Cutting things short and hurrying home

WE had booked our trip to Ethiopia and then on to Spain and Portugal last year, before the emergence of Covid19. Even when we left in early March the spread was limited, although reports of cases in northern Italy were coming out, we still expected to complete our trip to Europe. However, 10 days into the Ethiopian section, in a hotel where the internet was down, we watched on BBC news that Italy was in lockdown and Spain was about to follow. We had no choice but to cancel our trip to Europe and go home with the rest of the group at the end of the Ethiopian tour.

However, three days later the New Zealand Government urged all New Zealanders to get home while commercial flights were still operating. The group decided to cut the last four days off the tour, missing the Awash National Park and Lake Lagano south of Addis, and get home as quickly as possible. Tours Direct back in New Zealand worked wonders changing our flights.

It was about then that we noticed a new hostility from locals, someone shouting, ‘‘Corona virus’’ at us, a woman lashed out at one of our group, and some boys threw stones. Our guide, Afe, cool and knowledgeable as ever, explained that they got information from radio or word of mouth which called it a white person’s disease.

We flew back to Addis Ababa to catch a flight to Dubai and then home.

However, during the day Dubai had closed its borders and they wouldn’t let us check in, even though we would only be transiting and had confirmed onward flights. Our New Zealand guide, Janet, was calm, polite and persistent, and finally got someone to phone the UAE to check. After an hour’s nailbiting anxiety that we would have to stay in Africa, permission to check in was granted and our luggage checked right through to Auckland. At the gate we had to explain again, but we were allowed to board, although many others, including some very angry and probably desperate people, were not. The plane took off with only abut 50 passengers on board. Dubai airport was busy and seemed to be operating as usual, but someone told us it would close in a couple of days.

The flight from Dubai to Auckland was almost full with lots of young people, many coming home from Europe. Several people on that flight were later confirmed to have Covid19.

We were never so glad to land in Auckland, and later Dunedin where our car had been left for us to drive ourselves home. We are still well and have come out of selfisolation. As the country is now in in lockdown there isn’t much difference.

But it’s good to be home with clean air, vegetables in the garden, bush within walking distance, familiar things around, and the ability to phone friends and relatives.