Drama of the Year 2008 (Vacation Gone Wild) – Part 4 b (Final)

There’s a force from underneath the dam that’s pulling me. I felt like jumping.

That’s what the Hoover Dam did to me. Was it acrophobia, the fear of height? Not quite. According to a physician I work for, I was dealing with angst; a German word for fear or anxiety, used in English to describe an intense feeling of strive. Angst normally means a nondirectional emotion. While acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear of heights.

Done with Hoover Dam, we continued driving on the US Route 93. After about an hour, my ‘bottomless-stomach’ 6 years old son started to complain of being hungry. We saw a jerky store on the side of the road, it’s called freshjerky[dot]com. I thought, if they dare selling online, they must be pretty good, right? We went in and sampled some of their dried meat and fruit. Some of them sounded pretty nasty -ever heard of tuna jerky?- but after we tried it, it was actually edible and quite tasty. My favorite was the teriyaki beef and the dried mango.

Then the road trip continued to reach Williams, AZ. This town was picked as our base camp because it will only take us about half an hour to drive to the entrance of the Grand Canyon. We were debating whether or not to just drive to the South Rim area of the Canyon, which has accommodations too, so we don’t have to drive too far. But they were too pricey for our budget which was already depleted after losing thousand something dollars after the failed SE Asia trip plan (read the previous parts of this post). This small town lies on Route 66, and I haven’t been to any before. I watched the movie ‘Cars’ with the kids and since then always wanted to visit small towns on Route 66.

We booked a room at The Downtowner Motel. Everytime I heard the word ‘motel’, I can’t help but thinking of squeaky beds, smelly carpet, and loud heater/air-con. To my surprise, this one is completely presentable. We got the two bedrooms, one of each with very comfortable queen beds and flat screen TV on the wall. I thought it was going to have either a ‘mountain cabin’ decoration or tacky Route 66 memorabilia. It was not. Instead, the tastefully decorated cabin reminded me of a hip, urban-taste apartment of a big city. Normal motel would have one big undivided area of bedroom, living room, and a small kitchen/eating area altogether; this one was, again, has a big city apartment feeling to it; without a kitchen.

Done checking in, we went out to explore the town on foot in a 40-something degrees temperature. I was freezing my ass off. Hubby and the kids were fine, because they’re Iowans. Decided to go in a bar to warm up, met a very nice fellow who taught my 7 year old daughter, Davi, how to smooth her shuffleboard skill. This guy is everything you’d picture of a prospector. Very very nice. Drunk as heck, but nice. While Davi and I were in a shuffleboard match, Dante took Daddy up for a very intense game of cards: Go Fish.

Where to go for dinner, we wondered. The common American dine-in or hello… is that a Thai restaurant I see? We thought, in the spirit of Thailand, we should try the Thai restaurant, Dara Thai’s Cafe. When we entered the place, we found out that we’re the only customers. An alarm went off at the back of my brain, saying, “Bad choice. Don’t go here.” Of course, I ignored it. Made a small talk to the owner about how surprised I was to find a Thai restaurant in a place like this -small town, on Route 66, out of nowhere. Then she said that they were new, just a couple of months, and that they’re a chainThai restaurant. That alarm on my brain buzzed off again. All chain restaurants are mostly so-so, if not bad. Some people are fond of chain -international- restaurants, like Carlos O’ Kelly’s or Panda Express, or PF Chang. We are not. Our family prefers to go to a smaller but more authentic ones, even though it’s considered as a ‘dive restaurants’ to most Westerners. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I was right. The food was not very good, it was blah. After paying, we went for more walk, stopped at a gift/souvenir store with a scary robotic Santa by the front door.

The next morning, we woke up early and had a hearty American breakfast at the diner. Packed all the necessities to stay warm (hats, mittens, etc), filled up the gas tank, fully charged batteries for camera and video camera were ready to go, full tummy… we’re off to see one of World Heritage Sites! Being the ‘Gateway to the Grand Canyon’, Williams is conveniently located, it only took us 30 min to reach the Grand Canyon entrance.

We visited Grand Canyon’s South Rim instead of North, because it’s ‘friendlier’ to us. The North Rim, which I’m pretty sure has more stunning views, is more remote and only open in mid-May through mid-October. For a first timer like us, experiencing the Grand Canyon from the South Rim (also known as Grand Canyon Village) is not bad at all. It ismore touristy, because they have more lodgings (El Tovar Hotel is amazing!), shops, and easier accessibilities. Planning a visit? Do some research here first. Interested in doing the mule ride? Better be in shape since the shortest one takes about 7 hours!

There’s no words to describe how amazing this place is. The way nature just ‘carved’ this georgous place. How the force of water cut deeply through the rock, forming numerous steep-walled canyons. And to think how difficult that time was for the pioneers to explore this wilderness, and survived. I was glad to be able to see this place, and for my kids to experience it too.

With this spirit, we drove back to Vegas feeling better that this family vacation was not a big disappointment after all. So what if we couldn’t go to Chiang Mai, Thailand, and visit the Elephant Nature Park. To be able to go to Los Angeles, roaming the Hollywood Boulevard, watching shows in Las Vegas, and to see one of the world’s wonders Grand Canyon, was not a bad experience at all. So what if we couldn’t be in a 80 degrees weather while sunning at the beach wearing shorts and sandals. To be in a 30 degrees weather, bundled from head to toe with chattering teeth, I guess it’s okay too. All I wanted to do was to be home again.

So there we were, in Vegas again. Last minute reservation to the Desert Rose Resort (I highly recommend this place. Very very nice and close to the Strip) was made via cell phone on our way from Williams, AZ. They had one 2-bedroom suite available, thankfully. I went to bed hoping that tomorrow we’d be able to fly back home with no problems.

Unfortunately, the goddess of drama was not going to let go of us easily. Started with the ‘fine’ of $150 from the rental car place because we didn’t fill the tank up (it was 3/4 full). Then when we checked in at the airline’s desk at McCarran International airport, they told us that hubby was not listed to fly with us! What?! Evidenty, due to shuffling things around, the online booking rep did not book hubby with us. She booked him on a different flight! I couldn’t emphasize more clearly how frustrating that situation was for us. I was about to loose it, because the departure time for the three of us was approaching, but we dind’t have an answer for hubby yet. After a while, somebody with a higher rank stepped in and took care of us. Not only he was able to get hubby in the same flight with us with the same price, we were also able to seat close together. Phew!

