Passed Again and Again and Again.

By the time I left on my recent trip, I had been vaccinated twice and given a booster. That, however, wasn’t good enough for getting into the U.K. and then getting back into the U.S.  Tests were required . . . tests that provided the results within a few hours. Of course, those were the tests I needed.

Let’s see if I can remember them all:

I had a COVID-19 test here in Hawaii before I left on my recent trip.

I had another test in Alexandria, Virginia, the day before my flight to London.

I had a follow-up test the day after I arrived in London and before catching a train to Scotland.

I had another test in Paris the day before I returned to the U.S.

I had another test in Seattle the day before I went to Vancouver, B.C.

I can’t give you an accurate estimate as to the number of hours spent trying to locate the labs that were providing the necessary same-day test results, but I was misdirected several times to facilities providing only a three-day turn-around. 

And as to cost, well, who knows? Most of those labs asked for my insurance card, but every one of them shrugged and indicated they had no clue whether or not the claim would ever be filed, much less paid. The typical cost for one of these quick-turn-around tests: $165 U.S. currency. 

Rough guess: close to $850 for the actual tests if the insurance doesn’t cover them. And then there were all the taxi fares, including the ones taking me to the labs that couldn’t meet the quick turn-around.

That’s OK . . . just doing my part.

On my second night back in the U.S., I’m 10 minutes into a conversation with the man and woman seated across the aisle from me in the dining car on the Lake Shore Limited. I remarked that I had forgotten my facemark when I left my hotel room that morning. I said, jokingly, that the voice of Dr. Fauci whispered in my ear and I went back to get it.

“Dr. Fauci,” snapped the man, “is a criminal and a liar!” 

How’s that for a welcome home!