FIRST THINGS FIRST

Now to deal with the CCP virus COVID-19 testing and mask requirements... 

Lufthansa sent me an email a couple of weeks before our trip letting us know what kind of masks they required on the flight.  Well, of course, I didn’t have that type of mask and spent over an hour, yes, over an hour, looking at all the different kinds of masks on Amazon.  I finally chose the “duckbill” type because it looked like I could actually breathe and not have it pressed against my mouth. 

Well, a day or two before the trip, Lufthansa sends another email stating that another type of mask is required.  The two were not the same.  I immediately freaked out and called Carolyn.  (These are the kinds of things I obsess over.)  Carolyn, smartly, suggested I make a copy of the email and the requirements appearing on their website to show the check-in person that, according to their website, I had the correct mask. 

Well, let me tell you this.  We got through check-in with no questions asked about our masks.  When we started boarding, each passenger had every kind of mask imaginable from the cheapo paper ones, to the KN95, to the N95, to the cloth masks (which according to both the email and website were absolutely forbidden), to the gaiter face coverings. Nobody was prohibited from boarding due to the type of mask they were wearing.  Once onboard, everyone drank water in order to avoid having to wear the mask.

So, there I was carrying dozens of stupid duckbill masks, taking up precious space in my suitcase, (because they were supposed to be replaced every four hours) because I actually read the email and website.  Furthermore, I will never get back the hour I spent shopping for them on Amazon.  (I finally left them in Israel somewhere.) What a crock.

If you don’t think I’m upset by now, wait…

We were also required to get a COVID-19 Rapid PCR Test within 72 hours of our arrival in Egypt.  PCR tests are not available on Bainbridge Island nor were they available anywhere in Seattle except for ExpresCheck at the airport. 

Millions of people around the world have lost their lives, their businesses, their livelihoods, everything - no amount of money could compensate for what the CCP virus has done - yet some are making tons of money off of this plague.  ExpresCheck is one of those entities.  They charge $250.00 per person for this test that probably costs them a fraction of that price.  As a capitalist, I never begrudge anyone making a profit but how does anyone justify this outrageous mark-up?  It’s absolutely disgusting.

No further test was needed upon our arrival in Egypt.  However, we were required to get another test in Cairo prior to leaving Egypt and arriving in Jordan.  A&K arranged for a doctor to come to our hotel room on February 15 who charged us $255.60.  Upon arrival at Amman airport on February 16, we each paid $29.19 for another test.  Prior to leaving Jordan, we went to a lab in Aqaba for another test which cost us $28.00 prior to our entry into Israel.  At the Israeli checkpoint at Allenby Bridge crossing, we were again tested at a cost of $65.00.  Finally, in order to get back to the United States, we were, again, required to test and a technician came to our hotel in Tel Aviv, the cost for whom was paid by A&K because we, apparently, didn’t eat enough and didn’t use up our budget.  (We thought that was very funny.)  So, all in all, we were tested SIX times at a cost of $906.98, not including the shmatas (aka “masks”) I bought from Amazon! 

I will point out that we are not anti-vaxers.  We were vaccinated and, because Israel required, received a booster.  We were, however, opposed to government mask and vaccination mandates.  Thank God the mandates have finally been eliminated here in Washington.

That being said, we were around thousands of people throughout our travels and the vast, and I really mean vast majority of people, including Michael and I, did not wear masks. (Only 20% of people in Egypt have been vaccinated; about 40% in Jordan and 20% of those have gotten a booster;  more people have been vaccinated and boostered in Israel.) 

(Michael taught biology and is knowledgeable enough to know that viruses can easily penetrate a mask so they’re basically useless.  How does it make sense to have to wear a mask when you enter a restaurant but can remove it when you sit down?  Does a shield against the CCP virus form around you only when you’re seated but disappears when you’re standing? The whole thing is nonsensical.

The overall trip did remind us of our honeymoon in February of 1991 during the Gulf War when no one was traveling, particularly in Italy, where we went. Where once there would've been a two-hour wait to see something, we went right in because there were so few tourists.  Great for us, but not so great for Egypt, Jordan and Israel. 

Hopefully, all these mandates will finally go away, people will feel more comfortable traveling and they won't have to pay a small fortune for continuous testing.