Six British hotel guests are flying home today, releasing four hotel rooms…What would be nice at this point?…

Hanalei Bay from an overlook in Kauai, Hawaii. For more photos from our post on this date, April 9, 2015, please click here.

Please click here for those who may have missed the post with SW News Media’s article on our story.

Each time a hotel guest checks out, I can’t help but worry that the hotel will close. There are very few hotels open during the lockdown and beyond in Mumbai except those housing suspected COVID-19 cases. As we’ve mentioned, we’ll never stay in one of those hotels.

Tonight at 9:00 pm, five hotel guests who’ve been utilizing four hotel rooms are heading to the airport to board a chartered flight to the UK. The airport here is still closed except for the few flights arranged by various country’s state departments to repatriate citizens to their home countries.

Hanalei Bay on a sunny day, taken from our condo in Princeville in Kauai, Hawaii.

We are happy for these people, some of whom we’ve communicated with (at quite a distance) who’ve been here as long as we have, today at 16 days. They are excited to return to their homes. 

According to today’s news from what appears to be a reliable source, 50,000 US citizens have been returned home who’ve been stranded abroad in 90 countries. It could have been 50,002 (sic) if we’d chosen to head to the US.

Instead, we’re locked down in this lovely hotel, comfortable and feeling safe until we can move on to our next location. But, of course, it would be natural for some concern when the number of rooms occupied in this 334 room hotel diminishes as guests find a way out of India.

A juice bar on wheels in the quaint town of Hanalei.

This morning I spoke to my brother-in-law, Tom, my sister Susan’s ex-husband, who’s been a constant in her life for many years, helping her more than one could imagine. Tom explained how eerie it is in Las Vegas with all the lights off on the strip with all the casinos and hotels closed due to COVID-19.

He said it reminded him of those “end of the world” movies that he, like me, always enjoyed watching, never thinking for a moment that our world would be so similar, in lockdown and that the business world would come to a standstill with every town appearing like a ghost-town.

It’s easy for us to be insulated from these realities other than what we see and hear on the news. We haven’t ventured outdoors in these past 16 days and don’t plan to do so anytime soon.

These handcrafted plates for sale in Hanalei were pricey, many over INR 7615, US $100 each.

This morning at breakfast, we were thrilled to see the restaurant had a shipment. Tom could have strawberry jelly with his toast, and I could have chicken sausages with my omelet. This was a nice change we both appreciate.

As for dinners, no changes will be coming there. Most of the food items they offer are spicy Indian dishes. Tom will stick with his chicken penne pasta with white sauce and a side of potatoes (not healthy, but all that’s available that he’ll eat). 

 

I continue to order the same meal each evening consisting of Paneer Makhani (a spicy tomato-based Indian dish infused with cubes of paneer, a cheese similar to feta but more dense and creamy), with two small pieces of grilled chicken and steamed veggies. 

These quirky glasses were almost INR 7615, US $100 each.

Still, no wine or beer is allowed in India, with all bars and liquor stores closed indefinitely. Gosh, a drink would be nice at this point. Gosh, lounging with friends with a glass of red wine in hand would be nice at this point. 

Gosh, going outdoors would be nice at this point. Gosh, we’ve surprised ourselves as to how well we’ve been holding up without any of these at this point.

 

We’ve been holed up in hotel rooms for almost a month, but like most of you, we’re making the best of it. Continue to hunker down and stay safe.

Photo from one year ago today, April 9, 2019:

Lone elephant crossing the road in Kruger. For more photos, please click here.