'WHEN was the last time you sat in a bar and had a drink with strangers?' Someone asked me that the other day on a Zoom call.

He was in Amsterdam, I was in Singapore. We were reminiscing about the wonderful bars we used to frequent in his city.

Not that I am counting but as I write this, it’s been 326 days since I last flew on a plane. I reckon 326 days would also be my answer as to the last time I sat in a bar and had a drink with strangers.

I have to confess, I’ve tried to be brave through 2020 but as January has come and gone, I am beginning to feel a sense of weariness settling in. There’s a sameness to each day that is getting to me. Same view. Same place. Same faces. Same walks. Same stuff.

I guess this is what people mean when they say you have “cabin fever” – I’ve never felt it before till now.

Now I know. Travel breaks the monotony of sameness. That’s why we do it as much as we do. It gives us the variety that makes life spicy, often sweet, occasionally sour.

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