An orgy of flights

Earlier in the year, I delegated the planning for Indonesia to Flo and Lennox. Maybe a mistake on several fronts. 1st, it turns out that you remind the delegates that flights are limited from Uzbekistan and that prices invariably rise, that you make yourself the bad guy. But more importantly, they come up with wishes that are difficult to fulfil on our budget. Flo showed me some pictures that she liked. Where is that? Raja Ampat? So I check out costs. Whoa! $1000 each to get there and a similar amount per person per night. So I give the bad news and get a grumpy response. OK, I'll see if there is another way. Turns out there is. It's not simple, but actually faster than the expensive route. ( The flight search engines exclude options where you switch airlines and stay overnight en route). Then I did a bit of research on accommodation, and it turns out you can get a full board home stay for $30 per person per day.

So we have a plan!

The route is Tashkent, Delhi, Singapore, Manado, Sorong, and then a ferry and a long boat. Two stopovers. 1st two nights in Singapore and then one night in Manado. 4 flights, two boats. Cost $450, so not cheap but ok.

The former is a great stop because Flo has a couple of friends who live there. We met Lilly for a walk around the Marina and lunch in a food hall. The Marina is unrecognisable compared to my 15 year old memories. Brash modern skyscrapers all around. Some interesting designs.

Later, we meet Laurent and his wife and kids, who had visited us in Geneva last summer.Read more