This whole ‘drama’ does affect our decission-making capability when it comes to travel internationally. Because it seemed that no matter how we try to make alternative options, they ended up being a bite on the butt. I understand that the military coup in Bangkok was out of our hands, as well as hubby’s sickness. I just can’t help but feeling that we probably should stay put in the US for a while. But we all did have fun, because it’s not the destination or where you are, but who you’re with; and I’m still glad that I share this adventure with hubby and the kids.

Drama of the Year 2008 (Vacation Gone Wild) – Part 4 a

It was already late in the afternoon when we left Los Angeles for Las Vegas. I felt confident in doing this, road trip from LA to IA. We have everything ready for the kids in terms of the car ride: booster seats, something to keep them busy (Nintendo DS with bunch of games, books, an instant digital camera that can also take video, and games), and some snacks. By the time we’re on Interstate 15, the sun was starting to set. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery through the Mojave Desert. The transition between the mountainous area to the desert area were amazing, galloping next to us. I glanced to my side view mirror, there’s this amazing sight of the big orange sun surrounded by silhouettes of the mountain and the clouds, perfectly framed in the mirror. I quickly grabbed my camera and snapped a picture of it. Carte Blanche thought this picture is sentimental. Awww…

 

leaving sunset behind

 

It was already pushing nine o’clock at night when we entered Vegas. After we check in to our hotel, we went out to the Strip. It was Friday night and the Strip was packed. The kids were wowed by the sea of people, the lights, the gigantic stuctures such as Luxor’s pyramid and the tall Statue of Liberty lady, and the cool cars roaming around especially the Hummer limo. It was hard to find parking in Vegas, the easiest way would be to go to hotels or shopping malls; in one of their ramps.

And so we did, after almost 45 minutes trapped in traffic and driving around the Strip, we ended up at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino’s parking ramp. We had to walk through the Miracle Mile Shops (inside PH’s Resort & Casino) in order to get out to the Strip. We walked around the Strip a bit, sightseeing, then stumbled upon Dante’s question, “I’m starving. Can we go eat?” Great. Late at night. At the Strip. Car’s parked few blocks away. Where to find a good place to eat? We were standing by the Harley Davidson Cafe at that time and could easily go in to eat like the other tourists do. But our family is pretty adventurous so when I saw the sign for Tamba Lounge for Indian cuisine, wesaid, “Heck yeah, that’s better.”

We were in luck that night since they’re doing ‘one night only’ buffet-style dinner. The restaurant was full with Indian families, which was a good sign. The room was warm and smelled so good, I was almost drooling. After we paid at the cashier, we were seated at a booth. The waiter took our drinks’ order, and then we’re off to attack the buffet. So much food, so many choices, and so hard to put everything I like into one plate. The kids’ favorite, of course, was the chicken tandoori; although they did try other vegetarian dish as well with no complain.

yummie chicken tandoori

Clearly satisfied with Tamba, we also experienced Lotus of Siam which was claimed as the best Thai restaurant in North America. Don’t judge a book by its cover is definitely applied to this restaurant. Located at an unassuming strip mall just east of the Strip (feels like in the middle of nowhere), the restaurant itself is just plain simple. Tons of reviews from any kind of magazines were posted on the wall, all praising the chef and owner, Saipin Chutima. Do order from the a la carte menu, skip the buffet, to see why this restaurant is the best there is.

 

    

 

When you’re in Vegas, you must see some shows. My only recommendation  would be to watch any Cirque du Soleil’s shows. This time, we went to see ‘KA‘. I fell in love with this entertainment company ever since I watched ‘Mystere’ (Treasure Island hotel, Vegas) almost 5 years ago, Saltimbanco (Paris) a year after that, then one of their smaller scale of musical shows when they were in Des Moines, IA, just six months after that. The show KA is housed at the MGM Grand, with magnificent stage and settings. The shop next to it was a fun place to look around. They have cool collection of hats and masks, beside other stuff. Walking in to the theatre was like entering a different world. Too bad that picture taking has always been forbidden in their main shows like this one, but I did sneakily took a couple of pics using my iPhone. The show was awesome, from the beginning to the end, with a spectacular ending that still gives me goose bumps everytime I think about it.

hats silliness

The next night, we went to see Nathan Burton Comedy Magic at the Flamingo. The kids seemed to like it, especially our son. I personally think it was kind of lame and pretty boring. I wouldn’t go back for a second time. After watching the show, we walked to the Bellagio to watch the water dance. Now that was cool!

At this time, hubby’s cold and sinus had went down into his lungs and he was suffering from the upper respiratory infection. He had fever on/off and started to cough. We were beginning to get skeptical about our long road trip plan. He’s not feeling well enough to drive, and my name wasn’t on the rental contract so if something bad might happen when I drive, we wouldn’t be covered.

‘Wasted’ 2 full days to wait for him to feel better. Ate out a lot, then went to see ‘Balto’ in 3D. In preparation for the trip to much colder place, we need to get some more warm clothing. Thanks to iPhone, we were able to pinpoint the nearest Target store from our hotel. Surprisingly, they don’t sell anything warmer than a wind breaker. We were planning to go up north to Salt Lake City and were looking for winter coats, mittens, and hats. They don’t have it, probably because they rarely have snow. So we ended up buying layered-clothing; sweaters and lightweight jackets.

Unfortunately, hubby’s not getting any better. From the sound of it, he’s either had bronchitis or pneumonia. He was coughing so hard, he hurt his back. He felt like shit. Impossible to drive long distance. He asked if we’d be upset to cancel the trip and just fly back home from Vegas after we go to see the Grand Canyon. The kids were kind of bummed, but I guess they’re used to it by now. So we booked yet another plane tickets from Vegas to Des Moines. Hubby was doing the bookings late at night again, coughing, and feeling feverish. Later on, this very moment will play a crucial part for yet another near-disaster experience.

