Sanur, I initially thought, was chosen because of its location close to Denpasar airport. Once again, I was so very wrong. Sanur was actually quite interesting, if you know where to look. And Widi certainly did!
I have no idea how long it takes to get from Candidasa to Salat, because as is the case with OAT trips, the drive was interrupted by interesting stops along the way.
Ever wonder how Indonesian Sea Salt is “manufactured”?
Wonder no more, because I’m going to share a photo describing the process:
How heavy are the baskets filled with sea salt, you ask? And how hard is it to do?
It is VERY hard and they are VERY heavy. Widi asked me to demonstrate, so I speak from experience.
For many group members, the following day’s Hindu Purification Ceremony was the most memorable and meaningful part of the trip.
After a short ceremony during which we thought about why we were there, we entered the pool, where we wet our hair, face and mouth three times (the brave—or foolhardy— DRANK the water) under each of the eleven spigots.
Although that experience completed the “official” part of the day, as usual, Widi offered options for our “free” time.
After we learned that the turtle sanctuary is located by the beach, we didn’t care that the turtles were kept in tanks. Walking along the beach to get there, feeling the cool ocean breezes was heavenly!
Four of us took Widi up on his offer to meet him the next morning at 5:45 AM to watch the sun rise over the Indian Ocean.
Laurie, Davis (the chick magnet) and Micki ( pretending that she doesn’t know us)
Our final day of the main trip was spent visiting the cliffside temple of Uluwatu. What made THIS particular temple interesting was the very scenic location,
and the aggressive monkeys, who are known to steal cellphones, sunglasses and hats from unwary tourists.
Widi hired three rangers to protect us from these cute criminals. I regret not being fast enough to get a photo of one of the Rangers using his slingshot to scare away a couple of monkeys that were ready to “interact” with our group.
Did Elizabeth Gilbert’s book “Eat, Pray, Love” ruin Bali? The jury is still out. She definitely increased the number of tourist visits, especially around Ubud, which depending on your point of view, could be good or bad. The city sprawl appears endless; the main streets are jam packed with shops. Uneven doesn’t begin to describe the “sidewalks” and don’t get me started on the traffic! Crossing the street deserves a “profile in courage” award. To me, it is actually scarier than Hanoi.
I read Gilbert’s book about 20 years ago, when, while on a business trip, I was as stuck at Providence airport because of bad weather.
Because I knew this adventure would include several days in Bali, I packed the book to reread the Indonesia section. This time, my focus was different from my first reading. I was FAR more interested in the cultural and historical information than her description of her romance with the man who became her second husband. What a difference 20 years makes!
The Broadway play, South Pacific, was my only other source of info about Bali. I was too young to see the play, and I don’t think I ever saw the movie, (which was filmed in Hawaii, NOT even in Bali) but I remember the songs: “ I’m gonna wash that man right out of my hair” and “Bali Hai”. We are definitely not experiencing Bali HIGH, because on the flight to Bali, we were informed that if we trafficked in drugs they would KILL us by invoking the death penalty. That announcement came right after we were exhorted to fasten our seatbelts, and it was stated in exactly the same matter-of-fact way.
So what did we do during our three days in Ubud? EVERYTHING worth doing.
We visited the dance school that the OAT Foundation supports, where the adorable children performed for us. After their excellent show, none of us had any desire to watch a “professional” performance.
After they finished, we were invited to join the children, so we could experience how hard it is to do the traditional dance correctly. I’ll be honest. It was definitely a humbling experience!
We did far better doing “Happy Yoga” with the seniors, where we all learned the five different ways to laugh, and which part of the body each particular laugh strengthens.
We also learned how to make little containers from palm leaves for the daily offerings to the Hindu gods.
One of three shapesJeanne and Ganesh
OAT has three unique features: dinner with a local family (home visit), “A Day in the Life” (usually a local village, farm or winery) and “controversial topics”. For THIS trip, our controversial topic was supposed to be the caste system. We met a man from the lowest of the four Indonesian castes ( a farmer) who married a woman of the highest caste (Brahmin, comprised of priests and scholars) and were able to learn about their secret courtship and elopement. Their marriage caused the woman to be estranged from her family for years. To this day there are rigid rules the wife’s parents have to follow, such as they can’t visit their grandchildren until after sunset.
