Afaranwide

NEWSLETTER 46: March 21, 2020

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Sunset On a Golden Age?

They say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone, and that’s certainly true in the current circumstances. For many years, everyone above a certain income level has been able to travel freely; the world has been a marvellous playground for many of us. Now, with the coronavirus tightening its grip daily, airlines grounding most of their planes, and countries going into lockdown, that’s no longer the case. For the time being, this golden age of travel is over. Among the very minor consequences of all this is that travel blogs have to adapt. There’s no point writing about, say, a picturesque town in Spain when you can’t go there. Some blogs are in fact carrying on as if it’s business as usual, but this doesn’t seem the right approach to us. However, we know that people who love to travel, meet new people and experience other cultures are still interested in all those things, despite the current challenges. So we’ll continue to publish new posts, though the emphasis may change a bit until things get back to normal. We’ll focus more on interesting places we’ve visited that are off the normal tourist trail, unusual experiences, and remarkable stories we’ve come across in our travels. Meanwhile, stay safe in these dangerous times.

Women Who Defied Nazis

One such little-known story concerns two brave women who risked their lives in a remote part of occupied France. Suzette Agulhon, who worked in a local government office during the Second World War, courageously provided valuable information to the Resistance. Simone Serrière, a headmistress, hid Jews during the war. They are commemorated in the mural above. We recently learned more about one of the people Simone helped, Russian-born artist and illustrator Jacob Barosin. He and his wife Sonia eventually travelled to Paris using forged identity papers, and emigrated to the US after the war. Barosin, who worked as an illustrator for the NBC TV network, died in 2001 aged 95. This is one of the joys of travel, coming across humbling and inspiring stories such as this. READ MORE

Latest Twist in QE2 Saga

The Queen Elizabeth 2 Hotel in Dubai, which we wrote about last month, has closed until September because of what are described in a statement as “recent global events”. There are two unique things about this historic liner, which opened as a floating hotel in 2018. First, she inspires unqualified love and devotion from her many fans, and second, she’s been the focus of endless speculation since being sold to Dubai in 2008. Inevitably, the closure announcement led to frenzied speculation on social media. It’s been suggested that she will be moved to a dry dock, will stay shut, or be sold to a Chinese buyer. We’re inclined to take the statement at its word. The closure will enable further renovation work to be carried out, and a comment by the operators on the official “The QE2 Dubai” site says all the staff remain employed. The QE2 is due to reopen a month before the start of Expo 2020 in Dubai. We just don’t see Dubai risking the furore that would erupt if the hotel did not start welcoming guests again on Sept. 1, the date given in the statement. READ MORE

Olympic Chiefs in Denial

As each day passes, the chances of the Tokyo Olympics taking place as planned in July and August seem more remote. Sports events have been cancelled around the world, and this week the Euro 2020 football tournament was postponed for a year. The Euros were due to end on July 12, and the Olympics are set to start just 12 days later. Yet on Monday the International Olympic Committee issued a communique saying: “The IOC remains fully committed to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and with more than four months to go before the Games there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage.” A further comment that “any speculation at this moment would be counter-productive” seems unlikely to end conjecture about the event being postponed.

Macau, One Bright Spot

Las Vegas’s casinos closed for 30 days, this week along with other “nonessential businesses” across Nevada. In contrast, gaming has resumed in Macau, the former Portuguese colony that is now a special administrative region of China. The city is the world’s biggest gambling centre, with revenues that dwarf those of Vegas. Anyone seeking something positive amid all the grim headlines should look to Macau. There have been just 17 coronavirus cases there, 10 of those infected have recovered, and no one has died of the disease. This is despite the fact that it borders mainland China, where the crisis began. What’s more, in normal times many thousands of migrant workers cross into Macau daily from the neighbouring mainland city of Zhuhai, and the casinos mainly attract Chinese tourists.

Take a Deep Dive

A chance to descend 10,928 metres to the deepest point in the Earth’s oceans is being offered by travel company EYOS Expeditions. The firm says only seven people have visited Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench east of the Philippines. Three places are available on the expedition at a reported cost of $750,000 each. They will descend one at a time in the two-seat Limiting Factor submersible. “This is the most exclusive destination on Earth,” said Rob McCallum, founding partner of Isle of Man-based EYOS. “Only three manned expeditions have ever been made to the bottom of Challenger Deep, and more people have been to the moon than to the bottom of the ocean.”

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