December 29 already..... geezh

Nothing like yummie and cheap breakfast within walking distance..
This lady still remembers me from last January!

December 29... First day in Jakarta.... and without change of clothes nor undies.... Hehe ^^ . Woke up at 0500 and already the birds started chirpin.  Made my coffee (kapal api without sugar nor cream) then sat outside with my ciggy writing this next blog.  By quarter to 6, usually it's already bright, and everyone started doing chores around the neighborhood.  Most people has a maids here, they usually already start cleaning the house, the garden, do laundry, etc by 0600.  Viv, of course, still sleeping.

And these are the food she sells (^^)

And Lontong Sayur I bought from her.... Rice cake and vegies
in spicy coconut cury

Today's agenda? Try to get my luggages back! We also have to exchange money and get local simcard for the blackberry (which Viv called whiteberry now because it's white :D).  Having an unlock phone is a great for travelling, because you can put local simcard into your phone and recharge as needed.  So those will be today's agendas, and of course.... meeting with the rest of the family.  Apparently a cousin I haven't seen in.... ummm.... maybe 2 decades.... is here and he's going back tomorrow, so we're having a family get together.

And these too.... stuffed tofu... complete with tea!

I went to get a simcard at a nearby place.  In Indonesia it is ridiculously easy to get cellphone and sim card.  The girl has a little corner at the front of some internet place, few simcards, you tell her which ones you want and how much money you want in there, and that's it.... you got local number!  The thing is, the signal lost frequently, not from the provider but I think it's the stupid blackberry.  I'm not sure why some people really like them, but going from iPhone and using blackberry, it's very..... ummm.... frustrating.  Especially in Indonesia, blackberry is very popular and considered... cool thing to have..... How I know it's the blackberry and not the signal provider, it's because my iPhone always picks up the signal when the blackberry totally lost in the system.... errr.  To get signal back, I have to shut off the blackberry and turn it back on..... what a pain in the bum.

Another convenience... Security office right across from my street ^^

As I was walking back to my dad's house, I realized how convenient people have it here..... Laundry place that charge around $1 per kilo to wash, iron and fold your clothes (including underwear and socks.... no shit.... ironed and nicely folded underwear!) within walking distance, food vendors every 5 steps you took (or pass by right in front of your house), pharmacy, doctor, local morning market...... everything within walking distance where ever you are.... funny thing is, most Indonesians they don't like to walk.... they'll ride their motorbike everywhere.  On the other hand, these convenience only meant something if you have the money.  The rich are extremely rich, and the poor.... sometimes I have no clue how they survive day to day.  My dad is considered middle class, so life is good in Jakarta.
So, as some of you already know, wifi is not something that's part of the household here, and even when you find a wifi connection, either you have to pay for it, or it's for customers only.... the process at starbucks was quite something just to obtain internet access.  Since my dad was going for a swim anyway, I went with him because there is wifi at the hotel.   The hotel was suprisingly nice, I remember when I was living here, the hotel wasn't that nice for sure, and the area wasn't full of houses and roadside food vendors.  Basically all the areas that used to be empty lots here, I didn't recognize them anymore because things were built on them.  The wifi at the hotel.... of course I have to get username and password for it.... the not very smiley receptionist gave it to me with no questions ask (and for some reason she kept speaking english to me even when I spoke Indonesian to her ).  I definitely will buy my dad a router....... Because it's long overdue.... I mean, none of his kids live in the country, so wouldn't that make it easier if he has wifi so he could communicate with us easier? ^^
Then off we went to pick up our luggage.  We called prior to, and even though there is an option to have it delivered to our house, we figured since this is Indonesia, the luggage may take longer than it should to get to our house if delivered.  The process wasn't too bad actually, mabe cuz I made sure I have my bubbly big smile pulled on my face and held on by safety pins when I ask questions to the securities and customs people there..... And then I got my luggages back! Yippie!  I decided a nice cold bath will be a priority at this point, so we went to Carrefour to get shampoo and conditioner, it's like... ummm... maybe superstore in canada.  The supermarket itself located within a huge cheap retail/wholesale place for everything you need, from underwear to electronics.  Big mistake..... the place is packed, as always... ummm.... just imagine christmas shopping time or boxing day shopping day in saskatoon with 10 times more people in one place.... most days of the year! So waited at the long line up.... for 3 little items :D..... When that was over I was glad.....  Lesson learnt? Cheaper items don't worth the huge mob of people :D.  Maybe convenient stores is the place to go next time (in Indonesia, Indomart and Alfamart is every 10 steps seems like.... more convenient of stores than any convenient stores in Saskatoon :D)
Had my nice cold bath and off me go to my granny's.  Met my cousin that I haven't seen for 2 decades and his family.  All of us had a good visit as always, and it was so nice to have my cousin as an excuse to visit Eastern Kalimantan on my next journey..... Apparently there's quite the beautiful diving place there, full of penyu (sea turtles), still untouched by many dirty tourists hands (i.e drunken loser tourists that went to third world country thinking they could get laid just because they're tourist with money and do whatever their beerguts wants and treated local people like shit).  Seen many of this kind of tourist in Kuta, Bali.  My grandma, of course she made the best meal ever as always! By the end of yesterday I had quite the happy belly! (maybe a bit of a Buddha belly too :D)

