Many thanks to Rudi, PremEx, Magic111, violist, RKG and everyone. Getting hitched went off without a hitch. -Being legally married in March helped us relax a bit!
We flew JAL725 NRT-Denpasar via Jakarta. My normal AA doesn't go that route, so it was a good excuse to try JAL again.
The JAL ticket agents were pleasant albeit not overly friendly. Osaka people are more prone to casual banter, and no upgrades were in the works for this trip.
Was interesting to see JAL's "self-service miles." You put your mileage card and boarding pass in the machine and your miles are (hopefully) credited. -Not sure how much time is saved by this, but was a quick process.
Our 10:55 AM departure started with a long shuttle ride from E70 in Terminal 2 at 10:35. Those interested in seeing various aircraft up close & personal would have enjoyed the tour.
Pushback was more or less on time, with takeoff at 11:10. We were given 44 A&B on the B747 (3x4x3) = just behind the wing. Not the greatest seats, but it is hard to offset a honeymoon couple's happiness. The JAL main movie screen seemed clearer than other flights I have taken, but it could have been just my good mood.
The menu for the flight out was as follows:
Lunch: Salmon and salami with marinated veg.
Hungarian Beef Goulash or Simmered Sea Bream & "Tofu" in soy sauce with rice.
Fresh Salad & Pasta, Muscat Grape Jelly, Roll and Butter. (pre-landing cookies).
From Jakarta was a snack of Lemper Isi Abon, Finger Sandwich, Potato Croquette, Fresh Fruit Tartelette, Indonesian Shrimp Crackers.
The food was decent, and the flights were smooth. The coach wine was Beau Rivage Bordeaux, and both the red and white were delightfully mediocre.
We had 40 mins in Jakarta before reboarding, so I changed some US $ (cash) to Rupia in case we met some immediate cash needs in Bali. I was surprised to find a large discrepancy between exchange rates for $ and yen cash/TC:
The Jakarta rates were:
$1 cash = 8675 Rp; $1 T/C = 7900 Rp; \1 cash = 72 Rp; \1 T/C = 62 Rp. If $1=\108, then \1 should have been closer to 80 Rp. I don't know about other currencies, but it seems US$ had the best rates. Once in Bali, the difference between cash and T/C was no so pronounced, but I am glad I took US$ T/C instead of (actually in addition to) yen.
The plane out of Jakarta was 1/3 full if that. We could have moved to a middle row, but were content with our 44 A, B and C.
Arriving in Bali was an experience - perhaps my first feeling of being in a "foreign" country since SIN 6 years ago. Upon leaving the airport we encoutered a throng of people holding signs and people offering "Transport." We fended off the various offers, and eventually found our own taxi to the Ritz-Carlton.
Taxis to/from the airport all operate on a flat rate, and taxis in general are very cheap in Bali. After confusedly tipping the guy who put our suitcase in the taxi and later the taxi driver, we arrived at the R-C.
Next: What's all the fuss about the R-C "Club"?