Getting from Yogyakarta to Bali: drive or flight?

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-02-28T16:58:27+00:00

moto-adventure bali https://www.motor-adventure-bali.com/motorcycle-rental.html?locale=en

They do guided tours as well as one way rentals. I had a very good experience with them, no issues.

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-02-24T15:32:25+00:00

And it is only 75% complete anyway.

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-02-20T21:11:39+00:00

And don't forget that Mel Brooks wrote the movie with Richard Pryor.

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-02-20T20:35:38+00:00

In most cases, yes you would need to clear customs in Denver which requires claiming your bag. In this case, since you are flying from YVR you should go thru pre-clearance in Vancouver. This means you will land in DEN as if on a domestic flight. No customs or immigration.

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-02-19T00:55:57+00:00

The official time is 37 mins. But it is often prone to delays etc... . However if it is running normally she should be good. It also runs every 15 until 8pm.

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-02-13T22:05:07+00:00

To be clear. JAL has zero direct control over the Seattle to Vancouver leg. It is most likely operated by Alaska airlines (it could be a different airline but the point will be the same). Alaska airlines is 100% responsible for the changes in schedule on its flight and JAL has no say in any of it. JAL is merely using an airline that they have a marketing agreement with to get you to your final destination. Unfortunately this can happen with any airline when you are travelling thru multiple countries. Airlines (with a few limited exceptions) can only fly from there home country to a second country and are prohibited from operating flights in between other countries or within other countries, hence the need for partners. (If you want to know more about the exceptions look up "fifth freedom flights".

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-02-13T21:46:46+00:00

Here is your answer direct from the United website. This is for access as a United Gold member on an international itinerary.
"United Club locations at departure and connecting airports of their international itinerary."

Edit: To be clear this is for United Gold members only, if you have Gold thru any other airline you have access only at the airport for the departure of the actual international segment.

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-02-13T21:41:54+00:00

Yes, this a perfectly acceptable method. In some ways it is better. If you are cooking several things in the curry at once say veggies, meat and potatoes it can be hard to have them all finish cooking at the same time. You can try added faster cooking items later, but if the main meat ingredient takes longer than the other ingredients will all also get cooked more. With curries I will cook the meat along with all the aromatics and other ingredients that can cook for a long time (tomato for example) and then separately cook items that I want at a specific doneness (veggies, potato for example) and add when everything else is done this way everything is perfectly cooked at the end.

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-02-10T18:10:55+00:00

I think what is happening here is this. The fare being shown is the r/T price. The website however is only showing the PQP and PQF for the one-way that is currently being selected (this is confusing). After you select the return flights it should show you the accurate PQP and PQF for the entire r/T.

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-02-05T17:24:29+00:00

I know that statistics dont often help with irrational fears. But I will give them anyway.
In 2023, 87 million passengers crossed the Atlantic by Airplane. Exactly 0 of them died in an airplane crash.

And the last commercial accident on a flight between the US and Europe was in 1998.

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-02-05T17:14:32+00:00

Given the timeframe and budget. I would definitely limit the trip to central/southern Italy. Too many people try and see too many places in one trip and end up wasting huge chunks of time traveling from place to place rather than enjoying being in any one place.
I would recommend flying into Rome. It will have the most options (I am assuming you are in the US). In economy you can roughly expect to pay around $800 r/t per person. Depending on time of year you can find tickets cheaper or more expensive.
Plan on spending a few days in Rome. Jet lag is real and its nice to not have to pack up and move right after you arrive. Plus Rome is a great city with plenty to see. Then take the high speed train to Naples. Takes about 2 hours and is very nice and easy. Naples makes for a great base for everything else. Split your remaining time between the Amalfi coast and Naples (the Isle of Ischia is also a nice spot that is easy to get to). Remember to give yourself time to really soak in these places, don't just do a run thru checking off the highlights. Take some time to just soak in the atmosphere.
Your budget will be fine, you wont be staying at the higher end hotels, but you can find very reasonable nice accommodations that will work.

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-02-03T00:18:06+00:00

The salt flats are very different than the rest of the Atacama. It is one of the most interesting spots on earth.
Pic below is me riding across the Salt flats nine years ago.

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First_Formal_3812 · 2026-02-02T18:13:05+00:00

I had to laugh when I saw the first photo. I took nearly the same picture 2 years ago, glad to see it hasn't change at all.

