The journey home

I had one of those trips home, the days that make you want to scream like a banshee and drop to the floor and have a full blown tantrum.
I probably would have but it was Jakarta International airport and dropping to the floor could of meant instant death from the pox......

I love books...I really LOVE books and always stock up on trips abroad. Bookshops are not that plentiful or well stocked in Jakarta and are very expensive.
Books are heavy, especially if you have over 10 big ones hidden in a back pack. I was trying to stand up straight so no one would notice and ask to weigh my bag, but this was getting very hard after 75 minutes in a queue to check in at Sydney airport. I can not imagine how much excess baggage fee I would of been charged for my stash!

After putting away half a bookstore and relieving my back of burning agony I was less than thrilled to be on an older plane filled to capacity, stuck behind an arsehole for 8 hours. The type of arsehole that reclines his seat before the plane even takes off. I think his seat might of gone back slightly more but only if both my knees were removed....The seat was so close to my face that I could not even see the TV screen, luckily I had quite a few books to keep me amused and non violent.
After my wine was spilled over me the second time I was incensed enough reach forward, tug his arm and loudly (but still politely and completely lady like) ask him to keep his seat upright until my lunch tray was removed. I then spent the rest of the flight wondering how much trouble I would get into tipping ice and drinks over his head as well as how much it would cost to bribe the hostesses to do the same......

After a pleasant 1 hour in Singapore airport (oh how I love thee Singapore...) it was time to face the madness of the flight to Jakarta. Luckily this was not so bad, but the airport was horrific.
I had my 16 kg backpack strapped on my back and made the frenzied dash to immigration and got through in great time to then have to wait for 1 hour for my luggage.
Of course there was no trolleys.....
After being knocked down, run over and shoved about a hundred million times I started to get a bit snarky.......when men pushed in front of me I would shove them back and tell them to apologize to me in my limited Bahasa Indonesian. The expression on their faces was very comical....

It is very hard to get use to a culture of no queuing....it is survival of the pushiest!

The kids and GJ were waiting just behind the door, in the heat and crowds for 1.5 hours nearly asleep on their feet.

I made it...at last!
It is good to be home.