Zoë's Blog

Sunday. I begin to have muscles sores… But this should not be an excuse to decrease my efforts. I am really not doing anything else than these 2 hours workout, since I can’t walk anywhere and don’t have other choices than sitting at the desk, the chair, or lying on the bed…

The weather was soso today, not good, not bad. The sun didn’t show up before 5pm but the sky was rather blue.

I asked to make a laundry with the cloths I had in the plane… I had just forgotten til today but the cloths were already sealed in a plastic bag since my arrival. It came back in the evening – another efficiency!

The hotel is located in the center of the Indian community. This is usually a very busy and alive area, full of joy, colors and spicy odors. There is a 24/7 Indian supermarket around, famous to have all the things you need and that you cannot find elsewhere! And this area is especially crowded on Sunday, when all the workers are on holiday. But these days there is nobody in the streets. Most of the shops are closed, and people stay at home…. as if we were in a science fiction movie… this is not the Singapore I know!

Menu du jour: Breakfast: hamburger with unidentified meat, sunny side up egg, square cheese, butter and bun, fried grated potatoes, green salad, oil and vinegar and apple juice. Lunch: Fried tofu in soja sauce, panned fish filet on celeris in chinese sauce, white and wild rice, green apple, banana cake. Dinner: Corn soup, fried chicken in curry sauce, brocoli, bee hoon with Julienne veggies and 2 shrimps, green cake.
I had a look at the Menu of a close Indian restaurant today… I think I will get a delivery soon…

Today my sleepiness was much better. I stayed awake quite late yesterday, as I attended a few meetings, and this maybe helped me to sleep well. My stomach is also modifying its rhythm to accomodate the new time zone, and this may help as well….

In any case I overslept and woke up only when my alarm clock rang to tell me it was time to workout! Yes, yesterday I scheduled my everyday routine with specific alarms on my phone – I am still figuring out why I can’t set songs instead of sounds but I have plenty of time today to have a look at this.

My mood had perhaps also something to do with the weather: blue sky and clouds reflecting on the skyscraper in front of me, which brought a bit more light in the room…

But most importantly, I received a small packet from the family: papaya, fresh tomatoes, bread, cheese and chocolate, and a yoga mat – everything that smells home!

Other news of the day: I got a call from the Ministry of Health. I need to report to them my body temperature three times a day. The good thing is that they are scheduling my swab test…

Menu of the day: Breakfast: Conge (rice porridge), Youtiao (chinese crullers – fried dough fritters), Mantou (steamed bun), orange juice and Chinese pear. Lunch: 2 spring rolls, Brown pasta with soja sprouts, carrots, shrimps and other seafood, Stir fried Kaylan and carrots, a banana and ginger biscuits. Hotel Dinner: Chinese soup, white rice, veggies in chinese sauce, shrimps enrobed with cereals, undetermined jelly desert. My Dinner: home-made wholemeal bread with 3 sorts of cheese (Comté, Morbier and Bleu des Causses), a tomato sprinkled with salt, almonds, chocolate 70%), with tea!

The bus arrived at the hotel, a 4-star hotel in a rather touristic area. In a very slow rhythm each of us – less than 20 people – got a temperature check and was attributed its room before filling an additional health declaration form. The rooms must have been attributed randomly according to the number of people traveling together only.

There was only 1 clear rule: we needed to stay in the room for 14 days without any contact. Body temperature must be recorded twice a day in an online form to inform the Hotel and the Ministry of Health about it. Short and clear documents were distributed online by QR codes, easily accessible by phone, and describing what to expect, who to ask and call in case of emergency, sickness, or practicalities. They also offered a little bag with reusable cutlery, and a thermometer in case we do not have one.

Once we enter the room, that’s it, quarantine begins!!

The first time I heard the bell ringing I was at my computer. “Yes, I am coming!’ was my answer, and because I was searching my mask it took me a little while to open the door. What I saw was a plastic bag on a table placed just in front of my door. Breakfast was served!

I spent my first day fighting against tiredness of my jetlag, and thinking about the best daily schedule I could possibly make to pass an “enjoyable” quarantine : I am planning to be as efficient as possible, and the days should not be boring and desperate. I am fortunate to have got so far, and even without a balcony, my view was not too bad….

The journey to arrive in Singapore was long: 3 planes carefully planned with stop overs long enough to be sure not to miss the last one. There was not many choices of itinerary due to the decrease of the float since the COVID19 outbreak, and I preferred to stay conservative even though I would have to wait a lot.

It was stressful: of course, I wanted to avoid touching anything around me, and I was prepared with clean wipes (ecological ones) to be able to wash around when needed (toilets, seats, the environment seemed clean but well… we are not careful enough).

It was strange and creepy: Airports were empty, most of the shops were closed, either completely vacant or functioning like a display. Sometimes music could be heard from the boutique, probably to catch a bit more the attention. Only very few restaurants and fast food stalls were open. The rare people wandering around were masked as required, and some travelers had even protective gears as if they were working in hospitals. It was exactly like being in a science fiction movie: A nuclear bomb just exploded, – or a deadly virus was released from a lab and people were either dead or avoiding being outside – not far from the reality…. A very strange feeling.

The flights service were simpler than before: food and beverages distributed more sparsely, increase use of disposable stuff, and boarding very calm as people were keeping their distance.

I luckily found a warm and humanized area at about 20 min walk from Los Angeles International airport. I needed to spend about 10h there so it was better to find something reasonable. After a good vegan-sandwich, I reached an hotel lobby and worked there for the rest of the day until I could check in for the last part of my trip. That brought me warmth in this journey.

I arrived in Singapore safe and sound. As usual, efficiency was excellent and I could enter the country passing the different counters exactly according to the procedure that had been detailed to me ahead. Kindness was there too, as the officer asked me with a compassionate smile whether I agreed to spend 15 days in a hotel room in quarantine. I knew I had no choice or I would be repatriated outside the borders… From there, I was “escorted” by bus to my hotel – an unknown destination at that point.

I am in Singapore, the trip has been ok – and so I hope that I was not exposed to the virus – and I am in the process of seeing very soon my family. I have only to spend 14 days in quarantine… Yeah!