Over the last week of February and the first part of March, we became more and more concerned about the global reach of the coronavirus. On Wednesday, March 11th, we bussed into Bahia De Caraquez to shop for groceries. As we entered Mi Comiseriato, the grocery store, an employee used a spray sanitizer on the handle of our shopping cart and offered to spray our hands, which we accepted. That night, we saw on YouTube that the United States was closing its borders to European visitors. That got our attention.
The next morning, we decided to go home 3 weeks early. We went online to Air Canada and discovered, as expected, that changes to our flights could only be made by phone. We phoned Air Canada on Skype and an automated message told us that, due to the volume of calls, the airline would not even put us on hold from outside of Canada. We were told to make changes online. Catch-22.
We emailed our son Dylan back home in Canada with all of our reservation and flight information. He called Air Canada and, after 3 hours on hold, managed to change our reservations from Saturday, April 4th to Monday, March 16th.
Over the next few days, we packed and prepared for departure but also tried to enjoy the sunshine and beach of Canoa. Anita went to her last painting lesson at Moya's and brought home her paintings. We informed the owners of our condo that we were leaving early and, because of the uncertainty, would not leave a deposit to guarantee our rental next year. The owners were very understanding and emailed us that they would hold the condo for us anyway until we could all see what transpired with the pandemic. On the Friday, we walked into the village and ate a shrimp ceviche lunch at the Charly Bar followed by a homemade maracuya ice cream and waffle cone at Edgar and Rachel's shop.
The next day, we heard that the army had come in to the village that night and enforced a closure of all the bars and restaurants at 9 pm. That night, since we were registered with the Government of Canada travel registry, we were informed by email that Ecuador was closing its borders to incoming foreigners. The owners of our condo emailed us again to offer the condo to us for as long as we needed it if we could not get out of the country. Later we learned that Canoa was locked down. No-one was allowed to use any public spaces, including the beach, streets or sidewalks. Cars with odd numbered plates were allowed to travel for groceries or medicines one day and cars with even numbered plates were allowed on the road the next day. Buses were cancelled. Businesses were closed. Restaurants could only deliver take-out. A friend sent us a picture of the Main Street of Canoa a few days later.
Through our property manager, Samia, we had arranged for the same taxi driver, Wilmer from San Vicente, to pick us up on Sunday morning at 10 am. That morning we gave away the rest of our excess food to our neighbours. They waved and air hugged us goodbye and off we went on the 5 1/2 hour drive from the coast up the western slope of the Andes to Quito.
That night, we stayed in a small hotel near the airport. We had arranged to eat dinner there and did so with another couple from Calgary. They were 2 months into a year long trip around the world but had made reservations on the same plane as we would be on so they could get back to Canada safely.
We were apprehensive about possible chaos in the airport and didn't sleep well. At 3:30 am, we got up, showered, packed, ate some snacks and were ready for our shuttle to the airport leaving at 4:45 am. Along with the couple from Calgary, we got into the hotel owner's pickup truck and threw our packs into the back. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain so our packs got soaked but, at that point, that was a minor problem.
Check-in at the airport was surprisingly calm. After passing through customs and security, we went near our gate and got a coffee for Anita. For the next 2 hours we sat at a fast food restaurant table so we wouldn't be packed in to the seating near our gate with all the other Toronto bound passengers. Social distancing. About 1/5 of the travellers and some of the workers were wearing masks. Some were wearing disposable gloves. Most passengers were quiet and probably nervous like us. We passed the time by chatting with Dave and Debbie, a Canadian couple we knew from Canoa, who sat at the next table.
We had tracked the incoming Air Canada plane online so we knew it had arrived the previous day. We boarded the plane in time for the scheduled 7:30 am departure. There was no health screening at all.
There were some empty seats and we learned that there had been about 50 cancellations, probably from people who couldn't get to Quito on time. The captain informed us that, since this was the last plane leaving Quito for Toronto, Air Canada would do their best to get all the seats filled with standby passengers so as many people as possible could get out of Ecuador and back to Canada. He said that would take about an hour and it seemed like everyone accepted that. In the meantime, some passengers had switched seats to be near a friend or family member.
After an hour, only 4 more passengers got on the plane. Apparently, with so many changes, the computer system had crashed. Eventually, Air Canada check-in staff walked through the plane and counted the number and location of empty seats. It was confusing because some people were not in the correct seat. However, by 10 am all the seats were filled and we took off. As we did so, we could hear a woman a few rows behind us crying her eyes out because a family member on standby couldn't get on the plane and was left behind. It was very sad but we were relieved to be on our way to Canada.