On our way to Williams, AZ, we planned to make a stop at the Hoover Dam. What we didn’t plan was to stop at a hotel/casino in Boulder City for a heli ride! Hubby saw a sign for one and decided to ‘what-the-hell-never-done-it-why-not’ .  So we parked our car, register at the booth, hopped on a scale to be weigh, sign a consent form, then wait about 15-20 minutes. A minivan came by to pick us up to the heli pad, which is on top of a hill. Once we’re there, we waited for the pilot sign that it’s safe to approach and board the heli. Then I started to feel like backing up. Stomach felt knotted, legs were heavy. Silly old me agreed to be seated at the front, with Mr. Pilot, while hubby and the kids seat at the back.

davi's hanging on tight to dad

The heli started to leave the ground, then I noticed that I was surrounded by clear glass for the windows and the door. Felt like nothing was holding me but my seat. I found myself holding on so tight to the seat, especially when the heli started to fly up. My heart was pounding so fast, freaking out. The heli went up and down, sideways, and U-turn; it felt like being on a roller coaster on it’s waaay high up in the sky. We flew over the Lake Mead and Hoover Dam, also above the roads. It was so cool to see this little cars underneath us, also the swirly roads. Despite the fact that I was freaking out, I was managed to take some pictures and videos.

I passed the heli ride without peeing my pants. We then drove to the Hoover Dam to check it out. The four of us did the tour, which was very interesting and informative. We even took the elevator to go underneath the earth, exploring the tunnels and check out the cofferdam and the power plant. Done with the touring, we went outside to see the dam and oh my… the concrete work was impressive. To avoid cracking and crumbling, the dam was built in a series of interlocking trapezoidal columns. We also noticed that there was a construction going on over the dam, to built the Hoover Dam Bypass to provide much more highway capasity. See the pics here.

Done with the dam, we continued our journey to Williams, AZ to pay a visit to the Grand Canyon.

{To avoid a long and boring post, I decided to break this last part in half: Part 4 a for Vegas’ story and Part 4 b for Grand Canyon and closings}

Dante Survived Myringoplasty

Dante’s myringoplasty last Tuesday (1/27) was uneventful. It was the fastest recovery I’ve ever witnessed from my children. My son and I left the house around 6:15 am and it was still dark. We got to Mary Greeley hospital at 6:30 am, have them valet park my little Scion for free, then walked in to register.

Right after we walked in to the building, we informed the greeter that we’re there for a procedure. She took Dante’s information and gave us a beeper/pager (the kind that Old Chicago restaurant has); we’re supposed to go to the business office area once it beeps (and vibrates). Ten minutes later, our pager/beeper vibrated. We went to the business area and was helped by a nice representative, Jody. She took our information such as address, phone number, emergency contacts, insurance carrier, member number, etc. Fifteen minutes after that, we were given a folder to go to the next area, which is the waiting room for the Short Stay unit.

There, another nice middle age lady greeted us and said to Dante, “Hi, you have something for me?”
Dante handed her the folder and was asked his name.
Meekly, he answered, “Dante.”
The lady then asked, “What’s your last name, Dante?”
Dante gave his, and the lady gave her a different pager and said, “When this buzzed, a nurse will come out to get you and Mom, OK?”
Dante nodded quitely.
He’s getting nervous, I could tell.

About fifteen minutes later, while Dante was coloring the activity book that the hospital had given, the pager buzzed. He looked up at me and gave this ‘Uh-oh’ look. The door behind the receptionist area swung open, and a nurse called out, “Dante?”
I gathered our stuff and winter coats, and gently told my son, “Time to go, buddy.”
“Well hi there. What’s your name?” she asked my son.
“Dante.”
“Hi, Dante. My name is Pam and I will take you to your room, OK?”
As we walked along the sterile hallway, the nurse kept chatting with Dante about his age, which school he goes to, if he has a brother or sister, and what he likes to do.

still in good spirit

We got to our room and Dante was asked to change into a hospital gown. Then she asked us to follow her to get Dante’s height and weight. As we were walking, Dante tried so hard to keep the gown (which tied at the back) to cover his ‘behind’. I whispered to him, “Don’t worry hun, Mom’s right behind you, I’ll cover it.” Then he gave me a wink and a thumbs up.

After that, another nurse stopped by one more time to go through some medical questions and to get my signature for this procedure. Dante was given a monkey stuffed animal, and a ‘bracelet’. After that, it was the waiting game. The clock was showing 8:15 am, and we’re still in the room. Good thing they have cable, so Dante was content watching Spongebob. Around 8:20 am, a nurse came in to our room and told Dante that it was his turn and I could go with him until the Preop room. Now it’s my turn to be nervous. Preop room is basically an area where patients wait before being taken to the Operating Room (OR), and put under anesthesia. On our way from the Short Stay unit to the Preop room, Dante’s holding my hand all the time. He refused to lie down on the bed, he wanted to sit up straight. As we’re turning left and right on what seems to be an endless hallway, Dante kept on whimpered.

more anxious

The preop room was a bit ‘intimidating’, even for me as an adult. It’s so… sterile.  Gray wall paper. Cold. More medical gadgets and monitors. More nurses and physicians, wearing scrubs, surgical mask, and surgical hat. A nurse took a blanket from a warming drawer and wrap it around Dante’s shoulder.  She then put a surgical hat on Dante’s head. “Oh you look so cool.” She was trying to be funny, I know. But it made Dante’s nervous even more. His mouth mere shaped like an upside down ‘U’ and his eyes were starting to water.

Not too long after that, the anesthesiologist stopped by. The way he explained to Dante about the anesthesia process (using gas mask instead of needles) was amusing. He also let me know that Dante will be in the Recovery Room after the surgery for as long as he would need to. Apparently the anesthesia will go away faster if the patient would be able to ’sleep in’. He put the pulse ox on Dante’s finger to check his oxygen saturation in his blood. Dante cringed at first, but he told Dante to look on the monitor, take a deep breath, and watch the number jumped up. “If you wiggle your finger, you’d make the line go up and down like.” So Dante did, and exclaimed, “Hey, I just made a mountain!”

