Tournandtakein are still officially in lockdown via MOC for over a month here in Penang, Malaysia ( Now in Phase Three and this should end on the 28th of this month). However, even though the numbers are very low here for infected cases ( 3 now ) No deaths as it’s a small island Penang, I’ve heard today via a Grab taxi driver that the government of Malaysia may lower restrictions, we will still be on lockdown and Phase 4. This I find a wee bit strange as Penang should now have the least restrictions if controlled correctly at borders and incoming from other parts of Malaysia and from a positive and business sense, try to get back on its feet. Then again, the Ringgit is generated mainly by tourism, so It could take some time!

And, while the world has been completely flipped on its head, I somehow found my footing and a sense of calm during the chaos. If I personally had been in a guesthouse , it may have been a total different story, however some months ago Tourandtakein decided we needed a base and having already done the 5 senses on Penang and decided this was a place for 3 months and the visa was also a bonus as we get 3 months:) So we rented a 3 bed apartment.Luckily the owner who mentioned that they had other guests coming at the end of our tenancy, retracted that statement due to cancellations and let us take another 3 months.

Currently, most of the world is at a standstill and we were lucky that this trip didn’t coincide with having more difficulties of finding a country who wouldn’t allow us in, being quarantined in a place we weren’t accustomed too, no luxury accommodation and just four walls to stare at, as we’re full-time travellers, we feel very fortunate in this madness.

In this article, not only am I sharing what I have been up to, and how we’re feeling about all of this but hearing from fellow travellers who are currently abroad as well. They’re in lockdown in places like Dubai, UK, Thailand and more. Are in the same boat and our boat isn’t the titanic. Staying optimistic is the key for everyone.

Fear and Panic

In the beginning, there we had a lot of fear, panic, and uncertainty — most of which was put on us by third parties.

The UK Government called back all citizens. You must return home, they said, however, not many planes in S.E.A to take them.Lots of different stories coming out via our friends, social media and the Worldwide media. Fake news mostly…

Flights were cancelled or there were becoming a lack of them and pricing was getting ridiculous.

Borders were starting to close.

Insurance companies stopped coverage.

Future plans cancelled and lost money or refunds pending, we were supposed to be going to Lisbon next to a huge music concert and to meet up with friends, cancelled for another year.

Freedoms were being taken away right before our eyes.

A lot of scary words were being thrown around — pandemic, lockdown, isolation, quarantine, stranded, cancelled, unemployed, virus, death toll…

Our 90-day Visa allowance in the Malaysian zone would expire in 1 month, and we weren’t sure what would happen when that date rolled around (overstaying can result in fines, and problems returning again in the future). We even went to the Immigration while not on total lockdown and it was shut. Now we have heard from the MOC, that when the MOC is over we will have a 15 day period to sort things. Why can’t they just offer a longer amnesty? As the world isn’t going to open up overnight, even if Malaysia does.

Travelling anywhere during this time would be hectic, stressful and potentially dangerous to our health and the health of others.

I think (similar to us), people have gone through the roller coaster of emotions and have found a place of clarity. It seems many are now ready to turn acorns into beautiful oak trees.

We’re now seeing many people utilizing this downtime to earn a side income, spending more quality time with their families, and starting projects they didn’t have time for in the past — such as teaching English online, taking a course or starting a website/blog.

So how have we passed the time in our new way?

Luckily, lots of our work is now online where before it was office/classroom-based and travelling. We have spent more time on teaching, revising and adding to my blog, learning new guitar chords and basically realising at this moment in time, I’m not fully in control of my life, therefore, realising how much we are fortunate when we can do things, have that freedom of seeing, hearing touching, tasting and smelling this marvellous planet we live on to achieve our life goals.

i honestly feel something good will come out of this so-called nightmare, as it just shows us of what we rely on, in our daily lives and that of having tons of money and maternal things aren’t as important as our health!.

As mentioned, we rented a lovely apartment and our view today 24/04/2020. Lovely picture of the sea from the balcony

Tips and trusted affiliates that we use to make our dreams come true. 

Safety:

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