Myanmar is still totally off limits to all, and so Pandaw have “thrown in the towel” and cancelled any/all cruising plans for 2020. So my Irrawaddy and Chindwin cruises are now rescheduled for November 2021. By which time much of the world will hopefully be vaccinated and long haul travel will be back on the horizon !!
In the meantime, to stave off the boredom, and retain my sanity, I have been looking and booking ahead for places to hopefully visit in the upcoming months. Have scheduled a 4 week cruise up the Danube in May, from Bucharest and the Black Sea to Amsterdam. 7 different countries – all currently EU members so hopefully not too many closed borders and if the Covid shit hits the fan, getting home to Spain should be achievable.
However May 2021 is still a long way off (9 months), which seems like an eternity, so to keep the travel demons at bay and to make use of a soon to expire voucher from my cancelled Turkish trip earlier this year, I have booked a short Italian excursion for October (this year !!). 4 days in Venice and 4 days in Naples to see Pompeii etc.
Hopefully the Gondoliers and other disgruntled Venetians will have forgotten or at least forgiven the havoc that we wreaked in 1989 with Pink Floyd. After three years on the road with “Momentary Lapses of Reason” and “Delicate Sound of Thunder” there was no stopping our production “juggernaut” as we rolled/floated into the canal in front of St Mark’s Square and swatted away any/all of the local pirates who were determined to stop us, or at least profit from our incursion into their territory ! Heads rolled, promises were not always fulfilled and we snuck off to Marseilles for the tour finale. Probably should leave any PF swag at home just in case……
A couple of reminders………………………
So then, providing I escape recognition, a train ride down through Italy to Naples and a few days exploring Pompeii before heading home for what looks as though it will be a thoroughly grim and depressing winter waiting for the Vaccine to kick in !!
I am totally prepared for disruptions to any of the above. So watch this space for updates, as I learn some new IT skills, which will hopefully mean that everything can be done from my iPad, and I can leave the laptop and its peripherals at home !!