Cocktail Hour - 4 pm Somewhere

 

It must have been some 20 years since I was roaming the streets, looking for some party in hidden places where alcoholic drinks were served in plastic cups. When we were in school, that was the pinnacle of indulgence: a cold beer in a cup that needed some care and attention. Squeeze it too hard and it would break and 0.4 litre of precious liquid spilled on your new shoes...

With the pandemic came the rise of deliveries. I vividly remember that mess that my colleague Jeroen ordered in 2000, he said it was a Big Mac. It was tossed beyond recognition. However, nowadays, after a million deliveries daily, it is a different world. 

Geoff Siddle (of Sid's Pubs) is offering a range of yummy cocktails that he makes to order and sends to the far parts of the world where I live. In view of the overall circumstances, I am happy to be slurping from a plastic cup again, being reminded of wilder times. Nowadays, I just fade into the sofa after that one too many drinks, happy that I am already at home.

You Know What I Mean!

 

Well, yes, I know what you are trying to tell me, but I am still a little bit worried!

The Lockdown Chronicles - Klaus: Malaysien, Deutschland und zurueck

 Flug nach Deutschland während der Pandemie!

Ende September 2020 waren die Informationen aus Deutschland über die möglichen Covid Impfungen mit BioNTech recht vielversprechend, Also planten wir nach Deutschland zu reisen und solange dort zu bleiben, bis wir geimpft sind. Außerdem hatten wir die Hoffnung nach der Impfung ohne Quarantäneaufenthalt wieder in Malaysia einreisen zu können. Wir hofften auf Anfang/Mitte März 2021.

Glücklicherweise hatten wir für die Zeit ab November bis März eine großartige kostenfreie Unterkunft am Bodensee.

Aber alles, fast alles, kam anders.

Die Ausreise war kein Problem, wir wussten das wir auf jeden Fall wieder einreisen konnten. Meine Frau Staatsbürgerin Malaysia und ich als Ihr Ehemann durften auf jeden Fall einreisen. Wie aufwändig der gesamte Prozess sein wird, war uns zu diesem Zeitpunkt nicht bewusst.

Die Ankunft in München war simpel, eigentlich wie immer, wir kamen von einem als sicher eingestuften Land. Mussten nichts vorweisen und benötigten keine negativen Covid Test oder ähnliches. Heute (Stand Mai 2021) ist das leider nicht mehr so einfach möglich.

Der Aufenthalt am Bodensee war großartig, ein Haus für uns am See, schönes Weihnachtsfest mit den Kindern.

 

Aber die Nachrichten zur Impfung beunruhigten uns doch schon Ende Dezember sehr. Die EU und Deutschland hatten es leider nicht verstanden genug Impfdosen zu bestellen, die Termine für unsere Altersgruppe“ verschob sich Woche um Woche.

 

Gleichzeitig lesen wir von einem Impfplan in Malaysia, was tun? Das Haus steht nur bis Ende März zur Verfügung, danach müssten wir irgendwo in Deutschland unterkommen, viel Lust hin und her zu reisen hatten wir nicht.

 

Nach etlichen Diskussionen haben wir uns entschieden ungeimpft nach Malaysia zurückzukehren. Denn inzwischen rückte ein möglicher Impftermin in Deutschland immer mehr in die Ferne.

 

Nun begann die Rückkehrplanung:

Dokumente:

Negativer Covid Test, nicht älter als 48 Stunden
LOU, Letter of Understanding

My Travel Pass Malaysia- PERMISSION TO ENTER MALAYSIA (SPOUSE)

LETTER OF UNDERTAKING AND INDEMNITY  - PERSON UNDER SURVEILLANCE

MINISTRY OF HEALTH, KEMENTERIAN KESIHATAN MALAYSIA, Payment of COVID-19 Screening and Quarantine Charges, Perkhidmatan Bayaran Ujian Pengesanan COVID-19 dan Kos Kuarantin

Flight ticket, Flugnummer

Passport (biodata page) of myself

Long Term Pass (Spouse Visa)

Marriage Certificate

IC of Malaysian spouse

 

Ich glaube das war alles was wir organisieren mussten. Und nach etlichen Kopfschmerzen und Emails hatten wir endlich alles zusammen!

Zum Glück war die malaysische Botschaft in Berlin sehr hilfreich, sie hat alle unsere notwendigen Dokumente geprüft und uns am Ende auch noch eine offizielle Erlaubnis der Einreise ausgestellt.

Na dann mal los!

Ende März reisten wir dann wieder von München zurück nach Malaysia, ganz ehrlich, Ich war schon froh wieder heimzukehren. Das ungewisse in Deutschland hat mich nur noch genervt.

 

Der Flug war ok, Reisen im Flugzeug ist zu Covid Zeiten angeblich ziemlich ungefährlich. Emirates filtern und tauschen die Luft im Flugzeug permanent. Sagt man.

