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Email: jbsymons@indo.net.id
February, 2006
Dear Friends,
As you read this Jamal and I are on a holiday to Malaysia and Thailand. In order not to disappoint our hundreds of 
readers, we have pre-prepared this special holiday edition. After our holiday Jamal will return to Bali and I will travel to Singapore and then on to Melbourne, Australia, via Darwin and Brisbane, returning to Bali on Feb. 26. The March edition of the KHO News, will feature a full coverage of our epic journey.
We would like to express our 
sympathy to Pak Made and family on the passing of his father (see insert)
Rainy Season Heaviest in Years
Rainy season usually starts by the end of November, this year it started in the first week of November. Record falls have been recorded across the country causing major and minor flooding and a landslide in Java that claimed over 170 lives. The government has blamed Illegal de-forestation.
KHO Cats Ember and YuYum, huddle inside the house during a severe thunder storm.
Bali Arrivals 
up in December
In December the foreign arrivals at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport increased to 79,900 up from 62,705 in November, however the arrivals are down 37% compared with December 2004. Dec/Jan is usually peak season for Australian travellers, this year they are way out numbered by Europeans. Hotels reported that for the first year they can remember, they were not fully booked for New Year. It is obvious travelling around the Kuta area that there are not many tourists, completely empty restaurants are a common sight in the evening. However our two favourites Warung Sobat and Warung Italy are both doing good business. Warung Sobat was closed for 3 days for the funeral of Pak Made's father who passed away on January 12. (see insert)
Pak Made's 
Father Passes
Bali: Wednesday January 11 Pak Made from Warung Sobat rushed his father to Sanglah hospital in Denpasar, the father has suffered asthma for some time and was having an attack. Sadly early on the morning of Thursday January 12 he passed away. During the morning dozens of family and friends arrived at Sobat and prepared for the burial which took place later that afternoon. Pak Made's father was buried in the little cemetery 100 meters down from Warung Sobat. At some later date when there is a huge cremation ceremony the body will be exhumed and cremated. Pak Made's father was estimated to be about 67 years old. In the days when he was born it was not common to keep records.
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A busy week before our departure for Malaysia/Thailand, a wonderful excuse to party.
Razar John & Supri
Jamal, Inge & Erik
Chantals, John & Yoga
Wulang, Angie & Jamal
Inge, Erik, Angie & Chantal
Chantal & Jamal
Dede & John
Proposed Itinerary
This is our proposed itinarary for our Malaysian/Thailand holiday and return to Australia. John will travel 19,457 km from Bali-Bali, almost half way around the world (40,076 km)
Itinerary
Date Detail
Jan 19 Fly Bali-Kuala Lumpur
Jan 21 Fly KL-Phuket
Jan 26 Bus & Boat to Ko Samui
Jan 30 Train to Hat Yai
Jan 31 Train to Panang
Feb 05 Bus to Ipoh
Feb 06 Bus to Kuala Lumpur
Feb 08 Jamal flies to Bali
Feb 09 John bus to Singapore
Feb 10 John flies to Darwin
Feb 11 John departs Darwin
Feb 12 John arrives Melbourne
Feb 26 John returns to Bali
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While we are away we will travel from Surat Thani to Penang Island  by train. You can travel from Singapore to Bangkok with a Malaysian Train to Penang, then Thai Railways to Bangkok.
Thai Rail 2nd Class Sleeper
Also there are trains in the reverse direction. From Singapore to Bangkok will cost you around A$50 for a second class sleeper. You can break your journey, by just booking point to point. 
A typical itinerary would be first to travel Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, spend a few days there, then travel on to Penang, you could even overnight at the classic Majestic hotel in Ipoh on the way. After a few days in Penang travel up to Surat Thani, from where you can visit Phuket and Ko Samui. From Surat Thani travel to Kanchanaburi stay a few days on a floating hotel and explore the Bridge over the river Kwai, then on to Bangkok.
If you have A$2,000-$4,500 laying around maybe you would like to 
take the Eastern Orient Express from Singapore to Bangkok. The luxury train departs on Thursdays and includes a tour of historic Penang and the Kwai river
bridge. Built in Japan in 1972 and operated as the Silver Star train in New Zealand, it's carriages were then remodelled by Gérard Gallet, the man behind the refurbishment of Venice Simplon Orient-Express. 
The Observation Car
On board the E & O Express, the atmosphere harks back to a 'Colonial' age of rattan chairs, linen suits and tea dances. E&O web site
Lounge and  Bar
The Dining Car
The Pullman Suite
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Dede Arrives 
at the KHO
Fri. Jan.13, Dede, Jamal's grand nephew, arrived at the KHO from Bandung to look after the KHO while John & Jamal are on holiday in Malaysia
and Thailand. This time Dede came by train. Since the Indonesian 127% fuel price hike, the train is now cheaper than the bus. Train Rp210,000 (A$30) Bus Rp 275,000 (A$40) Journey distance 900 km.
