Yes, that's right, I'm back in DC or a few weeks of training. I can't say that I am too thrilled about it, no matter how necessary it is. I arrived Friday night after 34 hours of travel, way too little sleep, and some seriously cramped legs. My favorite part of the trip was definitely the 11 hours from Narita to Atlanta, and the woman in front of me who spilled her drink off the armrest of her chair and onto my laptop, and continued to put her arms behind her head and reach over the top of the seat back and cover my tv screen. Yeah, that was special.
Oh wait! Not!
For all that I love traveling, and Id better since I took a job that requires world-wide travel, I am not a fan of these long haul flights. The food is better than domestic flights, certainly, but there isn't enough of it and I really don't feel like drinking myself into a stupor, so it either means try and sleep, read, or watch a lot of movies.
But enough of the whining.
Yesterday (Saturday) I took the Protocol Overseas class at FSI and had a great time. Several of my A-100 classmates were also in attendance so it was a nice reunion, and we all got to learn the proper way to hold our cups, glasses, and utensils, how to make proper seating charts, give toasts, and generally not make fools of ourselves out in the world. I had a lot of fun, but it was hard to focus through the jet lag, and I am sure I missed a lot more than I might have otherwise.
Ok, time for a bit more whining.
It is COLD here. Not sub-zero cold, but just generally cold. Well, it is sub-zero cold if you use Celsius so yes it is cold. Especially after seven weeks in the tropics where it hasn't dropped below 75°F. I miss the tropics already. I don't miss the traffic or the pollution, but I do miss the weather. And I miss the low cost of all things in Jakarta. It cost e more to GET IN a taxi at Dulles than it does to get half-way across Jakarta. Madness. The cost of food is also a reminder of just how different the two societies are too. What cost me $3 in Jakarta, cost me $15 in Narita Airport, and costs me $10 in DC. Global economics on a personal scale.
Anyways, I will be here for a few weeks while my family settles into our new place in Jakarta. It is much closer to the girls' schools, has kids in the neighborhood, a pool and playground, and is close to shopping and a more vibrant social life for my wife. They will be fine, but I miss them and would rather be there right now. On a high note, I am in the land of Happy Hour and will be partaking of all things social while I am in DC.
Be well, neighbors!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Safari
Apparently it's been longer than I thought since my last post!
There has been a lot going on out here in the tropics, so much so that I am going to focus on the trip we took to the Taman Safari outside of Jakarta. We had the brilliant idea to go the day before Chinese New Year and even though we had planned for traffic, we planned POORLY! The trip is 50 miles, we left around 7:30 a.m., and we were at a dead stop 30 minutes later. Around 10:30 we finally pulled up to the main gates, along with all of Jakarta, Bogor, and the rest of West Java. Our driver for the day said that this was the most crowded he had ever seen the park and was surprised it was so bad.
Along the way we stopped and bought a branch of bananas and a few dozen carrots to feed the animals with. Yes, that's right, a branch of bananas. And they were yummy too! Only about five inches long, they were sweet and tasted better than any banana I have ever had in the states. Our driver did the bargaining since we didn't want to pay the "foreigner" price, and then we were on our way. Of course one of the kids wanted to try and charge us for providing a parking spot on the side of the road, but we didn't feel it was warranted. :)
The safari is a classic wild animal park with a road through the park and the animals roam freely in many of the spaces, often right up to, or in, the car window. We will have to go back when we can move at a pace that is better and with fewer cars, since there were basically two lanes of bumper to bumper traffic winding through the park. Also, we will spend the night at the local hotel since we had to leave so early to get home at a reasonable hour (3 hours to get home). The park also has animal shows, a zoo-like section, and a number of rides, restaurants and shops.
Overall we had a wonderful time, the kids enjoyed themselves, the adults enjoyed themselves, and it was WONDERFUL to get out of the city and the pollution. Ms. K had no problem with her asthma, considering that in town, she can't walk three blocks without getting tight, and the weather was a balmy 20ยบ C and just totally pleasant. As we were driving back we were able to see how the jungle came right up to the houses, kids bathing in the river, and all sorts of other interesting sights.
Pictures of this whole adventure are below.
There has been a lot going on out here in the tropics, so much so that I am going to focus on the trip we took to the Taman Safari outside of Jakarta. We had the brilliant idea to go the day before Chinese New Year and even though we had planned for traffic, we planned POORLY! The trip is 50 miles, we left around 7:30 a.m., and we were at a dead stop 30 minutes later. Around 10:30 we finally pulled up to the main gates, along with all of Jakarta, Bogor, and the rest of West Java. Our driver for the day said that this was the most crowded he had ever seen the park and was surprised it was so bad.
Along the way we stopped and bought a branch of bananas and a few dozen carrots to feed the animals with. Yes, that's right, a branch of bananas. And they were yummy too! Only about five inches long, they were sweet and tasted better than any banana I have ever had in the states. Our driver did the bargaining since we didn't want to pay the "foreigner" price, and then we were on our way. Of course one of the kids wanted to try and charge us for providing a parking spot on the side of the road, but we didn't feel it was warranted. :)
The safari is a classic wild animal park with a road through the park and the animals roam freely in many of the spaces, often right up to, or in, the car window. We will have to go back when we can move at a pace that is better and with fewer cars, since there were basically two lanes of bumper to bumper traffic winding through the park. Also, we will spend the night at the local hotel since we had to leave so early to get home at a reasonable hour (3 hours to get home). The park also has animal shows, a zoo-like section, and a number of rides, restaurants and shops.
Overall we had a wonderful time, the kids enjoyed themselves, the adults enjoyed themselves, and it was WONDERFUL to get out of the city and the pollution. Ms. K had no problem with her asthma, considering that in town, she can't walk three blocks without getting tight, and the weather was a balmy 20ยบ C and just totally pleasant. As we were driving back we were able to see how the jungle came right up to the houses, kids bathing in the river, and all sorts of other interesting sights.
Pictures of this whole adventure are below.
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| Can I haz bananananana? |
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| Move along |
 |
| Om nom nom nom nom |
 |
| Jungle river |
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| What-a-beast? |
 |
| Streeeetch |
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| Eww, antelope boogers |
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| Lion around |
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| lounging |
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| Gimme, gimme, gimme |
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| Yes, that is a free-range tiger |
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| No, the 12 year old is not standing on a rock, she is that tall. |
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| Are you my dinner? |
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