March 14th
By now, the world had started to shut down. The US stopped incoming flights from Europe. Italy was about 5 days away from having its highest day of new cases and Trump had just tested negative for COVID 19.
Additionally:
- Cases topped 152,000 worldwide, with deaths at 5,700
- China has 80,824 confirmed cases, 3,189 deaths
- In the U.S., nine new deaths and 520 new cases were reported
Meanwhile in the middle of the S Pacific….
We had no idea what the next month would bring, but we knew each day would be like no other. All tourist travel to Fiji has just about stopped so we took one last weekend to enjoy the Coral Coast.
March 19th.
We all knew it would come. Everyday we waited for the news thinking, “it must already be here and nobody is getting tested. Where is it?” A week earlier, our friend Andy had a colleague come down with symptoms. He called and was immediately taken away by people in scrubs to a secure site and tested…negatively so we knew there was testing going on.
Over the past two weeks we stocked up…little by little…..another carton of milk another 5 bags of pasta…some toilet paper of course.
Then it happened. A Fiji Airways flight attendant from Lautoka (near Nadi ) tested positive after coming back from SF. They immediately quarantined his entire family and locked down the Lautoka area and advised that Flights to / from SF/ LA, Australia and NZ would cease in a week to 10 days so people had to decide if they wanted to be in Fiji for the foreseeable future or not.
We had some tough discussions on whether to stay or leave Fiji.
The pro’s of staying is that Suva is our home and we have a house that would make life under quarantine livable. Another pro is that Fiji has a military backed government which makes it easier to enforce rather strict measures on movement vs. the US. With the rampant spread starting in CO and elsewhere, where would we go how would we get there….22 hours and 3 flights was frightening to think about. Additionally, we would be unable to work if we left….
The cons are simple but layered. There are like 5 ventilators in the country so if the virus arrived and spread, there would be zero medical support if one of us contracted the virus. Secondly and more importantly, if someone got hurt or sick and needed to be evacuated to NZ or Australia as has happened 5 times in the past 5 years, well, that couldn’t happen as the airports were about to close.
For this reason, the Australian High Commission moved all but essential staff back to Australia without any choice in the matter. Canadians were called by their embassy and recommended that they leave asap.
No call from our State Dept……..just a recommendation to sign up for the STEP program so they could be in touch.
Furthermore, the UN advised that if anyone decided to depart, they could be seen as abandoning their post, yet, there was no clarity on medical care if one of their employees got sick and needed to be evacuated. We were very much on our own.
We decided to take it day by day knowing our window to leave was closing.
All of our friends were in the same position. Yes, it would be better to be closer to medical facilities, but what if those medical facilities were overrun with COVID-19 patients and unable to care for them. It just wasn’t that easy of a decision.
Things started to move quick. NZ and Australia decided to lock things down and stop air travel to and from. A few days earlier, people had a week to decide, now they had a day or less to pick up their entire life and move for an indeterminate about of time.
The decision was made for us and we were going to stick it out in Fiji.
March 20.
On a Friday we decided to keep the kids home from school and we asked Eseta to move in with us while Salote would stay at home till things cleared up. School moved fully to On-line by Tuesday…..thankfully, that was taken out of my hands. My new schedule was to get up at 3am and work till 6am when the kids woke up…then, work with the kids on their activities till noon. Quiet time meant a nap for Theo, the kids played with legos and I could get in another hour of work. The afternoons consisted of time in the pool or runs around Albert Park…then, at 4pm we started dinner and everyone was a sleep by 7pm when I would get back to work till 10pm…….Abby’s went from 3 full time jobs to about 6. It was insane…especially since Theo would wake sometimes at 4:30, the work would demand something at 9am and the kids had zero interest in quiet time. It quickly became grueling and work, parenting and everything else suffered.
There were countless examples of friends who had much more difficult decisions to make due to underlying conditions or work….it was a week to remember…for the entire world.
March 29.