The wedding album
But that was not the only “ controversial” topic! It seems the Balinese believe all sexual activity ceases after age 60, which is why THIS room has been designated as a “sex free zone” , used by only those over the age of 60. EVERYONE in our group has long passed that particular milestone, and that pronouncement was met with bursts of laughter. Maybe we were practicing what we learned during our “happy yoga” session, maybe it was because of this alcoholic beverage we shared? Who can say for sure?
If you’re under 60, keep out! Home brewed Arak
Remember how I started this post with the NEGATIVE aspects of tourism? The Buddhist in me feels compelled to offer this yang to offset that ying.
Tourist money allowed this beautiful vista to be preserved.
For a fee, you can zip line or swing across the rice paddies.
We didn’t have time for either, so had to content ourselves with the free photo ops,
because we had more wondrous things to view, like the volcano’s crater, and more photo ops to experience.
Jeanne #2I have no fear of heights
Luckily the lake wasn’t too choppy, so we were able to visit the tiny ancient village located a half an hour away by boat.
Jeanne#1, Shoshana, Laurie
The ancestors of the current 1,000 residents have lived in this isolated village for about 1,000 years. They like being cut off from the rest of the world.
Average life expectancy is approximately 67 years, but the chief told us the oldest villager made it to 120(?!)
What makes the better carrier? Backpack or head?The volcano’s craterShoshana took this photo of these cute village boys.
Our final stop, before heading back across the lake was to the cemetery, where we read the rules before entering.
I don’t know whether the locals talked dirty or were impolite, but they sure ignored the rule against littering! There was trash all over the ground.
One rule they keep is not posted. THAT rule prohibits more than 11 people at a time from being “buried” in the cemetery. When the 12th person dies, then whoever has been in the cemetery the longest is removed and their skull (if decomposition occurred ) is placed on the altar. Until the skull can be easily detached, the body is dumped aside till ready.
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped to crash a wedding.
Widi travels with a supply of sarongs, just in case he encounters a local opportunity like this. (Is he an amazing trip leader, or what?)
The traffic we encountered on the way back to the hotel forced us to be flexible. Rather than returning before 3 PM, we arrived around 5 PM. Thanks to Steve Jobs, I am never without a book, camera, and access to email and texts, so delays are never a problem for me.
We wanted to have an early dinner anyway, so we left for the fabulous Herb Library, (a restaurant recommended by Laurie’s nephew), shortly after our return.
Yes, chicken and beef options are on the menu
Finally, leaving Ubud, on our way to Candidasa, we stopped to visit a mask maker’s studio, where we watched the masks come to life via dance.
Photo by ShoshanaMarian, Nancy & DemonSeveral generations of mask makers.
I had NO idea that Yogyakarta had so much to offer. I THOUGHT I’d be able to fit everything into one post. I was so very wrong.
We have been careening from one fabulous activity to the next! Widi, our trip leader, has been delighting us with lots of choices for our “free” time.
Our third day in Yogyakarta started with a trip to the local market, where we were each given 20,000 rupiahs and the name of an Indonesian item to locate and then purchase. My item was kacang pangang (which turns out to be very long string beans). We also needed to learn the vendor’s name, take and post a selfie with the vendor, on WhatsApp. We ALL rose to the challenge and had so much fun doing so.
Success! My vendor’s name is Tunga
Our purchases were brought to the village of Jambidan, where they were magically incorporated into the many delicious dishes that we consumed for lunch.
But first, we were escorted through the village by its chief, where we participated in various daily activities, like separating the rice from the chaff using the traditional method,
The child in the foreground is holding mom’s cell phone, while mom processes rice
creating a printed fabric using local plants and a mallet,
Jeanne showing her creative side
feeding the livestock,
seeing the village sights,
and finally visiting the chief in his home, where he proudly showed off his kris (ceremonial dagger), which was given to him by the sultan.
