Call it destiny or a quirk of fate, this is the way 60-year-old Vanitha Rengaraj had to see the pyramids and the Nile in Egypt. A retired history professor from Pollachi, who has travelled the world, it was always her dream to visit Egypt. And, it turned out to be the trip of a lifetime.

Vanitha, Founder of Saranalayam, an NGO in Pollachi, and her husband R. Rengaraj, 62, have returned home safe after a close brush with COVID-19 on board the MS Asara, an Egyptian luxury cruise liner on the Nile.

The bookings for the Egypt package tour, inclusive of a three-day cruise on the Nile, was made more than two months ago. The Salem-based tour operator organised the trip. There were 18 passengers in all from south India, the majority being from Tamil Nadu. The tour was from February 27 to March 7. But, when the group finally reached India after a harrowing experience, it was March 12.

When it was time to leave in February, Mr. Rengaraj had cautioned his wife about the COVID-19 threat and suggested cancelling the trip. But his daughters, aware of the life-long dream of their mother, had insisted that they go ahead. The trip organiser had also assured them that there were no cases reported in Egypt at the time and so it would be safe.

Mr. Rengaraj never gave up on his attempts. At every connecting airport, witnessing people moving around wearing masks, he tried convincing his wife that it was a mistake and that they should cancel the trip. But, Vanitha remained keen on the trip.

All was hunky dory even after reaching Cairo. They had a nice trip of the pyramids and other sightseeing places. The last leg of the tour was the three-day cruise on the Nile – from Aswan to Luxor. The ship anchored along the coast and the passengers were shifted to boats to visit the ancient temples of Kom Ombo and others. 

Everything changed on the last day. The ship, which was anchored close to Luxor, took off on a different course and docked 20 kms off Luxor. 

Vanitha recounts how they were all getting ready to enjoy a cultural evening on the ship on March 6 when scores of police and health officials entered and announced that blood samples would be collected from all the 171 passengers. They were asked not to panic. 

But the very process of drawing blood started the panic. After that, it was mayhem as the kitchen was closed and all the passengers were asked to remain indoors. Passengers realised that something was really amiss when the kitchen was sanitised and they had to remain without food for more than a day.

It was only on March 7 that it was officially declared that 33 from MS Asara were infected. Later, the number increased to 45, including 12 crew. Officials had acted on a tip-off from a hospital where a crew member from the ship had reported sick. 

While the infected and suspected cases were removed from the ship, the others lived in a state of constant fear. Food and other supplies were hard to come by during the initial days.

It was a great relief when the military took over and ensured that there were enough supplies of fruits and fluids for the passengers.

Though she is back home, Vanitha sounds rattled as she recounts her tale of having to live cooped up in a ship cabin without proper food, and above everything, having to live in fear. With just CNN to watch in their cabin, the husband and wife spent long anxious hours waiting for the worst. It didn’t help that CNN was only showing news of COVID-19. The other channels were all in Arabic. 

“We wanted to spend some time in the open air on the deck. But we were given strict instructions to maintain a 3-metre distance from each other and not unduly expose ourselves. Others also did not want to mingle with us,” she says.

The fear mounted when one Indian from their group was tested positive. The engineer was taken to a military hospital in Alexandria. It took a lot of convincing to make the wife stay behind on the ship. Her tears and anxiety only added to the fear.

Vanitha recounts anecdotes of people from other countries coping with fear, especially those whose family members had been taken to the hospital. Most of them, especially those from France, were travelling in large groups with family or friends and hence could have easily been infected because of the close contact, she adds.

When news broke on March 7 about the MS Asara, Saranya Rengaraj, Vanitha’s daughter, panicked because there were no reports about any Indian passengers. She quickly activated the international roaming facility through her mother’s phone service provider and got to talk to her. She reached out to the tour operator and various other sources, and also posted on social media platforms.

In the meantime, health officials kept updating those on the ship, but could not give them a concrete time as to when they would be allowed to leave the ship. “We were cautioned about the number of days even going up to 30,” says Vanitha.

After that there was a whirlwind of activity. The Indian Embassy stepped in. A few other countries had by then enabled safe removal of their citizens who had tested negative.

Another round of blood tests later, all 17 Indians from India tested negative. The Indian Embassy urged the Egypt government to allow the Indians to leave the ship. Carrying original test reports, all 17 Indians were allowed to fly out. The tour operator arranged safe passage for them back home. The Rengarajs flew from Luxor to Cairo, Cairo to Mumbai, Mumbai to Hyderabad, and Hyderabad to Coimbatore, all in a day.

They reached Coimbatore on March 12. For Vanitha, the Nile she yearned to see, has become something dreadful. “It takes just a second for happiness to change into sorrow. We can be anywhere in the world and have any amount of money, but this is the reality. I have faced so many challenges in life, but this is an experience where I faced real fear.”

Lucky to have returned home, she hopes that the Indian government enables all Indians stuck abroad – who have tested negative – a safe passage back home.