When he left the Westerdam yacht in the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville, John Miller fell to his knees, clasped his hands in joy and gratitude.

But the joy of being "rescued" after nearly two weeks at sea disappeared, when he and his wife and hundreds of passengers aboard the MS Westerdam had a headache finding their way home.

In the first days after arriving at the port, when the fear of being stranded at sea disappeared, John Miller and Lydia's wife decided not to return to the country like many other passengers. They will spend time exploring the Mekong River, buying street food or going to visit the capital, Phnom Penh.

Then suddenly the Malaysian authorities announced a passenger on a yacht was found to be infected with nCoV while in transit in the country. After the news was confirmed, the Miller and the rest of the passengers were required to gather at the hotel and they immediately understood that the way home was no longer easy.

"At that time I felt terrible, when everything changed in the blink of an eye," said Lydia, 55 years old. "We are like getting lost in a surreal world. It is a very strange feeling when you are on a journey but do not know when you can return home."

The Miller couple live on Orcas Island, Washington State, USA. The grandparents are staying in a hotel in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh and trying to find a way to get back home as soon as possible.

MS Westerdam yacht docked in Cambodia on February 13 after being repeatedly denied at other ports. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen then welcomed them with flowers and hugs.

After that touching moment, they are now faced with a nightmare, which is to find a flight home.

Returning home is now a very difficult problem, as more and more countries refuse to fly passenger planes that once aboard the Westerdam yacht. According to a diplomat working directly with passengers in Phnom Penh, the restrictions on travel of countries and the lack of flights from Cambodia are the biggest obstacle.

Holland America, the company that owns the yacht MS Westerdam, has the same opinion and said it is trying to coordinate flights to bring passengers back home.

"Cambodia is an unexpected destination for us. The fact that too many tourists want to fly back soon puts pressure on the country's aviation system," Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America, said by phone. in Phnom Penh.

Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan are the countries and territories that refuse to allow passengers to enter the Westerdam yacht, making it difficult to bring passengers back to Europe and the US.

Some airlines, such as the Emirates, have to transit in Bangkok before continuing their journey to other destinations such as Dubai, so they cannot carry passengers on yachts. However, Ashford also expressed hope that passengers will be able to return home soon in the next few days.

Miller and his wife had to change plans three times when Holland America constantly changed schedules because Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Guam in turn refused to let Westerdam cruise ship dock, causing the ship to sail on. sea for two weeks.

Each day, they walk about 16 km around the yacht for hours, read the newspaper, listen to music and practice the ability to play table tennis. As planned, their return flight to the US will depart this Saturday and transit in Seoul, but now they will not be able to go there because the Korean government has refused to let passengers on the cruise ship transit.

Tony Martin-Vegue, living in San Francisco Bay, California, USA, was planning to take his wife Christina Kerby home as soon as she left the yacht. He and his 10-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter clean the house, flower arrangements and prepare favorite coffee for the welcome home party.

But now he doesn't know when this party will be held, when Kerby is still stuck in Phnom Penh. "I was worried about how she would get home," Martin-Vegue said.

Kerby recorded her time on the Westerdam yacht, from taking yoga classes by the pool, eating ice cream every day to learning to fold towels into animal shapes. She once shared the feeling of "joy and relief" when the ship was docked, as well as the "scary" challenge when the doctor in protective gear used a toothpick to poke her nose for a virus test. But the joy of landing immediately disappeared when she realized not knowing when to return to America.

"With each passing day, I feel that the chances of her coming back are lower and lower, because the disease is spreading and many governments are trying to cope with it. There is currently no solution to this problem," Martin-Vegue said. to speak.

Westerdam Yacht with more than 2,200 passengers and crew allowed people to leave the ship on February 14 to board the plane to return home. But the process was halted when Malaysia discovered that 83-year-old American passengers were infected with the virus. About 255 passengers and 747 crew members were detained on board the ship waiting to be tested.

The Cambodian Health Minister yesterday said that all test results were negative for nCoV and that all passengers were healthy, without any symptoms of fever. Therefore, passengers are allowed to leave the cruise immediately.

They were taken to a hotel in Phnom Penh, where many other Westerdam passengers were walking down the corridor waiting for flight information to return home. Whiteboards with flight information and updates on new travel restrictions in countries that allow transit passengers are located in the lobby.

"We will go to any country that allows passengers of Westerdam yacht to transit," Ashford said.

Those who left the train first and had to wait for the flight for days had advised newcomers not to expect too much of returning home early.

"We love traveling and like to experience new, unpredictable things. But right now, I just want to return to the normal life that we can know in advance the next day. ", said Lydia.