Pre-lock-down Days:
I was in Nepal until the 13th of March, usual, trekking in the mountains when India put a ban on OCI (A lifelong visa for overseas citizens of India)
I had a very tight yet fortunate situation I would say. As per the plan, I was to trek in Nepal until the 16th of March and than travel back to India for my onward trip to Malaysia. On the 12th, when we reached Samagao, which is a village in Manaslu region of Nepal, I came to know that the trekking route ahead is closed due heavy snow. I had two options, one to trace back the same route in next 4 days which I walked in or take a transport helicopter back to a place, which is still a 7 hour drive to Kathmandu.
After a bit of contemplation, I decided to take an helicopter, even though I never like taking transports in the mountains over walking!
Though usually there are no scheduled commercial helicopter which runs from this village, I was fortunate that from last few days government was using this helicopter to transport some building stuff for this tiny village
After a drop off by the helicopter, I still had no signals on my phone or any access to the news on what's happening around the world in terms of covid ☺️. It was around 1:00 pm in the afternoon and my guide recommend to stay back in a local house for the night and take a bus next day to Kathmandu, because it is not safe to take a bus journey after the dark!
Another decision, left on me that if I want to take a bus and travel during the dark for couple of hours towards the end of the journey, or wait for the morning.
I met a couple, who were also returning from another trek and decided to take a afternoon bus regardless. I would again call it luck, that I met them. I took a decision to move ahead with them and took a local bus to Kathmandu for a very hectic 8 hours drive!
I reached Kathmandu at 9 pm, totally exhausted, only to hear the news that India is banning my visa for India from midnight, the next day!
Tired like hell, the first thing I did is to book my flight to India for the next day and than crashed after having a quick dinner!
My next plan was to travel and join my partner in Malaysia, the very next and than come April, back in Nepal for a month long plan to climb couple of peaks!
And then the things started falling apart, with various restrictions and closures in every part of the world. Malaysia and Nepal both closed their borders soon after, and with the virus spreading, not only me, the world came to standstill
Fast forward today, until now, I haven't made any plans to go out of this country or explore even the surroundings to not only respect the lockdown, but also to help maintaining healthy surroundings
Lock-down days: What I am doing under lock-down?
Being a full time traveler from last one year, I don't have any defined 9 to 5 work, hence doing a range of things during this period ☺️
Enjoying the sunrises and sunsets from my apartment in Kuala-Lumpur
I am not a foodie, so I try to spend least amount of time in cooking
Binging on Netflix, prime and alike
Writing endless on Tripoto. In-fact started writing on Tripoto for the first time during lock-down
https://www.tripoto.com/profile/poojakhandelwal7385824
Updating my personal blog website which was shelved due to busy travels
Getting a bit more active on social media which used to be occasional until now
And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travelascetic/
Spending time in doing some charity to help less privileged with their basic needs due to massive lock-down in India
Just spending some extended cozy time with my partner which use to be limited while traveling ☺️
My plans for immediate future travels
Usually I am desperate to get out and explore, but definitely with the current situation, no way I would want to put myself or anyone around at the risk 😊
Malaysia is expected to open up the local tourism, starting 10th of June and is entering into recovery phase.
I am thinking of hiring a car and start making a day trips in and around Kuala Lumpur. If I find the place too crowded, I would still avoid to explore it and leave it for another day
Based on the condition in next 4 weeks, In July my plan is to take a flight to Sabah district in Malaysia and stay there for few days, hiking and exploring around
In August/September, depending upon situation of opening up of international flights and travels, I may plan to travel to Australia, that too if things are fully back to normal in terms of covid situation itself
Safety Measures going forward
In terms of safety measures, biggest would be, back out if I find the place crowded immediately
Avoid staying in hotels until the area is declared as safe by the local government
Use personal mode of transport where possible
Where possible, use airbnb with a kitchen for stays and cook your own
And follow all standard measures like frequently use of sanitizer, washing hands, using masks and follow social distancing
Decision to travel or not in next few months until the world is virus free is a personal choice and there can be multiple combination of personal SOPs people can follow to avoid any issues, but in my opinion, it is key to follow the rules and regulations from the local health authorities and then off-course apply your own common sense on top of it. Afterall, at the end we would want to keep ourselves and people around safe and healthy.
As it is said "THIS TOO SHALL PASS" and world will be a safe place to travel again, golden days are definitely ahead 😀
Until then, Keep Exploring!!!