Around the World in Fifty Three Days

I’m sick, knocked down by severe flu. Most likely my body just shocked and requires an adjustment to local climate. Yeah, I’m now sitting comfortably under my blanket in my lovely room in my house in Jakarta. Yes, I’m home, yippee!! Not just home, but hoooomeeeee (that is how we call our home country .. hahaha).

Tropical rain in my neighborhood

Well, it’s raining now and I just love it. I particularly went down few minutes ago and stand up on my front terrace, feel the smell of vegetation wetness and the breeze of tropical rainy Monsoon of the equator, wonderful!! I was amazed in how I missed this breeze so much for the last four years.

A week ago, the same rain (with higher intensity) flooded Jakarta. But now everything is getting better in the city. Our new Governor seems work hard to solve the Jakarta's long-drawn problems. The state of city emergency (since a week ago) had been expired today.

Well, I finally go back to Jakarta after left the city fifty three days ago. Nice huh?! Hey, this situation reminds me about Jules Verne. You must know the Jules Verne’s well known novel titled Around the World in Eighty Days, right?! Been told that Mr. Fogg in 19th century did that from London to India, Hong Kong, Yokohama, San Francisco, New York, and back to London. So he went to the east through Europe and Asia continents, crosses the Pacific Ocean to reach America, crossed the continent (encounter a gaggle of bison and Sioux warriors), then crossed the Atlantic Ocean to get back to London from other side of the globe. He did that to win the wager. Hey, I've seen bison and Sioux warrior too (of course I life in Great Plain for 3.5 years), and I also just crossed the World in fifty three days, fun huh?! And here is my trip path.

My trip path in fifty three days

True, the trip isn't too dramatic since it happens in 21st century. Mr. Fogg did the journey about 30 years before the airplane was invented, and I did the trip by jet (hehehe). However my trip was still special since it was happening to me in personal. Of course I didn't do the trip on wager but for work, and it wasn't a continuous travel. But I did fly crossed over the globe from west to east, and reached the same point that made a closed circle, awesome.

I start my journey on December 4th 2012 from Jakarta to Tokyo, Yokohama, San Francisco, and Washington DC (actually it was my trip back from a meeting in Jakarta). Then I flew to Dubai, Manila, Singapore and back to Jakarta (for another meeting next month). So I went to the west, crossed the Pacific Ocean in the north part, flew over Bering Strait and Alaska then landed on San Francisco. Continue fly to Washington DC and stay in Maryland for about a month (yeah, you know, I actually live there for the last eight months). On January 19 I left DC to Middle East, flew crossed over North Atlantic Ocean and Europe to Dubai in the Persian Peninsula. Then continue fly to Manila Philippine, stay for a week, and fly to Jakarta through Singapore. Finally I landed in Jakarta on January 25th 2013. So within fifty three days I come back to Jakarta. Cool huh?!

Sparkling ceiling

Probably many people did that already, nothing special, but I still very exited when it happens to me. Make me feel having adventures like the characters in my childhood books.

The most fun flight on my entire journey was from DC to Dubai. I got an empty row with three seats only for me. Meaning I can lie down comfortably on the entire 12 hours flight. It's awesome, you only pay economic ticket but can take a rest as comfort as pay business ticket. Interestingly while was lying down I realized that the aircraft ceiling is decorated by sparkling light imitating thousand stars on the dark sky. Look at this pic. Hehehe interesting! It's probably representing the tale of one thousands and one nights of Persian.

Well, enough story for today, I am now sleepy again, probably due to medicine for healing my severe flu. Let me continue my rest.

Have a nice day!!