Covid the dream killer

Feb 12

I made it out! The PCR and Antigen tests in Egypt were negative and I flew to Israel. After Israeli customs there was another PCR test, then Sarabeth picked me up and we drove off to her sunny apartment in Jaffa where I was to isolate for 24 hours and await the results. The next day I got the results. My test was positive. I’m sure Egypt was a false negative. I’m now isolating for 5 days. Isolation means someone should phone 3 times a day to ask if I’m there. In 2 days there have been no phone calls. At this point the cows have been out of the barn so long that nobody is even calling them back! 

My major symptoms are gone. Sarabeth and I take a home Antigen test daily. The first one I took was positive. The red line was very dark. This morning the test was still positive, but the red line was very light. I’m expecting a negative test tomorrow. After two negative tests in a row I am free.

I feel traumatized by all of this. I’m scheduled to  leave for an 8-day trek in Jordan in just a week and I’m not feeling 100% yet. I have no idea how I’ll feel in a week. I’m going to cancel the trek. I’m just going to indulge in 2 full weeks of exploring every part of Israel instead. I’ll enjoy a trek through Jordan more next year when there are no more capricious PCR tests. I don’t want to feel defeated by this experience. I want my courageous travel plans to be based on strength of character, not simply foolish stubbornness. Something tells me that planning an 8-day trek through the desert right after coming off a bout of Covid is leaning towards the latter!