After lunch, we had a lively discussion with members of the village, during which we questioned each other about our cultures. Not surprisingly, given the composition of the group, our focus was on changes in women’s lives.
Saundra decided to sit with the villagers, right in front of the chief’s wife.
What an interesting experience!
Although Widi and Anjit (our local guide) had suggested activities for the afternoon, I chose to chill out by the pool until it was time to meet up with Micki, Jeanne and Laurie for dinner.
Being somewhat lazy (okay, maybe it is more accurate to describe myself as really lazy) I enlisted the help of ChatGPT to find us a reasonably priced restaurant with something other than fried food, within walking distance of our hotel. Within seconds, I was presented with two choices, one of which Micki had walked by, and thought it would be suitable. We had dinner at Paprika, the restaurant in the glorious Phoenix Hotel.
What, you were expecting photos of food? well you all know what pizza, pasta, fruit, fish, veggies and dessert look like. For $27, we had a choice of every food item imaginable, plus an alcoholic beverage — we all chose a glass of wine, because it is incredibly expensive here! If we wanted more wine, we could get it. We just had to pay for it, but the buffet was “all you care to eat”. So we did. We weren’t sure what we enjoyed more—the delicious food or the tour that the restaurant’s hostess so graciously provided.
Another day, another UNESCO site. But THIS time, we visited a Hindu temple, Prambanan.
You know that old saying “God takes care of fools and children”? Well, some people say I fit into BOTH categories, (especially my sisters, when they were being mean) but it actually is true—at least in my case.
Remember the walking stick that caused me to check a bag? Well, I forgot to bring it with me. (At least I’m consistently spacey). Fortunately, God ( or the force) was looking out for me, because although the stairs were uneven, they weren’t as many or as steep.
I was able to visit Shiva, the Destroyer’s, temple, including all four shrines, although I only photographed my two favorites.
GaneshDurga
The wall carvings told the religious story of Ramayana for those unable to read, just like the Catholic cathedrals and the Buddhist temples visually represented those religious beliefs.
When we had had our fill of the temple experience, we headed for the bus, but were stopped by this young woman who wanted a photo so she could show her friends how HUGE women grow in America.
Jeanne and I look like we are able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, standing next to these petite Indonesians!
According to our itinerary, we were supposed to be heading for lunch “on our own”, but Widi had yet another surprise in store for us. Instead, we visited his friend, where we were treated to enough Indonesian snacks that lunch later was unimaginable.
But wait, there’s more! after a brief rest, we headed to a batik institute, where we learned how these intricate designs are created. What a laborious process!
From start to finish takes WEEKS!
How could we leave without making a purchase? Of course, I needed a photo with the woman who created what will become a gift.
Our stay in Yogyakarta is rapidly coming to an end.
Our very fashionable guide, Widi, preparing us for airport check-in
Another beautiful, modern airport, with fantastic artwork.
Thanks to the Somerset Hills YMCA, I can hold this pose. We are boarding shortly, so you know the drill. Published without proof reading!
We were more than ready to leave the crazed activity in Jakarta for the smaller, more peaceful city of Yogyakarta. The bus ride from the airport showed us the Indonesia we had imagined—green fields, rice paddies and palm trees for as far as we could see, with the mountains (volcanoes?) rising majestically in the distance.
OAT ensured that we made the most of our time in Yogyakarta by scheduling our home visit for the evening of our travel day. After checking in to another beautiful hotel, we barely were able to unpack and freshen up (sorta), before meeting our host at 6PM.
We were divided into four groups of four, so I was pleased to be sharing the experience with Micki, Jeanne and Laurie.
Okay, I’ll confess to being more than a little concerned when after driving for about a half an hour, we reached what appeared to be a rather questionable neighborhood. Fortunately, the main street was the only sketchy part. It opened up to what I can only describe as an incredibly beautiful alley, paved with intricate stone designs.
Jeanne and Micki
Our host, Joko’s “real” job is as a professional musician, playing in an 8 piece band. You might be able to see his instrument in the photo below, leaning against the wall, between Joko and me.
