Trip planning questions....will this work?

[Shasta_man]

I'm on the West Coast so West is what makes sense but I second getting there as early as possible to not waste part of your trip. I stupidly booked a midnight flight out of SFO to Sorong via Jakarta after working 8-5 that day. And as usual the days leading up to the trip were hectic and not enough sleep. Thought I'd have to be tired and actually sleep some in coach. For some strange reason, I find it very hard to actually sleep in their reclined AKA upright position. Then keyed up, I got almost no sleep during a multi-hour layover in the transit hotel in Singapore. Then a pitiful amount of sleep in Jakarta after arriving early evening for a 5 AM flight to Sorong. I ended up being up for 30+ hours. Never so tired but unable to sleep in my life.

Then woke in Jakarta to find some problem with domestic check in and they said my seat was never confirmed so they don't have one for me. I couldn't even get in the airport itself because I had no ticket to get through security. The local travel agent my travel agent used for domestic tickets argued to no avail with the airline by phone. Paying a small fee the night before to the transit hotel to bring me over to the terminal and help me check in ended up saving the day. He could get in to communicate directly and negotiated getting me on the flight in a seat in first class (1 row) which I rushed to make.

Then sat next to a local guy who coughed and sneezed the entire flight so much that I hung over the armsrest into the aisle to try to get away from him. I was certain all my paranoia about not getting sick leading up the trip (in Dec) would be shot to hell at the end, but I never got sick. I skipped the first night dive ( of course the one with the epaulette shark they saw) but otherwise made the rest of the 12 days of diving.

My experience is Sorong has a high likelihood of being delayed. We were delayed in Makassar on the way in (very early morning flight) and 2-3 hours in Sorong on the way back. Unless you are conditioned to humidity it can be brutally hot in Sorong and they did not have aircon in the airport departure lounge at the time. Meanwhile locals standing around in coats and sweaters, no exaggeration. Despite shorts and tank top, I and others from my boat got close to overheating in line in the airport on the way back, and then had an agonizing wait with fans only in the departure lounge. Only plus was sweating out my fluids avoided a trip to the truly third world restroom (hole in the floor).

One other tip if you have not been on a liveaboard in RA: if it's a 11-12 night trip. Doing all the dives is a bit of a marathon on your body and particularly ears. Pace yourself to make it the whole trip because dives keep getting better.

 

[billt4sf]

One other tip if you have not been on a liveaboard in RA: if it's a 11-12 night trip. Doing all the dives is a bit of a marathon on your body and particularly ears. Pace yourself to make it the whole trip because dives keep getting better.

+1 for pacing yourself.

Also realize that Indo is the land of currents (to see why, google Indonesian Throughflow - fascinating!). Currents are strongest just after a full moon or a new moon. You might want to sit out some dives on that basis, especially if they occur just when your trip is starting and your ears (or your psychology) isn't ready for fast descents or negative entries. (We learned the hard way )

- Bill

 

[Dan]

I'm on the West Coast so West is what makes sense but I second getting there as early as possible to not waste part of your trip. I stupidly booked a midnight flight out of SFO to Sorong via Jakarta after working 8-5 that day. And as usual the days leading up to the trip were hectic and not enough sleep. Thought I'd have to be tired and actually sleep some in coach. For some strange reason, I find it very hard to actually sleep in their reclined AKA upright position. Then keyed up, I got almost no sleep during a multi-hour layover in the transit hotel in Singapore. Then a pitiful amount of sleep in Jakarta after arriving early evening for a 5 AM flight to Sorong. I ended up being up for 30+ hours. Never so tired but unable to sleep in my life.

Then woke in Jakarta to find some problem with domestic check in and they said my seat was never confirmed so they don't have one for me. I couldn't even get in the airport itself because I had no ticket to get through security. The local travel agent my travel agent used for domestic tickets argued to no avail with the airline by phone. Paying a small fee the night before to the transit hotel to bring me over to the terminal and help me check in ended up saving the day. He could get in to communicate directly and negotiated getting me on the flight in a seat in first class (1 row) which I rushed to make.

Then sat next to a local guy who coughed and sneezed the entire flight so much that I hung over the armsrest into the aisle to try to get away from him. I was certain all my paranoia about not getting sick leading up the trip (in Dec) would be shot to hell at the end, but I never got sick. I skipped the first night dive ( of course the one with the epaulette shark they saw) but otherwise made the rest of the 12 days of diving.

