For anyone following this, I just wanted to give a quick update. As the heading says, as of 15 Mar, the ride is still on as scheduled. (Beware, the ides of March are upon us.) Nothing is going to change the plan unless some airline or government stops me from getting there.

I get email messages almost daily from the US embassies in Laos and Thailand warning about possible quarantine. HOWEVER, so far… both governments are only using “enhanced” screening at the airports. Anyone who arrives without a fever will be required to “self monitor” for 14 days. If you have a fever, you will be quarantined.

So… I am sequestering myself as of today. I can’t come down with the cootie bugs if I don’t get contact with cootie bugs. I’m not going out of the house until it’s time to get on the airplane.

So far, it does not seem like either the Thai or Laotian governments are going to close down the borders to foreign travellers. I am worried about some government (ours) in preventing me from coming back. For now, our government is only stopping foreign visitors from entering. I just hope it remains that way till I get back.

If, however, I get there and can’t come back for a while, Laos is the place to be. So far, no one there tested positive for the cootie bug. Laos hasn’t closed their borders, but that could happen. If I get stuck in Thailand, that would be ok too. If I had to self-quarantine there for 14 days, I would give them a massage parlor address for my self quarantine. After that, I would just rent a motorcycle and tour Thailand.

So, no matter what, I’m going if not prohibited. And no matter what, this will have a happy ending.