The US Embassy finally called and asked if we were interested in a repatriation flight back to Los Angeles. Despite everything everything, we said, yes, we are interested, please keep us posted. That said, paying for 5 tickets to LA where we would would need to get an Airbnb or worse stay in a hotel room for 14 days (both on our dimes), we would both most likely lose our jobs and then….where would we go? Honestly, the chances of getting the Coronavirus in transit plus 14 day quarantine was probably 80% so we decided there was no way….and we just had to focus on getting evacuation flights sorted out with the UN.
It was at this point when I felt thankful for the timing on everything so far. Fiji had a 4-6 week head start with real data from S Korea and Italy….…obviously, they didn’t have testing kits needed to test everyone, but they had quarantine facilities set up, contact tracing teams in place and lock down plans ready to go if needed. Until now, the only positive tests were the Fiji Airways cluster and Lautoka had been put on a lockdown. Now it was Suva’s turn.
…but first one last trip out on the boat with one of our two Isolation Families….Dave/Alex and the kids:
April 1.
Rumor started to swirl that Suva had reported its first two cases. That morning, I had stopped at Damodar (shopping mall) to get minutes for my phone and was headed out to Korean Motors in Vatawaqa when Abby called. The 2 positive cases in Suva worked as hair dressers in MHCC and Damodar and spent time at a auto dealer in Vatawaqa. I had pulled into Korean Motors and I pulled right back out and headed home.
A few days later, the PM confirmed the Suva cases. Both were from a second cluster started from a dude coming in on a flight from Singapore. He stopped in Nadi and shook some hands, then traveled to Suva and hung out in one of the settlements and then hopped on a boat to Lambasa. Contact Tracing on him put his numbers at well over 800 people before he started to feel sick and got tested. The race was on to find and quarantine all those that had come in contact with this guy.
April 4.
Suva was locked down. You couldn’t get in or out of the city and so any thought of departing was gone as we couldn’t get to the airport even if we wanted to. The harbor was closed so there was no taking the boat out to get out on the water.
The lock down was swift and pretty well organized. The curfew was 8pm-5am and the only reasons for being out was going to the store or exercise at Albert Park. Police checkpoints were at all roundabouts where you had to state your destination. Everyone was pretty pleasant….and we were actually grateful to live in a country with a military (backed) government.
Lockdown life:
Lockdown Hair:
Afternoon run/walks at Albert Park
Things were tense as a few new cases popped up but they were still within the two clusters…but, now, another danger was headed our way as TC Harold had just leveled the Solomon Islands and was now turning into a Category 5 cyclone as it approached Vanuatu and we were next. For the coming days, we kept checking our weather apps to see the course of Harold which had just slammed into Vanuatu.
April 8.
Thankfully the eye was about 60 miles from Suva so we were on the edge which meant lots of rain and wind, but power even managed to stay on till the storm passed so we were incredibly lucky to dodge that one…especially since the following day, Harold regained strength and hit Tonga as a Category 5 Cyclone.
Here is the view off our bedroom balcony. Clean up was in order, but all in all, we dodged a bullet on that one.
Here are the boys watching the clean-up:
April 17.
The lockdown of Suva was lifted after 180,000 Fijians were ‘screened’ and no new positive test. Nightclubs, gyms, cinemas, pools stay closed while public gatherings are still not permitted. Thinking that people would hit the grog and stop any form of social distancing, we asked Salote to come stay with us for a few weeks…or until things really seemed to clear up. I was dying and failing miserably in my attempts to parent, teach and work and Abby wasn’t able to work as well with all the commotion….etc.
Ready, set….
With the lockdown lifted, life resumed and it was nice but a wee bit concerning as social distancing didn’t seem to be a concern at grocery stores…etc. For now, Fiji seems to have done a good job, but there is such a stigma attached to a positive test, that our fear is that people are not getting tested..etc, so we just take it day by day. We fully expect to get locked down again….and maybe a few times more as new cases occur, but the first Lockdown wasn’t too bad.
