Just realized I haven't really been updating here as of late. Been busy doing practically nothing. As I'm still currently in holiday mood mode. Should really shake it out already by now. Oh well, hopefully will start something tomorrow. I would like to emphasize on my "hopefully" part.
Ok, just to get things started. Our flight actually started out from Kuching to Singapore, so here we are on the way to the airport while calling a taxi to ferry all 3 of us there. We arrived about 7.30am, and after we checked in we decided to head over to McDonald for breakfast. After we finished eating, we head into the departure hall only to find out the plane was about to take off. And that was like 8am, whereby our flight was scheduled to fly off at 8.40am. So we pretty much rushed to the gate to pretty much find out that we were the last to board. The flight was ok, considering it was slightly a bit packed but both Deluxe and myself managed to get a free seat vacant so it helps with a little bit of extra space. Especially when Esther tends to sleep all the way through the flight, which was good. The flight took about 1 hour and 20 mins.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="377" caption="Posing at Terminal 3 Mini Garden"]
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Upon arriving Singapore, apparently I pretty much underestimate the timing on when AirAsia will actually arrive. If only I knew that we would arrived early, I would have purchased the following flight at 11.55am but I guess it's too late for that now. So here we are going round and round Changi Airport, where I was pretty much impressed with everything there. So Deluxe, Esther and myself went around from Terminal 1, to Terminal 2, to Terminal 3 and back to 1 again. As we were still lugging along our luggage because we couldn't checked in first.
After the 1 round of sightseeing outside the terminal, the counter departing for Jakarta finally opened and so we managed to get ourselves checked in and our next destination was to hunt for food as all of us was pretty much tired and hungry from all the walking. We ended up in one of the Taiwanese restaurant, was pretty much exhausted from the walking and I wasn't feeling too good either. So no pictures of the place, sorry. We spent about SGD19, which we thought was ok (Please don't ask me to convert. FYI we changed our notes and it was at SGD1=RM2.37).
Not long after that, we decided to went into the departure hall and waited for our flight. There seems to be a slight delay about 30 minutes, as our plane had not arrived yet. So I went and called my father in law just to let him know, and we talked briefly for less than a minute. Xpax charged me RM30 just for that 1 minute call. So you have been warned. Anyway, when the plane finally arrived this time we given priority to board as they were following the seat numbers. So we were fortunate enough to get those seat and off we go to Jakarta which will take another 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Unlike the previous plane where it was managed by the Malaysian crew, the Indonesian crew was so much much better. I'm not being bias or anything but their action does speak louder than words. Well, first thing they noticed that Esther was with us so one of the stewardess went and got those mini life jacket for her and pretty much explained all the necessary details before the flight take off. Plus we were given complementary water and nuts, before the actual in flight purchased. So the next time you decided to take a flight to Indonesia make sure you take notice of the QZ flights instead of the AK ones. Ok, going back to the story..
So we finally touched down in Sukarno Hatta International Airport. Clearance was faster because the foreigner lane was clear, where as the locals were queuing up quite long. So after collecting our luggage we waited a while before Deluxes' brother came by and picked us up. There's one thing I definitely won't miss about Jakarta is pretty much the traffic jam. But it wasn't that bad when we arrive, but it got worst when we arrived at Kelapa Gading. It wasn't like that the previous year we went back. Anyway, after we dropped our stuff at home we went to the mall and had dinner there. By then I was pretty much air & car sick, so by the time we reached back home. I quickly went and took a shower and pop one panadol and head to sleep.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="378" caption="Venice & Esther"]
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After a good night rest, I felt much better while Deluxe was already up and began preparing a bowl of kolo mee. It didn't make me missed Kuching so much. So after breakfast, Esther and Venice were at it again getting reacquainted after the long drive from yesterday. Because Venice on speaks Bahasa Indonesia, while Esther had a little knowledge on it whereby her major language was in Hakka. So there were indeed a lot of awkward moments and a lot of hand gestures. But it was cute how they communicate with one another.
On the 2nd day we didn't do much apart from heading to the shopping malls and started to lepak around there. I took most of my pictures with my phone compared to the DSLR, as I was honestly a bit lazy lugging around shopping malls after being warned once last year. After we had lunch, I noticed there was a couple just sitting at the entrance. Both of them were on their blackberry. And to make matters even more interesting, they were pretty much chatting away with each other using the blackberry. Seriously, I think they need to get a life.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="317" caption="Massive traffic jam. This is not considered that bad."]
