Our Sacariest Trip

As some of you know, Mother and I have traveled to almost ever country in the World. We have gone to one or more countries every year for almost thirty years from 1971 to 2001.

On one particular trip in October 1978, Mother and I went on a guided trip to Indonesia and the Orient. We started out in Oska, Japan, next was Taipei Taiwan R.O.C., then Singapore Malaysia, after that we went to Jakarta, Java where we boarded a Cruise Ship for a cruise to Bali and Bangkok, Thailand. We disembarked in Bangkok, where we spent 3 days before flying home.

Our scariest day in all the years we have traveled, happen in Jakarta.
We had gotten off the airplane from Singapore, and where going through customs, when we discovered that we didn’t have our Health certificates. They promptly pulled us into small room and asked us (in broken English) where our Health certificates where. We told them that we had apparently left them in the writing desk at home. They gave each of us a yellow card that said If you get sick in Indonesia, show these cards to a Doctor. I concluded that we would be Quarantine. After that we where released and collected our baggage.

Now comes the scariest part. We had no sooner collected our bags, than mother left me to guard the bags, while she had some money exchanged into Indonesian Rupee. I was standing by the bags, when an older Javanese man approached me and asked if we had a hotel room in Jakarta. I said no, that we where going to catch a cruise ship. He said “Oh yes the Princendam I know where that is”. We where expecting a Holland America Representative to meet us at the airport to take us to the ship. So when Mom returned with the money, I told her that this man was from Holland America, and he would take us to the ship.

So he hailed what we thought was a cab. It looked like an old pale blue Fifty style Ford Consort and had writing on the doors. We piled in, with him in the front with the driver. They drove down the parking lot, and picked up another man who got into the front seat with them.

It was terrible hot out and we where on a road that seemed to go on forever. The older Javanese man started telling us about having his bike stolen a week before and how corrupt the Jakarten Police where. Mother and I started wondering what he was getting at, and realizing, That we just might be robbed and killed.

Finally, we arrived at the port, the driver and the other guy got out of the car. The older Javanese man turned around and said; “Now you pay us Fifty American dollars”. We informed him that we didn’t have the Fifty American Dollars handy. He said “What you rich Americans, come all the way to Jakarta, and you don’t have Fifty American Dollars”. We explained that we had some American Dollars, travelers Checks and some Indonesian Rupee. He took what we gave him, and the driver came back and drove us around the Warehouse where the MS Princendam was waiting, and unceremoniously threw our bags on the dock and left.

We hurried aboard the ship and found the Purchaser and told him what happened. He apologized and said we where too early, but let us go to the lounge and unwind.
On our way back from Bali, we stopped to let people off the ship in Jakarta. I was on the Promenade Deck, when I swear I saw that same car drive down the pier. I thought to myself, who did they get this time?.

BTW, We had to take our shots all over again on the ship, they issued us new Health cards.