In his “spare” time, Joko is also the village chief, an unpaid position that comes with a lot of responsibilities. Maybe that’s why the sultan visited him? Or could it have been because of his heritage house, which has been in Joko’s family for many generations? The reason wasn’t clear, but we were quite impressed that WE got to dine where a sultan had eaten.
The sultan on the left, Joko on the right
Uti, Joko’s wife, had prepared quite a feast for us. We sampled an array of traditional Indonesian dishes, while chatting with his daughter, Denise, whose English was excellent. This young Muslim woman and her enterprising friend started their own travel business.
It is hard to describe the magnificence of this visit, so I’ll let my photos speak for me.
The next morning, we visited the world’s largest Buddhist temple, Borobudur.
Not everyone in the group made it to the temple’s highest level.
I was VERY grateful to have brought my hiking pole because the stairs were unevenly steep, and many flights were without handrails. It was worth checking my luggage to have this vital support, especially on the way down.
Although I didn’t NEED to purchase a photo, I bought two because I wanted to give the photographer money for his desire to earn a living by standing in the hot sun, taking a chance that tourists would want to buy the photos that he used his resources to print.
Micki, me, Jeanne, Shoshana and Laurie
Red headed Shoshana was born in Israel, lives in Oakland, is a solo traveler, who we readily adopted as our newest buddy. But her REAL claim to fame is she is the only one on this trip who is under the age of 70!
Those of us who chose to do so gathered at 4 PM for the optional tour of Yogyakarta on the back of a motorbike. How to describe experience? It was equal parts harrowing and exhilarating. I am so bloody glad Laurie talked me into it!
LaurieMePuti, my driver
The experience was a whole lot more than just cruising through the crowded streets of Yogyakarta on the back of a scooter We stopped to enjoy street musicians, visit the sultan’s palace, sample street food and enjoy an included dinner.
Street musicians Street ArtThe sultan’s guardsI bought drink ingredients from these womenCoffee with charcoal Jeanne and pigeon
On our way to visit the Hindu temple now, so I’ll end this now. No proofreading, so forgive any typos.
One of the many reasons that I enjoy traveling with OAT is they know how long we should allocate to a particular area, and they know how to appropriately fill that time.
Jakarta is a very large, crowded city, with lots of traffic. During our stay, thanks to OAT, we got a real sense of the history and culture of the area.
Although most of the OAT hotels include breakfast, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that Hotel Santika also offers a free buffet every evening, which was most welcome when we arrived from Borneo, tired and hungry.
Our first full day began with a visit to Santi, who created an organic food business which operates out of her home.
Santi taught us to make delicious vegetarian spring rolls, which we devoured.
Her home was a mix of modern and ancient. The beautiful, hand carved wooden screen in the central courtyard is hundreds of years old.
Santi had an export business until US tariffs made it impossible to continue operating, so we can no longer buy her organic products from the Internet.
While Santi readied the room for our lunch, Era, our local guide, took us for a walk through the park across the street, where rainbow eucalyptus trees are growing. I MIGHT appear in an Indonesian TikTok video, because when I joined the local women dancing in the park, several of them filmed us.
Can you see how they got their name?
Although our itinerary had described the afternoon as “free time”, Widi gave us a choice. We could return to the hotel, or we could join him and Era for a visit to the Jakarta museum, transported by our bus. Because it was not part of the tour, we would have to buy our own ticket for 150,000 rupiahs ( or about $8.50). I’m bringing back Indonesian money for sweet Adam (my friend Levia’s son), so I jumped at the chance to get a bill smaller than 100,000 rupiahs.
GaneshMap showing the different ethnic groups comprising Indonesia
Is it just me, or does this ancient batik look like Picasso’s inspiration for his paintings?
On dat two, we visited the Muslim area of Jakarta. I wish more Americans would travel outside of North America. If they did, they would see how beautiful and welcoming the children are and perhaps be less inclined to support wars against other nations.
All of the children wanted to high five us!
