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Por Dave
Spannabis 2020
March and the world’s biggest Cannabis festival is about to start, I have my press pass ready but no flights or accommodation booked… Why… Covid-19.
Early to late December 2019 a virus broke out in China. A small-town problem that quickly became a world issue…
So for me this trip was everything. I’ve just finished my second documentary film called Back to Nature, it’s about the importance of self-sufficiency ironically enough. Go figure!… I called and contacted friends to see and get their opinions on going or not. Myself and friends from CannabisClubSystems were chatting and decided to go regardless. We figured we could still hold our meetings away from Spannabis and get business done as usual…
Flights and Accommodation booked…
Thursday the 12th 3am, I’m having sinking feelings as I sit up in bed. I again thought about my chat with my friends. So sheepishly I got up and drove to Dublin airport. The roads were super quiet and when I got to the airport… WTF, the smell of detergent and the shine from the floor said it all. I quickly checked in, only to feel a part of something I really shouldn’t be.
As I walked around the feeling of alienation and segregation was eerie. I sat away from my gate until I really had to board. My booking was priority and off I went. Upon boarding I soon realised there were very few people and everyone sat apart. I was having sinking feelings.
I just closed my eyes and fell asleep.
Barcelona here I come.
I arrived and Barcelona Airport was very quiet too. Strange feelings came across me. Getting a coffee for the taxi ride, I hailed a taxi and off I went. The Taxi driver asked me to lift my own bags which became reality check number 1. As our journey started you could clearly see Spain has changed due the virus.
Spannabis 2020 was in meltdown, so I decided to go down and see it for myself. Because I’m a member of the press, I was able to gain access. Wow, the whole team were there trying to work out what to do as now the whole show was cancelled… Last minute choice by the Spanish Government. But the right one.
When I walked around a venue I know all so well, I was in shock. Everything that was built was now coming down. Staff, Crew’s and companies were all scrambling to get home, out or done as fast as they could.
Mara from Abscent Bags was one of the last out from the venue. Because simply, she got caught out. Very few people go to shows alone only to find out there cancelled.
So as the day went on, it became more and more apparent that maybe my choice was bad…
Making the best of a bad situation
That evening I met with the team from CannabisClubSystems.
A beautiful Jamaican restaurant but with a twist… The waiter could not have been cooler… Like Jamaican’s are not already. They only had two dishes due to the virus outbreak and the fact that supply chains were starting to break down. Chicken or Fish mon he said as we joked about his great sales speech prior…
It was so great to catch up and see old and new friends. After much conversation and many funny moments, the reality of what was going on came into discussion.
The Spanish Government were deciding to close down all restaurants, coffee shops and anywhere people met. Parks too were closed.
We discussed that Social Clubs were private and they may still take guests. The conversation went back and forth with multiple opinion’s… But the reality was and is… We know very little about this Covid-19 other than it Kills, it’s very real and we all need to make some concise decisions…
Friday we saw more and more changes happening very quickly and with Police presence. This is definitely something that will mould our generation for life. This will be spoken as a great loss in our history of life…
Get out while you can
As a safety net, I booked flights home for Sunday morning. Saturday flights were gone and my conspiracy theory was starting to feel true. I stated that if the Spanish Government don’t close Airport’s on Friday, it will be more than likely Monday morning.
The Spanish Government released a statement saying 8am Monday morning, more and more restrictions will be in place. Madrid was on Lock Down, the Spanish and French border was closed and its again starting to feel like a living horror movie.
Myself and the CCS crew stayed together as a team. It’s amazing how people come together in times of need. We sat around and again discussed what will come from this. People are now stuck indoors and need certain supplies… Well some of us do anyways…
A lot of food places began doing deliveries using contactless payment methods… So in some ways, life must go on…
Our time is drawing near now and we are all looking forward to getting home, but more importantly get home safe… Meeting different people and hearing how they didn’t foresee or even understand how severe this truly is…? Will, or, how will we get through this…
We all say our goodbyes with very real and heartfelt thought and feeling. Goodbye friends and let’s hope we can share our unique and very bizarre story.
Keep it Green and Clean.
Dave on St. Patricks Day 2020 Quarintine…
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