Shortly after, the surgeon, stopped by. We chatted a little and he said it shouldn’t take him longer than 20 minutes to do it. “Any other question for me? No? Alrighty then, let’s get this party started,” he said. His nurse then started to move Dante’s bed out to the OR and said, “OK, let’s go, Dante.” I think that’s a sign for me to go. I walked with them out of the Preop room, kissed Dante on the forehead and whispered, “Don’t worry, you’d be fine. I will see you soon.” We gave each other thumbs up. I watched them walking away, another door swung open automatically and closed behind them. Through the circular glass, I could see them getting farther and farther, then they turned left and disappeared from my view. I choked.

after surgery

I sat in the Short Stay unit room trying to concentrate on the book I was reading. Every now and then I saw some children were brought in after surgeries and the younger ones were heard crying. I put on my iPhone and listened to Pandora. Twenty minutes later, Dr Ford came in and told me that the surgery’s done and he was happy to see Dante’s ears were both dry and healthy. Infections had gone away right in time for the surgery. He reminded me to make a two weeks follow up with him. Fifteen minutes later, Dante came back. He was lying on his tummy and was snoring. As soon as he heard my voice (thanking the nurse), he woke up and complained, “Mommy, I feel dizzy. I don’t like it.” Tried to comfort Dante that he’s OK and the ‘dizziness’ will go away faster if he could go back to sleep.

Hubby walked in and his deep voice awaken Dante which started crying for no reason. He told Dad the same complain, and hubby said, “Honey, your head is feeling the same thing like mine when I drank too much beer. It will go away soon.” He felt especially better after the nurse gave him a popsicle since he hadn’t eat or drink after midnight the night before. “Now I feel so much better. This popsicle really helped, Mom!” Even though the nurse warned us about the possibility of nausea, Dante said he was very hungry and wanted McDonald’s breakfast. “Well then McDonald it is! The boy just had a surgery, he could do whatever he’d like, eat whatever he’d want,” declared hubby.

Dante and I left the hospital around 10:30 am, with a big “Get Well Soon” balloon from the hospital; straight to McDonald’s drive through. Got home, ate on my bed while watching a movie, then we both fell asleep for about an hour and a half. When we woke up in the afternoon, he’s back to his normal self. How did I know that? The first thing he said was, “Mom, wake up. I’m hungry. Super hungry.” His sense of humor came back and he didn’t feel sicky anymore, wants to get going and going just like the Energizer bunny.

He’s back to school by the next day.

Dante’s Myringoplasty Tomorrow

My son Dante is going to have a myringoplasty tomorrow. No, it’s not a fun dance lesson to learn merengue. Quite the contrary. It’s a surgical procedure (minor surgery), to repair a hole in a child’s eardrum (tymphanic membrane). In my son’s case, after removing the ear tubes. In this surgery, the hole is going to be covered with a small piece of a special paper or gel foam that temporarily seals the hole, encouraging the body’s normal healing processes.

The ENT physician thought this was needed because my son’s been having a lot of ear drainage and to a point, a staph infection. I thought this was ironic because they wanted to put the tubes in (my daughter had a pair too, but hers fell out by themselves since a year or two ago) because the kids were prone to ear infection.

My concern was, this type of surgical procedure requires anesthesia. I’m guessing through a mask that carries air mixed with medication and I heard that the child may choose a favorite scent to flavor the air flowing through the mask. There are no shots or needles used while the child is still awake. With anesthesia, there’s always a tiny possibility that you might not be able to see them waking up. Kids or adults. There are also debates that surgery drugs will kill kids’ brain cells.

The ENT physician himself admitted that he could do the procedure as an office call and my son wouldn’t have to be under anesthesia. But he wasn’t sure if my son would be able to endure the pain. Imagine somebody poking a microscope to look at your eardrum perforation through your ear canal, then pull the tube out, finished by inserting some kind of paper ‘patch’ to close up the hole. This sounded painful to me, let alone to a six years old boy. I don’t even like it when a nurse check my temperature on the ears.

We were told to check in at the hospital at 6:30 am tomorrow morning, and then wait for about an hour to an hour and a half before the surgery starts. My son was not supposed to have anything to eat or drink after midnight tonight. This is going to be hard, since the first salutation in the morning I’d hear from him has been always, “Mom, I’m hungry.”

Drama of the Year 2008 (Vacation Gone Wild) – Part 3

“WHY ARE YOU CURSING?”
“You’re not going to believe it. Come sit and watch this.”

At first I don’t understand, not going to believe what? As he turned the TV volume up,  I noticed that CNN was reporting live from Bangkok’s international airport, Suvarnabhumi. Apparently the political unrest was getting worse and the protesters shut down the airport. SHIT. We’re supposed to fly there tomorrow morning. I felt my knees were weakened by the news, I plopped down to the bed. The camera then panned left and right to show people (visitors) who were sitting on the floor of the airport with their luggages on their side. Stranded. Couldn’t get in or out of the airport. I bet they felt like Viktor Navorski (played by Tom Hanks) in the movie ‘The Terminal’. I let out a long, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

“You know what this means, don’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“We have to cancel out trip tomorrow.”
“All of them?”
“Diny…”
“Sorry.”

Then it’s the same nightmare all over again. Frantic calls to the airline people. Was put on hold for ages. Argumentation with the rep about getting some money back because this was not our fault. Adviced to file a ‘dispute’ which will take time to be resolved; in the mean time we just have to say goodbye to some thousand dollars (airline tickets, hotel reservation, tour groups, etc) and hopefully will get a little portion of it back. Long distance call to Indonesia to tell my mom and brother that the trip was cancelled. Again.

An emergency family meeting was called in. Hubby explained what happened to the kids, that we’re not going to Asia thus not able to see grandma Rose and uncle Putra. The kids were not too disappointed at this point. Probably due to the fact that they’re not at home in Iowa anymore, therefore having flew in an airplane twice yesterday and to be physically in a hotel in LA was already like ‘the’ vacation for them. Besides, my daughter was not feeling very well. She was too congested to process this information.

So now, the question was: should we go back home to Iowa like a bunch of losers just because our major trip just got cancelled? Or should we raise up and make the best of it like an adventurous family that we are? I was broken hearted for the second time, and hubby felt so bad about it. He was trying to make it out for me. Keep in mind, later on, with what’s going to happen even more, I wish he hadn’t.

Some options he gave us: (1) Fly back to Iowa the next morning for USD 1,600, (2) Stay for another 10 days in LA or around and then fly home to Iowa for only USD 600, or (3) rent a car and take a road trip from Los Angeles to Iowa; stopping at big cities or main tourist attraction such as national parks.