[/caption]Day 3 was when we headed to one of Deluxes' aunt place. It was a long weekend as Indonesian Independence day fell on 17th August, so people used this opportunity to head over to places such as Bandung as well as Puncak. So we didn't head there due to the massive traffic jam predicted by my brother in law. Anyway, traffic was heavy but I was told this was ok as it could be even worst. At least we're moving every 2-3 mins, whereby for some reason it would be faster if you crawl compared being stuck in this jam. So most of the time it is best to sleep else don't think too much about it.
After that, we headed to my in laws shop which was situated at South Jakarta, and the picture taken was from Northen side of Jakarta. Traffic slightly improved after a while, because it was the weekend as some of the offices were not opened. By the time we reached the shop was already close to dinner time. So we went and had dinner at Ny.Nita Ayam Presto. I'll talk about the food in a different post, but just to let you know. The chicken was fabulous, and you even can eat up the bones as well. I don't know how they do it, but you eventually eating up the whole chicken including the bones. After eventually we went back home and that was pretty much about it.
4th day, we woke up kinda early as we were heading to church. The church we went to was Gereja Reformed Injili Indonesia. Because it wasn't combined the service started at 7 am. I went and followed my brother in law, while Deluxe and Esther followed her Sister in law to Sunday School. Probably it may be slightly different for her, as everyone was talking in Bahasa Indonesia. But from what I understand is that she didn't had any problems blending in. After that we had breakfast and headed to Deluxe Uncle house which was not far away. We spend some time there for quite some time before heading to another Aunt of Deluxe. Esther was overjoyed when she received new goodies, as one of them even looks exactly like her cousin Venice shoes. So she was pretty hyped about it. After that, we headed back home and rested before going out for dinner at again a nearby mall. There are quite a number of shopping malls in Kelapa Gading, as the largest mall is also there. So you pretty much need 1 day just to visit one area.
Day 5 was we headed over to Mangga Dua ITC, which is one of the favorite places Deluxe loves to go. The reason is that most of the cheap stuff are normally located here. But if one was not careful, one can easily get lost in this huge maze. Seriously, you wouldn't want to get lost there. Plus with so many things around, and people going around you have to be extra careful with your belongings as well. After purchasing Deluxe pants, and some clothing for Esther we headed to Golden Truly, whereby it's kinda like the feel of Ngiukee. Sales all year long, haha. But their gado-gado there is excellent.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="335" caption="Gondola Ride"]
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Day 5 was when we headed over to Ancol, which is one of the tourist attraction in Jakarta. Because it was 17th August, the entrance fee was like 50%. We headed to craft area first to have a look see Indonesian arts and crafts. And they are seriously really good. We went and visited the art gallery as well as the local craft. After that we went and sit on the Gondola.
We didn't go to Dunia Fantasy (disneyland), even though we had the promotion brochure. Whereby it was slashed down to like 40-50%. Which was very cheap, compared to the other sections of Ancol. Never the less, Esther had fun running around the huge space. But was a bit frighten from the gondola ride. But it was all good. After that, we headed once again to Golden Truly for dinner. Yup, you've guessed it, Gado-Gado once again for dinner. Hehehehe.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="236" caption="Venice, Esther & Nathan"]
[/caption]Day 6, nothing much to talk about as we were stuck in traffic the whole day. We were basically stuck in traffic the whole day. Anyway, day 7 we were heading back Kuching but will transit in Singapore for 2 nights before heading back. Upon arrival in Singapore, we took a cab and headed to our staying place which was at People's Park Centre. Quite a nice place to stay actually considering that there were a lot of food to eat plus MRT is extremely nearby. So we headed off to another aunt of Deluxe place and pretty much stayed there till evening before calling it in.
