The #coronavirus #panic got to #southeastasia - the Story of my Deportation

The Corona virus panic or how I got DEPORTED

I never would have thought it would come to this: I've seen and been through a lot in my life, but this was the first time I ever got DEPORTED. Yes, deported. And all that because of the panic caused by the corona virus in South-East Asia. 

Asia had always been some kind of paradise for me: friendly folks, sun, nature, la dolce vita. However, this time my trip back from the Philippines confronted me with another reality in this part of the world: the dysfunctional administration and the panic produced by that. 

It's true, the Corona virus has killed about 500 people so far (6th February 2020), however all of them coming from Wuhan, the epicenter of the crisis; the only death registered elsewhere was in Manila, again, a person who had been to Wuhan. Ergo, considering Beijing is miles away, the 2 locations should not necessarily be put in the same pathological pot. 

Going back to the story: my flight to Manila (Jan, 26th) had a stopover in Beijing, a few hours I used to check out the city, just like most of my fellow travelers. We all got medical checkups, were permitted to leave the airport on a transit visa and upon our return, 6h later, were again checked for temperature, asked to fill out some forms concerning our Wuhan travel history (if any) and were then allowed to board our connecting Air China flight to Manila. 

So far, so good. Arrival in Manila on the 27th, smiling Immigration officers letting us in and wishing us all a pleasant stay. Awesome! There followed 10 days of traveling around and adventure: Manila (new friends, crowded city, delightful food & live music), Palawan (the underground river, island hopping, white beaches and transparent water; again orgasmic food and tropical surroundings) and Cebu (plus 3 new islands: Bohol, Panglao & Lapu Lapu, crazy long ferry trip, a Taoist temple and massages). All was going just great, even better than planned, due to the new folks I met along the way and the surprising places I had come across (mostly accidentally - thanks to my inquiries). 

My next stop was Bali; after hours spent in Cebu, on the beach, I took a flight to Manila, where I was supposed to board on my next one, to Denpasar, Bali. Everything looked quiet, the news of the corona virus had been constantly following us, though on the paradise-like islands we had been exploring the rest of the world seemed more of a parallel dimension. I had even seen the president of the Philippines on CNN, stating that the country was safe and that there was no reason whatsoever for panic. Reassuring, right? Sure looked that way. 

Little did know about what was going to happen. 

On the flight to Bali I was joined by my friend and fellow traveler from Puerto Princesa; we were so looking forward to 4 days of sheer ocean delight, away from the maddening world and as close as possible to the jungle. 

We arrived in Denpasar on Feb, 5th, at approximately 8am and headed to Immigration, laughing and joking. And it goes...

I show my passport to the officer, who asks me if I had been to China - "Yes, twice: last year and for a couple of hours 10 days before". As if I had said some magic words, the guy disappears with my passport. I try to spot him: in vain. My friend looked puzzled; he had passed the passport control and was waiting for me at the exit. 

Next thing I know, the officer asks me to sit down in a corner, saying I can't enter Indonesia: new regulations - no more China travelers: "since when?" I ask petrified; "since this morning", he replies. My friend is in shock, I'm in denial. "It was ONLY a stopover, check my passport, you'll see; we all got checked up, there was no problem"... my words echo in the empty room, nobody listens. 

A Brazilian family joins my "quarantine", we're all trying to explain our situation, but nobody really tries to understand. We're escorted to the next plane returning to Manila. 

On the plane, my passport gets confiscated and stays that way for the next 24h of uncertainty: I was being DEPORTED, as an "inadmissible passenger"!!... I get to Manila hoping I can at least book another flight to any island, perhaps Boracay or Iloilo - I mean, I had spent the last 10 days in the Philippines, there shouldn't be any problems, right? WRONG. Turns out, the Philippines had changed their policy on China travelers, too. "It was ONLY a stopover, I cry out! And you let me in the first time, on the 27th!! What changed??" Again, I'm talking to the walls, that echo my anger... the Immigration people fail to listen to reason and to the fact that, SUPPOSING I was carrying the virus, I could have already infected enough folks during the past 10 days. 

They just keep my passport "needed for filling out important documents" and tell us to wait for updates. And then disappear. 

We wait. And wait. We get some "food" (dry rice and deep fried fish - there goes my healthy Asian diet) and keep on waiting. 6 hours during which we're watched as if we were delinquents. Incredible! Funny looks when we move around, though we're the ones wearing masks, not our "quarantine guardians". I write to my embassy. No answer - unsurprisingly! I try to get someone from Cebu Pacific, the airline that was in charge of our "arrest". Nothing. 

Ghostly airline employee shows up, telling us we should be out of the Philippines asap and also pay for our own flights! I'm hoping it's a bad joke, but she seems serious. The family of 4 is speechless. But not me: "I'm not leaving Manila unless you're paying for my flight. I already paid for my 2 ways flight to Bali and for the one back to Europe, so I'm not paying another dime!" The Brazilians agree and so does my Bali stranded friend, who supports my decision from afar!! "Besides, there's only 4 days to go, right? You can do it!", he writes. Totally right! 

The employee leaves the stages only to come back later and inform me that Turkish Airlines would not accept travelers "in my situation". OMG! Did I have the pest, Ebola, or what?? Only Swiss Air would (gotta love the Swiss!). So: Manila - Dubai - Zurich - Berlin. 

Am I game? "Yes, as long as you're paying." I get a cheer from the Brazilian crowd. And 1h later, we get the happy news: "Cebu Pacific will shoulder all our expenses". I translate English to English and get another cheer. "When are the flights?" "Tomorrow". The cheering stops. We all have to spend the night there, in some sort of improvised accommodation reserved for "personae non grata" or asylum seekers - not that there's something wrong with such people; it was just not our case!! 

Anyway, we are put up in "rooms" without doors (another new experience for me) and reassured we'll get more info on the next day. End of Act II. Employee disappears.

At least there's clean sheets and wifi, so I get to blow off some steam online, with my Bali loving friend, who admires my calm and my enduring pragmatic - ironic - cynical ways. "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger", we both resume.

Morning. Nobody around. Wifi still working. Dude dressed in yellow (Cebu Pacific attire) asking for my name. Me wearing my morning face, asking for my passport. But we understand each other: he's got info on my flight to Dubai and returns my beloved passport!! Oh, happy day!! Then he runs off to get the tickets and I even get some food to pass my time (the same alluring deep fried fish pieces). 

Success!! Some 30 minutes later I get my travel itinerary and grab my suitcase: ready to go! I then discover my embassy's email: too little, too late - again, not surprised. I finally get to speak to Immigration,who asks me: "you were yesterday in Manila, what happened?" I can't believe what I'm hearing... communication really works around here!!... I supposed that all those hours they knew what was going on... apparently not. Anyway, I tell them my story, they hand me the tickets and I return to the REAL WORLD: "your gate is on the 3rd floor". My own version of Tom Hanks' "The Terminal" was finally over! 

It was the first time I was actually happy to see all those souvenir and duty free shops I usually ignore. Even the airport muffins tasted good! Nooo, it was my freedom that tasted good (sounds corny, but true)! In fact, I had never been that happy to get back to Europe - with the undeserved scarlet "deportation" letter on my memory and NO real corona virus...