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AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures
Indonesia 2024 Day 1: Hello Jakarta!
Jakarta-Bandung 2024 Day 1: 8th July (Monday)
Small Group (Non-cycling) Tour of part of the West Java (Jakarta, Lembang & Bandung), Indonesia; Day 1- Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta:
Kuala Lumpur>Kuala Lumpur International Airport>Malaysian Airlines>Soekarno-Hatta International Airport>Grab Van>Central Jakarta>YELLO Hotel Harmoni.
This is page 1 of a 7-page blog, Click Here To Go To Title Page.
Route recommendations, here're some tips on travelling in and around Jakarta:
1. Traffic Directions!
Traffic in Indonesia is right-hand drive, so drive/cycle on the left. The same thing applies when crossing the road, take note of the direction from which traffic is approaching!
2. Immigration & Customs Requirements
Submission for customs e-clearance is advised for getting past the airport customs without a fuss. E-submission can be done before leaving for Indonesia. Click here for to access and fill up the Indonesian E-CD (Electronic Customs Declaration) forms for approval. Upon successful application, a QR Code is given, save this to your phone and show it to the customs officer upon arrival. With a quick scan, one is cleared to enjoy one's holiday.
OR upon arrival, one can scan the QR codes posted along the arrival halls & corridors and fill up details accordingly and an individual approval QR code will be given.
OR upon arrival, one can scan the QR codes posted along the arrival halls & corridors and fill up details accordingly and an individual approval QR code will be given.
Immigration entry is via digital gates which scan one's passport and take a facial photo, so put on your best smile 😊.
3. Getting to and around Jakarta.
Jakarta being the capital city of Indonesia, has many airlines flying direct to its international Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
We flew Malaysian Airlines from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta, and returned via Bandung buying our tickets a few months earlier when there was a promotion. We paid about MYR480 (approx. USD100) per pax for the ticket, inclusive of 20kg checked-in luggage and 7kg cabin luggage.
Arriving at Jakarta, we hailed a Grab Van to take us to the YELLO Hotel Harmoni located in the Harmoni locality within Central Jakarta. When hailing rides to head for the CBD area of Jakarta, do note that an odd-even traffic entry policy is practised for private cars including ride-hailing cars (ie Ganjil-Genap ruling). Taxis are exempted.
For KLIA van-transfer contact: Danny at +6010-911-5007.
We flew Malaysian Airlines from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta, and returned via Bandung buying our tickets a few months earlier when there was a promotion. We paid about MYR480 (approx. USD100) per pax for the ticket, inclusive of 20kg checked-in luggage and 7kg cabin luggage.
Arriving at Jakarta, we hailed a Grab Van to take us to the YELLO Hotel Harmoni located in the Harmoni locality within Central Jakarta. When hailing rides to head for the CBD area of Jakarta, do note that an odd-even traffic entry policy is practised for private cars including ride-hailing cars (ie Ganjil-Genap ruling). Taxis are exempted.
For KLIA van-transfer contact: Danny at +6010-911-5007.
4. Accommodations
At Jakarta, we stayed three nights at the YELLO Hotel Harmoni Jakarta (GPS: -6.16422, 106.82125), booking two rooms for two nights without breakfast & two rooms for the third night with breakfast, because we must leave early to catch the Whoosh Train). They upgraded us to a Family Suite on the 29th floor for the first two nights with a great view of the city. It came with a living hall & dining room. The hotel is located in the Harmoni locality within Central Jakarta.
5. Places & Things of Interests
Enroute were several places of interest, some of which we visited and others we did not for lack of time (Note: click on GPS coordinates for a directional map to respective places):
b. YELLO Hotel Harmoni Jakarta (GPS: -6.16422, 106.82125) with an interesting yellow coloured scheme.
