Way HOME .....after JAVA XPdc

SEMARANg ......

YEs....... JAVA XPdc ended here....  since LIVes GO On .....
...a night stop ... before proceeding NEXt Destination...... Pontianak

...nnn   returned ....HOMe...

What were in Our MINDs...   Things to be solved .....???
...  find SOLUTIONs....  say...POSITIVEs

• NO Direct Flights to Pontianak
• Additional budget's Flights... Semarang ....Jakarta...Pontianak
• Ferry...NO.. shipping activities
• Stranded 4wd vehicles ..... ?????
• Furious SEa WAVEs......
• Que....LONg Lines of waiting vehicles at Semarang PORT ...
• Additional COSt ... of unpredicted DELAy
• Unknown.. Days to be PAID for Vehicles nn CARE takers..
• uncertainty ... whhen go..  h...oo...mmm....  eee

Anywhere... our programme... as planned..BUDGET AIRlines.... made us possible to fly to PONTIANAK costing each passenger to pay extra .... about R1.2 million...

... but happily ever after ...... to reach d' other mainland...Pontianak .. capital city.... West Kalimantan....BORNEO ...

But... FLIGht...first
.... was scheduled early morning to Jakarta...
Before BOARDing... all .. Families people.. were going EARly.... leaving  ...???
They were... ME...wife, 3 children..   Haji Ibrahim..wife, a son.. Haji Suhaimi wife, 3 children.. Pg Haji Mohiddin..wife, a daughter ....   .. "bujangan" ..
Haji Zaini...nn a friend...Saidi Hj Mat...



Haji Suhid...   forgot d' name.. eeeh ....Md. Zulqarnain
Alimon  ....  Haji Khairul
Teo ( Md. Safuan) ..... Haji Harun  ....nn  .. Pa' Harry

 D' rest..... assigned each ...to drive d' stranded vehicles..... seven of them ... all backup muscular.. males ..... probability could stand HIGh waves at SEa... ooo hhhooo ..

Thought... shipping would be operating.. in ... ONe  or TWo days ...



Pa' Harry nn only female assistant.. at airport.. to greet US  ... before departure.....
Ok... Pa' Harry would LOOK after d' stranded vehicles.. until finally all being shipped on FERRY to Pontianak... burden would be ON him.. local businessman ... lol ..

...Quick discussion...  nn morning drinks .... before flight...    departure....


 Before stepping UP to  airplane....
GARUDA.... NOt that one anywhere...
.... other ...LOCal Airline.... much cheaper choice ...



Just boarding.. ON AIr... looking outside...  Padi field... FULL with water.... as  Raining unstoppable d' FEW Days ........ weeks....

LANDing at Jakarta... for transit .... had to wait another flight...
...few hours waiting... lots of local passengers.. same destination  too



5.00 pm.... landing ..    at...
Last.... touching DOWn... safely .....    Pontianak Airport ...
...here.. being welcomed ...   see.. photo at airport
..SELAMAT DATANG di PONTIANAK

Short flight... arrival ..still at bright day light..  

Night....  make used vacant times... looking for local...smelly thorny fruits ....
..... ASian  ....loves these .... NOt European...
.. DURIAns..... called "KINGs of FRUits"  ........WHy ???? ...
Coz .... sharp deep ...sweet smelly, d' fantastic taste, ... or d' thorny thick skin covered ...
Only to find at road side ... hawkers.... vendors selling Durians... 
NOt in HOtels...   DUrians prohibited... NO Entry .... of Coz..




 INFO.. from SEMARANG... NO shipping for d'coming 3 days ....
..so NOW.. find ways to GO HOMe....
Airlines to KUChing Sarawak .... NOt available.....
... KUching to BRunei... also.. NIL...as end of Year... NEw YEar celebration ... ........to Night 
Final ... DECISIon Making .... by 12.00 noon..  divided into 3 groups.. hired TAXI...3 Innova Cars.. using a short cut ..three Hours faster with...TAYAN Route to Entikong ..border town ..
Arrived TEBEDu d' other side Malaysian border was just in timed..at 6.00pm..
Taxi dropped US at border... soon had to hired 2 more VANs  to SERIAN..a near by town about 30kms ..


Haji Ibrahim.. xpdc leader made arrangement ..wiith ..Coach Transportation in Kuching...
By 9.00pm...off to MIRI... a non stopped journey...nn..a night to remember to celebrate New Year Day in bus..  what a DAy...  ???


Dropped nn Transferred ....   all passengers ...
At border.. Sungai TUjoh...another Coach.. AWg Damit Transportation to carry all of US ....
Thank Uu ...Haji Ibrahim...  we were dropped right front GATe of Our House........
HOMe  ...SWeet  ... Hommmeee  .....

Here .. NOt.. end of the STOryyyy ...really.....
New YEAr 2008.....!!!!



 January 6, 2008    ..... Back to Business ....
Few friends with 4wd cars joined IN to take US.... to fetch  stranded vehicles ... were safely ferried.. departed Semarang on d' 5th....nn scheduled to arrive in Pontianak on d' 7th January  ....   so ...  now
A full day journey ... from Brunei to rest at Serian....proceeding border nn to Pontianak .... a long day journey using Tayan by pass road .....


Same hotel as before .... good rest... nn  relax  ... as no longer pressure ..
January 7, 2008 .....  evening arrival of ferry..... nn soon drove out by hired care-taker drivers  .. a few of our friends flied home from Semarang to Brunei.. coz of work commitments ....leaving some in ferry ...

By morning 8 January .. all of us leaving hotel using old route to border... probably took a little longer... but comfort nn better ride....



DURIANs ... all over.. along d' road but still Serian area.... 
A stretch non stopped journey to SIBU.......
Mid Night arrival .....

JUSt comparison..... arrival at Night....
Now... early morning... but d' cars' light nn lamp posts still ON.... 
.....my room...happened to face this side.... SIBU



Coming in group ... so did going home .... 
S. Abbas on right was also coming to assist Us to ride ...with fun too ....
                   ... a high profile traveller ....  yooooww  .... got his photos web
                                                                  http://syabas.smugmug.com/
...as our mission was to collect our vehicles.....

        so d' journey end here ....
        Need Not to tell ... as d' story repeating ....