Dede travelled overnight on the Mutiara Selatan (Pearl of the South) to Surabaya then connected to the Mutiara Timur (Pearl of the East) to Banyuwangi, then bus to Bali.
Mutiara Selatan
The KHO Breakfast
A hearty breakfast is essential in the tropics, before the day gets too hot. At the KHO breakfast is 
served at 8am in the warmer on the buffet next to the dining table. 
Anyone can help themselves when they want - very practical, especially when we have guests.
Jamal loves Scrambled Eggs
KHO Beer Fridge
The KHO beer fridge in the garage was looking a little worse for wear, the front had started to rust, as does everything in the tropics including the ex-pats. 
Sudah Karet - already rusty is a term used by the locals to refer to expats who have lived here a long time and have become sun tanned. 
The 10 year old Daywoo fridge
Meanwhile - we sanded back all the rust, treated the rust with rust converter, then painted it with ship quality anti-rust KHO Green paint. Hopefully we will get a few more cold beers out of the old girl yet.
Indonesian Immigration Dept to be cleaned up.
Indonesia's Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Hamid Awaludin says the  Indonesia's Immigration Department 
will undergo fundamental and sweeping changes in 2006. Responding to angry criticism from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and extensive press coverage, Minister Hamid was quoted in the Indonesian-language Bali Post as saying that the promised changes would go beyond mere changes in those who occupy key posts but extend also to cover job descriptions and specific functions within the immigration directorate. The Minister suggested that current areas of responsibility where there is little or no supervision of immigration affairs would result in new appointments, while unnecessary bureaucratic positions would be eliminated...Bali Update
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Jamal's hometown of Bandung is the provincial capital of West Java, Indonesia. Located on a highland plateau 768 meters above sea level,, the city has a population of around 2.1 million. Bandung became famous as the venue for the 1955 first conference of Non-aligned nations. The 50th anniversary was celebrated last year.
History
In 1488, the area now named Bandung was the capital of the Kingdom of Pajajaran. During colonial times, the government of the Dutch East Indies built a supply road connecting Batavia (now Jakarta), Bogor, Cianjur, Bandung, Sumedang and Cirebon. 
The Dutch built wide tree-lined boulevards, villas, gardens, and fountains, earning Bandung the nickname of the Paris of Java. Many of these structures survive to today, and can be seen along the road leading to the Dago area north of the city. In the 1930s the Dutch East Indies government planned for Bandung to become the capital of the Dutch East Indies, W.W. II disrupted these plans. 
Savoy Homann Hotel
The Savoy Homann Hotel in Bandung was first built in 1880 as a grand colonial hotel of it's day. In 1938 the Savoy Homann Bidakara Hotel got its new classic Art Deco design. It has been completely restored over the last few years to create an elegant ambience of modern comfort and the nostalgia of years gone by.
The Savoy Homann Hotel today
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The Historical Bio Farma Building - Jl Pasteur, Bandung
Indo Bird Flu Vaccine
Government owned Bio Farma is the only vaccine and serum manufacturer in Indonesia and is being considered by the U.S. drug manufacturer Baxter Healthcare to produce a human vaccine for bird flu. Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari - said she hoped a deal could be signed before January, said "We will co-operate as long as Baxter agrees to make a vaccine for the Indonesian strain" The strain has killed 9 people in Indonesia. Scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form that could start a pandemic.
The embryonic form of this national pharmaceutical company has existed since the Dutch colonial rule. Established in August 6, 1890, under the name of Parc Vaccinogen or Lands Koepok - Inrichting, subsequently known as the Pasteur Institute, at that time the company occupied the area of Weltevreden army hospital in Batavia, now Jakarta. The company moved to Bandung in 
1923, occupying an area of 93,200 square meters. Animal breeding for laboratory purposes was established at Cisarua-Lembang on an area of 282,411 square meters. 
Staff in Colonial Times
Following the nationalization of all former Dutch colonial companies, series of changes have occurred within the company. In 1978, by virtue of the Government Regulation No 26, the company obtained the status as a public utility company. By virtue of the Government Regulation No 1 in 1997, it became a limited company, known as PT Bio Farma (Persero), located in Bandung, West Java.
Production Workers
The Laboratory of Virology was established in 1995, it has played important role in viral disease survey in Indonesia, especially Polio, Dengue and Hepatitis B. WHO assigned Bio Farma Laboratory of Virology at the Laboratory for Polio Eradication, and has performed well during the recent mass immunization of Indonesian children.
