So , we're here in Yogyakarata after a little bit of travel, I think I will back track a little and catch you up slightly. Carrie gave you an idea of the flight here...at least I got some sleep , I don't think she slept at all on the plane. It was a good idea we got a hotel and transportation set up before we got to Jakarta, we just hopped into our limo ( actually a toyota mini van) and he took us to the wrong hotel and then eventually the right one, we ate and went to sleep by 7 and slept for 12 hours and pretty much did the same thing the next night, in bed by 8.
We did a little sight seeing in Jakarta, I have to say it's pretty nice for a big city, I mean there's gobs of cars and bikes and traffic, but it's pretty clean and the people are really nice....actually all the locals we have met, for the most part have been really nice. It's been kind of odd, they just sort of walk up to you and start up a conversation, and well you expect them to be selling something or wanting something from you and they don't .....WEIRD!! We met this guy Pot on the street in Jakarta and he ended up showing us the backpacker district in Jakarta and helped us book tickets at the train station to Yogyakarta, he didn't ask for anything, so we bought him a soda. Back to Jakarta for a sec, we both commented on how safe we felt there, we might come back a little before our flight and do a little more exploring...well probably not, only if the diving really sucks, or the rest of the country does.
OK so we got up really early today because we went to bed at 8..we're not that damn old yet. So we got lots of sleep and we heard the call to prayer at 5 or 6...it's early whatever it is. So we got on our train to Yogyakarta at 9 this morning, 1st class... which is sort of relative, niceish seats, lots of leg room, frostbite AC of course and meals which was good. Ok before you get on our ass for 1st class, it was only $23 each , for a 9 hour train ride..in my mind it was worth it. The train ride itself was beautiful and THE RICE PADDIES!!! are so cool, especially the terraced ones and I cannot imagine how much hand work must go into maintaining one of those fields... ridiculous.
So we walk out of the train station here and this guy accosts us, trying to get us to go to his hotel or whatever, we try to get rid of him...he ends up showing us how to get to a hotel we wanted to stay at and leaves...again weird!! OK so this is rub it in stuff, beer is $1.40 at the bar , not sure from the store, our room is $10 and it's not bad , not the best but it does have a flush toilet and dinner for 2 with 2 big bottles of beer was $7.00. We haven't seen much of the city yet , we just walked around a little, it seems ok. Well that's all I got for now, hope you're all well and good
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Most Polite People on the Planet Earth!
Wow! So many things to write about, I could write a novel, so for now I will just share this observation~
The people here in Indonesia are the most Polite & Helpful people on the planet earth! (At least that I have had the pleasure of meeting so far)
We are used to travelling in central America, where helpful people want to sell you something.
Here in Indonesia, even if they want to sell you something, they are too polite to be overly pushy.
When we were in Jakarta we met a man named 'Pot' (drop the t at the end.) We were out looking for Jalan Jaksa- a neighborhood not far from our hotel when we passed him on the sidewalk. He escorted us there keeping up lively conversation. He never tried to hustle us or sell us anything, just wanted to practice his english and learn about us. This wonderful man, 53 years of age, no teeth & looking far older than his years, in addition to Indonesian, can speak very good english, japanese, and dutch. After escorting us to Jalan Jaksa and pointing us to a restaurant, he left us alone.
Later we passed him on the way to the train station, and he again walked along with us and led us to the correct ticket window to purchase our tickets for today's trip to Yogyakarta. We ended up offering him a cold drink as the heat & humidity were oppressive. He chose green tea, as it is good for his health.
This experience has been typical. We have encountered some 'sales' people, but only one has really been annoying, mostly they leave you alone if you ask them to, or they just quit trying to sell you anything, and enjoy polite conversation instead! They are very happy to help you learn a few words or phrases in Bahasa Indonesia.
I could go on for pages telling you about our experiences in only the few days we have been here, but for now I will say.
Selamet Malam,. (Good Night)
Carrie
The people here in Indonesia are the most Polite & Helpful people on the planet earth! (At least that I have had the pleasure of meeting so far)
We are used to travelling in central America, where helpful people want to sell you something.
Here in Indonesia, even if they want to sell you something, they are too polite to be overly pushy.
When we were in Jakarta we met a man named 'Pot' (drop the t at the end.) We were out looking for Jalan Jaksa- a neighborhood not far from our hotel when we passed him on the sidewalk. He escorted us there keeping up lively conversation. He never tried to hustle us or sell us anything, just wanted to practice his english and learn about us. This wonderful man, 53 years of age, no teeth & looking far older than his years, in addition to Indonesian, can speak very good english, japanese, and dutch. After escorting us to Jalan Jaksa and pointing us to a restaurant, he left us alone.
