“It doesn’t really feel like an island….” Susan said. Emily said the same thing last week because Bali feels so big to her.
For Indonesia, Bali is small at 2,100 square kilometers. Java, Sumatra, Kalimnatan/Borneo, Papua and Sulawesi are much larger islands. Still, it can take five hours to get from bottom to top and at least as long to go from side to side. There are plenty of cars and motorcycles – especially in the island’s very populated southern corridor.
It feels pretty big and if you live up in Bali’s interior, you can easily forget about the beaches and the water. In fact, I would venture to say Balinese culture is not so much of a beach and water-focused culture – which is somewhat atypical of islands.
Whatever Bali’s size – big or small – we’re trying to get Susan and Aunt Penny off it safely. Problems in Japan have us concerned about the viability of their homebound flights which involve a plane change in Tokyo.
For days we have been checking the news and calling Delta. With today’s news of a fourth nuclear reactor in trouble, two more heating up and radiation at unsafe levels around the Fukushima no. 1 Power Plant, we feel there’s reason to worry. Besides the obvious issue of radiation blowing in unpredictable winds, several airlines have canceled or rerouted their Tokyo flights. Neighboring Taiwan and China have cut airline service and German Lufthansa has rerouted all Japan flights to Osaka and Nagoya.
Once one carrier starts pulling out of Tokyo, chances are more will. Susan and Aunt Penny have decided not to take chances – they need to get home. so, we’re working on getting both our Dorothy’s back to Kansas – or at least Los Angeles.
Unfortunately, most of the ruby slippers are fully booked and it hasn’t been easy to figure out a way. Delta looked at Seoul via Korean – not an option for more than a week. Malaysian – maybe. They’ll get back to us. At the moment, it looks like they may have to go the way of the East Indies colonial trade route and have the Dutch wing them back through Amsterdam if they want to get home this weekend.
While at first we were worried about a tsunami wave washing up on our shore, it seems a transportation problem showed up instead.
As of last night, Delta said they were still scheduled to run flights through Tokyo – however, they are constantly evaluating safety. I asked what would happen if they canceled their flights. The nice representative told me they would work to book their passengers onto other airlines’ flights. Unfortunately, it could take a week or more before passengers can fly – which doesn’t fly with Susan and Aunt Penny.
In the big picture, Susan and Aunt Penny are better off than many travelers. They aren’t parents of small children, they don’t have anything life and death at stake and they have a place they can stay for as long as they need.
So many travelers can’t say that. If the situation in Tokyo gets worse, travelers around the world will be severely impacted not to mention the Japanese who won’t be able to travel.
Emily and I have also thought many times about the Japanese tourists here in Bali. Japanese are the second largest portion of tourists in Bali. We don’t know what’s worse – to be in the earthquake and tsunami, or to be away from your loved ones and powerless when a disaster occurs. I suppose it doesn’t matter – no one wins.
This is a small, but very clear example of how what happens in one place, to one group of people affects us all. The truth is, there isn’t a wave anywhere that can’t wash up on our shores.
For now, we’re going to continue our research and discussions with the good people at Delta Airlines. As much as it always pains me to get on a plane and leave Bali, it won’t pain Susan and Aunt Penny. They came, they’ve seen, they’ve conquered – and they miss home and all the loved ones waiting for them there.
Sent from my iPad
