It’s a long series of flights and a lot of waiting to get to Indonesia. Our destination is to Yogyakarta on the island of Java and to get there requires three separate flights. The first leg is 11 hours and 40 minutes long from Vancouver to Taipei and leaves at what I believe is an unusual and insane time of 2:00am. When I check the departures board before our flight, it turns out there are lots of early morning flights leaving YVR for far flung destinations. I’m glad I don’t live near that airport.
When booking this long flight, Judith made a decision to upgrade the seats from economy to “economy plus”. Instead of 10 seats in each row in regular economy, our section only had 8 seats in each row. The decision was based on some research she had made on the seat guru website that provides detailed info on each carrier’s seat dimensions such as legroom etc. It’s important information if you’re tall. Given the length of the flight, additional leg room and reasonable upgrade cost, she went for it. There was also a bonus comfort package with a sleep mask, ear plugs, socks, slippers, toothbrush, etc and the extra cushioning in the seat made for a very comfortable ride. Not as nice as the dreamy looking sleeping pods in first class, but a nice upgrade from regular economy. The meal was served with real metal cutlery - I can’t remember the last time I got to use metal cutlery on an airplane. We both manage to sleep on the plane — not hugely restful but sufficient enough to carry on without being too grumpy.
The comfort package in economy plus. Toothbrush and toothpaste, eye ask, socks, body lotion, slippers (not shown), etc. All with a handy zip pouch.
The meal tray with metal cutlery.
This is the Hello Kitty themed waiting area. There was also areas for music, theatre, ecology, space, etc. There was also a furniture making exhibit to explore.
We cleared customs and knew we had to take our luggage to check in for our final flight to Yogyakarta with Guarda Indonesia, the national airline. Since check-in for the next flight was in Terminal 3 we ended up asking a series of people how to get there because the signage wasn’t clear and neither were the instructions we got from the various people. We needed to fully exit Terminal 2 and take an elevated sky train service. We discover that Terminal 3 is the modern gargantuan facility. When we arrive, the terminal seems exclusively used by the Guarda Indonesia airline. There seems to be lots of excess capacity with the near barren hallways.
When booking this long flight, Judith made a decision to upgrade the seats from economy to “economy plus”. Instead of 10 seats in each row in regular economy, our section only had 8 seats in each row. The decision was based on some research she had made on the seat guru website that provides detailed info on each carrier’s seat dimensions such as legroom etc. It’s important information if you’re tall. Given the length of the flight, additional leg room and reasonable upgrade cost, she went for it. There was also a bonus comfort package with a sleep mask, ear plugs, socks, slippers, toothbrush, etc and the extra cushioning in the seat made for a very comfortable ride. Not as nice as the dreamy looking sleeping pods in first class, but a nice upgrade from regular economy. The meal was served with real metal cutlery - I can’t remember the last time I got to use metal cutlery on an airplane. We both manage to sleep on the plane — not hugely restful but sufficient enough to carry on without being too grumpy.
The comfort package in economy plus. Toothbrush and toothpaste, eye ask, socks, body lotion, slippers (not shown), etc. All with a handy zip pouch.
The meal tray with metal cutlery.
We waited for 4 hours at Taipei. There was lots to see including exploring many themed waiting areas.
This is the Hello Kitty themed waiting area. There was also areas for music, theatre, ecology, space, etc. There was also a furniture making exhibit to explore.
During this time, I received a text message from a friend, Len, who advised of a 6.4 magnitude earthquake in Lombok. It’s not a destination for us, but we look up the location for interest. It’s closer to Bali where we will spend the last few days of our trip,
We boarded the next flight, 5 hours and 20 minutes to Jakarta, also with EVA Air. Not as roomy but comfortable enough and we both managed to nap through parts of the flight. The memorable take away for me on this flight was Judith liking the bean curd and anchovy appetizer that came with our meal. I think I’m in the majority to be surprised that it would appeal to her.
When we landed at Jakarta I was awed by how large the airport was. Soekamo-Hatta International Airport services Jakarta and is one of the busiest airports in the world. We taxied by a huge modern building which was one of the largest structures I’d ever seen. Our gate was in Terminal 2, clearly a much older terminal and not nearly as large as the newer structure.
We boarded the next flight, 5 hours and 20 minutes to Jakarta, also with EVA Air. Not as roomy but comfortable enough and we both managed to nap through parts of the flight. The memorable take away for me on this flight was Judith liking the bean curd and anchovy appetizer that came with our meal. I think I’m in the majority to be surprised that it would appeal to her.