Later we passed him on the way to the train station, and he again walked along with us and led us to the correct ticket window to purchase our tickets for today's trip to Yogyakarta. We ended up offering him a cold drink as the heat & humidity were oppressive. He chose green tea, as it is good for his health.
This experience has been typical. We have encountered some 'sales' people, but only one has really been annoying, mostly they leave you alone if you ask them to, or they just quit trying to sell you anything, and enjoy polite conversation instead! They are very happy to help you learn a few words or phrases in Bahasa Indonesia.
I could go on for pages telling you about our experiences in only the few days we have been here, but for now I will say.
Selamet Malam,. (Good Night)
Carrie
Monday, March 15, 2010
Jakarta ~ OR: The lanes are just a suggestion
Just a quick post as the internet here at our hotel is freakin expensive. (As is the beer!)
We arrived safely in Jakarta yesterday afternoon & took a cab from the airport to hotel.
Traffic was just as expected - TONS OF IT! The one observation I have to make regarding traffic here is that while the roadways are very well marked, obviously the lane markings are 'Just a Suggestion' as a three lane road actually has about 7 lanes of traffic! And as in Panama, probably the most dangerous thing we will do here in indonesia is try to cross the street! Despite the chaos, it does seem very civil, with very little honking or aggressiveness! I am not really sure how that works!
People are very nice here!
Stay tuned for more.
Cheery Wave,
Carrie
We arrived safely in Jakarta yesterday afternoon & took a cab from the airport to hotel.
Traffic was just as expected - TONS OF IT! The one observation I have to make regarding traffic here is that while the roadways are very well marked, obviously the lane markings are 'Just a Suggestion' as a three lane road actually has about 7 lanes of traffic! And as in Panama, probably the most dangerous thing we will do here in indonesia is try to cross the street! Despite the chaos, it does seem very civil, with very little honking or aggressiveness! I am not really sure how that works!
People are very nice here!
Stay tuned for more.
Cheery Wave,
Carrie
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Hong Kong! or Trains, planes & automobiles!
I am soooo tired and in a bit of a sleepless haze, so this probably won't be the most creative or entertaining post ever!
I am currently standing at a counter in the Hong Kong airport. I had to buy something from the little store to use the free internet, so I am drinking a diet coke. It is 3:30 in the afternoon, PST, so it has been 27.5 hours since David and Emily dropped us off at the Pasco airport. We have two hours until our flight to Jakarta, and I think a six hour flight before we arrive there.
Yesterday, we left pasco and arrived in San Francisco. We had 8 hours to kill in San Francisco, so rather than sit in the airport we decided to go down to fisherman's wharf. Our day trip in San Francisco ending up being a series of rides. First we took the 'DOOR TO DOOR' van from the airport to fishermans wharf. Basically a flat rate taxi to where you want to go. ($17.00 pp to fisherman's wharf). The day was sunny but only about 55 F, so a bit brisk. We walked along the waterfront a bit & had something to eat at BOUDIN's SOURDOUGH BAKERY & RESTAURANT. Glen was not too excited about diving into the crowds of tourists at Pier 39 and we were cold, so we took a Cable Car which was supposed to take us to the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Center. However, part of the trolley line was down, so the cable car took us only half way, then we took a shuttlebus to the BART station. We then took the BART which was about a 30 minute high speed train ride back to the airport.
Really, all I cared about doing was riding the Cable Car so I am happy. It was pretty cold though, and we were dressed for Jakarta not San Francisco, so I couldn't talk Glen into hanging on the outside with me.
Anyway, here we are in Hong Kong after a 15+ hour flight. I haven't really slept, so I am now going on about 33 hours without sleep.
It is warm here in Hong Kong, and hazy (I believe the word is pollution!)
CATHAY PACIFIC airlines rocks though! Great service, the food was even good.
The plane had video monitors in front of each seat, you could watch movies, play games, etc.
I wasn't able to do much sleeping, but I did watch THE BLINDSIDE, EVERYBODY's FINE, and UP IN THE AIR. I recommended them all. (I cried buckets watching EVERYBODY'S FINE)
OK, Well this is probably a bit boring, just thought I would say hi, while there is internet available.
MUCH LOVE,
Carrie
I am currently standing at a counter in the Hong Kong airport. I had to buy something from the little store to use the free internet, so I am drinking a diet coke. It is 3:30 in the afternoon, PST, so it has been 27.5 hours since David and Emily dropped us off at the Pasco airport. We have two hours until our flight to Jakarta, and I think a six hour flight before we arrive there.
