AhPek Biker - Old Dog Rides Again: Airport

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Monday, May 19, 2025

Dubai 2025 Day 3: Bye Dubai Hello Morocco

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AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures

Dubai 2025 Day 3: Bye Dubai Hello Morocco

Dubai 2025 Day 3: 15th April (Tuesday)

Small Group (Non-cycling) Dubai to Morocco:
Day 3 - Dubai (UAE) to Casablanca (Morocco)

Avani Ibn Batuta Hotel>Dubai International Airport (Dubai)>Emirates>Casablanca International Airport (Morocco).

This is page 3 of a 3-page blog, Click Here To Go To Title Page.
< D2: Burj Khalifa | Go to Other Days | Morocco 2025 >

Route recommendations, here are some tips on travelling in and around Dubai (UAE):

1. Traffic Directions!

Driving in Dubai is left-hand drive, and driving is on the right-hand side. Speed limits are between 25-40km/h (15-25mph) on residential roads and 100km/h (62mph) for major highways, which may have up to six to seven lanes on each side. Do look to the correct side when crossing roads.

2. Immigration & Customs Requirements

For UAE, citizens of Malaysia do not need a visa to enter for travel purposes and can stay in the country for 90 days without a visa. Click here for visa requirements for other countries.

3. Getting to and around Dubai.

Dubai is easily accessible by air as most major airlines serve Dubai. We were mostly on a van-guided tour, about 1,300 UAE dirhams for 10 hours (700 dirhams for the driver and van, 600 dirhams for the guide). Self-travel was via the Uber ride-hailing app, do check the fare before getting down, as drivers have a tendency to add a self-tip.

4. Places & Things of Interest

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):
a. Dubai International Airport (GPS: 25.25669, 55.36431).
b. Casablanca International Airport (GPS: 33.37027, -7.58290).

5. Food

a. Breakfast:

Pre-packed Avani Ibn Batuta Hotel breakfast .

b. Lunch:

Mandi style with chicken and Hamour fish, at Zam Zam Mandi Restaurant, Al Karama (GPS: 25.23838, 55.29907).
c. Afternoon Tea:
Coffee at Caffè Nero, Dubai Mall (GPS: 25.19662, 55.28011).
d. Dinner #1:

"Blah" Michelin Starred Wantan Noodles at Hawker Chan (GPS: 25.04666, 55.11807), Ibn Battuta Mall Metro Link Food Court.

e. Dinner #2:

Chinese Economy Rice at Golden Joy Express (GPS: 25.04641, 55.11804), Ibn Battuta Mall Metro Link Food Court.

6. Accommodations

In Morocco, see Morocco Day 1.

7. Tour Costs & Arrangements

Air tickets bought at MYR 4430 for a return flight from Kuala Lumpur to Dubai to Casablanca, and Casablanca to Kuala Lumpur with transit in Dubai.

The ground arrangements for a 10-hour guided tour package for six on the second day was at 1,300 dirham (700 dirham for a 10-passenger van with a driver, and 600 dirhams for the tour guide). Airport transfer from the airport to the hotel was at 350 dirhams, and from the hotel to the airport at 300 dirhams.
The guided tour included an Abra boat ride from the Bur Dubai Marine Transport Station (GPS: 25.26464, 55.29309) to the Deira Old Souq Marine Transport Station (GPS: 25.26709, 55.29782).

For out-of-pocket spending, we exchanged some AED dirhams while in Malaysia and brought along some USD and Euros too. As a contingency, we brought along our Wise debit cards.

8. 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.
Upon arrival, one can get a free 1G sim card upon request from the immigration counter. This free sim is valid for twenty-four hours, and can be recharged online or at any of the respective telco stores.
Those who use Maxis as their telco can pre-purchase the Maxis Roaming Pass. Seven-Days APAC Data Pass with unlimited data covers the UAE cost RM69. The Pass can be bought before the trip with a designated starting time/date, BUT DO TURN OFF your data roaming just before the Roaming Pass expires OTHERWISE any subsequent usage will automatically trigger off the 1-Day Roaming Pass costing between RM29 to RM38 per day!

9. Communicating with Locals

At favourite tourist destinations, most locals speak fairly good English. At the smaller towns, locals speak some rudimentary English, and our local guide was most helpful in translating for us.