We were given the opportunity to ask questions during our meeting with the female village chief and a male teacher, which deepen our understanding of the Indonesian Muslims’ beliefs and way of life. When we left our meeting, we joined in a musical celebration with the villagers.
Sadly, my hands were occupied with my tambourine, so I was unable to video our stirring rendition of “ you are my sunshine”, but we ALL sang it with gusto in ENGLISH! Unfortunately, none of the Americans could join in for the Indonesian version of the song.
Our tuk tuk ride from the Muslim neighborhood to the historic square was, shall we say, “thrilling”.
Laurie and I, the two big American women, stuffed into this little tuk tuk.
The square wasn’t all that interesting till I spotted this beautiful Indonesian girl dressing up as a Dutch woman. Widi explained that Indonesians had to find creative ways to earn money, so although I would never pose with Grover or Spider-Man in Times Square, I was highly motivated to support the local economy.
Next stop was a visit to Era’s friend, a puppet maker, who explained about his craft and entertained us with a brief show about the legend of Shinto, Rama and the monkey king ( Hamman?). It reminded me of US movies, but instead of car chases, there was a lot of fighting and punching. Our show lasted about 10 minutes, instead of the NINE HOURS that the local version lasts !
After lunch we were given the choice of how to spend our “free” afternoon: return to the hotel, visit the mosque, then visit Chinatown. I chose to visit the mosque, then return to the hotel to take advantage of the pool.
Widi and Era accompanied us to the mosque, which was great, because we traveled by public transportation (the train) and our bus picked us up after the visit. Indonesians are so polite, friendly and helpful, that I probably could have gotten there on my own (relying on the kindness of strangers), but I’m so very glad I didn’t have to.
The mosque was built across the street from the cathedral, to symbolize the tolerance and acceptance of Indonesians toward those who think differently. If only we could imitate them, the world would be a better place— and happier— place.
As usual, the locals wanted to have their photo taken with us.
It was definitely not the most beautiful mosque I’ve ever visited, but I’m glad I went.
Jeff and Ruth. Jeff’s shorts were deemed too “ short” , so he was given this Jedi robe.
The pollution in Jakarta is severe. I took this photo shortly before 6 PM while waiting for the elevator, from the 15th floor.
It seems every city must have its phallic symbol, and Jakarta is no exception, but they added a twist. Some see a flame, others see the shape of a woman. Era, our guide said the latter is appropriate for Soekarno, Indonesia’s first president and a notorious womanizer. Widi, our guide, pointed out Soekarno’s persuasive powers not only enabled him to unite all the various islands to form the nation of Indonesia, but also enabled him to convince NINE women to marry him!
The evening ended just like the previous one, on the 22nd floor in the skybar.
With Jeanne and Laurie.
We are at the airport now, awaiting our flight to Yogyakarta, where we will spend the next four nights. I hope you’ll come along.
Forgive any typos. We are boarding now so I’m pressing publish without proofreading.
We all have heard about the work of Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey, but how many of us know that Louis Leakey had a THIRD woman researching the big apes? I sure didn’t. Jane Goodall focused on chimpanzees, while Dian Fossey researched gorillas. Biruté Galdikas was the third member of Leakey’s “Trimates”, studying the orangutans in Borneo.
Maybe we don’t know about her because her name is more difficult to spell, pronounce and remember? Anyway, OAT listed her book “Reflections of Eden” as a suggested reading. Because it was published in 1995, my local library didn’t have a copy, so I ordered it from Thrift Books for $12.49. (If you are interested in seeing what Thrift Books provides, just click on the link— the underlined words).
It is a wonderful book! If you are interested in what on site researchers go through, she tells all: the fevers, the mud, the rashes, the disappointments and triumphs, in an engaging and entertaining way.
Although Eros, our local guide, explained a lot about orangutan behavior, I was glad to have read about it earlier in Biruté’s well written book.
We started the pretrip to Borneo, leaving the hotel at 4:15 AM for our 6 AM flight to Pangkalan Bun. From there, we drove to the river, then boarded a Klotok ( which is a traditional Indonesian riverboat) that took us to our very rustic ecolodge.
