Day 3

An American woman next door is checking out! I heard her through the door adjoining our rooms and we were able to see each other from our back porches. 🎉 She was having trouble getting the paperwork from the doctor that she needs to upload for the airline, so I’ll be sure to keep on top of that. 

Nobody seems to know exactly what the rules are, and nobody has called or come to talk to me about it. My neighbor says it’s 5 days quarantine. Five days from my positive test is Thursday if you count test day as Day 1. But some airlines count test day as Day 0 which makes Friday Day 5. And some say you can’t travel on Day 5—which would mean I’d travel home Saturday. We’ll nail this down soon.

I’ll get swabbed daily around lunchtime, and if I get a negative I can fly the next day—but then I’d need that paperwork very quickly. And nothing happens very quickly here. That’s not staff’s failure, it’s something I noticed before quarantine. Their backend system, whatever it is, needs replacing.

I’m so thankful for my neighbor, whose name is Jennifer. She gave me some names and contact numbers I will need and was a bright spot in this experience overall. 💕

I don’t see any guards outside—that was a question that someone asked me. But Jennifer accidentally got locked out when room service left her food out of reach and security showed up within minutes to let her back in, so they’re not far away! 😷

Speaking of food, I don’t know what this is exactly but I like it! Kind of like a Mexican Malomar.

I peeked out front and noticed red linen bags out to my right. I heard a small child from that direction earlier when I was reading on the porch. You won’t hear me complain about quarantining alone when I know a young parent is going through this isolation trying to explain to a child why, when days ago they were out at the pool and beach in the sunshine every day, now they can’t even leave their room.

But I’ll bet they are enjoying the big bubble bath!

The espresso machine in the room is also 🔥!

To keep staff safe, all food is brought with disposable dishes and cutlery. I’m accumulating quite a bit of trash but wasn’t told what to do with it. I’ll try to keep it in my room until I leave and make sure everything is tightly bagged up. 

Note to other Moon Palace Quarantiners: Order cold food when possible—hot will simply not arrive hot. It is what it is. Wash cups and glasses after using and save any napkins, plates, and cutlery that you can. Save the plastic wrap the cutlery comes in. You can use those plates and wrap to store leftovers in the fridge. 

Note to Palace Resorts: small microwaves in the Quarantine rooms would be a greatly-appreciated luxury! Cold room service and leftovers could be heated up. 🙏💕 Also small laundry soaps for washing clothes in the sink.

It’s sort of surreal as the happy, vacationing golfers with beers and sunscreen pull up on the cart path adjacent to my porch to take their shots. They have no idea what the people in these rooms are going through. We’re so close and yet so far.🙃 It’s nice to listen to them though—it makes quarantining less lonely.

The club sandwich I got for lunch was dry but tasty. Sure would have been great to have a beer with it. The room service guy who left it stayed 10+ feet away but was very polite. I wonder if they can refuse to serve us. I wonder if the ones who do get hazard pay.