Author: geoffreyj

We have reached our destination. After 10 years, we were finally able to see Ary in person again.

After a quick breakfast at the Crowne Plaza in Singapore, we got on the plane for the final leg of our inbound trip. This flight was the shortest of the four legs, being only two hours from Singapore to Yogyakarta. The Yogyakarta Airport was much smaller than I expected. After deplaning, we picked up our luggage and went through Customs and Immigration very quickly. Ary’s sister, Iluk, greeted us and her uncle, Edi, drove the SUV that took us to Wonosobo.

Ary had sent along water and snacks for us, and stocked our hotel room with the same. I’ve had a few troubles with my blood sugar today, most likely due to lack of exercise as we have been sitting much of the time.

If you’ve seen The Amazing Race, you know just how crazy traffic can be in many parts of the world. The road from Yogyakarta to Wonosobo was really busy. In fact, it was a little busier than usual as today was Indonesian Independence Day, also known as “The Seventeenth”. The road we travelled was like driving through main roads (but not freeways) in the parts of a big city that don’t have skyscrapers. Adi was adept at weaving through traffic. There are lines on the road, but they are more of a guideline than a rule. About 50% of the traffic are mopeds and motorcycles. Bike drivers use any inch of the roadway to get ahead, even when that means cutting between two cars. Drivers here drive exactly like I do when I play Grand Theft Auto.

There were a few times Diana got very nervous. I found that all I had to do was trust that Edi didn’t want to scratch that beautiful SUV, and that he knew how to drive here. He’d tap the horn politely to warn bikes pulling out of blind spots, or to announce he’s passing. It took over 3 1/2 hours to reach our destination.

A highlight of the drive was seeing the large volcanos and mountains along the way. I would encourage you to load Google Maps and check out the Street View on the road between the two cities.

We arrived at the Kresna Hotel. The lobby was decorated in traditional Indonesian and really beautiul. We ate a quick lunch before heading to Ary’s parents house, where they were preparing to have a traditional ceremony, Bapapai, for the bride. When we arrived, we were ushered into the foyer, where we quickly drew a lot of attention. Ary’s relatives swarmed around and took photos, or got behind us for selfies. We felt like Brad and Angelina! Everyone came up to us and shook our hands. When shaking, the children touched their cheek to the back of our hand. Diana practiced some of the Indonesian that she had been studying, but there was still a large communication gap. The family was very friendly and generous. We were so honored to be there.

After about 30 minutes, Ary came out. She was stunningly beautiful with a headpiece and neckpiece made from Jasmine flowers and wearing a beautiful green outfit. Ary cried as she gave us a hug. Seeing a loved one after a long absence is a unique experience that I can’t put in to words. I’ll just say it was wonderful to see her again.

During the ceremony, Ary kneeled before her parents as they sat in chairs, bowing to them. They in turn embraced her and kissed her cheeks. Then Ary sat in a chair with her parents on each side of her. A large container of water mixed with flower petals and a ladle were in front of her. Her parents each took some of the flower water and slowly poured them over her head. Then several women in the family who had already had children who were married also ladled water on her. Diana was invited to ladle on some water, as well. The parents then helped her wash her arms and feet and stood in front of her, casting the vessel they used to pour the water to the ground as the crowd cheered.

After the ceremony, we went back to the hotel. There was a group of people in the lobby playing traditional music. Still a bit full from lunch, we ate peanut butter sandwiches and snacked on some of the treats Ary left. Then we headed off to bed for the big day tomorrow.

I’m having trouble uploading photos but will try again later.

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I slept in a bed last night. For 11 hours (minus that one hour in the middle). Joni Mitchell wrote, “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone?” I needed that sleep so badly! The best travel decisions we made was booking this hotel and having this long layover to explore.

Before bed, at 4 pm, I took my first malaria pill per doctor’s instructions. Whether it was the pill, the diverse buffet, exhaustion or stress, I did wake up nauseous around 10:00. I also had a nosebleed around that time, probably from using my CPAP without the humidifier on because I couldn’t find distilled water. I decided to proceed for the rest of the night without the CPAP and it worked out fine. I tried the concierge, a convenience store, and a pharmacy, but nobody had heard of distilled water here. “Still water?” was the reply I got from each of them. If I ever move here, I plan to open a distilled water store for travelers with sleep apnea, selling bottles that are 20 oz so they are about the right size for one night.