10. Weather

Average day and night temperatures in Dubai were 42°C and 29°C, partly cloudy with no rain.

Useful weather forecast sites for Dubai is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.

11. Navigation

I used MapMyRide to track our routes and stops. Geo-tagging of places of interest was via FaceBook or Google Maps.

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PRELUDE

A day earlier was a full day tour of Dubai City; we visited the old and new parts of the city. New ones with swanky modern high-rise buildings, and old ones with traditional souks that are centuries old!

Today we say goodbye to Dubai and head for Morocco for a two-week tour of the country.

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DAY 3: DUBAI TO CASABLANCA

Guided Small Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Dubai:

Day 3 - Dubai (UAE) to Casablanca (Morocco)

Avani Ibn Batuta Hotel>Dubai International Airport (Dubai)>Emirates>Casablanca International Airport (Morocco).

(Click here for the Dubai Day 3: Around Dubai to Morocco Route Map)

Most of the posts below are linked to my Facebook posts during the trip and embedded here with some comments. (NOTE: Click on respective posts to link to the FB post to read more details. If you can't see the posts, please log out of your Facebook first.)

4:00am - Zooming along Gardens Boulevard, and then onto Sheikh Zayed Road, heading for Dubai International Airport to fly to Casablanca. We're on a 7:30am; fortunately, the roads are wide and not busy, we should be able to reach the airport and check in within the required 3 hours before flight.

Checking in for Flight EK751 Dubai to Casablanca.
One can use the self service check-in & baggage drop OR opt for normal check-in. As we were unfamiliar with this airport system, we opted for normal check-in. Also, we were uncertain of how Dubai Airport Security would assess my Ta-Da Walking Stick-Chair.

My Ta-Da Walking Stick-Chair was a passport for a Priority Service and an indicator that assistance is required. Usually it is a wheelchair with personnel to push. Here, it's even better; they provided a buggy ride and allowed my friends to hop on too.

Eating pre-packed Avani Ibn Batuta Hotel breakfast at one of the boarding lounges of Dubai International Airport.
Concerned that either we would be short of time to OR that not many food outlets would be opened at this wee hour of the morning, we had requested the hotel to prepare take away pre-packed breakfast. These were ready for us upon checking out.

Dubai is one of the major transit points for those going to Mecca to perform their pilgrimage, and many were returning to Casablanca after performing the Umrah. Many of these pilgrims were older people, not familiar with taking a plane.
There was some confusion among people trying to find their seats, causing the aisle to be blocked. Fortunately, one man helped to direct many of them.

7:50am - After some slight delay, we are finally taking off!

Goodbye Dubai!

Casablanca, here we come!

Wadaea Dibi!

(That's "Goodbye Dubai" in Arabic)

This is page 3 of a 3-page blog, Click Here To Go To Title Page.

< D2: Burj Khalifa | Go to Other Days | Morocco 2025 >

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Monday, July 22, 2024

Indonesia Bandung 2024 Day 1: KL-Jakarta: Welcome to Indonesia!

You are at - Jotaro's Blog / AhPek Biker-Footsteps / Indonesia / Indonesia 2024 / D1: KL-Jakarta | Go to D2/D3/D4/D5/D6/D7-8

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.

| Go to Other Days | D2: Old Jakarta >

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.

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.

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):

a. The old colonial part of Jakarta called Kota Tua (GPS: -6.13550, 106.81193).

b. YELLO Hotel Harmoni Jakarta (GPS: -6.16422, 106.82125) with an interesting yellow coloured scheme.

c. Harmoni Exchange Shopping Mall (GPS: -6.16425, 106.82097).

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.

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.

___________________________________________________________________________

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.

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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:

Kuala Lumpur>Kuala Lumpur International Airport>Malaysian Airlines>Soekarno-Hatta International Airport>Grab Van>Central Jakarta>YELLO Hotel Harmoni.

(Click here for the Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta Route Map)

I am trying something different in writing my blogs. Instead of writing afresh, I am linking to my day to day Facebook postings during the trip and embedded them here with some brief comments where necessary. (NOTE: Click on respective posts to link to the FB post to read in more detail. If you can't see the posts, please log out from your Facebook first)

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.