At first, the kids and I opted for option #2. We would like to go to Disneyland, but hubby didn’t. “Could you guys go some other time without me?” After further discussion, we all agreed to take option #3. After all, we’re an adventorous family *snicker; look where it got us now* Plus, we’ve never taken a road trip across USA as a family. My husband and I did it eight years ago, driving from Iowa to Colorado. But this time, it’ll be longer thus more places to see. We looked on the map and planned the route. From LA, we were going to drive to the state of Nevada to visit Las Vegas and check out Hoover Dam. From there, we’d hop to the state of Arizona to witness the awesomeness of Grand Canyon, then drive up north to Salt Lake City, UT. Working our way east,  we’d continue our road trip to the state of Wyoming to meet the Old Faithful at Yellowstone National Park. Continued to South Dakota state to be amazed by the Badlands National Park, then to good ol’ Iowa.

Of course, I have to be concern about a number of things for this road trip to success. Firstly, what kind of car should we rent that would fit into our budget yet will do the job? Dollar Rent A Car gave us a sweet deal. We originally purchased the package for the mid-size SUV which comes with Jeep Liberty. But when the agent realize we’d be travelling long distance with a possibility of driving up to the mountains/national parks, she told us to go to a certain part of the big the parking area where the rental cars were parked, and pick a better car. Besides, our luggage won’t fit in that card.

After circling the area around, we didn’t think that the other cars were better than Jeep Liberty. Then a big SUV approached, and a guy in a nice suit asked if we’d need a help. We explained what’s going on and he said, “Wait here, I’ll see what I can do.” Ten minutes after that, he came back driving a Chevy Aspen. “I think this is the best one for your trip. It’s new and was just under inspection recently.” I looked at the midnight blue-colored big ass SUV and I could’ve sworn I heard an angelic choir with a light shined through the cludy clouds. All four of us got in and instantly a unison “Whoaaaa…” was heard. It was like riding in a living room. Mind you, I drive a clown car, a Scion XA; while hubby drives a hybrid Toyota Highlander. As much as we hate to ride on this gigantic gas guzzler, it’s probably good for the safety. Thus, a trip to a nearby Walmart to purchase two car seat boosters.

I worry too much. After I worried about the type of car we should be driving, I also worry about what the kids are going to do in that long car ride. We didn’t bring a lot of books or games. Hubby came up with an idea to get them ‘the ultimate entertainment system’ for a long car ride. Books? Heck no!  Those are so yesterday, though I would personally like it. I’m talking about the portable game. We Google’d a nerby game store (thanks to the iPhone map system) and bought two Nintendo DS with the chargers and some used games. We got a, “Thanks, Mom and Dad! You guys are the best parents in the whole wide world!” from the kids. Even after we told them that it’s part of their Holiday present, they were still excited.

Then I got all fidgety about the fact that we’d be traveling north to a colder area, Salt Lake City. Since all I packed was short sleeve shirts, shorts, and sandals (well d’uh, I thought we were going to Thailand and Indonesia), with only a pair of jeans and sweater we were wearing when we left Iowa, I told hubby that we’d need to get more warmer clothes. But he said we should wait until we got to Las Vegas.

Done with the planning, we finally decide to relax and really act like we’re on vacation. We drove to the Hollywood Boulevard that second night (Nov 27th) we’re in Los Angeles. I’ve always thought that Hollywood Boulevard would be so extravagant and glamorousI was almost disappointed when I got there. Just a long road (boulevard) with pretty lights and neons on, with some cool buildings like the Mann’s Chinese Theatre. This place is well known for the hand/foot prints of big names in Hollywood. Along the sidewalk of Hollywood Boulevard, you could also see celebrities’ stars. I guess the Disney’s Studio Store and Soda Fountain was pretty neat as well. The ceiling of the Studio Store, the front area (above the ticket booth) was intricately red. We were ‘lured’ to go in to the Soda Fountain, to try the ice cream which recipe was dated back to 100 years ago. Sure was yummie!

We saw a lot of people in costumes. My daughter asked why those people were doing that, it’s not even Halloween. I told her that they’re dressing up as characters from Hollywood movies to attract people to take pictures with them, by paying a couple of bucks. We then went to see the Hollywood Wax Museum, the Guinness World Record Museum, and the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum. The Wax Museum has a scarry section which I wouldn’t recommend for kids under 12 years old. I almost crapped my pants myself! Scarry displays from a various horror movies were shown, and also scarry characters from the horror movie. I like to watch horror and scarry movies, but not too fancy about getting to close to the wax version of Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street) or Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th).

See more photos here.

Sure started to feel like a vacation. As I was starting to feel relax, hubby’s cold had turned into an upper respiratory infection. He started to complain his chest’s hurting. Is this s a sign for another vacation disaster? Find out in ‘Vacation Gone Wild part 4′, the final part.

… to be continued…

Drama of the Year 2008 (Vacation Gone Wild) – Part 2

Getting there is half the fun.

Three o’clock in the morning came too soon that day (Nov 25). As I zipped up the last luggage, hubby came in and said, “It’s time to go. Let’s wake the kids up.” Oh man… I haven’t been able to have a shut eye at all, and it’s time to go already? Good thing I dressed the kids in track pants, long sleeve shirts, and socks for them to sleep on. Once they’re awake, all they need to do was put their shoes on and get going. I was expecting some fuss, not wanting to get up, need more sleep, etc, from them; but there wasn’t any. They were actually in a happy mood when I woke them up. That’s why I couldn’t say ‘no’ when they asked if it’s okay to bring their pillows along.

Quarter to four in the morning, in our Toyota Highlander, on Interstate 35, I wondered if we were insane. After what had happened, with the cancellation and all, was it best for us to just cancel everything and not keep on trying? Is it like a bad signal that we’re supposed to follow and avoid going to SE Asia all together?

Four o’clock. We finally arrived at the Des Moines International Airport. Since it’s freakingly cold outside (somewhere in teens), hubby said he’d drop us off (and the luggages) at the front door, then he’d park the car and take the shuttle back to the airport *My hero!!*

When we checked in with Delta Airlines, they said that the four of us will be seated separately on the flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles! They’re talking rows and rows away, not only a few chairs. My heart sank. When we asked if there’s anything they could do since we have two little kids, they replied, “I’m sorry, it’s a full flight. You can try to have the people at the Atlanta gate to help you, but nothing we can do here.”  *What a great service*

That’s why I couldn’t sleep at all on the flight from Des Moines (IA) to Atlanta (GA). Not only because it was a small plane and unbelievably uncomfortable, but mainly worrying about having my children scattered around in an airplane for 3 1/2 hours on the next flight.

