Everything has worked out. I was able to get my visa, buy my plane tickets and packed my bags, now I am in Jakarta, Indonesia anxiously awaiting the last leg of my trip, to Salatiga.I left for Indonesia Nov 18 at 6:30 am from Great Falls, MT, taking with me 3 bags. I was a bit worried about the weight of my bags and was trying to be as careful as possible to pack them under the 50 pound weight limit to avoid extra charges. When we put them on the scale, my heaviest bag weighted 49.5 pounds. And I was able to have the checked all the way to Jakarta. Praise the Lord!
Mom and Dad brought me to the airport and my pastor and his wife, my friends Tammy and Duane, where there to see my off. As I went through security, unpacking my computer from a very full carry-on, laying out my liquids, and going through all the usual hassle, I handed the security officer my ID and boarding pass, he looked at my ID, then pass, and looks at me and said "you don't look like Deloris". I was confused for a moment then realized that I was given the wrong boarding ticket. With the flight already boarding, I rushed downstairs to get the proper boarding pass. Dad followed my down and told me that the ticket agent at the gate would fix it up there, so I ran back upstairs got the correct ticket, went through security and they closed the door behind me.
From there I was to catch my International flight in LAX, where I was also going to meet up with one of the other single gals that will begin language study the same time as me. My flight was scheduled to come in an hour before hers, so I decided that I would meet her at her gate, only she didn't know that. Having not met Tiffany before, I would have to recognize her from the picture that I'd seen of her. Since she didn't know I was there waiting, she took off to find our flight and I was standing at her gate trying to find her. It was a rather comical sight. I waited until the last person was off the plane and the doors were shut before deciding that I missed her somewhere.
Next on my agenda...finding Singapore Airlines. I have only been to LAX twice and had no idea where I needed to go. I got directions, got on a bus and headed toward a terminal, I didn't get a terminal name or number so I got off at the terminal labeled International Flights. I stopped at an Information Counter and asked the cute old lady behind it where I could find Singapore Airlines.
"Well," she said, "your in the wrong terminal. You need to go past terminal 3 to the next one just around the corner."
"Do I need to get back on the bus to get there?" I asked.
"No," she replied, " you can walk. Just go out these doors here. But watch out! There are people outside who are begging for money. Don't give them anything! All they want is your money!"
I thanked her and was about to head out the door, when she offered to walk me out for fear I might fall prey to the scoundrels asking for money. She walked me out the door making sure to point out the nicely dressed people with pictures of children, as the beggars. After safely escorting me past them, sent me on my way.
I found Singapore airlines and was standing in line when Tiffany came up behind me and introduced herself. I guessed I was to hard to recognize since there were only a handful of white people waiting in line. When we approached the ticket counter to check it, we were asked to show our passport and itinerary then we were asked to show our baggage claim tickets and recites for them. Tiffany did not have her recite but the agent kindly over looked that. As he was reviewing mine, he said that my bags were check correctly thru till Singapore gut had the wrong airport code for Jakarta. They had put JKT instead of the correct code for the Jakarta Airport. As he was telling me this, and I was beginning to think that I would never see my luggage again, a man came up behind him and asked about some luggage he wasn't sure where it was supposed to go. It turned out to be my luggage! The agent handed him my baggage claim tickets, fixed the problem and I am happy to say that all my luggage made it thru to Jakarta! God watched over it the entire way!!
Tiffany and I decided that since we were traveling half way around the world, we wanted to see some of it. We got a 14 hour layover in Singapore, long enough to tour some of the city and see some sites. Our flight from LAX to Singapore was about 18 hours long! We made it to Singapore at 1:30 a.m. on Nov 20th. Then flew out later that afternoon and arrived in Jakarta where I have been for the past few days, getting over Jet lag and shopping for things we might not be able to find in Salatiga.