With pools still closed, we drove out to Wainadoi (about 30 minutes from Suva) and found a great little fresh water swimming hole:
We had a little barbeque:
Needless to say, the kids were stoked!
Meanwhile, our friends Ilco / Marija and their kids Kalin and Emma from Fiji who left at the end of last year have been locked down in their 31st floor apartment in NYC for 6 weeks now. Dave, Ilco and I keep in regular touch and it is both awful, scary and crazy making. To make things harder, Marija’s mom is with them as well…..two kids under 8, Marija working full time in one bedroom, grandma in the other and poor Ilco is dreaming of a much simpler life as a farmer back in Macedonia.
April 28th
On a walk today, Tui and Eseta ran into the PM walking along the sea wall with his bodyguards. He introduced himself to Tui and Eseta was justifiably too overwhelmed to pull out her camera and document the meeting, but it sounded lovely.
On a side note, the Grace Road Church has come out to say that God has inflicted the world with Coronavirus because their leader has been jailed for taking workers passports and performing ritual beatings and so and so forth. What is it going to take for me to stop going there for that damn jalopeno tuna sandwich? Seriously, my internal fortitude is low.
May 1
Fiji has gone 2 weeks without a new case and there are only 4 or 5 cases of COVID 19 in country with 0 deaths. If they can keep this up for another 2 weeks, they will be ready to declare Fiji Covid Free.
Okay, so nobody is celebrating, but restrictions have been lessened…there are still no gatherings over 20, no gyms, or sports being played, but most stores are back open.
Natadola is a beach about 3 hours from Suva….which is about 2 hours more than anyone wants to be in the car with 3 kids under 7, but the Intercontinental is there and were offering really good deals on beach front bure’s so we headed up there with a few friends for the weekend.
The view out of our room upon check in:
Followed by a little sunset stroll at low tide. Times like these you really deeply look at the difference between really thoughtful life decisions and massive amounts of good luck……and how the good luck can be quickly changed to bad luck……and the result is immense and silent gratitude. Resist the humble brag and just be….
We finally met Phillipe and Virginia who had arrived from Yangon right before the start of Covid 19……turns out their two year old (one month younger than Theo) is also nicknamed Tui, but while our Tui comes from the Fijian word for King, their Tui comes from the bird in NZ. There was definitely a connection and we will hopefully watch these two Tui’s blossom.
Here is William looking forward to better days ahead…….or simply sizing up the 12″ wave that he may or may not catch….
I can’t quite decide which picture I like better so I”ll include this one as well…..is there some symbolism with William and the rainbow or just a cool pic to look at and smile…..I choose both.
May 15
It has been another two weeks without a new case which puts Fiji at four weeks without a new case of Coronavirus. Testing is still pretty limited so it is only being used on potential cases so nobody is ready to start bragging. The curfew stays but life certainly looks like it is mostly normal except for pubs, gyms and schools still being closed.
That said, we were expecting the PM to announce today that Fiji was Covid Free, but that didn’t happen as he simply gave an updated that included a status on new cases (0) and that restrictions remained (ie, curfew, gyms, schools and gatherings under 20 I think).
Naively we wanted to celebrate Fiji being COVID free for no other reason than to get the schools back open so we could get our kids out of our hairs and back to the classroom. Everything about home schooling is average and that includes ISS and the home schooling instructors……ie, mostly me with some help from Salote. That said, the kids love it.
So, we headed back up to the Intercontinental with half of the people we know in Suva.
Three days of Sunsets:
Three days of playing in the waves (my feet, Abby, Lucy & William out in waves):
…and most fun of all, three days of Theo chasing around the golf carts….car, ca….ca….ca….ca……ca….ca….ca….ca…daddy ca…..ca….ca….(x 3 days).
May 18th
Tui’s 2nd bday. I feel like the first bday is for the parents and by the time they are 3, they start to understand the importance of one’s bday…ie, cake/presents. But, #2 is that sweet spot where almost nobody knows and makes a big deal…:) So, we had a nice dinner and a cake with the family and it was lovely. Here is our little guy at 2 years old!
