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OKOTOKS – An Okotoks couple is making the most of their time while quarantined in a foreign country.
Kevin Weisbeck and his fiancée, Sherry Kasper, travelled to Peru on March 10 to see Machu Pichu, and from there their tour group went to Lima and Cusco, which he describes as “a living postcard.”
On March 16, they were meant to depart from Cusco for Lake Titicaca, but were informed by a gentleman at the front desk they would be heading to the airport instead, and their tour bus was on its way.
Peru was closing its border at midnight.
“It took an hour at the airport to realize all the flights were either cancelled or booked,” said Weisbeck in an email interview. “We were on our own, as the tour group had abandoned us.”
They stayed with their group, comprised of nine Americans and six Canadians, and went back to their hotel in Cusco as quickly as possible to book rooms.
“Police had told the hotel to close down, but thankfully they refused,” said Weisbeck. “The hotel is now home to about 30 Germans, five Portuguese, six Canadians, nine Americans and two Australians. Oh, and the five Peruvian staff.”
The 15-day quarantine of Peru began at midnight on March 16.
Flights they had previously booked for the end of their tour were cancelled with the borders closed to all traffic in or out, and he said they have tried rebooking without any guarantee of getting a flight out.
For now, their temporary home is the Suenos del Inka Hotel. Weisbeck said it’s a nice hotel, but due to the quarantine it is severely short-staffed, so the 50-odd misplaced travellers help out wherever possible.
“Today I went out to get some groceries and in one block, passed eight police officers,” said Weisbeck. “I was walking fast and wearing a mask so they didn’t say too much.”
He said they’ve spent much of their time weighing options, but have now come to terms with their situation and decided to make the most of it.
“We practice Spanish on the staff and go up and down the stairs for exercise,” said Weisbeck. “Since the only channels are Fox and BBC we don’t watch too much television but play cards instead.”
There has been no word from the Canadian or Peruvian government on when they may be able to get home. The embassy in Lima is closed, he said, so decisions are being made on ever-changing information.
They have managed to speak to an Okotoks neighbour, who is watching their cats, and are assured everything at home is under control, which has put them at ease, he said.
At ease but still frustrated.
“We’re frustrated with the lack of communication with the tour company, airlines and government,” said Weisbeck. “We feel like we are on our own and we’ll have to book flights for early April.
“It is what it is.”
A member of the Writeaway writer’s group, Weisbeck has self-published four books in the past and has started plotting a thriller based on their recent misadventure.
His books have provided some entertainment for his fellow travellers.
“I brought a few of my novels and put them on a table in the common area and they were quickly gobbled up, that felt good,” said Weisbeck.
Overall, he said they wish they had more answers for their situation, but know things could have been worse.
Another Okotoks couple, snowbirds in Arizona, intends to make the trek back to Canada this weekend.
“We are going to leave on Sunday,” Dave Crucq said from Apache Junction in Arizona on March 18. “We’re driving back.
“I feel perfectly safe where we are, but my concern going back is we can get something to eat, get fuel and of course a hotel room.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated in a press conference on March 16 to those abroad and outside of the country: “It’s time for you to come home.”’
Crucq said he could not leave immediately as he and his wife Marleen had commitments.
“I don’t see the urgency, honestly,” Crucq said, adding he feels perfectly safe.
He said his medical insurance company has assured him he and his wife are covered if they do come down with COVID-19 as they were in Arizona before the virus was well known.
“They sent us an email telling us not to be concerned, even if you catch the virus you are going to be covered,” Crucq said. “Our insurance is good until the eighth of April.
He plans to come through the Coutts/Sweetgrass border crossing, which he said he’s been monitoring on line.
“If it looks like it is going to be really long, I can make my way to Del Bonita,” Crucq said.
Once he gets into Alberta he has to go directly home and start the 14-day self-isolation.
“I have to find somebody to get me my groceries,” Crucq said. “We have to do our part.”
With files from Bruce Campbell
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