Making Our Way to Jakarta

Yesterday we left Chicago with six bags, three carry-ons, and two cats bound for an overnight stay in Seoul, Korea, my and the kitties old home!  Our cats were born here and thus given Korean names:  Hodori, meaning "Little Tiger"after the Seoul 1988 Olympic Mascot; and Gehreumi, meaning "Little Cloud".  This fact, however, did not matter to the quarantine officers, nor Korean Airlines officials, when it came to securing the cats' night stay at the airport. Per Jakarta regs, the cats aren't allowed to leave the airport during our 23 hour layover in Seoul; with two of three phone calls to Incheon resulting in the seemingly simple direction to leave the pets at quarantine before immigration, we accepted the travel routing through Seoul.  Of course, I am traveling with a Murphy, so something was bound to go wrong; there is apparently no quarantine before immigration, and after an hour and a half at the Korean Airlines transfer desk, we had two choices:  1) stay the 23 hours overnighting it in the terminal with cats confined to their carriers or 2) sneak away to the hotel and take our chances.  Now getting the cats into the hotel required strategy! 

 

So I walked in to the hotel to check us in, while Neal waited in the parking lot, observant of procuring the key!  Once that in hand, Neal swept in direct to the elevator while I and the luggage obstructed views.  Our meager hotel suite allowed us a breather, and the cats, space to stretch!  TV turned up loud enough to drown out any meows, Neal and I ventured out for our favorite of Korea meals:  Soondubu and Kalbi!  Gosh it's delicious to be back in Korea:)

Now we're planning our escape out of the hotel that includes Neal's dash out the front door and quick leap into a cab, cats going unnoticed!  And just hoping for some mercy in bypassing quarantine and getting the kitties back through as if nothing happened!