Laurie boarding our klotokThe floor boards bounce when you step on themAlthough my bed has a mosquito net, I have yet to see a mosquito
Widi is a master at managing expectations. He prepared us for flight delays ( which didn’t happen) then told us our ecolodge is simultaneously the best and the worst lodging in the area, simply because it is the ONLY lodging in the area! We spent two nights there, but all our meals were served on the river boat.
Our first orangutan encounter was at Tanjung Puting National Park. When we arrived at this popular spot, we learned that we would have to climb through FIVE other riverboats to get to the park.
My sister Sue will recall our jumping from fishing boat to fishing boat in our younger days. Let me tell ya, it was a whole lot easier when I was 12 years old! Still, we all did great. I was completely impressed by 90 year old Arthur, who navigated the boats like a champ.
Bonnie, demonstrating how it’s done.
Next, we walked a little less than a mile to the feeding station, over a well maintained, flat path through the jungle. The only hazard were the many tree roots that could trip you up if you weren’t paying attention. I had my eyes on the road ahead and for once, made it back and forth without falling.
Was it worth getting up at 3AM? Hell yeah.
This lovely lady high in a nearby tree watched us watching the other orangutans on the feeding platform.
And what a show they put on! Here are a couple of them behaving like boys of all species.
It reminded me of my Rwanda trip where we watched as twin brother gorillas wrestled on the ground. However, in Rwanda, we were able to get MUCH closer to the primates. BUT, we had to hike two hours through the jungle to get there, and it was NOT on a well maintained trail. Plus we were only able to visit ONCE for an hour, whereas in Borneo, we made THREE visits to feeding stations on three different days.
Our second visit was to the preserve that Biruté and her husband established in the early ‘70s. It was named in honor of her mentor, Louis Leakey.
Once again, we had to climb through multiple boats to get to land. THIS time we walked on a “boardwalk” part of the way. Good thing we didn’t get too complacent. It was even more hazardous than the tree roots because some of the boards were loose, others had rotted areas, with holes and huge gaps between them. This was the BEST stretch. It got progressively worse.
Once we arrived at the feeding station, we were able to watch our first adult male (Nova) as he leisurely devoured bananas.
It just so happened that our final orangutan visit, to Pondok Tangui, was the very best of the trip. On the way to the feeding station, I was glad I’d brought my binoculars with me, because to be able to watch orangutans swinging from the treetops was pretty spectacular. No photos, only the visuals imprinted on my brain.
When we arrived at the feeding station, we realized that Atlas, the alpha male, decided to mingle with the peons (us) before consuming his brunch. He was so near, I was able to get this close up. Although initially I thought it would be challenging to tell the orangutans apart, after viewing photos of Nova and Atlas, I realized there are significant differences between these alpha males. Can YOU tell who’s who?
We were able to get pretty close to the big guy before he ambled over to the feeding platform.
Although Atlas dominated the feeding platform, keeping other males away, he was willing to share bananas with these monkeys.
We met with one of the rangers who explained that before he became the alpha male, Atlas hung out with these Macaque monkeys in the jungle, so they all became friends.
I have enough videos and photos of these fascinating primates to make your eyes roll back into your head, so I’ll stop with this photo of a mother and child, sharing a tender moment in a nearby tree. Using my binoculars I was able to watch them kissing, but wasn’t fast enough to capture it with my iPhone, so this will have to do.
Tomorrow we return to Jakarta to meet 8 more travelers that will be joining us on the main trip.
Remember that line of bull that they give new mothers about how you forget the pain of giving birth once you hold your baby in your arms? Yeah. That didn’t happen. I still can vividly remember that pain. But it sure works for travel. Once I arrive at my destination, I forget all about the long plane rides, the jet lag, and any difficulties I’ve encountered along the way. I’m just so thrilled to reach my destination!
