Our trip to Tahiti started on July 29, 2020. It was rainy as Charly drove us to the airport of Guadalajara, where we arrived at 9 am. We took the two beautiful rainbows we saw on the way as lucky charms! We were relieved when we had the exit stamp in our passport and held the boarding cards in our hands. (We had overstayed our stay in Mexico for over a month, which cost us 1,150 pesos, approx. US$ 50.–)

We are currently sitting in the departure lounge at the airport of Los Angeles. Shortly before midnight, the Qantas’ Boeing 787-9 (Dreamliner) will take off into the night sky. To be able to get on board, you need a test certificate that you are virus-free. (Without this confirmation and without a mask you can’t get on board!) If everything goes according to plan, we land tomorrow in Papeete, on Tahiti, after 8.5 hours, shortly before 5 am. (It is now 3 pm. and we have to kill time until check-in.)

We wanted to do that in a McDonald and eat a hamburger. But that is not possible because in this part of the airport, which seems ghostly empty, all restaurants are closed. What we could get was a sandwich with «cardboard bread» at a kiosk. Shame! (We remember with melancholy the good bread at Charly!)

PS. After negating the effects of the virus first, Trump has now turned the tables. Now the mask is mandatory and people are asked to stay at home if possible …