Try Again

We had to wake up around 2:45am to be in a van to the airport at 3:30am.  Whoa.  And the other group had to get up even earlier.

A few minutes into the drive to the airport, we got a call that Craig left his iPad at the hotel and we had to turn back to pick it up.  

Checkin took quite a long time to Super Jet Air (yup, that's the actual name of the airline).  While we were waiting this adorable little girls was playing with her remote control dump truck and kept bumping it into my shoe.  So cute.

At the counter, I got hit with almost $200 charge for excess baggage... as did everyone else.  Oh well.

There were all of these Special Olympics kids on the flight.  Many with Downs Syndrome.  They were very well behaved and wore matching travel outfits.  I wondered if they were returning back from competition in Jakarta.

We made it to Kupang.  An airport I am pretty familiar with.  I went through the transit and they put some manual tag on my bag, but I just pulled it off later.  I think they were trying to get me to gate check it.  Nope.

The other group was here already.  I got a sandwich and some juice and chatted via WiFi with my sister Kimber who is visiting my mom in Joplin.

I found out that I will be rooming with Mariasol on the liveaboard instead of Graham.  She's a sweet girl.

Then we waited.  The departure time came and went.  And waited. Another flight on a different airline to Alor took off.

We waited some more.  I read my kindle.  I even made a game to buy and eat the spiciest thing at the little shop.  No diet coke or coke zero to be found.  I just kept my mouth shut and read my book.

Then after at 3 hour delay, ours got canceled.  Just like that.  No explanation.  And when I looked at the board it said it was because of the weather.  No other flights were canceled due to weather.  Not even the other flight to Alor.

Graham rebooked us all on the next available flight to Alor on Friday 10/16.  Today is Wednesday 10/14.  We collected our bags.  We have nowhere to stay in Kupang for the next two nights.  OMG.

Graham kept looking for places and everything was booked up.  There were lots of people trying to help and really, I just asked Graham how I could help, but mostly stayed quiet and supportive.

Mariasol was supportive by pulling out bubbles and blowing them all over the baggage claim area.  She was trying to lift everyone's spirits.

We had to split up all over Kupang, but finally we all had a room for the first night.  

Rick and I were in a cab to the hotel and the cab driver had to make sure to follow the other two in front of him.  What did he do instead?  Pulled out his phone and showed us all these pictures he had with other white people.  As he was driving.  Argh!  I told him to follow the cab in front of us and to stop looking at his phone.  Well, of course they lost the first taxi and took us to the wrong location.  Oh man.

We finally made it to the hotel, RedDoorz @ Brother Homestay Kupang.  It is so nasty, but only ten dollars a night.  There was no toilet paper in my bathroom, the aircon doesn't work.  It looks like a murder was committed in here.  

But I do have my own room and Todd/Rick and Jackie/Ellen are right next door(s).

I have Grab (the Uber of Asia) on my phone and it works using WiFi, so I got on the hotel WiFi and got all five of us a grab to dinner at Taman Laut.  The car was like $1.50 to get us there.  And then dinner was like $11.  So there's that.

During dinner, this guy who worked at the restaurant came around dressed up as a lobster and danced for everyone.

Ellen and I ordered vanilla oreo ice cream.  It was so weird!  It had big fresh slices of coconut, some little balls they called "peals" and avocado chunks covered with chocolate sauce.  I tried it but only ate about half.

Then I got the Grab back to the hotel for the five of us.  Also about $1.50.

Today was a tough day.  I feel defeated.

The earliest we will be diving is Saturday.  That is a week and a half after I left Chicago.  And at least four days and 13 dives missed on the Liveaboard.