1/1/99: Since we are near the end of the international leg of our trip, we did some more shopping for gifts to bring home for family and friends…. At one place I asked for a box, figuring that we had purchased too much stuff to fit in our existing luggage. Strangely, the store clerk had no idea what we were asking for, so she called the manager. After some struggle to communicate he finally said “Oh, you need a BAWX!” I guess my mid-western US accent was too tricky for them… Took the train from Yogyakarta back to Surabaya, arriving after 9pm. The taxi drivers knew that we didn’t know how far, or even exactly which direction our hotel was, so I suspect we were “taken for a ride” in order to inflate the price … We checked in at the same hotel we stayed at a couple of weeks ago with the folks from Malang, and too our pleasure we were again bumped up to a luxury suite…
NOTE: The stock photo above shows a city street in Surabaya, Indonesia, by Hobi industri on Unsplash.