I don’t know if the bed was super comfortable or that it was so welcomed, but when I did sleep I slept soundly. We normally sleep with a white noise machine running at home, but there was no bathroom fan to run. However, they did have a volume knob on the wall, that when we turned it up it made white noise to cover bathroom sounds. The bathroom also had two motorized blinds that retract into the ceiling – one is translucent and the other is room-darkening.

We woke up at 3:30 am, which will give us lot of time to shower and pack before the free hotel breakfast at 6 and boarding at 7:30. Our itinerary has us on a 2-hour flight to Yogyakarta, clearing customs and getting a ride from Ary’s sister for 3 hours to Wonosobo.

One odd thing about our trip is that I can’t get cellular services to work for data. I was told by Verizon that we should be able to do that for $10 per day per line and use our unlimited plan, but I’ll have to contact them about it.

No photos to share of us sleeping. Until next time, Zaìjiàn!

The flight from Hong Kong from Singapore was mercifully quick after the 15 hour ride from San Francisco. It had the same great food and amenities as the previous flight. It should – it was the exact same flight.

When we touched down in Singapore we had to go through immigration, which was a fairly simple process. We were told we would not be able to check in to the Crowne Plaza until 3:30, but we went to the desk anyway to see if we might be able to leave our carry-on bags with them while we went exploring. Fortunately, the room was ready, so we went up. While small, the room was luxurious and well appointed. It was finished beautifully and had a separate tub and shower. The toilet had a fancy sprayer to the side – we probably won’t need that.

We left to check out what makes Singapore Airport the #1 rated airport in the world. It did not disappoint. A 6-story waterfall that falls down through the basement shops, a mall that rivals the largest in the U.S., it was super clean and everyone was friendly. The Singapore hospitality workers are incredibly helpful. I’ve never seen customer service like it.

After checking a few shops and taking some photos, we decided to head back for dinner, even though it was only 1:30. I figured we had breakfast at 3:30 and lunch at 9, so it was time to eat again. This way we can get to bed early and get a long night’s rest. There was a buffet, which looked really good. I should have asked the price first, but if I had we may not have eaten there. There was a great selection of western and local recipes. I got adventurous and tried a jellyfish salad and an octopus salad. The jellyfish had a weird texture, exactly as you’d expect, but the dish was spiced heavily. The octopus was very much like Asian salads with vinegar are in the States, except it had whole baby octopi in it. I ate some, but Diana declined.

Words can’t do it justice, so here are some photos to show how gorgeous it is here.

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Despite years of air travel, before today I couldn’t imagine what a long haul flight is really like. Fortunately, Singapore Airlines is so customer focused that the experience was quite bearable.

Our flight boarded on time, but both Diana and I were pretty worn out when it began. She had caught some cat naps in the chair by the boarding aea, but I wasn’t able to sleep. Our boarding process took us through Business Class, which is like the nicest first class you can imagine, with pods and seats that fold down flat for sleeping. Our seats were nicer than the First Class seats on the Alaska Air flight we took from Chicago. At first, I didn’t know how it would go with us taking up the two middle seats in the center aisle, but we lucked out and had nobody sitting to Diana’s right. So, I was able to wake up my wife instead of a stranger when I needed to use the lavatory in the middle of the night.

When I say “Middle of the night”, the entire flight was pretty much the middle of the night. We took off at 1:15am, and chased the darkness across the Pacific Ocean, flying over the Alleutian Islands, the edge of Kamchatka, and Tokyo before getting to Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the blinds were all drawn so I didn’t get to take in the scenery. The best I could do was watch the animation on the in-seat screen.

We used the “Book the Cook” feature of flying in Premium Economy, and I had a 2 am dinner of chicken breasts, mixed vegetables, and mashed potato. There was a decadent piece of cake that I took a tiny taste and gave to Diana, who had beef and whole potatos. When the plates were cleared, the cabin was darkened.

I tried to sleep, really I did. I even was able to plug my CPAP in to the AC power on the plane. But, the seats aren’t soft enough nor do they recline enough for my particular sleep needs. I tried taking up two seats with the empty spot in our row, but that empty seat wouldn’t recline and I didn’t want to punish Diana for my shortcoming. The most comfortable position I found was leaning to the right with my pillow on her shoulder.