The following day, we went and visited Deluxe's cousin. Here Esther & Venice got to know another cousin of theirs whom they met for the first time. From the photo on the left, I guess it was those priceless moments when it was the first time we met our cousin when were their age. So one was speaking Bahasa Indonesia, one Hakka, and the other one spoke in English. But again, as children even though they can't speak the same language. They can sure have a good time together. This was a picture before Venice actually leaped out from the swing, dragging Esther along. And unfortunately Esther didn't know what was actually happening fell on the ground. She was fine, but as you know the rest of the adults were worried and screaming already by then. Hahaha. But it's all good.
Anyway, after that we headed back to the hotel and pretty much rested there for the next few hours. I was able to catch up with Bong for about 20-30 mins as he went and sort of catch snake just to meet up with me. But from what I understand his office was not far from where we stayed. So it was all good. It was good catching up with him, and he's been putting on weight as well. Ah well, he was pretty much my partner in crime most of the time. Hahaha.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="364" caption="Deluxe, Esther, Grace & Juliany"]
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Towards the evening, Deluxe friend Juliany and her husband Hendry dropped by and visited us. Esther was introduced to Grace and surprisingly both of them were very quiet. Haha, I guess they were trying to make a very good first impression. But it was good to see that they eventually slowly broke the ice. Grace is about 8 months older than Esther. After that was done we pretty much packed up our stuff and get ready for the following day to go home.
We pretty much got all of our stuff, and managed to get a cab. But unfortunately for us, quite a number of roads have been closed. But I was a bit skeptical of the taxi driver as he was making rounds two times even though we went through there again. But I guess they were just trying to make an extra buck I suppose. Ah well, never the less. Once we arrived at the airport, Juliany was there again to send us off. So that was basically our trip in Singapore. As we didn't really had much time to explore actually. Never the less, I guess it's a good experience for Esther. And we believe that we won't be seeing Singapore for the last time. We shall be back ;)
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The long awaited post is finally here. As I'm still working on the templates as you can see it's still a bit messed up at the front page. Never the less, let me get on with the story. Well basically we were in Jakarta from the 28th July till the 6th of August. The flight was kinda packed, and many people were really concerned about H1N1. But never the less, by the grace of God we all arrived Jakarta safely despite the 1 hour delay by AirAsia. Esther was asleep during the whole time, but unfortunately for Deluxe her arm got cramps due to carrying Esther the whole time. Anyway, we arrived Jakarta about 1 am Malaysian time and headed straight home after that.
Later that evening all of us went and visited Deluxe's Aunt. And of course Esther & Venice were showered with hugs and kisses by none the less her Ku Poh (Grand Aunt). As she haven't seen Esther for about 9 months already. I guess Esther was pretty confused with all the people around her suddenly. But knowing her cousin Venice was around, she was cool with everything. Not to mention the amount of toys and dolls were around that pretty much kept her busy, while the rest of us tend to catch up regarding the latest news with each other.
On day 3, our next destination was to Mangga Dua ITC. One of the places you must go while you are in Jakarta. Inside you'll find all sorts of things, and tons of people moving around. Unfortunately for me, I was told that I shouldn't take out my camera as it would attract unnecessary problems as well as magicians. Their trick would make things disappear without you even noticing it, so I had to wear my back pack in front to prevent any of those things from happening. Lol. Anyway, after lunch we pretty much went around the whole place in search of Esther's floor pads. Round and round we go, and managed to stopped by a few places to get a new pair of shorts as wells as other stuff. But never the less, we reached our destination in a little shop of Mangga Dua ITC.
After a while, Esther started to get cranky. As she was getting hungry and sleepy. So we quickly rushed back to the car and headed to Artha Gading which was the next mall on the way back home. Upon arrival, Deluxe brother wanted to check to see if the office was still open for renewing the driving license. But unfortunately it was closed as they are only opened till 3pm, and we were there was like 4.30pm. Anyway, we decided to have a walk around and see what this mall had to offer us, as it was considered one of the biggest mall in Jakarta. No doubt it was huge, but we only managed to cover probably 5% as we only went and see the amusement park only. Due to the fact that now we have children and shopping for clothes doesn't seem to interests them. Lol. We didn't get on the rides, as it wasn't really worth it. So most of the time we just stand in front of something and start taking pictures. Lol.