- He understands Fijian and some English which makes him an absolute star to all Fijians.
- He really loves his Lucy-Ana….err Sissy-Ana and Willem….and he loves to torture them with screams and haymakers when they don’t listen to his every command.
- His snuggles are wonderful and sweet….but only last for about 2 minutes.
- He likes to be up early in the morning to torture dad.
- HIs favorite things in life: Tui’s car, keys and any type of food.
May 26
We have our health. We seem to be living in a COVID – FREE country (although you never know) where we have more freedoms of movement and activities than most places in the world (aside from the gym, travel and school). Both Abby and I have plenty work….bordering on a suffocating amount. We also have plenty of support with the kids and the house. We are incredibly grateful.
At the same time we struggled more than ever with finding a good balance with the kids now that they are home schooling. When we are out of balance, the kids tell us by their actions and we are definitely out of balance more than we are in balance and it is stressful. Yes, welcome to living in a pandemic……still it is important to be able to find the path between being grateful and being overwhelmed.
No pics with this little aside. 🙂
June 2
George Floyd has been murdered by members of the Minneapolis PD and the US has erupted in chaos. It is ironic that 2 months ago we were worried about our decision to stay in Fiji during the global pandemic. We were concerned about how the government would organize and deal with a COVID-19 outbreak along with the potential instability that could come down the road. Would we be safer back home in the US?
We find ourselves being asked to explain what is going on in the US by friends from across the Pacific. All these countries have their own issues surrounding race, but it is both challenging and necessary to explain the immense underlying tension and scope of the problem in the US. 400 years systemic racism leads to civil unrest and massive amount of distrust in our government. All it has ever needed was a match….enter Amy Cooper and George Floyd.
As someone who checks ALL the privilege boxes and thinks of himself as an open minded and responsible human being, my outrage isn’t enough. I need to look deeper into my own biases and as I tell our kids, LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN to what people are saying, ask if you don’t understand and discuss the difficult and uncomfortable issues of our times. Our family lives in a country where we in the minority, but we enjoy unspeakable privilege. That is our starting point.
June 5
Fiji is officially Covid Free……no new cases in 45+ days and the last case was cleared this week. No deaths. Nobody celebrating…curfew remains.
Everyone is pretty consumed with their own issues plus the pressing issues of the world. The main discussion now shifts to when/how to open the airport so that Fiji can safely start to see tourism return. When will NZ (who is down to 1 case) and Australia open up quarantine free travel between the countries and how soon after will they let Fiji and under what conditions…etc. Flights from the US doesn’t seem like a consideration for 2020.
That said, is is quite an accomplishment and Frank and his team need to be commended.
A quick aside as Tui and Eseta pray for Fiji, the rest of the world and pasta.
Seems like every two years, I have a good fishing day. Andy and I took the boat out to the passage by the Sand Bank….did some fishing, nothing. Then, we headed out the passage and along the outside of the reef back to the harbor and in 5 minutes caught a big Wahoo for me…
..and a Trevally for Andy.
Kids were stoked.
The Fish Patch. There is a great spot on the outside of the reef where Greg (scuba instructor) has a buoy (the way Flava Flav would say it) that we sometimes use. Tie up to the BUOY, tie up to each other and snorkel, play on the surfboards, picnic…..
William, Ryker and Ayan…..
Leleuvia was one of the few resorts that didn’t 100% cater to overseas travelers. While plenty of people traveled here from all over the world, there always seemed to be a healthy mix of Suva residents making the 90 minute trip….here is Tui taking over Captain duty.
There is something special about the afternoon sun on Leluevia.
