Stranded in CDG, Paris

It all started off so easy. CoVID test on Wednesday, which was negative. Pizza and drinks with our neighbors, Wednesday night. We woke up Thursday morning with all day to get to the airport for 8,30 pm flight from Atlanta to Cairo, Egypt, via Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris. Stopping at a taphouse on the way i sampled a couple beers for Untapped. On arrival to the airport in Atlanta, our agent at the desk at Air France checked to make sure our CoVID test was good to go for entry into Cairo. Our first leg of our flight was cleared and boarding passes were printed. Yea!

The flight was fantastic, as always. The flight was on time, socially distanced seating, hot food and wine. We slept a bit, but not as much as we wanted to. The landing in Paris was bumpy with storms and flood warnings being issued. We had an 8 hour layover with nobody wanting to help us until our flight was at the gate. I checked to make sure all was good with our Egyptian Visas, health insurance and CoVID tests.

WHAT!!! WE CAN’T ENTER EGYPT!!!

Our agent in Atlanta said she had checked out CoVID test status all the way through to Egypt, but apparently had not, or didn’t give a fuck. We couldn’t fly into Cairo. The answer the people at Air France had, fly back to the US to get another CoVID test. We couldn’t leave the airport due to France’s CoVID restrictions and you had to leave the airport to get another CoVID test. Catch 22.

As a mototraveler, I knew to never accept no for an answer. Thanks to listening to travelers out there, I stood my ground and gave possible solutions. When the supervisor said, “Follow me, we’ll get your tickets to the US”, I didn’t move.

There were options, but none easy. One was to fly Turkish Air to one of the travelers, CoVID test on arrival destinations, of which there were four, Cairo not being one of them. The other, get another CoVID test, but you can’t do that. Thanks to a couple other Air France helpers who really cared, we found out the French can bend the rules.

They contacted the French police to get special permission for us to leave the confines of the airport to get a special CoVID test. We ran, as the testing site was closing.

With two Air France officials, followed by two extra large variety policeman, followed by another policeman, we all ran through entrances, past amazed airport security, out of the safety zone and to a closed testing site. They opened back up to test us with a PCR test what would be available in 8 hours. In the US we were told 3 to 5 days, my last one taking 10 days. Come on US, can’t you do better!!!

Well, we missed our flight and the next one will be in two days. As we can’t leave the airport the only option was the over inflated priced airport hotel, with two room left. And no restaurants open in the entire airport, CoVID, ya know.

But anyway, we have a couple contacts in Cairo, thanks to Lorraine, Doug and Nicole, who are the nicest people you would want to meet. They are waiting to see us and let us stay with them. If there is one thing, maybe two things, traveling by motorbike has taught us it patience in most situations and people are fantastic, always there for you. Melanie called our hero at the airport who helped us beyond what he had to, Superman. She wanted to talk to his supervisor and let him know what it meant to us. He said, “No. My payment is the feeling I got from helping you”.

So with that, we will hang at the airport a couple days and then fly to the fabulous country of Egypt, with it’s wonderful people just waiting for our friendship.

I LOVE TRAVELING!

Cheers,

2WANDRRs