In the beginning of November the island of Curacao was defined one the the 'yellow' zones where Dutch residents were able to travel to. This meant that there was only a 'small' chance of getting covid infections.
Curacao is marked one of the Dutch Kingdom islands so actually this was not even considered travelling abroad, and so a lot of people (including myself) packed their bags and went for it.
And it was good. It hardly felt like there was any covid in the world and that felt good.
The restaurants were opened, the local people were happy to have income again and the weather was fantastic with sun and rain balancing each other, leaving every hill lush green. It sounded like paradise.
But during the time I was here you could already see the amount of infections rising. This was mostly (as I understood) through an outbreak amonst hospital staff and their families, so it was considered local still.
For travelling to Curacao you needed to show a negative PCR test of max 72 hours old, which is an logistic challenge, but absolutely doable.
This party is over now, Curacao is back to being marked 'orange', leaving the island again in economic challenge.
Very understable but such a bummer. you could see already the businesses in the capital of Willemstad sufferinging from the lack of cruise ships and tourists.
But having lived on a Caribbean island myself I can totally understand this because of how healthcare is built in these islands. The facilities are small, and have very tiny capacity. They are not very well equiped to handle large quantities of very sick patients. And especially with having so much staff at home, this is really a problem.
So Curacao is back in orange again while so many people booked a trp recently with the idea that Curacao had opened up again. This is another good moment to realise that travel needs to be handled extremely short term at the moment, and long term planning might not be the best idea, because the situation could change any time soon.
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I look back to my Curacao trip with a smile on my face. It was especially mentally really a good move to have a change of scenery, because I work around Covid so much. Having you cautious 24/7 makes you a bit sceptical to the world, and it was erally good to have a mental reset taking a different point of view again.
Just hanging in the ocean with an awesome temperature of 28 degress Celsius, looking at the formations of the clouds in the sky. Seeing if it might rain. Running into the ocean when the rain starts, that is how a Caribbean hangout should feel, and it did!
I do not regret doing to Curacao when it was possible, I just hope for these islands that they will last untill a solution to all of this has formed all over the world.
Dushi Korsou, you were fun!
Travel Resources for your trip to Netherlands
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Flights: We recommend checking Kiwi.com to find the best and cheapest flights to Netherlands.
Accomodation: Explore the best places to stay in Netherlands on Booking.com, Agoda and Hostelworld.
Travel Insurance: Medical emergencies abroad can be pricey, but travel health insurance is not. We always use SafetyWing for affordable and reliable coverage.
Car Rental: For hassle-free car hiring, DiscoverCars is our trusted choice with a wide selection of vehicles.
Internet: Got an eSIM compatible phone? Airalo is perfect for reliable internet access during your trip. Just install it before you go, and you're set!
Day Trips & Tours: We recommend GetYourGuide for a variety of well-organized and enjoyable activities.
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