an exit row , so acres of space in front . The first 15 minutes were smooth , then suddenly the whole plane stated to shudder , to us violently . Seat belt sign had been switched on , then the captain instructed the crew to strap in ; a heart beat raising phrase. What’s happening ? , it’s the not knowing that is truly scary . We survived back to smooth flying ; and then the captain explained that we had been caught in the turbulence of the A380 in front , so he had moved off to the side. A380’s , being so big give it’s passengers a smooth ride ; but are not so good for the planes behind !

On the way into Madrid , in slow traffic , we passed a bright yellow Lamborghini SUV ! An absurd concept , but there is money here ! We were staying in the centre , surrounded by beautiful buildings,  but hoards of people . As the last shopping week-end before Christmas, it was as thought the city’s entire inhabitants had converged on the streets around us . No hope of social distancing ; but high degree of masks wearing. Reading the news , France was starting to close  its borders  , with Germany following suit. A concerned message from our daughter in Quito : “ you have avoided Covid so far , don’t fall at the last hurdle! “ We had arrived for three days of sightseeing , but now avoiding people was the message of the day . No Prado museum ; out door dining and drinking; shopping just for essentials . We didn’t want to spend Christmas locked down in Madrid , and maybe unable to leave `Spain !

A new PCR test would be our ‘get out of jail card ‘ . As a precaution the test was two days before departure , with results due mid night . The test centre was swamped , Spain had just mandated them for travel to their own  islands . Three hours late ( at 01.00 ) the centre messaged us  to say the results were inconclusive , they would repeat but couldn’t guarantee a result . Mild panic , we may be stuck ! After two hours of trying, a replacement centre was found which would guarantee a three hour service …at now 200 euro each . No choice we paid , and received a clear result on time…and a few minutes later , the same from the first laboratory. Doubly cleared …we are on our way . 

Perhaps I should mentioned here that , as our weight allowance had doubled , our destination had ordered loads of stuff in Madrid ; which necessitated the purchase of two more large suitcases. So we were off to the airport with 100kg of stuff. Travelling light? Still for the last three days we were able to consume alcohol , unlike the previous week in the dry Maldives . So no need for a repeat of gin and tonic with the flight breakfast!