Deported

HK, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

Days have passed. I am still not in Sumatra. I have finished my book and most of my research. There is little left to do. Due to strong headwinds, we had to stop in Seoul for extra fuel. This put us at risk of missing our connecting flight. Upon arrival in Hong Kong, we ran across the terminal –including a wrong turn- to meet a flight attendant holding the plane for us. Four hours later, we arrived in Jakarta. Less than an hour after that, Christian and I were on a flight back to Hong Kong –deported. Indonesia law required six months of remaining validity on entering passports. For this reason, the refused to allow me in and they were very ardent about it! The flight attendant assured us that they usually permitted the person to pay a fine and proceed, however, on this day I was the brunt of someone’s bad day. 3 PM, Christian and I boarded a plane and flew back to Hong Kong. Nearly 48 hours have passed without a bed or shower. I am miserable and smelly.

In Hong Kong, I received an emergency second passport, which was a bit confusing because it is actually my third passport. Don’t ask…