Preface
I've been living as a digital nomad since 2017. I lived in more than ten countries before I arrive in Vietnam on 25.01.2020. On 28.01.2020 Vietnam decreed the closure of the border with China after the news regarding the appearance of a strange virus in the Wuhan market.
On 1 February all flights from China, Macao, Taiwan were suspended. Subsequently, the flights and the border with China were opened, but the situation kept changing. The restrictions on the entry in Vietnam were changing accordingly to the number of cases growing in different countries. Thus, Koreans and Europeans were also banned from entering the country at the beginning of March.
On March 22nd, all foreigners were forbidden to enter the country. In 28.03 activities such as gyms, cinemas, tourist sites, massage parlors, karaoke, and others were closed.
On 01.04 Vietnam decreed the total lockdown implementing the social distancing measures. Since then, people can only leave home to buy food and medicine.
The restrictions imposed by the country totally changed my reality, my plans, and my life as a digital nomad. I decided to write this diary to report these days and somehow continue to travel within an apartment of less than 60 square meters.
16.04_A canceled flight
Yesterday at the end of the day the Brazilian Embassy contacted the group to advise that the repatriation flight had been canceled. Qatar did not authorize landing in Doha, so a new route would need to be made. At first, the flight would leave Jakarta, Indonesia, descend in Bangkok, Thailand, and finally stop in Hanoi, Vietnam. From there we would proceed to Doha, in Qatar, where we would stop for four hours without getting out of the aircraft, before heading to São Paulo. It would be a total of 36 hours of flight with 360 Brazilians on board.
The news of the cancellation generated complaints and discomfort in some people of the group. On the flight, many people who would board lost their jobs or were in a complicated financial situation. However, the embassy's support was impeccable with everyone from the beginning, which is why I thought that "thinking alone" at that moment was not the best solution. None of my foreign friends had the same luck to be"gifted" with a free flight back home. I don't know, to me, complaining about the cancellation seemed a bit unfair.
The news of the cancellation, however, brought me great sadness. The sadness of knowing that the world is now closed, the borders are insurmountable, and my prospect of traveling has turned into a blurred landscape. My nomadic dream, all these days, is waning and I try to accept it, but inside there is something that hurts me a lot.
With the flight canceled it would be at least another four days working in a windowless hotel room. The Brazilians who stayed at this hotel are very sweet and at the end of the afternoon, we are getting together for a beer, which is good. It helps to pass the time.
Yesterday, when I went out to photograph I also went to the supermarket and bought some things to eat, as the food in the hotel is very bad. Before entering the supermarket, however, I find two women squatting down separating vegetables. Living squatting in Vietnam is not uncommon. I remember that in the more traditional cafes and restaurants, the tables were too small for people to eat practically crouched. It was also not uncommon to find Vietnamese squatting on the sidewalk talking on his cell phone.
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I approach these two women and ask to photograph them. They don't speak English and I don't speak Vietnamese. But by pointing the camera, we understand each other. The older lady, arched and almost toothless, takes off her Vietnamese hat and gets all dressed up so I can click it. That desire to look good in front of a camera is universal. I click her as if she were a model because to me beauty is that attitude of opening your chest and having courage. That scene is so touching. When I leave the supermarket, I bring a cake and cookies and other delicacies to her. The old lady smiles at me without her teeth and my heart is full.
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I worked for the rest of the day or at least tried to work. At the end of the day, we got together for a beer and talked a lot. There is a pilot in the group and by his technical analysis, the new route will probably stop in Ethiopia. I've never been there so I like the idea.
The night I talk to R, I tell him that the flight has been canceled, but I'm not mad about the situation. We play and I say to him "See, you can't talk to the Prime Minister of the Netherlands so we can land there? Can you imagine making a stop at Schipol? It's my favorite airport and I can still give you a kiss! What do you think?" We laughed and he said he will forward my request to the Minister. I turn off my cell phone and turn off the light. I want to sleep and wake up in a world where travel is possible again.
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Vietnam is a beautiful country, hope you get home safely @helgalubevi.
⋆ ᴀ ʜɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ ғᴏʀ sᴏᴜᴛʜᴇᴀsᴛ ᴀsɪᴀɴ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ
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