…and a good afternoon sun usually turns into another sunset over Viti Levu
One of the many things we love about Leleuvia is their commitment to the ocean. We have been coming to this island off of Ovalau for 5 years and in additional to getting to know the staff over the years, it is meaningful to see where our money is being spent. Unlike most places, the coral around Leleuvia is full of life. From banning certain kinds of sunscreen, to plastic containers to coral farms to saving and resettling giant clams from neighboring reefs where they are being removed and eaten by village, to saving and releasing baby/adolescent turtles, it is truly a special place on earth.
Here is William and Jim planting coral.
The real reason that Leleuvia is one of our favorite places on earth is right here:
Another reason: We have literally watched Will go from a chunky 18th month old to this little boy on this island.
Another reason: There is never a lonely weekend at Leleuvia.
Here I am kayaking with a lifejacket and some legs and a ball of hair…..safety first.
William and Semi playing in the band….
June 28 to July 28 represents some serious milestones in the Boettcher / Erikson household
- June 28 – Lucy turns 8
- July 1 – Daddy turns 50
- July 5 – Abby and Clancey turn 8 (as an official couple)
- July 28 – Abby turns 44.
So, we started off the month long celebration with a weekend at Mantanivusi with Dave/Alex (and kiddos) and Andy/Liz (and kiddos).
It was an absolutely epic weekend of surfing, snorkeling, swimming, drinks, great food, sunsets, long swims, kayaking, turtles, Frigates…….and a magical swim with Pilot Whales…..or round nosed dolphins as Liz would say….bitterly so.
Happy Birthday Lucy!
Bday cake 1 of many.
Sunset Drinks 1 of many….
William pulling off the now illegal Triple Lindy (Back to School reference)…
Our girl poolside….
8 years and still livin’ our best life…..
My turn….
Andy, Alex, Abby and I set off with Brian and Seva to Frigates passage for a snorkel and surf. Frigates is a huge reef break about a 45 minute boat ride SW of Beqa island and is the Coral Coast’s answer to Cloudbreak. The waves coming out of seemingly nowhere in the middle of the ocean is pretty intense……and jumping over with your mask and fins comes with a jolt of fear which quickly goes away as you open your eyes under the water. Massive schools of fish and for some reason the turtles were out in force that day which felt like a gift… oh no, there was more to come.
On the way home we came upon a pod of about 30+ pilot whales. We watched for a few minutes and then jumped in to swim with them. Abby and I were swimming together and one just dove straight down in front of us…..just a slow mo effortless headfirst plunge until he/she was gone…..now we were really satisfied with the day.
When we first moved to Fiji, I was dead set on learning to surf. That dreamed died quickly as I had lime juice squeezed on my scrapes from the reef. 5 years later and on the eve of my 50th, getting up on a board in the same spot was my ultimate goal for the weekend.
It was not pretty and yes, I was pushed into the wave by Seva, but I did it and the following day, I actually caught a wave by myself (also not pretty) so mission accomplished.
A memorable weekend with a memorable group!
My 50th Bday week was just getting started.
On the eve of my actual 50th, I could only imagine spending it with one person (aside from Abby) and that was Henry. Henry and I share the same birthday…not just day, but year as well so we decided to share our 100th together at Eden.
It wasn’t even my birthday and my heart was full and I was physically exhausted…..a strategy I would recommend to anyone planning a big milestone as it reduces the pressure to have a world class birthday because you have a few already in the bag.
July 1 – My 50th.
A day trip that I take with most visitors is to Takalana Bay resort. It is a two hour drive to the more rugged side of the island that never gets old. Takalana sits on a bluff overlooking a proper black sand beach and looking out towards Moon Reef and the 150-200 spinner dolphins that call it home during the day.
Since most resorts were 50/50 on opening back up, I kept checking to make sure we were all good…I kept reminding them that it was my 50th bday to make sure that they didn’t forget about us so when Abby and I pulled up to see the place in total disrepair with nobody in sight…I was a bit surprised but half expecting it since the pre-birthday celebrations blew away all expectations.
I called them and they nonchalantly told us to head back to the village and drive to the beach. The kids were home and taken care of so I was up for anything. Abby less so.