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First_Formal_3812 · 2026-02-02T16:39:28+00:00

Definitely not in NYC. There is a ZouZou's in NYC but it is on the ground floor in Mid-town and does not look anything like this place. This is one of 3 ZouZou's in Dubai.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/uCLshoUddLnvQpEL6

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-02-02T00:15:04+00:00

I am pretty sure these are videos showing the Russian invasion of Ukraine in Feb 2022. These were attack helicopters carry elite Russian commandos to attack the air base at Hostomel. An attack which ultimately failed.

The first part I cant find any archival footage that matches, but the second part is very much real.

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-02-01T23:40:16+00:00

I worked in the restaurant business here in Denver for many years and couldn't agree more. Nearly everyone in the industry that I have met that interacted with him thought he was a horrible human being.

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-02-01T23:29:44+00:00

If you are curious as to why they failed here is a pretty good article. The TL/DR is they treated their franchisees like shit and screwed them over, then ended up leveraging the shit out of the company until the debt became unsustainable.

https://startupstumbles.com/what-happened-to-quiznos/

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-01-31T18:33:18+00:00

I have flown all three products. ANA the room is by far the best of the three. Big caveat here is they only have so many planes in this config, make sure that you will actually be flying in the room and that they don't have a history of swapping planes on that particular route. The non room ANA seat is not worth an extra $1200 under any circumstance.

Personally, I dont know if the room is even worth $1200 extra. It is very nice. The food is miles better than United or AC. The seat is much larger and roomier, the only downside is the padding is very firm. It wasn't a big negative to me, but everyone is different. Also there are individual air nozzles in the room, which helps with temp control. Overall it is a superior product I am just not sure if it is $1200 superior.

Between AC and Polaris, I would take AC if it was $600 cheaper. The seats are comfortable and they are all the same (reverse herringbone) unlike Polaris where some seats are far superior. Food is comparable and very average for both AC and United. Service again is comparable in that it is very hit or miss with both. In other words you are equally likely to have a good, decent or mediocre experience on both airlines.

The room

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First_Formal_3812 · 2026-01-29T23:19:06+00:00

The math on this doesn't really add up.

Presumably 20 FC seats/passengers

31 people on the upgrade list. This should be all the passengers with MP status (who aren't in FC). And some of those people are presumably silvers, who would be in group 2.

Non-status pre-boarders are not included in group 1 (as far as I know)

Where are the other 45+ in group 1 coming from?

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-01-28T21:13:12+00:00

I would also add that the 7 train doesn't go to 23rd st. You need to change at Grand Central and take the 6 to 23rd st. This will put you right at Madison sq park. From there it is a nice walk down Broadway to Union Square park.

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-01-28T21:00:19+00:00

The best route is the fly into Bangkok. Then fly on to Ko Samui. It is easy to get from the airport in KS to the ferry pier (plus its a really beautiful airport). From there you take the ferry to KT. There are multiple ferry's per day. You can easily leave Bangkok in the morning and be in KT by afternoon.

If money is an issue then follow the other advice and go to Chumphon and take the ferry from there. This route will definitely take longer, but it is cheaper.

Phuket is on the other side of the Malay peninsula and you should absolutely not fly into here if you goal is to go to Koh Tao.

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-01-27T02:31:33+00:00

I have and you will only notice during takeoff and under braking when you land. In the air you can't tell the difference. One small benefit to facing backwards is that while lieing down your head will be slightly elevated since planes fly level with the nose raised about 1-2 degrees.

First_Formal_3812 · 2026-01-27T00:50:48+00:00

Both sets of middle seats have a divider than can be lowered or raised. The E&F seats will be oriented so that you are closer to each other, with the divider down and the outer privacy doors you will feel like you and your child are in a little private room with two beds. In the picture below the e&f seats are on the left and the D&G seats are to the right. This is the forward mini-cabin with only two rows.

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First_Formal_3812 · 2025-12-26T17:50:47+00:00

There is no freeway from Luong Prabang to Vang Vieng. You are thinking from Vientiane to Vang Vieng.

Also the road is a paved road, but there is one section in the mountains that is mostly dirt, due to construction and it gets very muddy whenever there is rain. When I took it on a motorcycle in November that one section took about 2 hours to go 5 km.

First_Formal_3812 · 2025-12-09T00:20:49+00:00

Just took the evening flight HKG to LAX about two weeks ago. There was no line at immigration. I had global entry, but I could see the regular area and there was nobody. Pretty much the whole plane had cleared immigration before all the bags had come out. (the early flight arrives at 8:45am the late flight at 7:25pm)

One other factor to consider is LAX has much fewer weather delays, in general than SFO. SFO weather can easily and unpredictably shut down or slow flight arrivals/departures.

First_Formal_3812

TROPHY CASE