Getting visitors is always a good thing (well, almost always). Getting a visit from a friend who flew half way around the world just to hang out with you for a few days is probably the most flattering thing that can ever happen to you. This happened for us this past week when our friend from Austria took a detour from his business trip in Shanghai to pay us a visit for a few days.
The visit started precariously. Thanks to heavy traffic, he missed his flight in Shanghai. The airline told him he could still get out that night, but he would have to connect in a tiny little town in southern China. He would have one hour between flights and if he missed his connection, he'd be stuck in that tiny town for two days before he could get another flight. Obviously, that wasn't going to work. That's when he called me.
I logged on to Orbitz and found a flight on a different airline. Of course, Orbitz wouldn't let me book a same-day ticket, indicating instead we should contact the airline. I told him the flight numbers and he went to the counter in Shanghai only to be told they could not book international flights on that floor. So he went to the second floor counter. There they told him he had to go to the other airport in Shanghai to get an international ticket. UGH!
Plan B. I called our travel agent in Jakarta. They were able to book the flights, but the cost went from $300 to $1,300 because the ticket was originating in Jakarta. Bet you didn't realize that the price of the ticket is based on where you buy the ticket as much as it is based on the departure and arrival cities.
Plan C. By this time, his travel agency in Austria arrived to work and they were able to book him on a new flight. The wrinkle was that he would no longer arrive on Tuesday night as originally planned. He would now arrive Wednesday morning....an hour before our scheduled white water rafting adventure was to begin in Sukabumi, a 2 hour drive from the airport. He booked it, spent seven hours on a layover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and finally made it to Jakarta Wed. AM.
The rafting trip was rescheduled to later in the day. Thankfully, because I had to prepay the trip and they have a five person minimum. I didn't want the other three seats to go to waste, so joining us on the trip was my driver, and our waiter from Hacienda and his fiance.
We picked up my friend at the airport and made the trip to Sukabumi. Heavy traffic on the way there turned a two hour drive into a 4 hour drive and we made it just in time for our departure time - the last one of the day. The rafting itself was amazing and fun, albeit surprising. The water levels were quite low. With all the rain we have had in the last several months I thought we'd be fighting raging rapids. Instead, we rafted a gurgling creek.
After Wednesday's adventure, we took Thursday easy, doing a tour of the city. I took him to Sunda Kelapa, Cafe Batavia, and Jalan Surabaya, so he would have a taste of what old time Jakarta was like when it was originally settled by the Dutch. Thursday evening, he learned what it's like to play rugby in the jungle heat. He walked of the field ten minutes after we began. My daughter asked him "what is all that smoke coming off of you". He was literally steaming.
Friday we took a trip to Taman Safari for yet another close encounter with the animals. This also happened to be our son's first visit and he wasn't sure he liked having zebras and large deer put their heads inside the car. By the end of the safari portion, however, he was laughing and smiling. Our guest, like all before him, took advantage of the petting zoo and had his picture taken with the animals: full grown lion, a tiger cub, baby orangutan and a full grown leopard.
Saturday was the end of the visit. We ate lunch at one of the local malls so he could peruse for souvenirs and then took him to the airport that evening.
It was a great visit and we really enjoyed seeing him again. Now that he has left, it is time for my travels to begin. I leave for Papua on Sunday night and will be there through Wednesday.
The visit started precariously. Thanks to heavy traffic, he missed his flight in Shanghai. The airline told him he could still get out that night, but he would have to connect in a tiny little town in southern China. He would have one hour between flights and if he missed his connection, he'd be stuck in that tiny town for two days before he could get another flight. Obviously, that wasn't going to work. That's when he called me.
I logged on to Orbitz and found a flight on a different airline. Of course, Orbitz wouldn't let me book a same-day ticket, indicating instead we should contact the airline. I told him the flight numbers and he went to the counter in Shanghai only to be told they could not book international flights on that floor. So he went to the second floor counter. There they told him he had to go to the other airport in Shanghai to get an international ticket. UGH!
Plan B. I called our travel agent in Jakarta. They were able to book the flights, but the cost went from $300 to $1,300 because the ticket was originating in Jakarta. Bet you didn't realize that the price of the ticket is based on where you buy the ticket as much as it is based on the departure and arrival cities.
Plan C. By this time, his travel agency in Austria arrived to work and they were able to book him on a new flight. The wrinkle was that he would no longer arrive on Tuesday night as originally planned. He would now arrive Wednesday morning....an hour before our scheduled white water rafting adventure was to begin in Sukabumi, a 2 hour drive from the airport. He booked it, spent seven hours on a layover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and finally made it to Jakarta Wed. AM.
The rafting trip was rescheduled to later in the day. Thankfully, because I had to prepay the trip and they have a five person minimum. I didn't want the other three seats to go to waste, so joining us on the trip was my driver, and our waiter from Hacienda and his fiance.
We picked up my friend at the airport and made the trip to Sukabumi. Heavy traffic on the way there turned a two hour drive into a 4 hour drive and we made it just in time for our departure time - the last one of the day. The rafting itself was amazing and fun, albeit surprising. The water levels were quite low. With all the rain we have had in the last several months I thought we'd be fighting raging rapids. Instead, we rafted a gurgling creek.
After Wednesday's adventure, we took Thursday easy, doing a tour of the city. I took him to Sunda Kelapa, Cafe Batavia, and Jalan Surabaya, so he would have a taste of what old time Jakarta was like when it was originally settled by the Dutch. Thursday evening, he learned what it's like to play rugby in the jungle heat. He walked of the field ten minutes after we began. My daughter asked him "what is all that smoke coming off of you". He was literally steaming.
Friday we took a trip to Taman Safari for yet another close encounter with the animals. This also happened to be our son's first visit and he wasn't sure he liked having zebras and large deer put their heads inside the car. By the end of the safari portion, however, he was laughing and smiling. Our guest, like all before him, took advantage of the petting zoo and had his picture taken with the animals: full grown lion, a tiger cub, baby orangutan and a full grown leopard.
Saturday was the end of the visit. We ate lunch at one of the local malls so he could peruse for souvenirs and then took him to the airport that evening.
It was a great visit and we really enjoyed seeing him again. Now that he has left, it is time for my travels to begin. I leave for Papua on Sunday night and will be there through Wednesday.
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