We finally found the ‘beach’ and Natalei Eco Lodge which was run by the same people that run Takalana, but 100% owned by the village so it was actually exactly how I was looking to celebrate the actual big 5-0….now, it would have been nice to know that Takalana was being torn down and that we were expected at the beach instead…..details, details…..the beach was 100% ours and perfect.
Here is the plush one bedroom beach front bure…..the beds were so small that we each had our own bure. 🙂
Some plastic chairs (that we had to double up so as not to break), a deck and some mixed drinks from Suva and wala, I had the 50th bday party of my dreams!
After a few drinks, we walked down the beach to a small river mouth to watch a few lady’s with nets catching dinner as the tide receded. It was just another tiny little magical moment that you hope you don’t forget.
It turns out they were indeed expecting us as they made us an amazing dinner with fresh fish, lobster and plenty of other local dishes plus a big old B-day cake……#3 in a week.
The next day we got up early and headed out to Moon Reef with this crew……a working engine and a guitar.
After a 30 minute ride out to the reef, we puttered back and forth alongside 50 or so dolphins that were swimming in the current created by the boat. I realize that dolphins are everywhere, but they are magical whenever you see them.
After some snorkeling, it was time to start the trip home…..but first a coconut, a chat and a song. This 34 seconds very much captured the vibe of the 24 hours at Natalei….
Without a doubt, my most memorable birthday to date!
Savusavu – July 5-11
With the world in total chaos, a few smaller resorts have opened back up which has allowed us to see some new parts of Fiji that we may not have been able to afford in years past. Savasavu is one of them.
Additionally, July 5th is our 8th Anniversary so how better to celebrate 8 years chock full of life.
Preparing for takeoff….not sure why the boys are going with red shorts and All Blacks gear…
We took the 30 minute flight from Nausori to Savusavu. Suva is a bustling capital city while the vibe in Savusavu is what you think of when you think of Fiji.
We arrive, get in a van and in 10 minutes we arrive at Savasi Island and our beachhouse…..like I said, we were able to stay at places that we might not have been able to afford pre-Covid.
True to its name, it was steps from our own beach….and yes, this is insane.
Our beach kiddos….
DJ was our activities guide. The kids spent more than a few hours per day with DJ as he took us around every inch of Savasi. Here we are exploring the blowholes on the reef at low tide…..when the bigger waves would come in, it would start with a mist and then….
We kayaked…..
Lept from bridges…
Visited Justin’s pearl farm…
We hiked….
Swam to waterfalls…
….and lots and lots of downtime with the kids.
….and then back to the airport, a quick flight and taxi home….door to door, 2 freakin’ hours.
July 10th
On July 1, a repatriation flight from India arrived with 100+ Fiji citizens and residents. Those arriving have to spent 14 days at a quarantine facility in Nadi. As of July, 10th there were 8 positive cases out of the 100+ people on that flight….all in quarantine.
The new acting PS of Health is Dr. Fong who has been close with Abby over the years. One of his first press conferences was an emotional one where he discussed Fiji’s obligation to allow citizens back on these repatriation flights while also keeping the people of Fiji safe.
Those coming in from overseas must present a negative test result (within 48 hours) before boarding the flight to Fiji. Then they must stay at a quarantine facility for 14 days with daily screening and limited time outside before testing negative on the 14th day. So far, the process has been effective in preventing community transmission, but as seen in Vietnam and others, all it takes is one mistake so credit Dr. Fong and his team who are working under indescribable pressure.
July 15 – Back to School
Term 3 starts and the kids are headed back to school. My god.
With some minor changes, schools are back open and we are grateful on so many levels.
July 28 – Abby’s 44th Bday
We celebrated at home with bula shirts and kava……Cheers Mommy!
Happiest of Birthday’s Momma!
Happy Momma
Tui + Momma
August 11.
After 102 days without a new case, Aukland goes under a 3 day lockdown after reports of a community transmission and all hope of a Tasman Bubble are quickly squashed.