Vote for NOT NORMAN!
Norman the goldfish is flipping and flapping with joy! NOT NORMAN, A GOLDFISH STORY has been nominated for the Oregon Reading Association’s Patricia Gallagher Picture Book Award. So, if you are in Oregon, vote for Norman!
If you know folks in Oregon—call them! Write them! Buy them a copy of NOT NORMAN!
Vote! Vote! It’s the duty of all goldfish lovers everywhere!
Go to: http://www.oregonread.org/gallagheraward09.html
Packing Light…er
Never actually having seriously considered the term “packing light”--my last return flight from the States, I checked 3 bags, 2 of which were perilously close to the 70 pound limit--I have had a very difficult day. I leave for West Papua tonight on a “Remote Destinations” trip. Remote Destinations is the name of the travel company, owned by Leks and Linda Santosa, which is organizing and leading the trip. Remote also stands for “far away and hard to get to.” We will fly overnight from Jakarta to Timika, West Papua, arrive early tomorrow morning and transfer to a twin-engine propeller airplane. From there, our luggage will either be toted by broad-backed porters, or ferried in shallow-draft boats through swampy, steamy, buggy, formerly cannibal-infested mangrove forest--sounds exciting doesn't it?
Purportedly, the weight restriction was set by the charter airline company. (However, I suspect the weight restrictions may also have been imposed because the porters on our last trip to Papua complained.)
Each passenger had to submit his/her weight. (Accurate weight, I was cautioned, as each passenger will be weighed before boarding the plane.) Our luggage will also be weighed—carry ons, purses, computers, all of it—and will be loaded onto the plane according. Now, normally….often, as you can guess by the baggage I mentioned above, I don’t worry too much if my baggage is a little heavy. However…
Following is a note I received from Linda two weeks ago regarding our travel arrangements:
Hello, All.
As you know, Leks went to West Papua last Sunday to finalize all arrangements for your trip....Unfortunately he has run into a series of bad problems. First of all, the Charter which he had booked for you--the Twin Otter through Trigana--has two big problems....Trkigana actually has 2 Twin-Otters. One recently slid off the runway at Bioga in the mountains and the other they have just discovered 3 days ago needs a new engine...Which has been ordered and the plane is supposed to be ready to fly in 2 weeks...But no guarantees.
SO....Leks and Cindy have tried to contact the following companies in the last two days: Mimika Air Airfast Susi Air AMA Papua--who say they will not take tourists Merpati Avia Star
At the moment we have had no luck with any of these....BUT Leks is running around talking to airline pilots all day today and tomorrow.
Never fear: Leks found an airplane to take us to Papua. Smaller than the Twin Otter—and with weight restrictions—restrictions for which I have suddenly developed a healthy respect.
The per-person weight limit for the trip is undisclosed; the baggage weight limit is: 1 duffel bag, 15 kilos max (33 pounds) and, after we women whined loudly, an extra 5 kilos for carry-on—which sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?
Over the past few days, I have been gathering supplies for the trip. (Keeping in mind that we will only be gone 4 days.) I piled everything on the dining room table, cross-checked it with the supply list, and then began jettisoning whatever I could. Afterwards, I stuffed everything into my duffle and weighed it. Now I’m in the process of culling again. How the heck is anyone supposed to pack light when everything is so dang heavy?
- 1 lightweight hiking boot: 1.5 lbs (Yes, I will pack two--soon as I find the other one)
- Flashlight (ready to go): 3/4 pound
- Extra batteries: 1/3 pound
- Small toiletry bag (hotel sizes of everything): 2.5 pounds
- Undies, socks & 2 bras: 2.8 pounds (ditch the underwires?)
- Treat & drink bag: 7.5 pounds (that will get lighter quickly…maybe preflight)
- Walking stick: 3/4 pound
- Camera (no extra anything): 1/2 pound
- 298 page Paperback novel: 1/2 pound (It’s a YA; maybe they are heaver by nature?)
- Cosmetics bag: 1 lb, 10 oz (No I can not cull…I need every item)
- First aid kit/medication/vitamins: 2 1b, 5 oz.
- wallet: 1/3 pound
- Clothes: ...