This guy sells noodles.... handmade

Right from the comfort of his own home... see? He made those

NomNomNom... You could never taste anything
like this in Saskatoon

Add a bit of this and that...... 

And the end result is Vivian's breakfast! (Pork noodles)

December 27.... I'm going back home... again!

Martabak, first Indonesian food upon arrival!

Postings will be late for a couple of days, since I didn't get internet access until now ^^. December 27..... Vivian and I shall begun our looong journey at 0730, when my friend Cam showed up right on the clock to fetch me to the airport. So nice to be able to see at least one person I know before I go off a long journey back to my home. When I arrived at the airport, check in was easy... no line ups! Awesome start of the trip! Then of course, having last timmie's before leaving Canada for sometime is a necessety I think. Closer to boarding time, I decided to have one last smoke before going through security check and waiting for boarding time. Security check in Saskatoon is never hectic and today was the same.

After waiting pass the boarding time (which supposed to be at 0945) the boarding gate was changed.... Sure... Not a biggie.... Then waited again at the designated gate.... and waited.... and waited..... Come departure time (which supposed to be at 1020) Air Canada personel announced no tea or coffee on board because hot water system was frozen... oh yes... and also no toilet due to same. Finally at 1030 they announced boarding..... then 5 minutes later de-boarding for some reason (definitely not the weather nor ice).... then another clear for boarding. Long story short, we were delayed for over 1 hour..... and lay over in Vancouver was only 1 hr and 40 minutes..... Lovely....

We touched down at Vancouver airport only 20 minutes before my departure time (which supposed to be at 1105). By the time the plane actually stopped and everybody disembarked the plane, we only have 10 minutes to reach the gate to our connecting flight to HongKong. Viv got super pale and sick, so we sat down for a bit. Poor kid didn't look good at all.... I didn't think it was hypoglycemia cuz before we left he had timmie's french vanilla and couple of donuts..... maybe from getting up and moving too fast? Anyway, for a little bit thought I had to do CPR on this kid but he recovered... somewhat and we just walk slowly to the gate for our connecting flight. We had 5 minutes before departure time and we made it to the gate.... and........ they haven't even start boarding yet!!!!! Why was I not suprised?? No time to sneak out for ciggie and since we passed the security check point already he wouldn't let me sneak outside. And not to my suprised again, our flight was delayed for another one plus hour before we actually off to the runway... then sit for another some long minutes before we actually reach the runway and take off. Painful, painful, painful.... that's Air Canada..... and from here on, all my bitchin and irritations over mundane little things mostly related to me didn't get my nicotine shot before I boarded the long haul flight.... and the inefficiency of Air Canada.

