Kauai/Princeville, day 9
4am. It’s hard to not sink into deep fear this morning with the world news.
Didn’t sleep much last night, as I was listening to news through the night; between the Covid-19 spread, a ship with some 20+ cases on board landing in Oakland today (where we fly in two weeks), Europe’s cases spreading quickly, and the world’s financial markets crashing drastically on oil price manipulations by OPEC in reaction to Russia’s not propping up prices.
Yesterday we pulled the trigger on a change to our original European travel plans. We’re to arrive in Dublin April 15th, connecting the next day with Christine/Stephen, then touring Ireland with them April 18th-23rd, Pattie and I to continue until May 4th. Then, instead of continuing to stay in Dublin and take trips through Europe until departing July 14, we’ll return to the US May 6th.
Northern Italy is on lockdown, we got a notice from Delta about increased flexibility in adjusting flight plans—we’ll have to wait to get a similar notice from United before we make further changes, I think.
Now local Hawai’i news is reporting a 2nd case in Oahu, state officials trying to identify people on the same plane as him.
Between the virus and the markets, It feels like we’re on the verge of a general panic.
I wish there was a way to just stay put here in Hawai’I and avoid getting on a plane, going to crowded airports… I know we’re healthy and not immunocompromised, I know we’ll be fine, but certainly don’t want to play a role in the contagion.
When the rains stopped for a while we headed out to explore some of the ‘secret beaches’ around here. Just outside our apartment we were greeted by a lovely little song…
We stopped by several beaches but, in many cases here, the ‘public’ beach access requirement is fulfilled by putting in a parking lot with 3-4 parking spaces amidst all the resort parking with huge warnings of being towed. Alas, our first few attempts at accessing beaches were unsuccessful.
But we did get to Anini Beach…
And then on to the “Secret Beach” (really Kauapea beach) which involved a bit of a muddy/slippery hike down to the rather treacherous waters. Lovely though the water is, these dangers of cross-currents and rip currents are very clearly marked on the pathway down.
A nice little lunch at PV Eats gave us a gorgeous view over a golf course all the way to the water, then on back to some more writing.
We’re certainly excited to travel south tomorrow, for diving Wednesday and Thursday with the folks we met at Fathom Five last week…and to put some of these travel concerns out of mind for a few days, at least.