The other thing about an International flight like this is everyone is on a different sleep schedule. Even though the cabin was darkened, the flashing lights of the screens on the bulkhead one row up were right in my eyes. Some passengers were up and down in the overhead bins, making noise that even my earplugs didn’t block.

Of the four hours I wore the CPAP mask, I would estimate I slept lightly for about three of them. Not to worry, though – I woke up refreshed. I think Diana probably got about 6 or 7 hours broken up into little naps. She watched a couple of movies while we awaited breakfast.

The pilots worked that seat belt sign like they could see the turbulence from 100 yards away. The sign would go on, and moments later it would hit. There wasn’t anything super rough. I’ve always felt a car ride was bumpier than a flight with turbulence.

Amenities were nice in Premium Economy. We got a warm towel upon arrival, which felt nice. The screens were quite a bit bigger than those in Economy. We were given free earbuds when we walked in. The seats had a little leg rest on them, but my legs were too long to get any real use out of it. I had nobody in front of me, so didn’t have a seat recline into me. In fairness, the seats didn’t recline a lot, even though they reclined more than Economy.

No matter how nice the environment, it’s still a 15 hour flight, and is still exhausting. After deplaning, we had to go through security checkpoint again to get back on the next flight. No more TSA PreCheck perks for me! Another full water bottle trashed, but at least this was a free one from the airline.

I mentioned on the About page that this blog was in part named for an album by Richard Thompson. One song on that album, Dead Man’s Handle, reminds us to “keep your mind on the journey’s end.” And that’s just what we’ll do. One more leg for today, and one tomorrow before we reach our destination.

Despite a 15-minute departure delay, we made it to San Francisco on time.

I used to fly a lot, back when I was teaching classes for Lesley University. A lot has changed on airplanes since those days. Now, planes have in-seat power, USB ports to charge your phone, and elaborate on-board entertainment. The flight to SFO didn’t have in-seat entertainment systems, but it did have a bring-your-own-device system. You simply downloaded an app before takeoff, and connected to the plane’s WiFi in order to view a large selection of movies. I connected my phone to USB, clipped it in to the seat-back phone holder, and enjoyed watching Shazam.

After the movie, I checked out the flight tracker and tried to see if my next flight was on time. Unfortunately, it was a code share flight, so I couldn’t connect to Singapore Airlines’ website. I would need to wait until we were on the ground.

You could pay for in-flight internet, but I chose to use the free features that simply allowed or WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Apple Messages. It took a while to figure out how to activate the free texting, and it was a little finicky with the iPhone at first, but eventually I texted the girls. Elizabeth didn’t respond. She was presumably sleeping. Meredith did reply and we had a brief conversation until she needed to get to sleep since she has to work tomorrow morning.

I struck up another conversation with a good friend. Unfortunately, right in the middle of some larger messages, the WiFi connection died . It came back shortly afterwards, and we wrapped up 30 minutes before we landed.

Upon arrival, we had to leave the terminal and take a train to the International terminal, where we could check in with Singapore and get our Boarding passes. This was a bummer, as we had to leave the security checkpoint and re-enter, dumping out the majority of our $4 bottles of water we purchased at O’Hare.

At the ticketing counter, we got to go to a special line for Premium Economy due to our upgrade. An airline agent walked out to greet us and escort us to the counter. She cleared up an issue with our luggage only being checked through to Singapore, and changed it so we can pick it up in Yogyakarta instead. This will save us the hassle of having to re-check our luggage at the counter after our 19 hour layover.

Here’s where I learned that different airlines have different policies for carry-on luggage. We were permitted one bag, instead of the two allowed by Alaska Airlines in Chicago. Also, carry-on bags must be less than 8 kg. We didn’t weigh them as domestic airlines don’t have that requirement. Fortunately, the agent did permit it all, as the bags included wedding gifts and medical supplies. We will have to be careful to pack more in our checked luggage next time.

In the TSA Check-In line at the International Terminal, I was a little tired and a little overzealous and almost walked past the TSA agent. “Sir!” she called. There was a big group of people that had all went through at once, and I assumed she was part of that group and made a bee-line for the TSA PreCheck entrance. I was apologetic and she understood.

