Interview of Maxime Garin, repatriated from Sri Lanka because of the Coronavirus

Maxime Garin is a former colleague with whom I now share a passion for travel. If we were able to reach France before the situation degenerated, this isn’t the case of Maxime who had to leave Sri Lanka in a disaster because of the Coronavirus. He agreed to share his experience with us.

Hello Maxime, can you introduce yourself to our readers? How long have you been traveling? What was your itinerary?

Hello. My name is Maxime, alias Mowgli, a little nickname I was given when I was travelling and I have kept it ever since! It always makes the locals laugh when they ask me what my name is, so it makes it possible to create a link right away. I’ve been traveling since December 2018. I started with Oceania (New Zealand, Australia) and then Asia: Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Laos, Cambodia. And I just came back from Sri Lanka after having spent only 10 days there: Coronavirus obliges.

When did you first hear about Coronavirus? Were you worried then?

In December, I think, I was following from afar what was happening in China in Wuhan. No, I wasn’t worried at all at that time.

When did you decide to return to France? Why not stay where you were or go to another country?

I decided to return when the country went into containment. I was somehow kicked out of my hotel which “advised” me to go to the airport as soon as possible and leave the country. Staying in Sri Lanka was really not an option, the locals were in panic when they saw a foreigner, they would throw us sentences like: “go home Corona!”. Some even got spat on. I didn’t think for a second about going to another country, I had only one desire: to go back to my country!

How did you find a flight to France?

A robbery? Flights rather! The country entered in confinement on March 20. At the base I had to come back on March 25th (classic flight), and wait for this flight very wisely in a shabby room near the airport. But the situation started to degenerate here, the locals were aggressive, we couldn’t leave our rooms, and we were short of food and water. I thus reserved a second flight which was to leave on March 22nd. But on March 21, surprise: the airline company decided to suspend the flights to France? So I booked a 3rd flight in the emergency which cost me an arm. There were very few tickets available and we had to act quickly because we were told that the airport in Sri Lanka might be closed…

Did you have to pay the fare or did the embassy take care of it? Were the fares higher than normal?

I paid for the tickets myself. The first two were at the normal fare level but the last one cost twice as much as normal.

What were your contacts with the French Embassy? Was it useful?

Zero utility, the embassy was strangely closed in Sri Lanka for several days, and when it was open it was unreachable …

How did you deal with that moment when you didn’t know if you were going to be able to go home?

Panic on board. I was quite anxious, it’s hard to be away from home in such circumstances. Given the reaction of the locals to foreigners, I wanted to get home quickly. I also knew that if I had a health problem here, I wouldn’t be treated. As a foreigner in a country like Sri Lanka, you definitely take a back seat, that’s for sure. I had several pneumothoraxes a few years ago, and it often makes me anxious when I travel, afraid of having another one and being treated badly. So Covid + pneumothorax = anxiety.

Where were you waiting for your flight? Were you in confinement? Did you have food?

When I left in an emergency with a driver to the airport, I didn’t know where I was going. The driver had to drop me off and get home as quickly as possible before the lockdown which started at 6pm. The timing was tight, so he dropped me off near the airport in some kind of dilapidated building. Someone told me quite aggressively to go up to the first floor and confine me to a room. It was a kind of boarding school, tiny rooms, very dirty

We were several foreigners in this kind of prison. There was a guard who authorized exits just to go to the toilet. People had taken precautions before confining themselves here, but me, in the emergency that was my “repatriation” near the airport, I had not planned anything, I had just a bottle of water and a dozen cashew nuts … My “cell” neighbor, a Russian with whom I was talking through the wall, helped me out by giving me some food. Two days in this place, it was quite horrible…

How was the return flight? Was it different from a regular flight?

No, it was a classic flight, except that we felt a lot of stress from each other. It must be said that at a time when it is good to stay confined, being in an airport or in a plane, it isn’t the best possible confinement …

What was the atmosphere at the airport in Paris? Did you have a health check? Did you obtain a certificate to be able to move to your place of confinement?

I have never seen the airport so empty. No health check, I didn’t see the shadow of a cop. I picked up my luggage and jumped into a cab. No attestation either, I thought my plane ticket would do in case of control.

Where are you now?

I am in Neuilly, in my cousin’s apartment that she kindly lent me to confine me, since she is confined elsewhere. I have a balcony, so I’m happy, it allows me to get some fresh air because the return is difficult. To be confined when one is used to travel for a long time, it isn’t easy… Need of space, nature, and meetings! That’s not going to be possible for a long time but well, priority first!

Did you lose money with these adventures? Are you going to be compensated by your insurance?

More than 3000 euros of plane tickets ! It stings. I made a claim with my travel insurance but I don’t believe it too much… I also contacted the airline company who cancelled his flight but no answer for the moment. To be continued!

Do you have any advice for those who are trying to return to France at the moment?

To return as soon as possible, and to try to contact the embassies, apparently for the last few days there have been organized repatriations in some countries.

Good containment to all!