The flight was uneventful except for having the worst food we've ever had on a plane. We watched movies on our iPhone and iPad to pass the time. At customs in Toronto, the customs officer asked us where we were coming from and if we felt sick. That was it for health screening.
Because of the delay in boarding standby passengers in Quito, we missed our connection to Ottawa. However, an Air Canada rep met us as we disembarked and gave us boarding passes for a later flight. Some people weren't so lucky and had to wait in Toronto until the next day to make their connections.
We texted Dylan, who was to pick us up at the Ottawa airport. Instead of getting us that night, he reserved an Ottawa airport area hotel room for us. Our flight left on time and was uneventful. When we arrived, we retrieved our luggage and called the Days Inn shuttle. We tried not to interact too much with the driver in case we had picked up the virus on the plane somehow.
At the hotel, we checked in and I walked across the parking lot to the Tim Hortons to get us a couple of wraps to eat. It was strange to see all the tables and chairs stacked up and be offered take-out only. In the meantime, Anita opened her pack to discover that at some baggage inspection enroute, the inspector had opened her container of Metamucil powder but had not closed it tightly again. Because it was in a wet pack, it was like glue stuck to everything. Luckily we use big ziplock bags as compression packing sacks so most of her clothes were spared but it still took a long time to clean up.
That night we slept well. We were so glad to be safe in Canada.
The next morning we grabbed a light breakfast from the hotel breakfast buffet. Dylan picked us up in our car at 10:30 am. We sat in the back to stay as far from him as possible. On the way home, we used the bathroom in the Renfrew Walmart but we tried not to touch anything. We sanitized our hands both before and after we went in. Dylan got us take-out burgers at Wendy's and later got gas in Golden Lake. He passed the food back to us and paid for everything. We made sure that he never touched anything that we had touched first.
We arrived home in the late afternoon. Once again we had a great winter vacation in Canoa. From January 10th to March 17th, our whole trip cost about $8,300 Canadian. Money well spent.
Now we are self isolating for 14 days just to be sure that if we did pick up the virus, we won't give it to anyone else. We know now that there are thousands of Canadians in South America who can’t get back to Canada. We're thankful to be home and hoping for the best for everyone.
The next morning, we decided to go home 3 weeks early. We went online to Air Canada and discovered, as expected, that changes to our flights could only be made by phone. We phoned Air Canada on Skype and an automated message told us that, due to the volume of calls, the airline would not even put us on hold from outside of Canada. We were told to make changes online. Catch-22.
We emailed our son Dylan back home in Canada with all of our reservation and flight information. He called Air Canada and, after 3 hours on hold, managed to change our reservations from Saturday, April 4th to Monday, March 16th.
Over the next few days, we packed and prepared for departure but also tried to enjoy the sunshine and beach of Canoa. Anita went to her last painting lesson at Moya's and brought home her paintings. We informed the owners of our condo that we were leaving early and, because of the uncertainty, would not leave a deposit to guarantee our rental next year. The owners were very understanding and emailed us that they would hold the condo for us anyway until we could all see what transpired with the pandemic. On the Friday, we walked into the village and ate a shrimp ceviche lunch at the Charly Bar followed by a homemade maracuya ice cream and waffle cone at Edgar and Rachel's shop.
The next day, we heard that the army had come in to the village that night and enforced a closure of all the bars and restaurants at 9 pm. That night, since we were registered with the Government of Canada travel registry, we were informed by email that Ecuador was closing its borders to incoming foreigners. The owners of our condo emailed us again to offer the condo to us for as long as we needed it if we could not get out of the country. Later we learned that Canoa was locked down. No-one was allowed to use any public spaces, including the beach, streets or sidewalks. Cars with odd numbered plates were allowed to travel for groceries or medicines one day and cars with even numbered plates were allowed on the road the next day. Buses were cancelled. Businesses were closed. Restaurants could only deliver take-out. A friend sent us a picture of the Main Street of Canoa a few days later.
Through our property manager, Samia, we had arranged for the same taxi driver, Wilmer from San Vicente, to pick us up on Sunday morning at 10 am. That morning we gave away the rest of our excess food to our neighbours. They waved and air hugged us goodbye and off we went on the 5 1/2 hour drive from the coast up the western slope of the Andes to Quito.