6. Meals
a. Brunch:
Western/Malaysian Fare (Curry Noodles not to be missed) at Premier Lounge KLIA (GPS: 2.75376, 101.7046). This lounge is open to credit card-holders of participating banks. There is an inner private lounge for OUB credit card holders.
b. Dinner:
Indonesian & Sundanese Fare at Sate Khas Senayan, Harmoni Exchange (GPS: -6.16429, 106.82065); including 50th Anniversary Rice Platter, gado-gado, deep-fried Tempe, Jus Alipukat (Avocado), Es Jeruk (iced Indonesian Orange drink). Click here for their menu.
Indonesian & Sundanese Fare at Sate Khas Senayan, Harmoni Exchange (GPS: -6.16429, 106.82065); including 50th Anniversary Rice Platter, gado-gado, deep-fried Tempe, Jus Alipukat (Avocado), Es Jeruk (iced Indonesian Orange drink). Click here for their menu.
7. Communicating with Each Other
When travelling in a group it's important to be able to communicate with each other, especially if one gets lost from the rest. We bought online China Unicom pre-paid 8-days 16GB (2GB per day) phone sim cards through Hello 1010. It was delivered to our home/office within a few days, and we installed it into our phones upon arrival.
Most hotels, motels, homestays, restaurants, and airports have free Wifi; but do note that public free wifi may not be secure and registration may be required. But one can save on one's mobile data by using these, especially for uploading or downloading videos.
8. Communicating with Locals
At favourite tourist destinations, locals may speak fairly good English. At the smaller towns, locals speak some rudimentary English, so knowing some basic Bahasa Indonesia will come in handy and also warm one up to the locals.
9. Weather
Average day temperatures in Jakarta in July is around 33°C, while mean night temperature is around temperatures 23°C.
A useful weather forecast site for Indonesia is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.
10. Navigation
I used MapMyRide to track our routes and stops. Geo-tagging of places of interest was done via FaceBook or Google Maps.
The yummylicious food we had at the lounge - highly recommended is the curry laksa, satay and cookies! This meal was complimentary from the credit cards which we held; so it's good to get credit cards that provide such free airport lounge passes.
"JAKARTA HERE WE COME!!"
3:35pm - View from the plane as we approached Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. I was like a small boy brimming with excitement as it was my first time coming to this city!
Suprisingly, the photos taken through the plane's window turned out pretty clear. Am I glad that I got my new Honor Magic Pro 5 phone which have an AI camera mode that had compensated for the distortion/blurriness through the aircraft window.
Here we are at Arrivals, there are a number of nice murals. So excited were we about this holiday trip that we totally forgot about applying for Customs approval via the Indonesian E-CD (Electronic Customs Declaration) while back in Malaysia.
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PRELUDE
We're back again in Indonesia for another adventure!
In 2018, BOB (Brompton Owners Bali) together with Tourism Indonesia invited many of us for a 2018 Bali Cycling event, we had great cycling fun and were also introduced to several Bali attractions (such as Tirtagangga) and Balinese Culture (such as Balinese Dance). It was a good eye-opener for many of us, and the hosts were warm & welcoming.
Then during a 2023 Bali-Sumba recce tour, we were enchanted by the varied sceneries of North Bali & Sumba Isalnd!
Now we are back again in Indonesia, but now it is a short 2-1/2 hop-over flight to its vibrant capital Jakarta, the cool highlands of Lembang and the idyllic & laid-back Bandung.
Now we are back again in Indonesia, but now it is a short 2-1/2 hop-over flight to its vibrant capital Jakarta, the cool highlands of Lembang and the idyllic & laid-back Bandung.
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DAY 1: KUALA LUMPUR-JAKARTA
Small Group (Non-cycling) Tour of part of the West Java (Jakarta, Lembang & Bandung), Indonesia; Day 1 from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta:
(Click here for the Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta Route Map)
Although we have been travelling a fair bit this year (it's REVENGE TRAVELLING after the pandemic), we were still very excited when we left on our late-morning van transfer to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport for our flight. The overhead skies with moody grey puffy clouds did not dampen our eager spirits.