Day 4 began when Deluxe best friend, dropped by and visited us. Apparently she have a son also who is older than Esther about 5-6 months. Yes, Nicholas was surrounded by roses well Esther and Venice of course. Lol. So you could imagine 3 children play together and yes it was very happening inside the house that once was only filled with 4 people. As Deluxe and Margaret was catching up on all times, and at the same time watching over the children. I've decided to follow dad in law to learn the art of trading.
Day 5 was a Sunday, as both mom and dad in law went and attended their church service which was extremely early for me to get up. So we went and attended 
After we managed to meet Lenny & Shelly for lunch, we went and drop off our cousin back to her place. But ended up staying there the whole afternoon. As unexpected visitors came as well. So basically they were having fun the whole time, while I was behind in the kitchen munching away on freshly made Pisang Goren (fried banana). Never the less, it was good for Esther as she was able to socialize with other children. So at least we know she won't have problems making friends in the future.
Day 6, I went out a while with dad in law in the morning, while Deluxe was able to renew her driving license. And it was because of Esther, the personal asked her to wait for a while without asking her to come back during the afternoon to collect it because that time it was close to 12pm so normally they'll get people to come back around 1 after their lunch break. 
After they left, we went to Mall of Indonesia which is also nearby our area. Here Esther and Venice finally get onto the rides provided inside the mall. You could say it was like a mini amusement park in there. You can actually explore part of the mall on their cable car. First Esther and Venice rode on a mini car before sitting inside the train. Lol, you should really see Esther's reaction. She was frighten because there was no support inside the car and wanted to get off immediately. But once she got used to it, the ride finally stop. Then it was off to the train whereby the mothers were allowed to accompany them while riding on it. As they go round and round in circles, they were pretty much smiling whenever they pass us at the meeting point. Once the ride was over, we ended up headed for the food court to get our dinner. As it was pretty much a hectic day, we decided to went back home and rest.
The food there was excellent. I didn't dare to order the sambal as I was worried that it might upset my stomach and things would go bad in the end. Lol. When the food arrived, Esther was being very adventurous. So I had to bring her around the restaurant looking at fishes as well as the lamps that were inside. As this was more less like a father and daughter bonding moment, she was happy when she saw the fish swimming around in the fish tanks. I guess it was something new for her. Lol.
On day 8 was pretty much the last day we can explore Jakarta. Because the following day we would be heading off back to Kuching. Deluxe's uncle came by early in the morning just to drop off a cake he baked specially for Deluxe. The cake taste absolutely delicious, and all of us were complementing him on a job well done. I guess you could say that he could actually start a bakery, and his sons would help push marketing it. Anyway, he didn't stayed too long as one of our cousin had to go to work using the bike. So he left us with a very delicious sponge cake, which we pretty much finished it on that day.
Once Deluxe managed to finish her exploring in the new mall, we headed back home to restock on Venice and Esther's food supplies before heading out for dinner. We are supposed to meet another aunt of Deluxes' so by the time we've reached home, we quickly refresh ourselves before heading to Golden Truly, as there was the meeting point. Everyone seems to laugh at Deluxe every time she mentioned Golden Truly. Because she felt that is the only place in Jakarta you can get a decent branded clothing because they are always on sale. But we couldn't spend more time there as some of us were already hungry.
Day 9 was pretty much last minute shopping, as well as packing. We've managed to fit everything into 4 bags, we pretty much went on our way to the airport which was about 4.30pm when we departed from our home. As usual, there was a huge traffic jam on the toll. But fortunately for us we arrived about close to 5.30pm. Once we finally checked in, the person at the counter told us that our flight got delayed by another 1 and half hour. So we decided to grab dinner at Hoka-Hoka Bento. Which was very cheap for a set meal, and very filling too. Not to mention that this is at the airport. After dinner, Dad in law left us while the rest of us went inside to wait for our flight. But all was not well as we got delayed another 30 mins, before we were on our way back to Kuching. 
So during this trip Esther, did grew a lot. And also it was good for us to go back to Jakarta due to the cheap fare we had. Return trip for all 3 of us was less than RM400 inclusive of 2 check in baggage. It was also good for me because, during this whole week I was spending more time with Esther compared while I was here in the shop. I also learned that family is always important above everything else. No matter where we are, but when it is time to head back home to where you come from. Family was the first priority in Deluxe's to do list. Even before our trip back to Jakarta, we went shopping first just to bring something back to them.
