It's a long time since I had any victories but I have Facebook to remind me of my mortality, since this advert popped up on my timeline today, my 69th birthday.
This day finds me in a hiatus since on Saturday I am due to fly to the Caribbean, if British Airways survives that long, if the Government doesn't ban air travel, if the Caymans doesn't re-introduce quarantine, if my pcr test is OK.... If, if, if.
Travelling at the moment is a nightmare since it involves jumping through a succession of ever more constricted hoops. For example: health insurance. I bought a policy specifically designed for the Caymans but after I got it the island (or more accurately islands) introduced a requirement that you have to have tier 4 covid insurance, or something like that. So I phoned the insurance company and actually got to speak to a human being; who had no idea what tier 4 was either...
I don't want to talk about the Caymans travel certificate (required for entry) since it gives me nightmares. Suffice it to say, they rejected me and then mysteriously changed their minds, without telling me they were changing their minds.
British Airways was a joy to deal with (at least compared to the others) but when I changed my travelling dates (to take advantage of a subtle change in Caymans regulations), my seat seemed to have shifted from plane to plane but not my baggage allowance.
PCR tests have to be taken within 72 hours of arrival in the Caymans but the testers may require 48 hours or more before they produce results. Getting a test that is going to be valid, is a test in itself. And the tests cost an arm and a leg and sometimes quite a lot of other body parts too. One local tester wanted £139, but they didn't tell me that was what it was going to cost until after they took my credit card details.
So I am flying to the Bahamas, first stop on the trip to the Caymans, on Saturday.
Who knows if I will ever be able to come back, since it's quite possible the world's airline system will seize up? Is it still possible to work your way back to the UK on a banana boat? Do they grow bananas in the Caymans.