Bio Farma - Polio Vaccine
Bio Farma now has WHO Qualified status achieved through Bio Farma's consistency in strict international standard quality control and quality assurance allowing Bio Farma to export and earn hard currency for Indonesia.
First export was to North Korea,  221,200 vials in 1997. Then they exported 2.5 million doses of polio vaccine to India in 2000. Now exports extent to many countries including Malaysia, Philippines,  Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India and the Ivory Coast.
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Indonesia, Southeast Asia's biggest oil producer, gave licenses to produce bio-fuel and bio-ethanol to 11 companies as the country tries to find cheaper fuel alternatives to replace its declining oil reserves. Soaring oil prices and higher domestic demand are draining Indonesia's finances as the government subsidizes fuel for its 238.5 million people, threatening to scuttle the budget deficit target. The government on Oct. 1 almost tripled kerosene prices and doubled diesel tariffs to cap subsidies at 89.2 trillion rupiah. Even with refineries running at full capacity, Indonesia must import a third of the country's fuel. President Susilo Bambang 
Yudhoyono will order that fuels such as gasoline are mixed with 5 percent of bio-diesel or bio-ethanol from early next year, Kadiman said. The government will promote the use of bio-diesel, a mixture of diesel and palm oil, to reduce reliance on oil-based fuel as well as to reduce carbon emission, he said.
Village Palm Oil Production
The Diesel Engine
Rudolf Diesel -  was the German inventor of the Diesel engine. He actually designed the diesel engine to run on plant oils. Diesel developed the 
idea of an engine that relied on a high compression of the fuel to ignite it, eliminating the spark plug used in the  internal combustion engine. He received a patent for the device on Feb 23, 1892 and a major milestone was achieved when he was able to run a single piston engine for one minute on Feb 17, 1894. This machine stood 10 feet tall. Diesel was born (Mar 18, 1858) in Paris of German parents, and died (Sept 30, 1913) on the English Channel in suspicious circumstances, possibly suicide.  Rudolf was a good student in primary school and was admitted at age 12 to the Ecole Primaire Superieure, the best in Paris. On the outbreak of the Franco- Prussian War, he and his parents were considered enemy aliens, and were deported to London. 
Later he returned to his father's home town, Augsburg, where he entered the Royal County Trade School, he won a scholarship to the Technische Hochschule of Munich, where he was an outstanding student. he returned to Paris and became a protege of Carl von Linde, the pioneer of refrigeration. He set up his first shop-laboratory in 1885 in Paris, and began full-time work on his engine. This continued when he moved to Berlin, working again for Linde Enterprises. In 1892 he was granted a German patent for the engine, and found some support for its continued development.
The first Diesel Engine
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Who's Who - Indonesia
Vice-President of Indonesia, Jusuf Kalla with his wife
Jusuf Kalla was born Watampone, South Sulawesi; May 15, 1942.
He is currently the Vice-President of Indonesia. Before becoming Vice-President he ran a formidable 
business empire. It all started from a family business established in 1952 that was almost on its last legs. The business of Hadji Kalla was very badly hit by the economic crisis of 1966. The business, traded in  agricultural products and had debts everywhere. "Shall we just close the business down?" asked his father, the head of the business. Jusuf Kalla, shook his head. Instead, he chose to take over control of his father's business through the transportation company NV Hadji Kalla. In the hands of Jusuf Kalla, the company not only began to recover but even succeeded in expanding.
NV Hadji Kalla Toyota Dealer
In 1969, NV Hadji Kalla was entrusted by PT Toyota Astra Motor to be the sole agent for Toyota in eastern Indonesia. Time was seemingly on the side of  Kalla. 
The business group grew like an octopus until it became one of the most respected business groups in eastern Indonesia.
Not satisfied with just being a "local" businessman, Jusuf started building a new business empire outside of Sulawesi. Together with several colleagues, such as Fadel Muhammad, Kalla built up Bukaka. 
Businessman Jusuf Kalla
With Bukaka, Kalla expanded into many sectors, extending from trading into construction, property, transportation, agro-industry and even telecommunications. What helped make the name of Bukaka well known was its manufacturing of airbridges, to connect airports with airplanes. In October 2004, Jusuf Kalla was elected as Vice President and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as President. He gave up all his positions as number one in the Kalla Group. His younger sister and brother Fatimah and Achmad, took over control of the Kalla Group and Bukaka.
President & Vice President Kalla brief journalists about the situation in Ache after the 2005 tsunami.