 

Aber das Ankommen! Ich fühlte mich wie in einen Science-Fiction Film! Alle in diesen Overalls:

Keine normale Abfertigung bei der Passkontrolle, keine Zollkontrolle, aber lange Schlangen bei den manuellen und ausgiebigen Pass und Dokumentenkontrolle.
Typisch Malaysia. Take a number first….

Es waren. Wenn ich mich richtig erinnere sechs oder acht Stationen die zu durchlaufen waren.

 

Aber irgendwann waren wir frei!

Dann die große Frage wie kommen wir in unser Quarantäne Hotel? Begleitet von vier(!) Servicepersonal wurden wir zum Ausgang geleitet. Aber erstmal alles Gepäck desinfizieren, solange bis die Brühe von der Plastikfolionverpackung tropfte.
Dann kam unser, ebenfalls in diesem Overall eingepackten, Fahrer. Los ging es ins Hotel, The 5-star, 23-storey Hotel Impiana Kuala Lumpur City Centre ....

Zuvor muss ich noch vermerken das uns diese sieben Tage Quarantäne inklusiv aller Leistungen rund 6300RM gekostet haben. Fairerweise, ich als ‚Ausländer‘ habe 2200RM mehr als Lokals gekostet.

Dort angekommen, schön scannen, Gepäck nochmal mit Desinfektionsmittel tränken. Aber sonst war alles ok, haben unser Gepäck vor die Zimmertür gestellt, diverse SOP verteilt, Barcode uvam. Den Barcode muss man jeden Morgen scannen und das Formular ausfüllen und bescheinigen das es einem gut geht!

5-star, 23-storey Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur: Toilettenspülung war mehrfach ohne Funktion,        Lampe im Bad kaputt und alles was Menschen kleiner 170 CM nicht sehen war schon lange nicht mehr Staub gewischt.

Essen: 

Gab es, recht schön viel Plastik, immer vor der Tür. Bis heute weiß ich nicht wie man ein Steak mit Plastik Gabel und Messer klein kriegen soll. Aber man hat uns dann doch ein stabiles Besteck zur Verfügung gestellt. Aber immer wieder noch Plastikbesteck dazu.

Aber grundsätzlich war das Essen ok, wir konnten a la Card bestellen, war zwar nicht 5 Sterne, aber soweit ok.

 
Ich musste und wollte während der sieben tage Quarantäne etwas arbeiten, daher haben wir dieses Hotel gewählt. Denn ….High-Speed Wifi(100 mbps) … wurde angeboten.

Nun, das war doch leider vollkommen geschwindeltJ

Angekommen haben wir knapp 10 mbps erzielt, Tendenz schwankend nach unten. Nach Nachfrage kam ein extra Modem, dann waren es 11 mbps, immerhin etwas stabiler. Weiter nachgefragt kam ein extra Router der dann stabil ca. 15 mbps geschafft hat. This is what they call High-Speed.

Zum Ende der sieben Tage haben wir uns gefragt wie die Leute untergebracht sind die das Standard Paket buchten.

 

Am vorletzten Tag nochmal Covid Test, beide negativ und dann ab nach Hause!

 

Alles in allem eine aufregende Rückreise, mit etwas Abstand kann ich heute sagen das es so schlimm nicht war.
Aber nochmal, nein danke!

 

Inzwischen impft Deutschland im Rekordtempo, alle Hausärzte dürfen impfen, es gibt kaum eine Impfreihenfolge.

Und hier in meinem geliebtem Malaysia?

Bitte warten …..

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Calling for your story for The Lockdown Chronicles

I am looking for any stories from the lockdown globally to be collated and eventually published as The Lockdown Chronicles. The idea is to capture the spirit of this incredible time, so it can be preserved. It can be any account of how you experienced the lockdown: fun or sad occurrence. For example, how did you prepare for the weeks locked up at home or the struggle of husbands going to the wet market or the wild things that people did in order to make it through this unique period of time. I am keen to receive short or long stories on work related accounts or purely on what happened at home as well. Send me your story in editable text format via: chronicles@launchpad.com.my

The Lockdown Chronicles - Stefan Pertz goes Shopping

 The one activity that is stuck in my mind as completely bizarre during the first lockdown in Malaysia (Starting 18 March 2020) was "Grocery Shopping". To say it were scenes from a movie would not do it justice for there was an eerie silence in the aisles, the Angst was palpable and the entire transaction more than just a transaction. It was also the only interaction with the outside world beyond ones own apartment. 

