1/25 - Arrival in Singapore
We've arrived in Singapore, and the good news of the moment is that we're in the midst of doing a huge load of laundry. I've never known my clothes to smell quite as bad....
I'm glad to be out of Indonesia. Aubrie is perhaps more so. Is more so one word, as in moreso? I'm suddenly uncertain. In any case, Jakarta was a bad note to end on. I wish we had gotten some photos of the guesthouses on Jalan Jaksa that we looked at, which the guide said were "passable." We were down to very few Rupiah so were looking in the 60,000 Rp range ($7) for the one night we'd be there, and I had no idea any accommodation in the world could be so depressing. They're actually almost indescribable; I don't think I would do them justice. Later on I'll see if Aubrie can come up with an adequate description. But for now, I'll just note that in "Nick's Corner Hostel" each of the rooms that we looked inside emitted an intense odor of what smelled to me like diesel fuel, as if someone had doused the place in some sort of over-zealous cleaning frenzy, but which Aubrie suggested might be really cheap mothballs. It was unreal. Keep in mind that I haven't even gotten into the look of the place- tattered sort-of-pink beds, chrome reflective trim, peeling, chipping paint, etc. Yes, if we were true backpackers would have stayed there, possibly even enjoyed it, "this place is hardcore, man" we would have said, and laughed while drinking heavily. But we don't quite fit that mold, so we walked up the street and paid too much (140,000) for a room that was actually "passable," and then woke up very early and got the hotel to take us to the Soekarno Hatta International for our 8 a.m. flight, in an old SUV, which they called a minibus. Oddly, he drove like a sane person, and the simultaneous sunrise/rainstorm on the way there was pretty nice.
The flight was excellent, and at 1h13m was actually too short. I didn't get a chance to fully test out the "New Regional Business Class" seat on the 777-300. This was also my first time on a -300, which is a big event for me.
Singapore is slightly less hot. More on this place later.
I'm glad to be out of Indonesia. Aubrie is perhaps more so. Is more so one word, as in moreso? I'm suddenly uncertain. In any case, Jakarta was a bad note to end on. I wish we had gotten some photos of the guesthouses on Jalan Jaksa that we looked at, which the guide said were "passable." We were down to very few Rupiah so were looking in the 60,000 Rp range ($7) for the one night we'd be there, and I had no idea any accommodation in the world could be so depressing. They're actually almost indescribable; I don't think I would do them justice. Later on I'll see if Aubrie can come up with an adequate description. But for now, I'll just note that in "Nick's Corner Hostel" each of the rooms that we looked inside emitted an intense odor of what smelled to me like diesel fuel, as if someone had doused the place in some sort of over-zealous cleaning frenzy, but which Aubrie suggested might be really cheap mothballs. It was unreal. Keep in mind that I haven't even gotten into the look of the place- tattered sort-of-pink beds, chrome reflective trim, peeling, chipping paint, etc. Yes, if we were true backpackers would have stayed there, possibly even enjoyed it, "this place is hardcore, man" we would have said, and laughed while drinking heavily. But we don't quite fit that mold, so we walked up the street and paid too much (140,000) for a room that was actually "passable," and then woke up very early and got the hotel to take us to the Soekarno Hatta International for our 8 a.m. flight, in an old SUV, which they called a minibus. Oddly, he drove like a sane person, and the simultaneous sunrise/rainstorm on the way there was pretty nice.
The flight was excellent, and at 1h13m was actually too short. I didn't get a chance to fully test out the "New Regional Business Class" seat on the 777-300. This was also my first time on a -300, which is a big event for me.
Singapore is slightly less hot. More on this place later.
posted by Gabriel Leigh at 3:31 PM
1 Comments:
Coz & Aub, I happened upon your blog posting by chance, not having been informed of the update. Indonesia must have loosed your mind as these kinds of details don't usually get past you. And 'moreso' isn't one word but 'perhapsmoreso' was common in Scotland until the latter half of the 19th century. It sounds like the guesthouses of Jakarta are even less 'passable' than most transsexuals claim to be. Funny, some of them smell like cheap moth balls, too. You know whose alley those guesthouses would be up? Mr. Bern's. He seeks out the rattiest, most squalid digs on the road. And he is to you as you are to me. I need ESPN and a refrigerator to feel normal. I trust you still drank heavily in your softcore room? Speaking of beautiful weather phenomena (sunrise/rainstorm), I witnessed a sun-flurry the other day. I coin the term to describe simultaneous light snow and sunshine. Yeah, I hate when flights are too short. Too little time for something to go awry. Makes me too relaxed. Well, I think I'll venture out now to scamper and shuffle over the tundra as my wisps of hair freeze and my feet blister from my continuing habit of buying shoes too small or too big. I'll be on the lookout for your next posting. Love, Randy
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