Kalla's Private Jet
Jusuf Kalla reportedly owns a Fokker F-27 Fellowship jet airplane. The aircraft is often seen at Halim airport in Jakarta when Jusuf is in town. An airport worker revealed the aircraft is fitted with 4 luxury convertible bed seats as well as 30 first class seats. "Kalla likes to sleep on flights so he arrive refreshed" said the airport worker. We were unable to find the history of the aircraft but it probably was previously owned by an Indonesian domestic airline. 
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The person who has no interest in aviation would probably say: "See one aeroplane seen 'em all". However, there are some airliners which stand out from the crowd  that even non-enthusiasts would recognize. In the 50's there was the Lockheed Super Constellation, whose art deco lines set her apart from the other piston powered airliners.  In the sixties it was the Jet Age - Boeing 707, the first  jet airliner produced in the USA.
Lockheed Super Constellation
The only previous jet air liner was the unsuccessful British deHavilland DH-106 Comet.
1st flight of the Comet 
The 707 was radical in design and set the shape of all future passenger aircraft to come. The most noticeable innovation was mounting the four jet engines under the wings, this was a far safer position in the case of a catastrophic engine failure, excellent for maintenance and down loaded the wings reducing stress on the wing roots.
QANTAS -The Jet Age
July 1959, under the leadership of Sir Hudson Fysh, Qantas, ahead of every other airline outside the US, took delivery of seven Boeing 
Hudson Fysh
707-138 jet aircraft.  Boeing 707 services to the US began in July. In September the service was extended to London via New York. The Sydney - London kangaroo services via India began in October.
Engine Upgrade
The original Qantas 707's were fitted with Pratt & Whitney JT3C-6 turbojet engines originally designed for the B-52 bomber. They were noisy, dirty and not fuel efficient.
The Turbo Jet Engine
1961 Pratt and Whitney offered a modification to the engines adding a fan in front of the jet, which F
A crowd tours the first Qantas jetliner on arrival in Sydney
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increased thrust and saved fuel.
The Fan Jet Engine
Qantas being the world's longest haul airline immediately ordered the upgrade, the first aircraft VH-EBA leaving for Seattle in June 1961. 
VH-EBA in Seattle
Qantas decided they would re-paint the modified aircraft in the new V-Jet livery designed to highlight the extended range Boeing 707 aircraft.
The "V" stands for the Latin word "vannus" which translates literally as "winnowing basket" or more loosely, "a device for blowing the grain" or "a fan". Hence V-Jet denotes Fan Jet.
Unprecedented comfort
The first V-Jet entered service Sept. 1961, progressively the entire 707 fleet was modified, the aircraft was then know as the B-707-138B.
Qantas became known as Qantas - "The Around the World Airline" They flew Sydney, Nandi, Honolulu, San Francisco, New York, London, Rome, Baghdad, Karachi, Calcutta, Singapore, Jakarta, Sydney and also in the reverse direction.
Later Qantas Boeing 707 V-Jet services to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Bali, Port Moresby and Johannesburg were added.
Never a Fatal Accident?
Qantas did have one fatal accident in the 1940's when they were operating flying boats. Although Qantas prefer to claim they were operating under the name of Qantas Empire Airways in those days. The accident happened 11/10/1944. The Aircraft was on an scheduled service from Sydney to Townsville, the aircraft returned to Sydney 45 minutes after departure reporting an engine defect. 
Sutherland Flying Boat
The aircraft was landed heavily at Rose Bay, broke in two and sank within 15 minutes. One passenger was drowned, Mr J.R. Mott. The pilots, K.G. Caldwell and L.J. Brain, the five other crew members and the remaining 21 passengers were rescued. The subsequent investigation concluded that the accident was due solely to faulty handling of the aircraft by the pilot.
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April 1969: John and friend Ian Davey departed Sydney for San Francisco via Nandi & Honolulu.
Boarding in Sydney
In those days in Sydney Qantas only had a small terminal, actually only a waiting lounge and check-in in the old Ansett terminal, the aircraft was towed out from the Qantas hanger and parked behind the Ansett terminal for boarding.
Only 120 Seats!
The QANTAS 707 had only 120 seats compared to other airlines in the States who operated the aircraft in 147 mixed class or up to 215 in full economy. Qantas specified the reduced seat numbers to extend the range of the aircraft.
1960's QANTAS Crew
After the hike across the tarmac, we boarded the aircraft via the back stairs and were greeted by the friendly stewards in their P&O style uniforms. Passengers waited at the rear of the aircraft whilst a steward would individually show 
you to your seat and make sure your hand luggage was secure. Most was stowed under the seat as the 707 only had a hat rack, over head Cabin stowage did not exist.
