Jinxed myself

 

First off, this is a photo taken on my balcony one evening - the fog so thick, I couldn't see beyond the railing! 

After telling you all that I never get sick on a cruise ship and despite my preparations to avoid it, my luck ran out. I was tired after the visit to the zoo in San Diego, and turned in early that evening. I woke around midnight feeling absolutely horrid, with an extremely sore throat, chills, and a cough. It had come on quickly, I had been sneezing that evening, but otherwise felt fine. I took some Buckley's cough syrup, a Tylenol cold and flu tablet, and a wet wash cloth. I slept off and on for the rest of the night, waking myself with my coughing, and using the wash cloth to cool off my face and chest. 

By morning, the fever was gone, but my throat was still quite sore and the cough definitely lingered. I had brought Covid tests with me, and while the test was negative, I decided that I'd avoid leaving my cabin as much as possible. Whatever I was suffering from (and I do think it was actually Covid) was something I hoped not to share anymore than I likely already had. 

When my steward, Jerry, arrived mid-morning to clean the cabin, I stepped out onto the balcony. It was a cool morning, about 16C/60F but sunny. I heard Jerry bustling about the room and suddenly he appeared at the balcony door telling me it was too cold outdoors and insisting I come inside. I really didn't mind it and the fresh air was lovely, but I didn't argue.

I spent the rest of the day, mostly dozing off and on, with the balcony door open to allow the fresh sea air to come into the cabin. 

The following morning, I needed something to eat (I hadn't felt like eating the day prior), so masked up, and went to the buffet to grab some breakfast. Had I been thinking the evening prior, I could have had a Continental breakfast delivered to the room in the morning. 

My sore throat had disappeared by then, but I was still coughing and feeling very tired. That day and the next were both sea days so I continued to stay in my cabin, spending time on the balcony, watching television, knitting and napping. I actually watched a movie,  "Table 19", a comedy about a group of misfit guests at a wedding. I quite enjoyed it. For meals, I continued to mask up and attend the buffet shortly before it closed for each meal to avoid crowds. 

Passing the coast of Northern California.

Sunrise photo on a sea day.

Because I had been napping during the day, I found myself awake at night. The second last night, I heard the sounds of birds outside - again, my balcony door was open slightly for the fresh air. I wish I could have gotten a photo or a video (perhaps reader David would have been able to identify them). There was flock of them, flying in a V pattern, that appeared entirely white and ghostlike due to the ship's lights. The sound was a trill that I did not recognize, and it seemed to me they were migrating south. It was eerie to hear and see them in the middle of the night. I'm not certain how far off shore we were at the time, but I have to assume they were quite far out to sea.

By the third day, I was feeling much better. I did venture out, with my mask in place, to stop by the knitting group in the morning to say so long and safe travels to the group. Similarly, that evening, I met a few of the solos outside the dining room to do the same. I stayed just a few minutes with both groups. I had tested again that day, with a negative result for Covid, but didn't want to chance spreading my germs.

By embarkation, I was feeling almost normal, just a bit of a cough remained and I continued to wear a mask in public. I was scheduled to leave the ship at 9:15 a.m. on Friday, with a booked shuttle to the airport. We were off a little early, and I waited outside for a few minutes for the shuttle to arrive. Another of the solos, Edlinda was also taking the shuttle to the airport, and we spent our time chatting. We were all dropped at the same doors at the airport and I made my way down the halls to the WestJet gates. I was in line for the gates to open for about 45 minutes, as they open three hours prior to the our flight. 

Of course, the flight was delayed about 90 minutes before we were up on our way to Calgary. There I went through CBSA quickly. However, instead of being directed to my next gate, I was sent out into the main airport. This meant I had about a 10 minute walk to security for re-screening before I made my way to my gate. The flight was scheduled to leave about 8 p.m., giving me plenty of time for a bite to eat. Then, of course, the flight was delayed about an hour. By the time I picked up my luggage and grabbed a cab it was close to 11 p.m. It was a long day, and I was ready for a good night's sleep.

Despite falling ill, I enjoyed the cruise very much. I met some wonderful people, some of whom I expect to keep in touch with going forward. Who knows, we might even meet again on a future cruise.

Just as a tease, I'll let you in on a secret. I have another trip booked, not a cruise this time, and I'll share more in a few weeks. :)