Yesterday, we left pasco and arrived in San Francisco. We had 8 hours to kill in San Francisco, so rather than sit in the airport we decided to go down to fisherman's wharf. Our day trip in San Francisco ending up being a series of rides. First we took the 'DOOR TO DOOR' van from the airport to fishermans wharf. Basically a flat rate taxi to where you want to go. ($17.00 pp to fisherman's wharf). The day was sunny but only about 55 F, so a bit brisk. We walked along the waterfront a bit & had something to eat at BOUDIN's SOURDOUGH BAKERY & RESTAURANT. Glen was not too excited about diving into the crowds of tourists at Pier 39 and we were cold, so we took a Cable Car which was supposed to take us to the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Center. However, part of the trolley line was down, so the cable car took us only half way, then we took a shuttlebus to the BART station. We then took the BART which was about a 30 minute high speed train ride back to the airport.
Really, all I cared about doing was riding the Cable Car so I am happy. It was pretty cold though, and we were dressed for Jakarta not San Francisco, so I couldn't talk Glen into hanging on the outside with me.
Anyway, here we are in Hong Kong after a 15+ hour flight. I haven't really slept, so I am now going on about 33 hours without sleep.
It is warm here in Hong Kong, and hazy (I believe the word is pollution!)
CATHAY PACIFIC airlines rocks though! Great service, the food was even good.
The plane had video monitors in front of each seat, you could watch movies, play games, etc.
I wasn't able to do much sleeping, but I did watch THE BLINDSIDE, EVERYBODY's FINE, and UP IN THE AIR. I recommended them all. (I cried buckets watching EVERYBODY'S FINE)
OK, Well this is probably a bit boring, just thought I would say hi, while there is internet available.
MUCH LOVE,
Carrie
Friday, March 12, 2010
T minus 1 day
Hi all , before we start, I do believe you should all go buy the new dave matthews and tim reynolds in las vegas cd, if for nothing else, the acoustic version of kashmir. Sorry just needed to show my dave love. So , it's the day before we leave and ...well I've been packed for hours now..I'm ready to go, knowing that I have probably forgotten something, I almost forgot to pack underwear, too old to do the commando thing..oh oh oh try not to picture it..yeah I know not pretty. I was able to cram everything into 1 backpack, so I'm only going to take a small day pack with me on the plane. ( I sort of wonder sometimes whether anyone cares about these sort of things..cause for the most part I'm not sure I would, but It's our blog so....I guess I can be as boring as I want to be)
So we leave tomorrow around 2 and get to San Francisco at about 4pm and then we have 8 hours there, so we think we might go down to fishermans wharf and do touristy stuff. We leave SF at just after midnight and get to Hong Kong around 6am the NEXT DAY, I think it's 15 hours in the air...blah blah blah , wow almost boring myself, ok we get into Jakarta at about 2pm on monday mar 15 with our backpacks hopefully. I 'm not sure about Carrie, but I have a hard time sleeping on planes , so I'm not sure how much sleep I'm going to get by the time we get there. We have booked a hotel in Jakarta for 2 days when we get there, so we can recover from the flight and maybe plan what we want to do from there.
Speaking of sleep..probably not going to get much of that tonight either, it's almost addictive, the feeling I get when I travel, especially this time, because I have never been to Indonesia before and well.... it's not the most stable country in the world. To be honest though, everywhere I have gone has never been as bad as people have said it would be, and well ... I think that's the whole point of travel, to get you out of your comfort zone, to experience things out of the ordinary and see how you react, to learn things about yourself..ok cliche, but to be a better person and really isn't that what we're all trying to do?
Oh what the hell , .. I'm a little tipsy.. Carrie has been the best wife ever, I drag her around the world to these 3rd world countries with sketchy sanitation, large sharks, bugs, bugs and more bugs and she has always been willing to be by my side...maybe not real comfortable, but trusting me enough to go through the experience with me, and I love her for that and am always amazed at how lucky I am to have her as my wife. Does this qualify for embarrassing ?
Well that's all for now... hmmmm... not the funniest post in the world...mushroom walks into a bar and says hey bartender, can I get a pint of beer? bartender says we don't serve mushrooms here!! mushroom says; hey come on , I'm a fun guy (funghi).
So we leave tomorrow around 2 and get to San Francisco at about 4pm and then we have 8 hours there, so we think we might go down to fishermans wharf and do touristy stuff. We leave SF at just after midnight and get to Hong Kong around 6am the NEXT DAY, I think it's 15 hours in the air...blah blah blah , wow almost boring myself, ok we get into Jakarta at about 2pm on monday mar 15 with our backpacks hopefully. I 'm not sure about Carrie, but I have a hard time sleeping on planes , so I'm not sure how much sleep I'm going to get by the time we get there. We have booked a hotel in Jakarta for 2 days when we get there, so we can recover from the flight and maybe plan what we want to do from there.
