MAHALO MAUI!

You guessed it! We are goin’ to Maui! Like OMG! So exciting!

It has been so long since we have been on a real family vacation!

Excuse me? So sorry, I believe I did not hear y’all correctly. Living in a pandemic lockdown with your family is NOT a vacation. At least it was not for me; the laundry, the meals, the toilet washing, the scrubbing of the shower walls with a mop… ah, the good ‘ole family bonding days.

Oy vey! Dahling, don’t get me started.

Pandemic/Schmandemic!

Surprised I am taking a vacation? Like duh, I know there is still a pandemic. I know the COVID numbers are rising all over the country.

But wait. When I was in Arizona for Thanksgiving, there was no pandemic. So odd. Right? Scouts honor. No one wore a mask; masks were not required to do anything. Didn’t even have to show a vaccine card to dine inside a restaurant. They are so lucky.

As a matter of fact, when I did wear a mask inside a restaurant, I could swear I saw someone go for their gun. Well, you know, Arizona is an ‘open carry’ state. Talk about feelin’ like the odd one out. Not because I did not carry a gun, but because I wore a mask. It was like I was from Mars or something.

Well, not Mars, just drove in from Los Angeles.

It is amazing how COVID is only in certain areas, of certain states in this country, not to mention the rest of the world. Arizona must be protected by a dome, like the ones you see in movie or a tv show. I just don’t know.

COVID Dice Roll

As the first round of COVID vaccines were rolling out this year, we were dreamin’ of Maui.

Planning a COVID vacation is akin to askin’ yourself, “do I feel lucky today?” Sure, in February, I kinda felt COVID lucky.

I just received my second COVID shot, and life was starting to look pretty, pretty, pretty good.

I thought COVID would be in my rear-view mirror by December. Yes, I thought the pandemic would be over soon. Hey, can’t a mama dream?

So, I threw caution to the win, and rolled the COVID dice. I am such the risk taker. Always seeking adventure!

I did what any fully vaccinated person would do…plan a trip to Hawaii! And no, I did not buy COVID trip insurance; COVID was supposed to be over in a few months.

Wait a second. I betcha an unvaccinated person in a place where there was ‘no COVID’, was planning the same trip! So cool!

Mahalo!

In February, even though travel to Hawaii was closed to tourists, I was not the only person who had the brilliant idea to go to Hawaii in December.

Goodness, gracious! Many hotels were almost fully booked. In fact, Christmas week was sold-out. Hello, this was only February.

The race was on! I rented a condo; bought plane tickets; and rented a car. And by the by, I nearly fainted when I learned the cost of a rental car. I could buy a new car for that price. Sure, the car rental companies all cried the COVID song. Boo hoo. Low inventory; shortage of cars. Yeah, right. Cry me a river Avis.

Variants

By May, the entire family was fully vaccinated. Thank you Pfizer. Life was good. We could all breathe a sigh of relief.

And then came the Variants, christened with Greek names. Delta and now Omicron, a new one that you can catch a second time. COVID is really akin to shiat on a shoe. It just doesn’t go away.

The thought that COVID was over, was just a tease. Oy! All I could think about was whether the Hawaii trip was on or off? Did Hawaii ever re-open to tourists? And of course, damn. I did not buy trip insurance.

But wait… then came the third shot — the booster! Life was good again!

Huzzah! The Hawaii trip was back on! Well…it was never off. But, in the wonderful world of COVID, one never knows when a Country closes these days.

COVID Vacations!

COVID vacations are so much fun! Have you ever tried one? They are the new ‘rave’. Everybody is just dying to take a COVID trip. Frankly, just talk of this leaves me breathless.

COVID Travel Plans

Travelling to Hawaii is like travelling to another country. Apparently, Hawaii does have COVID cases. It is not immune to COVID like Arizona or Florida. To step foot in Hawaii you either show proof of a legitimate COVID Vaccine Card, or you must quarantine for a 10-day mandatory period.

You know it sistah! I opted to enroll my family in the Safe Hawaii Travel Program and uploaded our vaccine cards to receive a QR code on our phones to show at the airport.

In addition to packing bathing suits and flip flops, I packed heavy duty masks for the plane, and regular masks for every-day wear. I know, such a forward thinker.

The Airport

It never fails. There are always a few people that just won’t wear their mask in an airport. Hmmm. Are these mask-less people trying to make a point? Is there a specific reason they choose to defy a governmental order that was issued for health and safety purposes?

Oh, I know… they must be immune to COVID. No, I don’t think so. Do they have a health problem that prohibits them from wearing a mask? No, I don’t think so. And no, I did not see them pulling along an oxygen tank. Also, no cane or walker.

Are they making a political statement? I don’t know. Does COVID only infect people who hold specific religious or political beliefs? I don’t think so.

I think COVID is a non-denominational, non-partisan virus that gladly welcomes everyone to their petri-dish Kingdom.

My point: I hope that person is not getting on my plane. But of course, he did.

Stay tuned for Gay’s Maui Adventure!