Jet Lag

After 44 hours of travel time (yes, 44 hours), I arrived in Sentani at 7 AM Saturday morning.  Passing through Hong Kong, Singapore, and Jakarta was amazing.  Not that I was able to travel any place other than the airports, but it was impressive just seeing the vastness of these cities from the air and how western and modern these enormous airport terminals were.  Singapore had by far the largest passenger terminal I have ever seen.  Very different from our years traveling to and from Africa.  Arrival in Singapore went well and I said good bye to my traveling companions, a couple on their way to visit family in India.

My flight from Singapore to Jakarta was quick.  On this flight I met a couple from Canada, living in Jakarta and working in the oil industry.  Jakarta is a huge city (at least from the air) and has come into significant wealth in the past few years as gold, copper, oil and natural gas have become major industries in Indonesia.

I was a little nervous about clearing customs in Jakarta and my transfer to Indonesia's Flag Carrier, Garuda Airlines.  Doug Allrich, Program Manager for Papua, gave me a checklist for clearing customs in Jakarta, and it went like clockwork.  No problems.  After clearing customs, checking baggage and getting tickets without being able to speak a word of Indonesian, I still had several hours to wait before I could pass through airport security and head to my gate to board my last flight.  I was told that I could not pass through airport security until 1.5 hours before departure. 

The main goal during this time was to stay awake and not lose my luggage.  so I checked out the departure area for several hours.  Air conditioning and seating for passengers was sparse, with just wooden benches to sit on and a light warm breeze sneaking in the open doorways. What was widely available was seating at one of the many restaurants and coffee places.  Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, KFC and others were lined up one after another.  After exchanging some US Dollars for Rupiah, I headed for Starbucks.  Caffeine and Internet service were the ticket to passing the time and staying awake.  I have Skype, email and news on my iPhone and Starbucks offered free Internet access, so it was a nice combination.  The news was dominated by the earthquakes in Japan.

As time passed, I grew more restless, tired, and uncomfortable.  I needed sleep, but that was not to be until I could find more secure and comfortable surroundings.  Finally, with two hours to go before departure, I decided it was time to risk it.  I boldly approached security, showing my boarding pass.  The guard hesitated for a moment, smiled and let me in!  Yes, the land of air conditioning and chairs with cushions at last!  Grabbing a bottle of water I headed to my gate and a comfortable, cushioned bench to snooze on.  As the time passed and the gate filled, I realized that I would be one of very few white people on the full flight to Sentani.  I really was on the other side of the world now.

Time to board, and I am amazed at finding a brand new Boeing 737-800 with all the bells and whistles as our chariot.  My only complaint on the seven hour overnight flight to Sentani was being woken up every few hours to be fed a full meal!  After three meals and having several hours of sleep, I arrived in Sentani and the Third World at last.