Speaking of sleep..probably not going to get much of that tonight either, it's almost addictive, the feeling I get when I travel, especially this time, because I have never been to Indonesia before and well.... it's not the most stable country in the world. To be honest though, everywhere I have gone has never been as bad as people have said it would be, and well ... I think that's the whole point of travel, to get you out of your comfort zone, to experience things out of the ordinary and see how you react, to learn things about yourself..ok cliche, but to be a better person and really isn't that what we're all trying to do?
Oh what the hell , .. I'm a little tipsy.. Carrie has been the best wife ever, I drag her around the world to these 3rd world countries with sketchy sanitation, large sharks, bugs, bugs and more bugs and she has always been willing to be by my side...maybe not real comfortable, but trusting me enough to go through the experience with me, and I love her for that and am always amazed at how lucky I am to have her as my wife. Does this qualify for embarrassing ?
Well that's all for now... hmmmm... not the funniest post in the world...mushroom walks into a bar and says hey bartender, can I get a pint of beer? bartender says we don't serve mushrooms here!! mushroom says; hey come on , I'm a fun guy (funghi).
Monday, March 8, 2010
ANTICIPATION
ANTICIPATION *** EXCITEMENT *** FEAR!!!
Yep, I said it - FEAR!!!
I am always fearful when we are getting ready to strike out on travel to less developed parts of the world. I am a worrier! What if something happens to someone here at home, and we can't get back to help them! What if something happens to us while we are there, and we don't come back home! Indonesia is mainly Muslim, something of an issue for a woman. Indonesia is notorious for sinking ferries, derailing trains, and planes that fall from the sky. And what about those Squat Toilets (Also a much larger issue for a woman than a man.) I am definitely worried about the squat toilets! So, Yes I am afraid!
All that said. I CAN"T WAIT TO GO! I know it will be astoundingly beautiful & wonderfully relaxing.
I love sitting in a HOT Humid place reading a book while looking at beautiful scenery.
I love seeing the smiles on the faces of the children and friendly locals.
I love the quiet peace and wondrous beauty of scuba diving.
I love seeing a strange new place together with Glen.
AND Yes, I love the empowerment which comes from facing the things I fear and becoming a better person for it!
Hopefully no one will get sick, injured, or mugged. If we see sharks when we are diving, hopefully they won't be threatening. Hopefully there will be no transportation mishaps, monsoons, or earthquakes! And if any of those things happen, hopefully we will arrive back home safe & sound to be with the people we love, and many tales to tell!
So, until we see you again, keep us in your thoughts ~
You will be in ours!
Carrie
Yep, I said it - FEAR!!!
I am always fearful when we are getting ready to strike out on travel to less developed parts of the world. I am a worrier! What if something happens to someone here at home, and we can't get back to help them! What if something happens to us while we are there, and we don't come back home! Indonesia is mainly Muslim, something of an issue for a woman. Indonesia is notorious for sinking ferries, derailing trains, and planes that fall from the sky. And what about those Squat Toilets (Also a much larger issue for a woman than a man.) I am definitely worried about the squat toilets! So, Yes I am afraid!
All that said. I CAN"T WAIT TO GO! I know it will be astoundingly beautiful & wonderfully relaxing.
I love sitting in a HOT Humid place reading a book while looking at beautiful scenery.
I love seeing the smiles on the faces of the children and friendly locals.
I love the quiet peace and wondrous beauty of scuba diving.
I love seeing a strange new place together with Glen.
AND Yes, I love the empowerment which comes from facing the things I fear and becoming a better person for it!
Hopefully no one will get sick, injured, or mugged. If we see sharks when we are diving, hopefully they won't be threatening. Hopefully there will be no transportation mishaps, monsoons, or earthquakes! And if any of those things happen, hopefully we will arrive back home safe & sound to be with the people we love, and many tales to tell!
So, until we see you again, keep us in your thoughts ~
You will be in ours!
Carrie
Saturday, March 6, 2010
one week to go ...loving it
AHHHHH.....Love a refreshing alcoholic beverage to start your evening off right, OK before we kick this pig off, I wanted to say something about the Olympics. I have never, NEVER!! been more proud to be a Canadian, and especially a Vancouverite than during the Olympics. I cried when Canadians won or lost ( OK I know I cry at the commercials too, but this is different...really) I have never watched more curling in my life ...and probably never will. Watched the best hockey game EVER, especially since we won, cried then too. I think Vancouver did a wonderful job putting on the Olympics, even with a few minor glitches, and made us all proud canadians....and made everybody around the world think we travel by sea plane ALL THE TIME!!!I didn't really understand the fascination.