The bizarreness already started with the planning of how grocery shopping was to be done. I imagine it to be in a similar fashion then back in the stone age the men would hunt while the women were to attend to the living quarters. What with putting oneself into danger. As one was only allowed 10 kilometers away from home, the selection of places to shop was cut down drastically. One would want to minimise the exposure as much as possible and hence it became a weekly affair. With a very long list of items to get (For many, toilet paper seemed to have been an issue. We just got a 30 roll pack in February and that lasted quiet some time. IF you must ask). 

It was a trip to be taken early. On a Saturday. The supermarket opened at 7 instead of 10 and that meant an early start would guarantee less competition for the cabbage. Being a morning person, I often lined up as the first or second to enter. After having been screened for temperature at least twice. It felt like an elitist male-only club as it appeared that only husbands showed for this ritual. Confused husbands mainly. Decked out in masks, disposable headgear, aprons for some and gloves. I confess, I used plastic ones that we had to eat ribs and the likes. Usually generous with space, the parking decks were cordoned off, only allowing access to certain spots with one of the dozen entrances open only. Dark. Light shone only onto the few lots where the limited number of people would stop for their dash to the to grocer. It had something of "The Abyss" to it when your car dipped down the ramp to the basement carpark in sullen darkness and around the corner where the light beckoned you to hope of scoring luncheon meat. 

Having been to the former East Germany in its full socialists' glory, memories of that flooded back. Some shelves were empty and the dread to be going back to the wife to tell her that the yellow noodles or the "veg that looks like a cucumber, but purple" was out... Instead, one came home with whatever there was, no matter how many cans of Sauerkraut one had accumulated already. After four weeks, I scored the last packet of Yeast in that place, which staff hid on top of a shelf, out of sight. I guess it helped that I had always greeted him when shopping.

Gone were the husbands trailing their wives through the isles, not paying attention to the notion of why one would need the first pressing of soy sauce. When browsing the aisles in desperation to find the items on the list, there were up to 29 others in the supermarket, equipped with pictures on their phone, trying to match the items in the store to the visual. We were a tight group. Only 30 allowed at a time. And we were fast! Everyone was focused. Concentrating on getting back home for breakfast. The usually slow and seductive music was turned off. Only the breath under masks fogging up glasses could be heard. My guess is that by now, the hordes of clueless husbands have turned into shopping masters, knowing not only where stuff is, but what it costs. Eerie. It was that. The quiet. The seemingly limited selection, paired with the disappointment when, after all the effort, one could not get all items struck off the list. 

It was the mall being completely deserted that gave some perspective. Only the supermarket was open, the only source of illumination while the other shops were hastily abandoned and inviting mildew, spores and mold to take over. Darkness settled, being a constant tenant, as the mall was ditched in an effort to stop human interaction. 

Finding reliable sources of beer was an issue, as I remember at some point the supermarket having run out of it. However, tragedy was averted as many shops would still have plenty in their stores. It just meant an extra stop before going home. 

One thing I like was the idea that we should keep a distance. How many times have I lined up at the cashier and the next guy is closer to me than my underwear to my skin.... 

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Calling for your story for The Lockdown Chronicles

I am looking for any stories from the lockdown globally to be collated and eventually published as The Lockdown Chronicles. The idea is to capture the spirit of this incredible time, so it can be preserved. It can be any account of how you experienced the lockdown: fun or sad occurrence. For example, how did you prepare for the weeks locked up at home or the struggle of husbands going to the wet market or the wild things that people did in order to make it through this unique period of time. I am keen to receive short or long stories on work related accounts or purely on what happened at home as well. Send me your story in editable text format via: chronicles@launchpad.com.my

THE LOCKDOWN CHRONICLES

 

While we are still in the middle of the pandemic, I expect that we are looking back in five years, saying “Wow, what weird times that were!” Talking to friends, business partners, family and complete strangers, I realise that there are loads of awesome stories that each person has to tell about how they experienced the Covid-19 pandemic.

I know of people that had to wait almost a year to see their new-born child. Others had to postpone flights back home the last minute as they tested positive for Covid. During the lockdown, clueless husbands wandered the empty isles of supermarkets, trying to get the right packet of some bizarre noodle for the family hiding at home. All these fragments need to be preserved. I would hate to see how we lose all these awesome stories about how people had role-play dinners at home or ran a marathon in their homes.

Please send me YOUR story from the lockdown. It can be anything. An account of one day, a month, a sad occurrence, although I rather much want the fun stuff. How did you prepare for the weeks locked up at home. The wild things that you did in order to make it through this unique period of time. I would want to collate these stories, edit and eventually publish them as a collection of “The Lockdown Chronicles”. Anything goes: short or long stories, work related or purely at home or how you perceived the rise of Zoom. I am sure it will be an amazing read. And while I am based in Malaysia, it could be from anywhere in the world. I am not looking for print-perfect language, but YOUR story; how you felt and went about things.

Send your text in any editable format to chronicles@launchpad.com.my

Thanks for your contribution!