When we landed at Jakarta I was awed by how large the airport was. Soekamo-Hatta International Airport services Jakarta and is one of the busiest airports in the world. We taxied by a huge modern building which was one of the largest structures I’d ever seen. Our gate was in Terminal 2, clearly a much older terminal and not nearly as large as the newer structure.
We cleared customs and knew we had to take our luggage to check in for our final flight to Yogyakarta with Guarda Indonesia, the national airline. Since check-in for the next flight was in Terminal 3 we ended up asking a series of people how to get there because the signage wasn’t clear and neither were the instructions we got from the various people. We needed to fully exit Terminal 2 and take an elevated sky train service. We discover that Terminal 3 is the modern gargantuan facility. When we arrive, the terminal seems exclusively used by the Guarda Indonesia airline. There seems to be lots of excess capacity with the near barren hallways.
Typical empty hallway in Jakarta’s Terminal 3.
Inside there is interesting artwork incorporating fire extinguishers and access panels. It occurred to me that it doesn’t make sense to camouflage important safety items - the artwork certainly wouldn’t be permitted in western airports.
Our next flight is an hour and 15 minutes long. We get in at 5:40pm and to my surprise it’s already dark out. Sunset is at 5:30ish as we’re closer to the equator. We gather our luggage and we’re met by Justine, our guide for our stay in Yogyakarta. As we walk outside Justine calls the driver on her mobile and the Toyota pulls up to the curb. Our luggage is placed into the back by the driver and we’re on our way to the hotel. The traffic is similar to New Delhi, lots of motorcycles, cars, becaks (bicycle or motorcycle rickshaws), and pedestrians jostling to get around on these busy streets. About 30 minutes later, we arrive at the Phoenix Hotel. It’s a heritage building built in 1918 as a private home. It has since been functioning as a hotel. About 20 years ago, a 3 story wing was added — that’s probably when it became a hotel. This wing is where our room is located. The check in is managed by our guide Justine while Judith and I sit in a quiet reading room and snack on some iced tea and Indonesian treats served by one of the welcoming staff. The ceiling must be 20 feet high on the main floor. We pass through an open air restaurant to get to our room.
By this time we’ve been travelling well over 27 hours since boarding that first flight. Dispite being able to nap on planes, we were both pretty tired. Once check in was completed, our guide confirms she will be back at the hotel at 9:00am the next day to start the tour. We are offered a table in the restaurant for dinner, but we decide to pass and head for our room. It’s nice enough with comfy twin beds. Judith is not coherent at this point and goes directly to bed — but not before the obligatory room photo.
Our next flight is an hour and 15 minutes long. We get in at 5:40pm and to my surprise it’s already dark out. Sunset is at 5:30ish as we’re closer to the equator. We gather our luggage and we’re met by Justine, our guide for our stay in Yogyakarta. As we walk outside Justine calls the driver on her mobile and the Toyota pulls up to the curb. Our luggage is placed into the back by the driver and we’re on our way to the hotel. The traffic is similar to New Delhi, lots of motorcycles, cars, becaks (bicycle or motorcycle rickshaws), and pedestrians jostling to get around on these busy streets. About 30 minutes later, we arrive at the Phoenix Hotel. It’s a heritage building built in 1918 as a private home. It has since been functioning as a hotel. About 20 years ago, a 3 story wing was added — that’s probably when it became a hotel. This wing is where our room is located. The check in is managed by our guide Justine while Judith and I sit in a quiet reading room and snack on some iced tea and Indonesian treats served by one of the welcoming staff. The ceiling must be 20 feet high on the main floor. We pass through an open air restaurant to get to our room.
By this time we’ve been travelling well over 27 hours since boarding that first flight. Dispite being able to nap on planes, we were both pretty tired. Once check in was completed, our guide confirms she will be back at the hotel at 9:00am the next day to start the tour. We are offered a table in the restaurant for dinner, but we decide to pass and head for our room. It’s nice enough with comfy twin beds. Judith is not coherent at this point and goes directly to bed — but not before the obligatory room photo.
Although I’m also tired, I stay up a bit to better acclimatize to Indonesia time. I’ve been wearing the same clothes for almost 48 hours, it felt great to shower before I retired.
No comments:
Post a Comment