Well I think ( huh didn't use anyways!) we're mostly ready to go , speaking for myself, all I have to do essentially is pack...which might be a challenge. We're going to try and not take everything we "might" need... you know like splints for broken bones or pills for some weird disease we have really no chance of contracting. Speaking of disease, we went to the health district, to get our shots updated and get a prescription for malaria ( which by the way was close to a zillion dollars...no really a zillion with a "z") I love the travel nurse there, a wonderful woman, she's been there for all the 10 years since I started to travel every year. Her job , other than the shots and stuff, I think , is ... to scare the crap out of you so that all you'll do is stay in your room and take pictures from your balcony. Don't get me wrong she does it very nicely...and well I guess it's her job, but seriously if you did what she said all you would do is stay in your room and eat pringles...not really the point of travel as far I'm concerned.
I'm at that sort of excited, scared of the unknown, knowing you're forgetting something and trying not to worry about it, don't be an idiot, of course there will be toothpaste there to buy stage. (although I understand, only through the guide book that personal waste removal will be a challenge...ok I know toilet paper is cutting down trees, but I like toilet paper ,especially Charmin and I really wish the rest of the world would get on board with the whole TP thing.)So as a diver it's been a back and forth thing about what to take, all that crap weighs alot and takes up alot of space, on the other hand do you want entrust your life to some rental stuff that somebody just barfed into yesterday.Also this whole charging for the second bag thing...well... blows, which means I'm probably going to be one of those annoying people with the humongous carry on bag that takes up half of the over head bin, but I save a bunch of money, especially cause I think we're going to do a fair amount of airline travel in Indonesia.
We really haven't planned anything as far as what we doing in Indonesia, other than we want to go to Bali , Sulawesi ( for the butterflies ) and Borneo ( for the diving and Orangutans ) Apparently Jakarta is a little flooded right now..so we probably won't stay too long there.There is a train that travels the length of Java, so that might be an option for us...love trains and it would allow us to stop in Yogiyakarta ..ok spell check hates me, anyways (ah hah ) supposed to be beautiful Yogi whatever you call it. Well that's all I got for now, we're off to dinner.
Well I think ( huh didn't use anyways!) we're mostly ready to go , speaking for myself, all I have to do essentially is pack...which might be a challenge. We're going to try and not take everything we "might" need... you know like splints for broken bones or pills for some weird disease we have really no chance of contracting. Speaking of disease, we went to the health district, to get our shots updated and get a prescription for malaria ( which by the way was close to a zillion dollars...no really a zillion with a "z") I love the travel nurse there, a wonderful woman, she's been there for all the 10 years since I started to travel every year. Her job , other than the shots and stuff, I think , is ... to scare the crap out of you so that all you'll do is stay in your room and take pictures from your balcony. Don't get me wrong she does it very nicely...and well I guess it's her job, but seriously if you did what she said all you would do is stay in your room and eat pringles...not really the point of travel as far I'm concerned.
I'm at that sort of excited, scared of the unknown, knowing you're forgetting something and trying not to worry about it, don't be an idiot, of course there will be toothpaste there to buy stage. (although I understand, only through the guide book that personal waste removal will be a challenge...ok I know toilet paper is cutting down trees, but I like toilet paper ,especially Charmin and I really wish the rest of the world would get on board with the whole TP thing.)So as a diver it's been a back and forth thing about what to take, all that crap weighs alot and takes up alot of space, on the other hand do you want entrust your life to some rental stuff that somebody just barfed into yesterday.Also this whole charging for the second bag thing...well... blows, which means I'm probably going to be one of those annoying people with the humongous carry on bag that takes up half of the over head bin, but I save a bunch of money, especially cause I think we're going to do a fair amount of airline travel in Indonesia.
We really haven't planned anything as far as what we doing in Indonesia, other than we want to go to Bali , Sulawesi ( for the butterflies ) and Borneo ( for the diving and Orangutans ) Apparently Jakarta is a little flooded right now..so we probably won't stay too long there.There is a train that travels the length of Java, so that might be an option for us...love trains and it would allow us to stop in Yogiyakarta ..ok spell check hates me, anyways (ah hah ) supposed to be beautiful Yogi whatever you call it. Well that's all I got for now, we're off to dinner.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)