When we finally got to Atlanta, we had to hurry to the next gate. Hubby directly went to the check-in counter and told the rep our situation. Again, they were reluctant to help and basically told us that there’s nothing they could do about it and for us to ‘beg’ other passengers to switch seats.

Hubby and I nervously walked into the plane; we kept the kids not knowing what’s going on because there’s no reason to scare them. We told our 7 y.o. Davi and 6 y.0. Dante to just sit on their assigned seats and play with their game Boy/read a book. Hubby was seated 2 rows right behind Dante, so that’s good, he could keep an eye on Dante and who’s seating next to him. Mean while, I was seated all the way at the back and couldn’t even see Davi, Dante, or hubby. I couldn’t sit at all. I was standing up and all jittery. Delta’s flight attendant wasn’t helpful whatsoever. There was one lady who said that she’d check on us from time to time, but that means no shit to me.

Finally, I saw an African-American young girl walking towards me and kept looking at the seat next to me. She’s probably in her early 20s, and behind her was her parents. I asked the girl politely if she’d mind switching seats with my seven year old daughter and briefly explained the situation. She snottily said, “No thanks. I’m sitting here with my parents.” She didn’t even look at me or trying to see where my daughter was seated. Neither did her parents. I knew they heard me alright, but her mom just glanced at me and shoke her head. No sympathy at all. Instead, they sat down and ate their fried chicken they’ve brought along.

Time passed, and the plane was almost full. Somebody who’s supposed to sit next to Dante was finally showed up. She was about 40ish y.o. with a very short hair, dressed masculine, and a tattoo on her hand. A dyke, I thought. They’re usually nice people. Boy, was I wrong. When hubby told her our situation, she looked at him like, “And why would I care?” Her reaction when hubby asked her a favor? She didn’t say anything but shaking her head and continued to store her bag in the overhead bin and find her seat.

Finally, with only a few minutes to spare before taking off, I just grabbed a flight attendant who’s nearby and with [almost] teary eyes I asked her if she would at least check if there’s any two of 2 seats close together so we could be with our kids. A lady overheard us and said to me, “There’s an empty seat next to me. I’d switch with you.” OMG! I thanked her over and over again and quickly grabbed Davi and her stuff to switch around. When we walked passed the black family, I purposely said loudly to Davi, “Wow, what an awesome lady, huh? She’s so nice to help a little girl like you. UNLIKE SOME OTHER PEOPLE.” Davi whispered, “Mommy, why are you talking so loud? I can hear you just fine.”

Good things come to those who wait. Shortly after I got Davi settled in next to me, the flight attendant found two empty seats at the very back of the plane; which was unfavorable because you wouldn’t be able to recline your seats back. Dante and Dad moved there.

I don’t know why we would want to fly to Asia, because both hubby and I were bitching on how long the flight from Atlanta to L.A. took (it was close to 4 hours). Kids seemed to be enjoying themselves, reading books, playing with their Game Boy, watching cartoons, etc. The adults were really struggling *maybe the lack of sleep made us cranky*

Do I see the light at the end of the tunnel yet? I wish. While hubby’s getting our luggages at the bagage claim area, I called the hotel to find out if they have shuttle buses. When they asked my name, they said it was cancelled because we were a no-show last night. Are you fuckin’ kidding me? The hotel rep told us to just go ahead and come in and they’ll help us out. At that time, I was about ready to kill him because he’s the one who booked it. But then, it was that chaotic midnight when we both stayed up all night preparing everything, so I decided to let him live. For now.

We got to the Embassy Suites LAX North, talked to the front desk rep, and after they check with the Manager they let us stay one night for free because it was an ‘honest mistake’. Now, that is SERVICE!
Our suite was quite big for a one bedroom (we originally booked the two bedroom suite, but not available at that time). We were happy with the one bedroom because there’s a pull-out bed in the living room. The staff was so nice and the breakfast was amazing.

We were scheduled to fly out to Seoul (South Korea) then Bangkok (Thailand) the next morning. Davi started to feel sicky that night; sore throat, headache, and mild fever. Great. The concierge only has sinus medication for adults, so I had to go out of the hotel and walk a little bit to a store to get something for her. Unfortunately, they only had Sudafed PE and it clearly said ‘for children under 12 year old, please contact your doctor’. Since it was already night time, our doctor’s office back home was already closed. Next option was to call the ‘First Nurse’ back home for suggestion. Whoever that nurse was, who answered the phone, was not very helpful at all. All she could come up with was for me to contact the nearest pharmaceutial because that particular medicine was not in her stinkin’ data base. Not wanting to overmeds her, all we could do was to make sure she’s well rested and to have her drink plenty of OJ (orange juice).

As I was packing for tomorrow’s long haul flight to Asia, I heard hubby cursed, “Fuck! Oh shit! Hunny, c’mere… you’re not going to believe this!”

… to be continued…

Drama of the Year 2008 (Vacation Gone Wild) – Part 1

What was given as a Mother’s Day present -kids, husband, and father-in-law joined me to fly to Indonesia November this year- had turned out to be a nightmare.

[Early November]

Started with the ’scare’ with the Bali bomber execution news. Feared that Jakarta might be full of demonstration protesting that decission, and possibly bomb threats in public places; my husband got worried and ’erased’ the trip to Indonesia from our SE Asia family vacation plan. We were going to continue to fly into Bangkok, Thailand, have my Mom and brother join us there, then to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Was I sad? Of course. Was I frustrated? You betcha. Did I pout? Just for a short while. I knew he was doing this for our family’s safety. Although I wasn’t mopping, I did not give up that easy.

I explained that ‘travel warnings’ usually sound scarrier than what really is happening there. By no means I meant to say that these experts did not know what they’re talking about. But having lived there for so long, I felt  frustrated everytime ‘travel warnings’ for Jakarta were posted on the net while nothing scary was really taking place. Heck, my friends and I were clubbing like crazy during that ‘warning’. 

