I’m Off to Indonesia!
27 hours. That’s how far in advance I booked the flight that I’m about to take. I sit here at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) about to board a flight bound for Taipei. That will be my home for the next 12 hours or so as I head off on my latest adventure, one which I kind of threw together at the last minute. Heck I only officially decided on a destination on Saturday, and here it is, Tuesday night and I’m at the airport.
So What Am I Doing?
I’m off to Indonesia! Not directly though. I chose this particular flight routing because it afforded me a 12 hour daytime layover in Taipei, so I’ll get a chance to explore that city a bit before jetting off to Singapore!
My flight arrangements aren’t bad either! San Francisco (SFO) to Taipei (TPE) on an EVA Air 777-300 and Taipei (TPE) to Singapore (SIN) On a Singapore Airlines A330. Not too shabby if I do say so myself, especially since I booked this ticket last night and was trying to avoid flying a long haul segment on United (I used to United miles for this flight, which is how I was able to book it so last minute).
From Singapore, my plans are still a bit in flux given the fact that its Ramadan and the first two weeks of August will be pretty nutty as Muslims celebrate Eid-al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan which is a major homecoming holiday in Indonesia (think Thanksgiving weekend in the US but for two weeks, so not a time you’d really want to be traveling). I expect though that I’ll spend 4 days or so in Singapore before heading over to Indonesia.
I’m rather keen on passing up Bali in favor of one of the less touristy islands an I’m thinking I may focus on Sulawesi, with its vibrant tribal regions. One region in particular is famous for its elaborate funeral ceremonies, many of which occur during the dry season (which happens to be August).
I’d also like to spend some time on Java, exploring the famous temple ruins, though not till after Ramadan. Java is supposed to be particularly crazy surrounding the Eid holiday (which is called Idul Fitri in Indonesian).
So we’ll see. I’m really good at going with the flow of things. And while I’m generally good at not planning, this is the first time I’m embarking on a trip with almost no research either. But you know what? I’ll still have one amazing adventure!
Help Me Plan my Trip!
Have you traveled around Sulawesi or other less touristy islands in Indonesia? Do you have any suggestions for me?