My experience is Sorong has a high likelihood of being delayed. We were delayed in Makassar on the way in (very early morning flight) and 2-3 hours in Sorong on the way back. Unless you are conditioned to humidity it can be brutally hot in Sorong and they did not have aircon in the airport departure lounge at the time. Meanwhile locals standing around in coats and sweaters, no exaggeration. Despite shorts and tank top, I and others from my boat got close to overheating in line in the airport on the way back, and then had an agonizing wait with fans only in the departure lounge. Only plus was sweating out my fluids avoided a trip to the truly third world restroom (hole in the floor).

One other tip if you have not been on a liveaboard in RA: if it's a 11-12 night trip. Doing all the dives is a bit of a marathon on your body and particularly ears. Pace yourself to make it the whole trip because dives keep getting better.

To put me to sleep in the airplane, I watch a couple hours of movies after a meal & emptying my bladder, take 6mg melatonin, plug my ears & blind fold my eyes, then I'll be in la-la land after a few minutes.

 

[billt4sf]

I think few people can sleep on planes without some sort of aid. For me it's the cannabis edibles - now legal in 6 (?) states.

- Bill

 

[Dan]

Melatonin is actually a natural enzym that human body would produce when we rest in the dark.

 

[Shasta_man]

+1 on ears. Again on the same RA trip, I started getting an ear infection that would have, with no other symptoms put an end to my diving 2/3 through due to inability to equalize. Luckily the boat hooked me up with the magic of medicine which fixed that problem within a day and I could finish the trip. On a trip to the Solomons, my ears quit letting me equalize part way through a couple dives because some parts were shallow so I had to go up and down. A few times of that and I could not go down anymore for that dive. And I usually equalize without trying, or only swallowing.

Getting rest, food and water are all part of that pacing. I got sick at the very end of the Solomons trip (I'm sure I got it off teh stairs railing from another guest who arrived sick) and so I know actually being on the freakin' liveaboard but being unable to dive is torture unless you are a frequent flier to Asia to get another chance.

 

[dirtfarmer]

I have a hard time sleeping on planes. Thank god for personal entertainment. After many years of not drinking on the plane ride I tried having a beer watching a boring movie and taking a natural sleep aid. I can get a hour or two of sleep. Enough to give my brain a rest during what can be a 35 hour journey door to door. Lucked out with 3 empty seats my last trip, curled up and got a wonderful 4 hours of sleep.

Once there a have a horrible time resetting my body clock and am lucky to get 4 hours of sleep at a time. It takes me 2 weeks to reset it. After returning home its the same.

I always use ear beer and have antibiotics for my ears on hand. I've seen a few people on LOB'S ruin a trip with an infection.

Despite all the lack of sleep I will never give up diving in SEA, the diving is worth the suffering.

 

[billt4sf]

I found it to work MUCH better for us when we get a hotel room for those long layovers. For example, to come to Bali we fly from SF to Taiwan (13.5 hours) then 5.5 hours Taiwan to Bali. Formerly we would just wait in the airport for 3 - 4 - 5 hours for that connection. Now we arrange a LONG layover, typically 12 hours, and get a hotel room for sleep and breakfast. That way we are not too sleep-derived when we arrive in Bali.

That long layover is on a single ticket - we do not pick up our bags in Taiwan.

- Bill

 

[Centrals]

One thing I learnt from travelling so many years in SE Asia: give myself plenty of time to make a connection. I would rather kick my heel in a squalid hotel room than a mad dash from A to B with a 15kg bag + hand carry or arguing with airline, bus or ferry official in 35C. I want to enjoy my holiday. If I want to pick a fight I would stay at home and P on the mainland chinese.

 

[billt4sf]

I always use ear beer and have antibiotics for my ears on hand. I've seen a few people on LOB'S ruin a trip with an infection.

I agree with the ear antibiotics. The ear beer - I'm not so sure. We had used it for quite a while, until we found out that the infection comes from a bacteria that lives in all tropical waters, and the best thing to do is to dry your ear canal out, using a hairdryer, but not on heat. I'm sure there are varying opinions.

- Bill