I had my first issue with my insulin pump. The TSA Agent hadn’t seen it before. He asked me to take it off and swabbed it, since it can’t go through X-Rays. Diana was pulled aside for additional screening, and it turns out that was due to a gift in her bag they didn’t recognize on the X-Ray.

Even with the little issues, we made it through and to our gate two hours early. Now we wait, under the mural of The Beatles getting off a plane, presumably in New York. Our next leg is the longest, and will be the most luxurious of our entire trip. It stops in Hong Kong in the early morning, hopefully before the protesters arrive for the day.

I find that writing about the trip is helping pass the time in the airport. I’m considering buying Internet access on the next flight, but will wait until after I get some sleep. This will most likely be my last update for at least 12 hours.

Today’s the day. I woke up three hours before my alarm, dreaming that I was playing board games in the San Francisco airport and missed my flight to Singapore. I was able to catch about an hour of going in and out of sleep before giving up and getting out of bed. I cleaned and packed my CPAP, got on the treadmill for a half hour, and took a shower. I went downstairs to catch some breakfast.

Those who know me very well know I have anxiety about punctuality. The plan was to leave at noon so we could get to O’Hare by 3 for a flight that left at 5:55. The girls would ride down with us and drive back home. Unfortunately, two things started triggering my anxiety: I was unable to check in online, and one of my documents said the flight left at 5:30.

I couldn’t check in online because the flight was a code share between Singapore Airlines and Alaska Air. The app I downloaded said I needed to check in at the counter. Anyone who has flown out of O’Hare (ORD) knows that lines can be super long. What would the impact of the earlier departure be? True to form, I started to get anxious. I loaded Meredith’s car at 10:30 and paced, asking if we could leave by 10:45. Fortunately, everyone was able to do that. We gave hugs to mom and John, and headed off. We stopped three blocks away and while Diana fueled the car, I programmed the GPS. It reminded me of tolls, and that reminded me that we forgot the I-Pass in my car. I hurried Diana back into the car and sped back home.

Everything in place, we drove south. Traffic didn’t really get bad until halfway through Milwaukee. The drive from Milwaukee to Kenosha was under construction (when isn’t it?) and that was the slowest stretch aside from the O’Hare exit.

My flight confirmation email said we should check in at Terminal 3. Unfortunately, that terminal was full of American Airlines counters, but no Alaska or Singapore. I asked an American Employee and they directed me to Terminal 2. My heart began to race, even though it wasn’t that far of a walk. We had to exit and re-enter the building as the terminals aren’t connected, but Alaska was the first counter.

I braced for impact as we rounded the corner to see…. nobody in line, nobody at the self-check-in. We walked right up to the counter, checked our bags, and got our first boarding pass. We’ll have to get the second when we arrive in San Francisco.

Months ago, Diana and I signed up for TSA Pre-Check. This service allows you to be screened and fingerprinted ahead of time, and then you’re able to skip the lines at the security check and go through the easier line, without having to remove belts, shoes, computers, and liquids. That went quite smoothly. It was a short walk to our gate, during which I was able to hit up a few Pokestops.

And here we sit at our gate with nearly 3 hours to departure. But I’m not anxious any more.

I’ve always had a problem with over-preparing. This manifested strongly during family vacations. A three-day trip often involved a large suitcase, a small suitcase, a cooler and a computer bag, and that’s just for me. We needed larger vehicles to handle the things we took with us. What if we needed something? What if I one outfit was too cold, too warm, too formal, or too casual? The end result was needing an entire luggage cart stacked to eye level just to get from the car to the hotel room.

I’ve gotten better over the years. I can actually travel for three days with just a carry-on sized bag, for the most part. I guess I figure I can always stop at a store or a pharmacy if I need something I didn’t bring. That doesn’t really apply to our Indonesia trip because I don’t know what I’ll be able to find there, and it’s a 10-day trip. I’m not big on re-wearing outfits before they’re washed. Our destination, despite being near the equator, can have cooler nights. I also have to bring a suit to attend a wedding.

For clothing, Diana and I each took half of two large suitcases, with roughly the same amount and types of clothing inside. That way, if one gets lost, we still have clothes to wear. I have four pairs of shoes – two pairs of running shoes and two pairs of dress shoes. The suit and tie is in my carry-on, as are two casual outfits.

