Saturday, June 12, 2021

Bermuda Notes

What is Bermuda like? I wouldn't know. 

Bermuda requires arrival testing, and quarantine until results. The arrival test can work for the departure test required for the airline to board passengers to the U.S. We didn't get tested for 26 hours after arrival (airline passengers are tested at the airport). Results had been running 5-8 hours. It's now been 23 hours and no results yet. If I don't have results in about half an hour I have to reschedule my flight. 

My Airbnb is lovely, and the host is working her local connections to see if she can get me what I need. Since I showed up a day late and she has no-one booked, she extended the invitation to stay overnight if it comes to that. So I'm physically comfortable, safe, and I am not likely to have to pay thousands to get out of this pickle. I have been in worse travel adventures. But I'm not pleased. 

I spent the first day on the ship and the immediately adjacent wharf. I had a lovely taxi ride the length of the island to the Airbnb. I walked to the city center for takeaway food last night (perhaps not strictly according to the rules). What a surprise - it's a big banking center! (Offshore banks, anyone?) It seems to have high-end shopping, but everything closes at 5 and I had waited till past then hoping for the results so I could sit on a sidewalk patio. It was Friday evening, and bars were packed anyway with prosperous-looking banking types. I did, however, get 11,000+ fitbit steps on my excursion. I was too disgruntled to take any pictures. 

In the middle of the night, when results still weren't there, I reached out to my ship via email to see if they were in the same situation, because misery loves company and I needed to find out if it was just me. I determined the phone number to talk to a person, and their opening time. I checked airline flights - there is a later one this afternoon with apparently seats, and flights tomorrow. I like a backup plan. I'll need to call and change soon!

EDIT/UPDATE: It wasn't just me, the whole ship was waiting for results. Possibly because of my host's interventions (just happened to know the head of the lab), my results came through on my phone just after I had picked  it up to reschedule my flight. I hung up on the airline. The taxi was there and waiting, so I threw everything in the car and off I went! Made it.

2 comments:

Liz said...

Yikes, how gfalling. I suggest instant amnesia on this point as soon as it's in the rearview mirror. Guess we're spoiled on our fast test results, but I would have expected a big tourist destination to be more comparable.

KCF said...

what a total drag!