I saw this on Cathy@Still Waters' blog a while ago and it made me laugh.
I have to laugh because I have several of those bags.
We were on the Diamond Princess and had a wonderful time. It was a huge surprise to discover that it was the SAME ship we traveled on when we took the Alaskan Cruise with mom and Auntie Grace in August, 2011.
We got them last year (seems like a lifetime ago) when we took mom for her final trip to Japan to see her relatives and cruise around the country in April.
One thing that did bother me happened on the day of our disembarkation in Yokohama.
Since it was mom's last big trip, we'd paid a bit more for a larger room and a few other amenities. One of them was to wait in a comfortable location to wait for our turn to leave the ship. There were tables set up with pastries and other snacks along with beverages.
As we waited our turn to pick up something to eat, I saw an elderly gentleman looking over the bakery selections and cough over them several times.
I took mom's arm and told her we should sit elsewhere and forget picking up anything to eat. I didn't want to take the chance of her getting sick.
One year later, we were surprised to hear that it was the same Diamond Princess where passengers were unable to disembark because of the COVID-19 infections aboard ship.
That was truly a close call. It could have been us.
Wow!



Small world eh?
ReplyDeleteIt was a fun photo put together by one of our local U3A members ....but after all the publicity about the terrible episodes with COVID-19 on both the Ruby (here in Australia) and the Diamond (In Tokyo).....I had a little giggle at the thought of people in the street freaking out when they saw someone with one of those bags.
We didn’t know then (and still really don’t know) how long the virus would stay ‘live’ on surfaces so would run a mile if they saw one.
It was good to hear your mum is fine and well after her recent ‘almost little trip to the hospital’ . Keeps you on your toes doesn’t she :)
She is so lucky to have you and Art to look after her.And you are so lucky (and blessed)to still have her with you.
ReplyDeleteIt's so wonderful that you had that trip with your Mom. It must have meant so much to her.
ReplyDeleteIt took me way too long to get that picture -- penny did not drop until I read Cathy's comment.
Maybe because I never took a cruise or maybe because I am slow (but I haven't finished my coffee yet so let's callthat a mitigating factor).
I am just glad that you are safe and not traveling anywhere at the moment! I too had to think twice to "get" that first picture. :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful thing you did for your mother. I had hopes of bringing my mom to the Philippines before the cancer took her but it just wasn't meant to be I guess. We got close though.
ReplyDeleteI have never been on a cruise but have no desire too anyway. I guess my upbringing in the rural Midwest with lots of space just makes me feel claustrophobic in places like cruise ships where there are lots of people and no way to avoid them short of shutting yourself in your room. I need to get outside and be away from people. Seeing someone cough on the pastries would overwhelm the germaphobe in me too.
Cruises...a long ago thing. I usually just do Viking as the big ships with all of those people descending and ascending are not my favorite.
ReplyDeleteI was intending to take my first cruise to Alaska in July then Covid happened and it got cancelled. It seems like such a wonderful memory for your mom and you. Special times together are priceless. But ugh on the coughing over the pastries. My mom, a dentist's daughter, is a germaphobe and I've always made fun of her for it. I am now turning into her!
ReplyDeleteI have come across so many instances of having been in a certain place a week or 2 earlier I would have been exposed to COVID. Glad you saw that guy coughing all over everything. What is wrong with people?
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame that cruises have gotten the reputation of being Covid petri dishes. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to get one of those bags to carry if it would make people social distance. So glad you got in your trips before it all hit the fan. That coughing guy is probably one of the non-maskers today.
ReplyDeleteMy gosh Kay, coughing man aside it sounded like a wonderful trip--you guys get around! I like Patti's idea of getting one of those bags to carry around, haha :) Anyway, very nice what you did for your mom....
ReplyDeleteWhew! Good call on not eating from the desserts that day! Funny about the bag!
ReplyDeleteLucky
ReplyDeleteSometimes we get lucky but we also have to watch for the danger signs like the cough.
ReplyDeleteFunny about the bag but also a sad commentary on the new normal, where a pleasure cruise could be a death trap.
ReplyDeletescary, but you picked the perfect time to go cruising...I did enjoy my cruise to Alaska with my son and family but wouldn't go again...
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed your cruise. We have friends who love to cruise. But I don't understand it. You couldn't get me on one of those floating petri dishes for all the love or money in the world!
ReplyDeleteA lot of people like them because you don't have to keep unpacking and repacking for another location.
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