Hello Friends, before joining Hive, I had a trip to Spain as Alby Zalmi's team manager. The trip lasted for a week, and while I may not be able to cover it all in one blog post, I'll share the trip in different blog posts.

I had an amazing time in Malaga, Spain, and I'm so grateful to have been able to document it on the Hive blockchain. I hope you enjoy reading about my experiences!

A New World Order: How The Coronavirus Pandemic Has Changed Travel As We Know It

It's been almost a year and a half since the world was first hit by the Coronavirus. At first, it seemed like something that would only affect a few countries in Asia. But soon, it became clear that this was a global pandemic. Everything came to a standstill as countries went into lockdown in an attempt to control the spread of the virus. This included all sporting events, which meant that cricket tournaments were also suspended. I am Alby Zalmi#s team manager, a cricket club based in Stockholm. We were the champions of Sweden before the pandemic hit. In early 2022, I got word that we were scheduled to play in the group stage matches of the European Cricket League in Malaga, Spain. This would be our first tournament back after such a long break. Naturally, I was excited for this opportunity. But there was one small problem - I had not yet been vaccinated for Corona. In order to get the vaccine, I would need to complete a course of three doses over three months. With the tournament just three months away.

Despite the tight timeline, I managed to get myself vaccinated.

TRAVELING PROTOCOL AND TEAM BRANDING

The European Cricket League always streams its matches online, so I decided to design a team banner. It was mandatory to wear corona masks while travelling and in the hotel, so I thought why not do our team branding on the masks.

But due to lack of time there was no point in ordering online. A client of mine who had an online mobile phone accessories store offered to sponsor the masks but their only condition was that we had to print the masks ourselves. Thanks to @saif-ul-wahab for printing the masks for the team. It was a great way to get our team branding out there and help promote the league.

https://youtube.com/shorts/aL0eBGojLUQ?feature=share

I got to the Arlanda Airport prior to the team. Everyone had conveniently booked cricket equipment with special baggage and completed their check-in online. However, two players hadn't filled out their health control forms for Spain yet; but I managed to register on the spot.

Today, when I am documenting my travel to Spain, the Spain Travel Health (SpTH) portal, website and mobile applications are no longer functional. This means that you no longer need to complete the health control form or show the SpTH QR code at the airport upon arrival in Spain. The first port of entry may still be subject to health inspections for any travellers arriving in Spain by plane from the People's Republic of China. They will not be required to present SpTH.

https://youtube.com/shorts/iWFk_E3NAtc

After that, new jerseys were distributed. On that same day, Pakistani Ambassador Dr. Zahoor Ahmed was flying off for a private visit; I met him and informed him of our squad going to Spain to play on behalf of Sweden. He greeted each of the players individually and gave his best wishes for a victorious trip.

After a four hour and thirty minute flight, we arrived in Malaga at night. We were greeted by the sight of our team Sweden's name on the exit screens, and we couldn't have been prouder. A bus sent by the European Cricket League was waiting for us to take us to our hotel.

Apart from our players participating in the tournament, two more players from our club were supposed to come with us to support the team. However, due to not being able to get a seat on our flight, they took the next flight to Malaga. Although there was only a 30-minute difference between our flight and theirs, they took a lot of time at the health control desk. Now we had to ask the driver how long he could wait, and luckily he was willing to wait for them. However, communication was difficult because none of us speak Spanish fluently. We had to rely on Google Voice Translate to help us communicate with the driver. Technology can really be helpful in situations like this.

ECN official hotel partner The Sunset Beach Club Hotel

The Sunset Beach Club Hotel is located approximately 20 minutes away from Malaga Airport by bus. We were trying to explore the city by the light of street lights since we arrived late in the day. The first thing that struck me was how lively the city was, even at night.

We Pakistani Indians first look for an Indian Pakistani restaurant in any country we go to and the amazing thing is that before reaching the hotel, I saw an Indian restaurant on the way, but then my happiness could not be over. The fact that we would have easy access to Indian food made our stay at the Sunset Beach Club Hotel even more enjoyable.

I did the room sharing of all the players in such a way that they got a chance to get to know each other, if one is not committed to the time, the other keeps prompting him. Although it was against the will of some of the players, I managed to fix the check-in phase very well. Our matches were to start from the next day, so despite it being late at night, our team presentation took place and dinner was arranged in the hotel dining hall. Albi Zalmi's coach and I also met in the lobby after checking into our room and freshening up. Because we had to work on the next day's schedule.