That night, we stayed in a small hotel near the airport. We had arranged to eat dinner there and did so with another couple from Calgary. They were 2 months into a year long trip around the world but had made reservations on the same plane as we would be on so they could get back to Canada safely.
We were apprehensive about possible chaos in the airport and didn't sleep well. At 3:30 am, we got up, showered, packed, ate some snacks and were ready for our shuttle to the airport leaving at 4:45 am. Along with the couple from Calgary, we got into the hotel owner's pickup truck and threw our packs into the back. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain so our packs got soaked but, at that point, that was a minor problem.
Check-in at the airport was surprisingly calm. After passing through customs and security, we went near our gate and got a coffee for Anita. For the next 2 hours we sat at a fast food restaurant table so we wouldn't be packed in to the seating near our gate with all the other Toronto bound passengers. Social distancing. About 1/5 of the travellers and some of the workers were wearing masks. Some were wearing disposable gloves. Most passengers were quiet and probably nervous like us. We passed the time by chatting with Dave and Debbie, a Canadian couple we knew from Canoa, who sat at the next table.
We had tracked the incoming Air Canada plane online so we knew it had arrived the previous day. We boarded the plane in time for the scheduled 7:30 am departure. There was no health screening at all.
There were some empty seats and we learned that there had been about 50 cancellations, probably from people who couldn't get to Quito on time. The captain informed us that, since this was the last plane leaving Quito for Toronto, Air Canada would do their best to get all the seats filled with standby passengers so as many people as possible could get out of Ecuador and back to Canada. He said that would take about an hour and it seemed like everyone accepted that. In the meantime, some passengers had switched seats to be near a friend or family member.
After an hour, only 4 more passengers got on the plane. Apparently, with so many changes, the computer system had crashed. Eventually, Air Canada check-in staff walked through the plane and counted the number and location of empty seats. It was confusing because some people were not in the correct seat. However, by 10 am all the seats were filled and we took off. As we did so, we could hear a woman a few rows behind us crying her eyes out because a family member on standby couldn't get on the plane and was left behind. It was very sad but we were relieved to be on our way to Canada.
The flight was uneventful except for having the worst food we've ever had on a plane. We watched movies on our iPhone and iPad to pass the time. At customs in Toronto, the customs officer asked us where we were coming from and if we felt sick. That was it for health screening.
Because of the delay in boarding standby passengers in Quito, we missed our connection to Ottawa. However, an Air Canada rep met us as we disembarked and gave us boarding passes for a later flight. Some people weren't so lucky and had to wait in Toronto until the next day to make their connections.
We texted Dylan, who was to pick us up at the Ottawa airport. Instead of getting us that night, he reserved an Ottawa airport area hotel room for us. Our flight left on time and was uneventful. When we arrived, we retrieved our luggage and called the Days Inn shuttle. We tried not to interact too much with the driver in case we had picked up the virus on the plane somehow.
At the hotel, we checked in and I walked across the parking lot to the Tim Hortons to get us a couple of wraps to eat. It was strange to see all the tables and chairs stacked up and be offered take-out only. In the meantime, Anita opened her pack to discover that at some baggage inspection enroute, the inspector had opened her container of Metamucil powder but had not closed it tightly again. Because it was in a wet pack, it was like glue stuck to everything. Luckily we use big ziplock bags as compression packing sacks so most of her clothes were spared but it still took a long time to clean up.
That night we slept well. We were so glad to be safe in Canada.
The next morning we grabbed a light breakfast from the hotel breakfast buffet. Dylan picked us up in our car at 10:30 am. We sat in the back to stay as far from him as possible. On the way home, we used the bathroom in the Renfrew Walmart but we tried not to touch anything. We sanitized our hands both before and after we went in. Dylan got us take-out burgers at Wendy's and later got gas in Golden Lake. He passed the food back to us and paid for everything. We made sure that he never touched anything that we had touched first.
We arrived home in the late afternoon. Once again we had a great winter vacation in Canoa. From January 10th to March 17th, our whole trip cost about $8,300 Canadian. Money well spent.
Now we are self isolating for 14 days just to be sure that if we did pick up the virus, we won't give it to anyone else. We know now that there are thousands of Canadians in South America who can’t get back to Canada. We're thankful to be home and hoping for the best for everyone.
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