Travelling Woes

It was bound to happen. You travel the same itinerary long enough, or any itinerary frequently enough, and something will go amiss. On this trip I've had two issues.

First, Cathay Pacific just is not recognizing my dietary needs, even though they are listed in my reservation. They keep bringing me shrimp cocktails and other seafood choices. I continue to fly them over Singapore, however, because they have typically had at least one option on the menu not fatal for me to consume.

Second, they lost my baggage. I knew I was in trouble when I had to wait at the baggage carousel. Business Class baggage gets priority, so it is usually the first set of bags off the plane. When my bag was not among the priority, I knew something was wrong. It has yet to arrive. Now, in Cathay Pacific's defense, I think the issue is United's. I flew United from PHX to LAX, coach, so they did not mark my bag as priority. I tried to object, but the bag had disappeared before I could say anything. So, Cathay Pacific would not have given my bags the care typically granted to a Business Class traveler. Also, to their credit, they offered me cash as I filled out my report as an "advance" on total damages incurred. Of course $45 doesn't even pay for the pair of shoes that didn't make it, much less a full outfit to wear to work on Monday.

Thanks to the new regulations on liquids, I no longer carry toiletries in my carry-on. I only carry things I cannot afford to be without - my laptop (and its accoutrement's), a book for reading, my money and identification, and one change of clothes. This helps me travel light, but also puts me at the mercy of quality service in the airline industry - something that seems to be harder and harder to find these days. So, arriving in Jakarta with my travel clothes, and a pair of shorts and a T-shirt in my carry-on, I had nothing to wear to work.

On the way to the hotel, I asked my driver to stop at a shopping mall so I could buy one business outfit for the next day. Slacks, button down shirt, undergarments, socks set me back $100, about what it would in the US. I expected as much because I bought US brands, though I could not find a Ralph Lauren store, which is where I usually shop.

On my shopping adventure, I noticed a few things worth mentioning. First, finding a parking spot was impossible. Think a US mall the week before Christmas. This was a Sunday afternoon, prime shopping time, but the sheer volume still surprised me. Second, the prices I paid, and the volume of shoppers, are proof that Indonesia, at least in Jakarta, has a thriving middle class. I'll temper that assessment with the fact that their are probably only two malls like this serving the 18 million people in Jakarta, so they don't have many alternatives. Third, the staffing at the stores is ridiculous. I think I've mentioned on prior trips how it appears like companies and governments create jobs just for the sake of having them (like, two toll booths on a road with no exits between them), but this was purely comical. At the top of every escalator, three people stand around waiting to help direct you (of course, this is because their are no maps anywhere in the mall). In each department, 5 or more people are standing around waiting to service you. This is not per floor, this is per SECTION. So, when I needed dress socks and undergarments, one of the five people in that section came over to help. When I needed a shirt, that was a different group, and for my slacks, yet another group. All of them followed me to the cashier so they each got credit for the sale from their section. I really just wanted to go to one spot - preferably arranged by brand - and buy everything.

I finally arrived at the hotel at 4 PM - a full 3.5 hours after my flight landed. The JW Marriott is a nice hotel....the Ritz it is not. Interestingly enough, they appear to be sister hotels. The reception desk walked me to my room, explained all the amenities, and then arranged for everything I indicated I needed - which at that point was help working with Cathay Pacific to locate my luggage, food, and a massage. When I walked into the room, I swore I was at the Ritz. Same carpeting, same bedding, same style bathroom, just smaller and they want me to rent a DVD player instead of providing one in the room. I didn't mention I could by one on the street for cheaper than their daily rate. They also have a "Club Level", like the Ritz, though I am going to try and eat my meals outside the hotel and see if that is cheaper than the $45/day rate to have all my meals at the club level. My guess is it won't be.

I crashed around 9 PM and woke up at 3 AM. It's now 7:30 and I've had my workout, worked for a few hours, and eaten breakfast. Still no word on my luggage. If it hasn't arrived by the time I leave work tonight, I'll need to make another trip to the mall and this time I'll buy 2 day's of clothes and hopefully that will be enough until my bags arrive.