(For KLIA van-transfer contact: Danny at +6010-911-5007)
Me, with my travelling buddies at the airport Premier Lounge. With me were my three "Charlie's Angels" - the wifey (Lynne), a high-school mate (Rina) and my cycling buddy (Ann-eh). They took good care of me on the trip, now then don't get jealous, yah 😂. They just made sure that I didn't get lost, as my sense of direction is now kaput.
Although we have been travelling a fair bit this year (it's REVENGE TRAVELLING after the pandemic), we were still very excited when we left on our late-morning van transfer to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport for our flight. The overhead skies with moody grey puffy clouds did not dampen our eager spirits.
(For KLIA van-transfer contact: Danny at +6010-911-5007)
Me, with my travelling buddies at the airport Premier Lounge. With me were my three "Charlie's Angels" - the wifey (Lynne), a high-school mate (Rina) and my cycling buddy (Ann-eh). They took good care of me on the trip, now then don't get jealous, yah 😂. They just made sure that I didn't get lost, as my sense of direction is now kaput.
The yummylicious food we had at the lounge - highly recommended is the curry laksa, satay and cookies! This meal was complimentary from the credit cards which we held; so it's good to get credit cards that provide such free airport lounge passes.
"JAKARTA HERE WE COME!!"
3:35pm - View from the plane as we approached Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. I was like a small boy brimming with excitement as it was my first time coming to this city!
Suprisingly, the photos taken through the plane's window turned out pretty clear. Am I glad that I got my new Honor Magic Pro 5 phone which have an AI camera mode that had compensated for the distortion/blurriness through the aircraft window.
Here we are at Arrivals, there are a number of nice murals. So excited were we about this holiday trip that we totally forgot about applying for Customs approval via the Indonesian E-CD (Electronic Customs Declaration) while back in Malaysia.
We were happily taking photos until we saw these QR codes posted on the walls of the arrival corridors. Scan these and it will lead to the Indonesian E-CD.
Exiting the arrival hall, and turning left will lead to the Gojek e-hailing section, followed by the Grab e-hailing section which we made a bee-line for as we did not have the Gojek app installed.
Do note that Jakarta practices an odd-even traffic entry policy for private cars including ride-hailing cars. In principle, the Odd-Even provisions in Jakarta only allow cars with odd license plates to pass through certain roads on odd dates and vice-versa. So one will have to patiently wait for the car with the correct ending number; it's a good thing that there are Grab personnel at hand to help out to book the ride.
After a 45-minute drive, we arrived to check in at YELLO Hotel Harmoni, our stay in Jakarta for three nights. Considering what we have heard about the bad traffic jams in city, it wasn't that bad a drive. The slow pace allowed us to view the cityscape.
The hotel lived up to it's name; and it's has a very yellow-coloured theme from the reception, their staff uniform, to it's bedroom. There were tinges of yellow everywhere even in the toiletries!
Hello... from our rooms...
We were pleasantly surprised to find that they have upgraded our two individual rooms to a family suite with two bedrooms and a family hall with a dining corner. And it's up at the 29th floor with a grand view of the city!
5:45pm - To lazy to go out, we just walked over to have dinner at Sate Khas Senayan, located at the ground floor of the adjacent Harmoni Exchange Mall.
Thumbs up from the girls for a very satisfactory dinner.
5:45pm - To lazy to go out, we just walked over to have dinner at Sate Khas Senayan, located at the ground floor of the adjacent Harmoni Exchange Mall.
We had their 50th Anniversary Rice Platter, gado-gado, deep-fried Tempe, Jus Alipukat (Avocado), Es Jeruk (iced Indonesian Orange drink).
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| View from our room. |
"SELAMAT MALAM!"
(That's "Good Night!" in Indonesian)
(For more photos of Day 1, Click Here)
(For more photos of Day 1, Click Here)
This is page 1 of a 7-page blog, Click Here To Go To Title Page.
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