Then there are my medical needs. I need insulin, oral medication, pump supplies, extra batteries, test strips and blood glucose tester, in addition to the prescription and over-the-counter meds recommended by the travel doctor. I have to bring extra bottles of glucose tablets in case my sugar goes low, which it does frequently. My CPAP machine needs to fit in with the carry-on goods, too.

Let’s not forget the environmental and hygiene products. I need bug spray, sun screen, wipes for my hands and different wipes for my CPAP, since I won’t be able to wash it in the tap water.

I tried to weed out a few things this evening to lighten the load, but it’s still more than I’ve packed in a very long time. I’m realizing that despite the difficulty of transporting all that stuff, there’s a comfort in having it all with me. I hope I feel the same when I’m lugging it all through the airport.

The airline we are using to get to Indonesia has a way to upgrade to the next class of service by participating in a bidding process. You bid what you are willing to pay, and if there’s a seat for you at that price, it’s yours. I’ve never flown anything other than economy before, but in this case, our longest leg is over 19 hours, with an overall travel time from wheels up in Chicago to arrival in Indonesia at over 50 hours. I thought that we could bid the minimum amount on two seats in Premium Economy, where the chairs have reclining footrests and there’s a little more space. I have difficulty sleeping on planes, so this would be our best chance to arrive rested and ready for the wedding despite the 12-hour time difference. After consulting with my financial planner (Diana), we went for it. I was told that I’d hear no sooner than 48 hours prior to boarding of that flight.

Since Saturday, I’ve been trying to sleep a little later and get more prepared for the long day of travel on Wednesday. Monday night, I went to bed just before midnight. As is often the case, I woke up in the early morning to use the bathroom. I saw a notification on my phone and unlocked it to see good news and bad news. The good news: we were awarded an upgrade for that leg. The bad news: our credit card was declined. It turns out having an Asian company charge your card at 2 am triggers fraud alerts. I was able to authorize the charge and message the company to try again. I was told it would take 8 hours, and if there are still seats left they’ll let me know. Of course, I couldn’t get back to sleep because I was worried about the potential of a missed opportunity. Would I lose my chance at a more comfortable flight? If not, would there be two seats next to each other so Diana and I could travel together? My mind reeled, and any sleep I did get before work was poor in quality.

I obsessively checked my email as the time neared the 8-hour mark. No email arrived. I had just about given up when a message came through that we were able to get our seats. I went online, found two seats next to each other (even though they were middle seats) and chose the special meal we were entitled to in that class of service.

Hopefully, I’ll sleep soundly tonight!

Preparing for a trip across the world is more complicated than one might think. Aside from booking flights and arranging lodging and transportation, one has to learn about the ports of call. This involved many hours of online research, as well as communication with our future hosts. In our case, we were able to arrange for very nice accommodations due to the favorable conversion rate. Ary helped book our hotels in Wonosobo and Yogyakarta, and we found our own room at a resort in Bali. Ary set up ground transportation for us, and I did some research on food options.

Food promised to be a challenge, as Javanese food tends to be high in sugar. We’d also been advised not only to avoid drinking the water but to avoid foods that would be rinsed in it, like lettuce or strawberries. This is going to be a huge challenge for me, as salads have been the cornerstone of my new food lifestyle, but I can overcome that. We will try to order soups and hot meals that incorporate vegetables and get fruits that have a solid, inedible peel, like oranges and bananas.

We visited a travel doctor, as we knew we would need vaccinations. I was shocked at the amount of information, vaccinations, medications, and risk that were part of this journey. Both Diana and I walked away from our visit with heads spinning from information overload. We had shots for Typhoid, Polio, Hep. A, and Measles leading up to our departure. We got prescriptions for antibiotics and Malaria pills, as well as recommendations for over-the-counter meds we shouldn’t forget.

I got letters from my Endocrinologist about my insulin pump, and from my sleep Doctor about my CPAP machine. I know that if either of these has problems during the trip, it could be very serious.

We got passports, something that Diana had never had before. I had one but it had expired before I got to use it. We arranged for Meredith and Elizabeth to drop us off and pick us up at O’Hare, and for Diana’s brother to stay at our home to be there with her mom.

While it seems overwhelming, each piece of preparation was a reminder that we would be going to see Ary again, attend her wedding, and spend some time together. That alone made these stressful tasks joyful.