I also informed him about these comments that were left on this posting; which basically the same thing, that the warnings were scarrier than what’s really happening in Jakarta. My mom and sister emailed me from time to time that things were  ’so far, so good’ approaching the execution day. My brother told me that some morons were creating a hoax through cell phones’ text/SMS about false bomb threats in malls.

[Around Nov 18]

After the Bali bombers were shot to death, hubby learned that Jakarta was actually OK to visit. So the itinerary then changed to Bangkok-Chiang Mai-Jakarta, with my Mom and brother still coming to Thailand. I was as happy as a lark. We were going to fly out from Des Moines (IA) to Los Angeles (CA) day before Thanksgiving. Los Angeles to Seoul (South Korea), then finally Bangkok, scheduled to land there on Nov 28th. My Mom and brother were going to fly out from Jakarta to Bangkok on the 29th.

Everybody at work was excited for me, they knew that I had waited to go back home for a long time. And not to mention the drama… oh they love it! Not everybody in the clinic had to travel half way across the world to go home. Listening to my effort just to get there, is half the fun, they said.

[Nov 22]

After working half day, I came home to hear that hubby [again] cancelled our trip. Bangkok, the city we’d be flying into, was having some political unrests. “They’re talking about a possibility of military coup d’etat, curfews, and airport lock down. We really shouldn’t be there.” Oh for shit sake, give me a break. Ignorantly, I asked, “Can’t we just not fly into Thailand at all?” Hubby replied, ”Unfortunately, we had lost some money from the first cancellation. There was some penalty that we had to pay in order to move  flights around. Ours from the US and your mom’s and brother’s from Indonesia. I don’t know if we can afford buying new-destination tickets. The airline company will let us change the destinations at all. The dates, yes, with penalty.” We lost the down payments for the hotel in Bangkok, the villa in Chiang Mai, and the apartment in Jakarta.

Crushed once again, I called my mom and brother to tell them that everything was cancelled. My mom was bummed not to be able to see her grandkids, and my daughter cried that she wasn’t going to see her grandma. I told myself, once again, better be safe than sorry… it’s to keep our family safe.

[Nov 24]

I wasn’t sure if it was his guilty feeling or what, hubby apparently kept on trying to make it work. Mid afternoon that Monday, he called me at work and asked,” Have you told your manager that you’re not going at all?” I said, “Yes.” Which means I had withdrawn my request for time off work and that I declared that I do not need a coverage for my absence. “Well, if I still can get us to go, would your manager OK it?” It was not a problem. My manager understood and okayed it. So I went home that day, surprised, and still thinking that we’re leaving on the day before Thanksgiving. Just like the original plan. Or so I thought.

Got home with the kids and everything, hubby welcomed me with a question, “Can you pack tonight so we can leave early tomorrow morning at 3:00?” Holy shit! So that night, while hubby’s working on last minute bookings for hotels and domestic flights, I called my boss and asked her permission to leave early. I called my mom again that we’re back on. Packing’s always hard for me, I tend to overpacked every time we’re on vacation. Took our dog to a friend to take care of while we’re gone. Did a last minute trip to Target to get stuff like travel-size toiletteries, kids’ books and games for the flight, snacks, etc. We did not sleep at all. We got everything ready just half an hour before we need to leave the house at 3:00 am.

…to be continued…

My Big Dilemma of the Year: Listen to the Travel Warning or Risk the Kids’ Life?

Now that the Bali Bombers are dead (executed last night, or Sunday 11/9 at 00:15 am Indonesia time), I am regretting something. Not that I regret they’re dead, I solely believe they deserved it. But I’m regretting the fact that our family travel plan to go home to Jakarta was cancelled. This year, my plan to bring my hubby, children and my father-in-law to experience Jakarta and meet my biological family was demolished.

As you may know, Indonesia’s always been notorious with travel warning ever since… forever. Umm, let me take that back. Approximately since 1998, if I’m not mistaken. But as an Indonesian, living in Indonesia, in the capital city, Jakarta, I didn’t really see what the hoopla was about. When I was still a citizen of Jakarta, I used to feel frustrated to read about what the international media say about Indonesia, and more spesifically, Jakarta. As an insider, I don’t think Jakarta’s situation was a ‘red alert’ or as scary as they said in the news.

My attitude was forced to change a little bit when I married an American and now have two interracial children. I can no longer say, “Who cares about the travel warnings, it’s usually just to scare you away from going. Nothing bad would happened.” I bet that was not what the casualties from the Jakarta Stock Exchange bombing (2000), the Christmas Eve Indonesia bombings (2000), Bali bombing (2002), JW Marriott’s bombing (2003), the Australian embassy bombing (2004) or again the Bali bombing (2005) would like to hear. An by the way, those bombings were courtesy of the Jema’ah frickin’ Islamiyah. Which lead me to question, why doesn’t the Indonesian government ban J.I. like they do Ahmadiyah?

This year, I was being tested. We had planned, around May this year, to go to Jakarta as our annual family vaation. It was a Mother’s Day present from my kids to me that they’ll join me to go home (originally I was going alone). The excitement was built up, as I, as a mother of half Indonesian children, am longing to bring my children to the place I was born and grew up at. I made detailed travel plan and itinerary on places we’re going to. I wanted them to see and experience the difference of living, eating, studying in two places (Iowa, USA and Jakarta, Indonesia). I announced to all of my families and friends about this and promised to some to meet up and introduce the two parties. My mom was in tears when I called her to let her know about this and how she’s been longing to see and touch her grandkids. I was drooling over thinking all the food and drinks that I’ve missed. Everybody was so psyched.

Until the announcement of the execution came along, and sparked the travel warning again. Most intensively, from the Australian government:

 

We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to Indonesia, including Bali, at this time due to the very high threat of terrorist attack.

The Indonesian Government announced on 9 November that the three individuals convicted for involvement in the 2002 Bali bombing were executed on 9 November. The executions could prompt a strong reaction from their supporters such as demonstrations, acts of violence and reprisal attacks.

We continue to receive credible information that terrorists could be planning attacks in Indonesia. You should exercise great care, particularly around locations that have a low level of protective security, including where Western tourists gather such as beaches, bars, malls and other venues associated with foreign interests. We continue to receive credible information that Bali remains an attractive target for terrorists.