No Cabin stowage bins
We departed around 5 pm for the 3233 km flight to Nandi, Fiji. The flight took over 4 hours. 
During the flight we were served an excellent meal with French wine.
No food trolleys in those days
We were most amused that if we rang the bell for service, the steward would address you by name  - "Yes Mr Symons, how can I help you?"
I was intrigued by how the Steward knew you name. Later in the galley, I noted a board with a seating plan on the wall. 
The Boeing 707 Galley 
- note the large oven
A QANTAS Menu
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On boarding you presented your hand written boarding pass, they removed a tear off slip with your name on it and put it into your seat position on the wall seating plan.
Nandi Airport 1960's
We arrived in Fiji around 10 pm local time. After a couple of hours and a few drinks, the aircraft was refuelled and we were ready to take off on the longest leg of the journey 5,100 km direct to Hawaii.
Commemorating the first jet flight into Nandi - early 60's
The flight took over 6 hours, we crossed the International date line 
and it was suddenly yesterday, then I crossed Equator for the first time in my life.
Primitive Navigation
In those days navigating across the Pacific was quite a feat, the QANTAS V-Jets always carried a Navigator on the flight crew. These were the days of seat of the pants flying, no Global Positioning System (GPS) in those day. The route was far to remote for the radio compass which must be less than 200 miles from a transmitting station. The navigator had to rely on the magnetic compass, 
dead reckoning navigation and the stars. Due to navigation by the stars all flights over he  Pacific Ocean 
were overnight. The navigator had to rely sighting the stars with a sextant to find his exact position on the 
map, the accuracy was critical, because Hawaii is quite small, if off course you could fly right past, run out of fuel and be forced to ditch. 
The Boeing 707 was fitted with special upward looking windows in the cockpit for this purpose.
We Visit the Cockpit
In the middle of the night during the flight to Hawaii,  Ian and I asked if we could visit the cockpit,  Steward Mr John Betts obliged. 
Boeing 707 Cockpit
On entering the cockpit I was surprised to see the navigator standing on the Captains seat trying to angle his sextant, to get a reading through the upfacing window, The sextant windows were obviously an after thought.
Early in the morning we arrived in Honolulu Airport Hawaii.
Honolulu Airport 1969
QANTAS was instrumental in pioneering flights to Hawaii and helped make tourism it's major industry. The inaugural flight to Honolulu was on on June 30, 1959.
1960's QANTAS Poster
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We stopped for 2 days in Hawaii, staying at Waikiki Beach. We splurged and dined at the famed Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
The Royal Hawaiian Hotel
Royal Hawaiian Hotel Menu
Waikiki Beach in those days was just like a small town, in the street we ran into our Qantas Crew who were also stopping over for 2 days in Honolulu before flying on on the same flight as us to San Francisco.
Off to San Francisco
Honolulu Tower
We had a daytime flight to San-Francisco, the Boeing 707 performed effortlessly over the 3,870 km and which took us almost 5 hours, during the flight we were served an excellent lunch and complimented with French wine.
QANTAS B 707 V-Jet
Before landing our friendly steward filled both our bags with bottles of wine from first class, the bottle were opened but not consumed, he re-corked them for us. I can't remember how we got the wine through customs, however in
those days things were far more liberal than in the times we live now. The steward said they would only go in the rubbish otherwise. 
What Grace and Style
Lip service on board the 707
In those days smoking 
on-board was the norm, 
the Boeing 707 smoked too
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San Francisco Airport
A Toast to a safe landing
At last we were on final approach into San Francisco International. 
Union Square SFO
We had covered a total of 12,200 km in a total flying time of about 15 hours. This flight 37 years ago still outshines the hundreds of flights I have had since.
The Qantas 707-138 V-jets flew until 1966 when they were progressively replaced by the Boeing 707-338 series. By 1972 Qantas were operating 19, 707 aircraft, September 1971 Qantas took delivery of their first Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet, as more 747's arrived the 707 was phased out. Many were relegated to less dense routes or converted to freighters. Some 707s were sold" to the airlines of emerging nations and some became glamour VIP transports for heads of state & high profile entertainers. 
Today
One of the 13 B 707-138B's VH-EBM - City of Launceston is still flying. The aircraft flew with Qantas from Oct. 1964, until April 1969 when it 
was sold to Braniff International Airways Inc. in 1964. The aircraft
changed hands a few more times until finally bought by singer Frank Sinatra. It was often seen in Las Vegas. May 1998 John Travolta 
purchased the aircraft from the late Frank Sinatra's estate.
John Travolta
Travolta's 707 departing Singapore for Australia Nov 2005
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