Okay , so business class on Singapore Airlines was definitely NOT a hardship, but it STILL took nineteen LONG hours. After that I had to change planes for a two hour flight from Singapore to Jakarta on Scoot Airlines. When I booked the flight, I was concerned about having only 1 1/2 hours to change planes, but the airport was super efficient, so I even had time to brush my teeth before I boarded.
As usual, I initially purchased airfare from OAT, knowing that as long as I notified them at least 90 days before departure, I could cancel the airfare portion and get a full refund. The routing they offered had me departing on Saturday, arriving on Monday and involved multiple plane changes, so I decided to see if I could do better. Fortunately, my travel buddy, Jeanne, has a nephew who works in Singapore. He suggested I try Singapore Airlines, which I did. I got affordable business class, and was able to shave hours off my travel time, leaving a day later (Sunday) and arriving Monday night.
Normally, for a trip like this, I would do only carry-on. Unlike trips involving more than one climate, this time I only need to pack hot weather clothes, which are lightweight and much smaller than winter clothes. However, the Friends of Overseas Adventure Facebook group recommended bringing along a hiking stick, and mentioned that it might not be allowed as a carry-on. (It is left to the discretion of the TSA agent whether or not to confiscate the hiking stick). I decided not to take the chance.
Well, since I’m checking luggage anyway, I’m packing significantly more than I ordinarily would. For example, I’m bringing along a travel hairdryer, just in case some hotels have those horrible ones that are attached to the wall.
The allowance for checked luggage with Singapore Airlines is quite generous—88 pounds for checked. For carry-on I’m allowed two bags weighing 15 pounds each. Even with overpacking, I’m coming in WAY below ( 32 pounds checked and 12 for my ONE carry on). We shall see if I forgot something essential, although according to my check list, I’ve packed everything and then some.
So, how was business class with Singapore Air? It was worth every penny! As my friend Beth one told me, “ if you don’t fly business class, your kid will.” So I’m happily spending my son’s inheritance, with his complete support and encouragement.
The service on Singapore Airlines was excellent, the food was great, and the seats were super comfortable. The best part—like United’s Polaris flights, every seat had aisle access, so no need to climb over a fellow passenger to get to the bathroom.
The “lay flat” seats were not as easy to operate as United’s. You have to get up, pull the seat back forward and do other things to get your bed made. A flight attendant made up my bed, so I have no idea what “other things” she did! I chose a window seat on the left, which had me sleeping with my head facing the aisle, and my feet by the window, on an angle.
I had to move the orange bags and water bottle to make room for my feet. Fortunately, there was plenty of storage space for my “stuff”.
Although Singapore Airlines provides noise canceling headsets, they are NOT as effective as my Bose, so I’m definitely using my own on the return flight.
I was glad that I packed an adapter, because without it, I would have been unable to charge my electronics. The plugs required a European style C adapter.
Everything I read told me to avoid alcohol because doing so would help me fall asleep. Although I took an Ambien, and didn’t partake in the departure champagne, I wasn’t able to fall asleep so I figured what the hell, I’m having wine with dinner.
Before I left home, I had done an E-visa and gotten my arrival card on line, so I was able to go directly to passport control, but being me, I went the wrong way. ( my sister Sue will be thinking , “ at least she consistent” when she reads this ) I had walked a considerable distance before an airport worker stopped me and pointed in the opposite direction. Somehow she could tell I am not Indonesian and I needed to go through immigration.
The Jakarta airport is HUGE! Although because I purchased my own airfare, technically my trip leader didn’t have to meet me at the airport. Therefore, I was surprised and pleased to get this WhatsApp message from Widi when I arrived.
Okay, so I’ll admit to being a bit spacey even when I’m NOT jet lagged, but try as I might, I couldn’t find him —Not even with that visual aid. Turns out, HE was in terminal 2 and I was in terminal 3. The airline had changed terminals but never updated the information.
Eventually we found each other, got on the shuttle and made our way to the gorgeous Sheraton.
Tonight we will have a group dinner, where I will meet the 3 couples who will be traveling to Borneo with Laurie and me tomorrow.
Today is going to be a pool day, where I will ( I hope) completely shake off any remnants of jet lag.
