Jakarta is usually not on the list of "must visit" places in SE Asia. It's a big, sprawling city known for very congested traffic, but this trip offered us an opportunity to spend time with Fred and enjoy an opportunity to stay in a nice hotel.
We made reservations at the Ritz Carlton and enjoyed the club level with free food from 6AM until 11PM. The hotel was lovely and the Indonesians we met were wonderful people but a real highlight of the trip was feeling like this was that it gave us a glimpse into how the President of the US and other dignitaries travel on international trips.
We arrived and were greeted by an embassy employee who quickly took care of getting our visas and hustled us through customs and immigrations. He skillfully transferred us into a van that was accompanied by a police escort, a necessity for getting to official visits on time. It was quite an experience watching traffic magically part to allow us through - all the while knowing that it was just a handful of regular American families in van!
Spending time as a family during the holidays was the goal of the trip but seeing what it must be like to be important enough to have a police escort was an interesting experience. So, even though Jakarta wasn't on our travel "bucket list," it ended up being a memorable trip. Here's a photo from the reception on the ship - still hot and sweaty in Jakarta- no escape from that.
And a family photo from inside our hotel lobby. Merry Christmas
