Uly’s got the words…..

After nearly 3 years, finally I’m coming (home) to Indonesia. It’s not very long visit, only less than a month. Very tight schedule. Too many destinations: Jakarta-Palembang-Jakarta-Bandung-Jakarta-Bali. If I travel alone, that would be just fine. I just need to prepare reading material or good conversation (just in case I sit next to a cute gentleman) but I travel with my husband and my soon-to-be 18 months old baby. It’s pretty handful with a baby in tow.

You know how complicated it is to plan the trip (to Indonesia)? If I fly solo, I can just take the crappiest airline… the cheapest one. Let’s say, the infamous China Airlines. Or if I have lots of extra dollars, I can splurge on business seat SQ that cost $5000 for direct flight LA-Singapore. But hey, it’s time to get real. As a family trip, I have to consider everything very carefully. I cannot just fly with the cheapest airlines. Even it doesn’t really matter to me, it matters to my baby and my husband. So, ok, Singapore airlines it is. But I (and my husband) already stopped dreaming of the comfy seat of Raffless SQ. C’mon, one seat (once in a blue moon) is still in affordable price range. Three seats??? Dream on, Uly!

I never thought trip to Indonesia would cost us so much, much more expensive than a trip to Europe. But sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do, right?

So, we’ll be in Jakarta in May.

Is the ticket airfare the only huge expense for Indonesia trip? Noooo….!!! There will be expensive accomodation. In Jakarta, I want us to stay in any hotel/apartment in the golden triangle while my husband wants to stay in a 5-star hotel… which makes the combo even more pricey. I don’t mind to stay in the old Kartika Chandra or any hotel around Kuningan, Sudirman, or Thamrin. Who cares? So long the room has a huge bed, clean, and easy to reach, I’m all for it. The result…? I don’t know. I’m tired to work on the accomodation.

It’s been so much pressure to plan this trip. I’m still nervous about flying up to 22 hours with Alana. How will I handle her in the plane? What if she screams because she gets really bored in cramped space? What if she gets sick in Indonesia? Dengue fever? Malaria? Gosh…. I know I’m paranoid. But hell, yeah, I’ve been having this uneasy thought.

There is another thing that really bothers me. I know it’s very common when you have some friends or relatives come from overseas, there will be certain expectation, "Oleh-olehnya jangan lupa!" And for lots of reason, this gets in my nerves.

Now try to put yourself in my shoes. See… it’s not really pleasant, is it? I have 9 siblings. You count (besides my siblings) how many nephews and nieces expect "oleh-oleh" (presents) from me. I don’t think I can get what they expect. Maybe some of them will be jumping around (I’ve got an iPod shuffle for Bintang and still trying to get a fair quality of black violin for Bayu), but for the rest, I’m clueless and frustrated. Especially as a stay-at-home mother, I don’t make money. I have to break my piggy bank (literally… I collect coins and dollar bills I find in my husband’s pocket when I do his laundry!) just to buy some little presents for my relatives.

So my friends, if only you know how much I want to please you with cool presents from here. How much I want to bring you 501 Levi’s (they’re cheap here!), pairs of Rockport shoes, or any American brand’s stuff. Or even books or CDs. But I have to set my priority straight.

I do miss you, my friends. Can we just meet up over a coffee, or brunch, or dinner? Don’t hate me for not getting you any present. It doesn’t mean I don’t care for you. It means, I don’t have enough time… or I’m simply broke. And with new regulation 50-lb-luggage, there’s not really much room to stuff my luggage. Especially if you have a stroller and a violin, which I still try to figure out how to carry them…