We are aware that many young Australian school graduates may be travelling to Bali in mid-late November and early December. We urge these young Australians and their parents, like other Australians, to exercise heightened caution at this time. Australians should register their travel with the Australian Government on www.smartraveller.gov.au and take out travel insurance.

If you do decide to travel to Indonesia, you should exercise extreme caution.

There have been recent arrests of high level terrorist operatives in Indonesia, but we assess terrorists are continuing to plan attacks. These attacks could take place at any time, anywhere, including in places frequented by foreigners. Previous terrorist attacks against Westerners in Bali and Jakarta indicate these areas are priority targets. You should take particular care to avoid places known to be terrorist targets.

Hubby and I got into a hot argument. I was trying to assure him that nothing bad would happen; that the Indonesian authorities made announcement that the threats were just a hoax. Tried to assure him that by the time we got there (late November), those three men would be a dead meat and the situation would winding down. He went berserk. He asked me is I was a 100% sure, that I thought the political experts were just making the travel warnings up and that I would risk our children’s life. That’s when I stopped and finally regain my rationality. Do I really want to risk their life being bombed, kidnapped, or even slightly injured in this situation? Just because my kids don’t look white at all, their father is (along with my father-in-law), and that they both have a big target on his back.

I apologize to families and friends that we can’t meet up with you guys. Melly and Juinita, sorry guys. Maybe next year when I go home alone. Now that we have everything booked for Thailand, I just found out that those bastards were executed and [for now] everything seems to be okay. If you were in my shoes, what would you do? Would you go to a place where some people hate you because of your nationality? Let’s say you have a family in Baghdad or Rwanda, would you go there with your spouse and children? Or are we just whimps?

Mystery Reader

I signed up a month ago as the Mystery Reader for my son’s Kindergarten class today. I read ‘Duck on a bike’ by David Shannon to them.  It wasn’t my first choice, actually. I was going to find a book with a ‘message’. Something like, a book about a child from a different culture/country. Or a book about a celebration (not necessarily a religious one) in other country. Yes, I have a hidden agenda to educate small town folks (children are a good start) about multiculturalism. But… too bad so sad, the books I was looking for were checked out from the library. I didn’t have much time, so ‘Duck on a bike’ would just have to be it. And actually, it’s not a bad book. It’s humorous, has a repetitive crescendo (the kids enjoyed doing the animal sounds), and a goofy ending.

Arrived at school by noon, I stopped by at the office to report. The secretary then use the PA system to inform the classroom, “Hello Mrs Tickle classroom, your Mystery Reader is here.” Then I heard the teacher over the PA tried to shush the kids and told them to sit on their bottoms on the carpet then replied, “OK, we’re ready…”

As I was walking from the office to my son’s classroom, my heart was beating fast. I know this sounds silly, they’re just kids, Kindergarteners nonetheless.  But  it’s been a while since I did ‘public speaking’. Anyway, when I opened the classroom door, the teacher said, “Children, cover your eyes and don’t peek.” So I naughtily covered my face with the book. When the teacher said, “Children, open open your eyes, and welcome your Mystery Reader.” I lowered the book inch by inch and I could hear the kids were yelling, “Tanner, it’s your Mom!” and one or two, “No, that’s my Mom!”. But when the book was finally lowered down to my nose, I see and hear Dante shrieked, “MOMMY!” and he jumped out from the criss-cross apple sauce position and hugged me.

After everybody calmed down, I sat on the chair in front of 22 kids who were sitting ever so cutely on the carpet. Read the book while occassionally asked the kids if they could immitate an animal sound (bad move, by the way; they all got too wired up). Done reading in about 15 minutes, the teacher allowed Dante to come up to me so his friends could ask us some questions. Dante was in charge of selecting which student who raised their hands quietly. I could tell that he’s all proud and happy, hence his goofy style -he’s twirling his index finger in the air (like a cowboy to a lasso) then point it to somebody. Some example of the questions:

Boy #1: “Umm… what is your favorite restaurant?”
Dante: “Captain Iwan’s.” Then of course I had to explain that Captain Iwan’s is actually our kids’ nick name for the Indonesian restaurant here which owned by a guy named Iwas but he’s not a Captain in any form.

Boy #2: “Does Dante have a bike?”
Dante: “Yup. It’s red and black.” He didn’t mention that it still has training wheels, but nobody’s asking, right?

Girl #1: “Umm… what’s your favorite thing to do?”
Dante: “Watching TV and play video game” *grin*

Girl #2: “Do you guys play together a lot?”
Me: “Yes. We like to play Lego Star wars video game together. I’ll be Darth Vader and Dante would be the Princess Leia.” Dante protested ‘Nooo!’ right away.

Girl #3: “This one is for Dante. When are you going to get your ‘moon house’ out again?” This girl is actually our neighbor and a ‘moon house’ is an inflatable bouncer that we have which we usually put up when the weather’s nice.
Me: “Umm, don’t know yet. We’ll call you when we set it out at  the backyard.”

Done with the questioning, it’s time for lunch. I looked at the time and thought, “If I join him for lunch, I’d be 10 minutes late back to work. But oh well, who cares? I’ve been busting my ass off lately and darn it, I’m spending time for lunch with my son!”

Here’s our retarded pics at the cafetaria:

 

Who’s 6 Today?

Cheeky Monkey is! Unbelievable. Told him last night before bed, that around the same time six years ago, I was in pain. Why, he asked. Not really wanting to go into details about labor-related pain, I told him, “Because you want to get out from my tummy.” Then you opened your arms, gave me a hug, and said, “I’m sorry I made you hurt. I just don’t want to get out because it’s dark in there.”

We love you, monk. Looking forwards for tonight. Dad we’ll get food from our favorite restaurant (Bali Satay House) after work, and we’ll sing ‘Happy Birthday’ and open presents. Can’t wait to hear you shrieked ‘Awesome!’ when you open the birthday presents from us. Pssst… it’s the one you’ve been wanting for quite some times: Xbox 360’s Batman Lego video game. It’s a perfect timing because it’s just released today.

Tonight, just the four of us. This Saturday, is the birthday party with your friends. Exciting, huh?

 

The monkeyish birthday invitation:

Watch for the updates!