Pandemic Pandemonium Update
Published May 4, 2020
Well 2020 sure has been a wild ride so far! What had started out as a fun way to spend 90 days while I waited for my Shengen allotment to reset - including a visit to Dubrovnik, Croatia in January with my brother and a very boring February - by March had quickly morphed into something the world hasn’t seen in a very long time - a full blown pandemic. Within a matter of days European countries shut down borders as the world panicked on how best to deal with a novel coronavirus named COVID-19. I thought I would share my personal experience and how I ended up riding out the storm in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
End of February 2020
At this time I was staying in a rental house in the tiny village of Trstenik, Croatia. I had been planning for my return to life in Spain when I was told I could not register my Jeep there due to its age and American specifications. My UK road tax had lapsed and I needed an updated MOT inspection in order to renew it. I considered leaving Croatia immediately and driving back to the UK to take care of this development. However, I was still weeks away from when my 180 Schengen days would reset. I had been staying in Croatia to balance the 90 days I had already spent in Spain and Venice, crossing from the Schengen Zone into Croatia on December 20, 2019. I had four days left that I could use to cross back to the UK but I was concerned what may happen if I wasn’t able to make it in that timeframe. Would I be fined? Would I be deported back to the US? What would happen to the dogs and my Jeep if that did happen? The next rental house near Sibenik had already been paid for and I didn’t want to lose that money. I decided to go ahead with the Sibenik rental and then move north toward Zagreb and the Slovenian border to be ready to cross back into the Schengen Zone on March 23, 2020.
On February 29, 2020 I had checked into the rental near Sibenik, Croatia. We were scheduled to stay for two weeks. Around the end of February rumblings and talk of the virus in China spreading to other countries had begun but it still seemed very distant to me. Even stories of cruise ships with infected passengers unable to disembark didn’t seem that strange, we’ve heard plenty of those situations before. The human impact also didn’t seem that dramatic, they were talking a few thousand people dying in China out of a country of 1.4 billion, how could that possibly be worth worrying about from where I was?
Around this time Italy began to be inundated with the virus and had locked down northern regions like Lombardy (Milan) and Veneto (Venice) to try and contain the spread within their own borders. This caught my attention as I needed to eventually cross back through this region when it was time for me to return to Spain. But it still didn’t click for me that it could become far worse, it seemed like an inconvenience that I would have to drive around versus something that may actually cause me harm.
March 2020
On March 10 things became very real because Italy announced they were locking down their entire country and closing borders. Holy shit, now this feels much more serious. I quickly did some further planning to see if I could/should head back to the UK. This included finding a veterinarian to give the dogs worm medicine which is required for re-entry to the UK. To complicate matters, I had also managed to lose the dogs’ pet passports and needed new ones. There was a great vet in Sibenik that took care of both things for me, which solved that problem. I was planning to leave on March 14, 2020, when we were scheduled to check out of the rental, and head back to the UK.
Then on March 13th an overlanding friend sent me a message warning me the EU was about to close all borders. They had been on their way to Morocco from the UK and were already in Spain when Morocco closed their border with Spain. Plus he’d heard through his military network that Germany was about to shut down too. That threw a wrench in my plans for sure! Now not only did I have to worry about getting from Croatia to the UK in four days but now I was at risk of being caught in the Schengen Zone with borders closing and me without enough days to legally stay. I had four days available but ten days to go until it reset. I weighed my options again, concerned mainly for the safety of the dogs and what might happen if I was caught in the zone illegally. So I came up with plan B to move one country east - Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH). Americans can stay in BiH for 90 out of 180 days without needing a visa so that seemed like a logical place to go. I figured I could sit there until March 23rd and then head back over. However, things just continued to spiral as country after country on the European continent began shutting borders and restricting travel by non-residents. Germany did indeed announce their border closure effective March 16th and France closed March 17th, which would have caught me in route, so my concerns were well founded.
I crossed from Croatia to BiH at the Bijaca border on March 16, 2020. The border guard on the Croatian side asked me if anyone had told me it wasn’t safe to go there and basically questioned whether he should even let me through. Huh? I couldn’t figure why he was being so dramatic, I hadn’t read anything in all my researching plan B about danger in BiH and besides, their infection rate at the time was in the hundreds not thousands of people. He checked with his manager who said that it was fine but I should be aware that the BiH border patrol would have me fill out a health questionnaire and that I may have to self-isolate for fourteen days. I said “fine” and they let me pass.