Clothes? What clothes? There isn’t weight left for clothes…
The Cost of Expat Eating
Living in Jakarta as an expat has its challenges---but hey, that’s part of the deal, right? One of the reasons we live here? Didn’t we take overseas postings so we could experience different ways of life? And after all, Jakarta is a different country—on the other side of the world from the U.S! It makes sense that the customs, attitudes, life-styles would be different, doesn’t it? Still, that doesn’t stop us from wanting to stock our cupboards with some good, old-fashioned home-style comfort food staples, such as All Bran and Crisco and Fritos. When you ask expats what it’s like living in Jakarta, the one hardship almost all focus on is FOOD. The difficulty they have finding their favorite “home-style” food. “I had to go to three-four-six different import stores to find the ingredients I needed to make this ___________(fill in the blank with some American, you-can-find-it-at-SAM’s Club, Dutch, South American, French, or Italian specialty),” they complain. Right now Curtis and I are in the Taipei airport transit lounge waiting for our flight back to Jakarta. After 6 long weeks away, I was really looking forward to getting back home—was being the operative word. I just downloaded my e-mail. Included was a notice from Mary Ann Wiley the founder and owner of Upper Crust, our friendly, neighborhood American Comfort Food Caterer (who also serves up a tasty Mongolian BBQ). Mary Ann moved to Jakarta with her husband, Claude (an oil guy), back in the late 70’s or early 80’s, back when the only expat food available had been smuggled into the country in some expat’s suitcase, back when the only restaurants in Jakarta were in hotels, back before McDonalds, Burger King, and KFC started competing with the rolling food carts off the road. Mary Ann built an empire by catering to Americans needing a comfort food fix. And now, with imported food scarce again, she is making a come-back.
Upper Crust e-mail, Friday, March 06, 2009: (The exchange rate is roughly 10,000 Rp to the dollar so RP 50,000 is about US $5.00)
Because of the Indonesian government's ban on imports, there are a lot of things we can't find in Jakarta now. I have access to a number of items you may be searching for.
Chocolate Chips * Rp 50,000 per 12-oz. bag Vanilla * Rp 40,000 per 100-gram bottle Imported Lay's Classic Potato Chips * Rp 70,000 per bag Desiccated Coconut *(can't get Baker's Angel Flake) Rp 50,000 per lb. Refried Beans * Rp 60,000 per can Unsweetened Baking Chocolate * Rp 50,000 per bar Cocoa Powder * Rp 50,000 per lb. Flour or Corn Tortillas * Rp 40,000 per dozen Pita Bread * Rp 40,000 per dozen Tortilla Chips, our own brand * Rp 50,000 per bag Sweet Potato Chips, our own brand * Rp 50,000 per bag Upper Crust Mayonnaise * Rp 40,000 per pint Our Own Salad Dressings * Rp 40,000 per pint Vinaigrette * Honey Mustard * Ranch
Oscar Mayer All-Beef Hot Dogs Package of 8 * Rp 70,000 Add 8 hot dog buns for a total of Rp 95,000
Oscar Mayer Bacon 1-lb. package * Rp 70,000
Texan-Made Pork Breakfast Sausage 1-lb. package * Rp 70,000 Add 6 biscuits for Rp 30,000 extra Add 1 pint Country Gravy for Rp 50,000 extra
Deli Meats * Rp 90,000 per lb. Sliced Beef, Sliced Ham, Sliced Smoked Turkey Breast, Sliced Lemon-Herb Chicken Breast Deli Cheese * Rp 90,000 for 8 slices * Cheddar or Swiss
Bread * Rp 15,000 per loaf Country White * Whole Wheat * Sunflower-Oat * Multi Grain * Cinnamon Swirl
English Muffins * Rp 40,000 per dozen ** Dinner Rolls * Rp 40,000 per dozen
Soup * Rp 50,000 per pint Tomato-Basil * Mushroom * Chicken Noodle * Minestrone
Whole Apple Pie * Rp 150,000
Big Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake, with personal message and balloons * Rp 150,000
To order, push Reply, and give your address, phone number, and time you would like delivery. If you don't receive a confirmation e-mail from me, call 765-4476. Sometimes my internet server isn't reliable, and I don't want to miss your order.
Dang! Why didn’t Mary Ann send this note before I left for the states? We could have stuffed our suitcases with food, glorious food instead of the usual clothes, books, toiletries, and vitamins. Just think of the profit I could have made selling prepackaged, processed, sodium and nitrate-filled tasty treats? I would have been rich! RICH!