So, the grumpy me cause I couldn't sneak out for ciggie, by now all pouty and bitchy cuz of the delays. Irritated of everything, from where my seat were (middle seat of the middle isle... worse freakin seat of all when you don't know the person next to you), to the Air Canada announcement of 'Air Canada wants to make sure you have a comfortable journey' .... Comfy my ass.... 1 plus hrs of delays sitting on a crampy seats (yepp... even for the puny me) for 12 some hours (all these irritations could've been fixed if I could have few puffs ^^) I even got irritated by this chick next to me, who was making this noisy smacking sound when she eats her bread ... so tempted to tell her 'fuckin chew your food quietly', or wake her up everytime she started to fell asleep to let me through so I can go peeeee just cuz I can.... :D

Ms Grumpie here gotten even grumpier when Air Canada failed to note my vegetarian meal request ... again. Of course, this would've been easy to solve if I would've been given the option of skipping their crappy meal for coffee and ciggie. But just the kinds of shit that irritated me are mundane things that wouldn't irritate me normally (i.e when I have coffee and ciggie), especially in terms of food. Thankfully one of the flight attendant made the flight a lot more tolerable (in the scale of still painful). She was a very pretty East Indian girl, I think her name is Kashi. The nicest, most kind flight attendant from Air Canada I've ever run into. She went to check if there's any extra vegetarian meal... something no flight attendant ever done for me when my vegetarian meal request not noted.

Nevertheless, the flight was still painful. Not the first time I was on long haul flight, but I think the fact that Air Canada screwed up with their inefficiency twice really gets to me (worsened by the fact I didn't have ciggie since 0900) ... and it gotten even better....

When we arrived in HongKong, we touched down at 1820, which was boarding time for our connecting flight with Cathay Pasific to Jakarta. As expected, Cathay Pasific is not delaying their flight.... So as soon as we disembark the plane, we have these girls dragged us to the security check and got us through fast, then off to the boarding gate. So efficient I even had time to sneaked in ciggie time since the smoking room in HongKong airport is right across from departure gate :D (most asians airports has smoking room.... err... all asian airports I think...) So, from now on you will hear nice things about Cathay Pasific, thanks to the little ciggie time ^^ hehe.

Amazing how 4 hours flight felt like nothing when you just got off a very long flight of over 12 hours... but I think because we didn't really have time to play at the airport, it did felt like we were constantly sitting on the plane. So far, everything seems to worked out just fine though.

Finally arrived in my sweet Jakarta. By this time, we already into the last hours of December 28! I didn't realize I actually missed Jakarta that much. The line up for visa was ridiculously not moving at all due to few who has some sorta issue with their visa.... and worse of all... they don't even understand english.... so the combination of two not very good english equals very very long wait :D. After this problem was solved, finally the line moved again quite fast. Finally out of the immigration area and off to baggage pick up......... and our backpacks not there! Apparently, since us the 6 passangers connecting from Vancouver arrived late and rushed so quickly onto the next flight, they didn't have time to transfer our luggage too so, the result was we ended up with none of our luggages..... they're still in HongKong! Thankfully, all it was in my backpack are old shirts and toothbrush.... They took our names and addresses, and our luggage will be on the early morning flight from HongKong.

We arrived at 2240, and when we (finally) got out of the airport it was 0030... of Dec 29. My dad had gotten ready martabak (Indonesian pancake with peanut fillings.... nomnomnom) in the car for me! What a nice welcome home present! Traffic was sweet at midnight (well... mabe still busy for Saskatoon) and I actually wouldn't mind driving us home last night.... plus no snow to worry about! As we drove by my neighborhood I saw food vendors still open (and by this time it's almost 0200) serving fried rice, fried fish with fresh veggies and hot dipping sauce, or coconut rice.... Lovely midnight snacks! (Imagine working night shift and you have all these food vendors siting outside ready to make yummies for you after dealing with trauma or just simply our beloved very high maintenance frequent flyers we have in our emerg) sooo tired when I got to my dad's place, and so nice to sleep on the bed! My first night in Jakarta and did I ever feel home once again! I am looking forward to do my blogs while sitting outside with Indonesian black coffee and ciggie!