At the BiH side, I needed to purchase a “green card” which is a document for auto insurance in Europe that states all the countries covered by that policy, effective dates, etc. I had coverage via my own policy but didn’t have this specific document so I thought better safe than sorry. However, they didn’t take cards and I didn’t have enough Euros to buy the insurance. So I had to turn around, go back in Ploce, Croatia and get money, cross back through the Croatia border then purchase the green card. Once I’d done all of that and about an hour or so after my first attempt, I was ready to cross. Then the BiH border guard asks me to follow him to a booth to talk with his captain. Oh boy, what’s happening now, I thought? Are they not going to allow me to pass? I walk into the booth and the captain is in a face mask and gloves and asks me if I have my own pen. Turns out it was time to fill out the health questionnaire. After answering all the questions, he tells me I am free to go. Whew. I had safely made it across the border and was on my way to the next rental house.
I had rented a house for us in Buna which is just south of Mostar. I had been messaging back and forth with the owners via the Booking.com app. They suggested I stop at a specific gas station and they’d come get me and lead me to the house. However, I had lost internet connection when I crossed the border. The phone number on the house listing wasn’t working and my UK mobile was only getting 3G access so loading any internet content was painfully slow. Great, how do I get in touch? Luckily I had previously loaded the Google Maps location onto my phone as I always do - I like to research in advance how to get to my destinations. Good thing I did because that helped me eventually work out where the house was. I pulled up and the owner’s son was there to greet me. Hallelujah, we’d made it! Funny thing about rental listings, no matter the service you use, the descriptions and pictures can often be misleading or just not fully convey the property. In this case, the house over-delivered on my expectations. While the inside is very comfortable but a bit of a DIY hodge podge, the setting could not be better. The house itself is situated within a walled and gated garden with a huge pool. Behind the back gate is another large yard that backs onto the Buna River, including cherry and pomegranate trees, a mini-golf course, and of course, private river access. Perfect place for the dogs and I to relax while the world swirls around us.
April 2020
I had about a month to move somewhat freely around the Mostar area before the Herzegovina-Neretva kanton (think ‘county’ for my American friends) enforced a restriction on movement outside the place of residence on April 10, 2020. Prior to that I could run errands as needed but most stores were closed and things felt tense. Grocery stores were open, and some other businesses deemed “essential.” Luckily I had gotten a hint that might happen because the Federation of Bosnia & Herzegovina (think of it as a state in the US) had toyed with the idea of a 14 day ban on movement but not enacted it. Literally the day before the HNK announcement I had gone to the large Bingo store (think Fred Meyer in WA or a Super Target) on the north side of Mostar to stock up on a couple weeks’ worth of supplies. At this point the total number of positive cases of the virus and death tolls were very small compared to what was happening in Italy and Spain. This kanton had been experiencing a rise in cases and were taking in patients from the neighboring kantons because the hospital in Mostar was the largest in the area. All of these stressors prompted them to go into lockdown. I think BiH as a whole had been very concerned about the potential toll on their health care systems if the virus went unchecked. As a result, they were testing a lot, contact tracing and isolating cases from very early days. The fear and awareness of their own limitations turned out to have saved them from the catastrophic impacts seen in Western countries.
I will say though that the human mind is an interesting thing. When I was self-isolating out of choice and an abundance of caution, I was happy as a clam. As soon as they said we couldn’t leave our residences, I was burning to leave even though I didn’t really need to. I had enough supplies to last me awhile so I was fine. Luckily the ban on movement only lasted a couple weeks and was lifted on April 23rd so we are now free again. There are still some curfews in place for at risk age groups and during the various holidays to try and keep cases down.
During all of this it has been hard to keep focused and I find mind self going through ups and downs of productivity, mood, etc. Throughout April, I’ve been trying out new photographic techniques, reading more, watching educational videos, etc. to keep myself entertained. Booker, the old man dog is fine with sleeping all day. Ozzie is itching for entertainment too, he loves a good road trip as much as I do. We’re getting by but definitely look forward to when things loosen up further.
May 2020
It is now Monday, May 4th and the world is beginning to re-emerge slowly from isolation. Here in Bosnia & Herzegovina, the stats stand at 1,914 positive cases, 866 recovered people and 78 deaths in a country of 3.4 million total people. Today there were officially more recovered people than sick in hospital which is great news. Italy has been the worst affected country in Europe and after nearly two months in strict lockdown it has begun to slowly open back up. Spain, also very hard hit, is beginning to allow residents back out while mandating strict social distancing and hygiene measures with an aim to be mostly free again by end of June. Borders in many EU countries are still closed but discussions are taking place on when/if to reopen the tourism sector that is being decimated by the shut downs. Croatia, similar to BiH, has managed to keep their virus numbers low and are looking at restarting tourism in June. People will need to provide proof of a negative coronavirus test result no older than 24 hours in order to enter the country. I am planning to cross back into Croatia in June, exact timing TBD, and head toward Spain. So here’s hoping things continue to proceed well and the virus stays on a downward trend for everyone.
In the meantime, I will be soaking in the sun, playing in the pool and finding ways to stay engaged. Take care, be safe, stay well.
