I found it quite funny that my first weekend trip of 2017 was to: Amsterdam! Haha 😆
From Schiphol Airport, my friend and I took a Sprinter train towards Amsterdam Centraal. From there, we went to our hotel nearby, checked-in, and left our luggage in our room.
Hello, Amsterdam!
For some reason, I did not feel that tired, despite having just spent 36+ hours flying non-stop from Yogyakarta to Amsterdam via Bali, Shanghai, and Paris! Haha 😆 .
Then, I took my friend to sightsee of the most (in)famous areas of Amsterdam. You know what that is, I am sure, haha 😛 . We had a mini dinner at an Asian restaurant, before going back to the hotel.
Warm noodles and roasted duck
We checked-out right after our complimentary breakfast the next morning. My friend’s Garuda Indonesia flight to Jakarta was scheduled to leave in the late afternoon so we had the whole morning to tour Amsterdam.
We walked along the Damrak until we reached Rembrandtplein, then walked towards the Heineken Museum. From there, we took the tram towards Museumplein to go to the “I Amsterdam” tourist trap 😛 .
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
I took my friend to an Albert Heijn for him to buy some stroopwafels for gift, before having lunch at an Argentinian restaurant. The steak was okay, even though unfortunately the chimichurri sauce was not ready yet.
Then, it was already time for my friend to go to Schiphol. So we took my bag at the hotel and went to Schiphol. We parted there, as he had to go to Gate G to catch his flight. I took the train to go to Delft and here, my year end vacation to Indonesia officially ended.
THE END.
Bonus:
It was always nice to meet an old friend, as we caught up a lot and talked over many different things. From stupid unimportant ones to the more serious life matters, lol 😆 . So in this sense, too bad we only had less than 24 hours to meet!
Amsterdam on Sunday was, surprisingly, serene and relatively quiet (except in the super touristy area, of course). This swifted my perception a little bit.
Lucu rasanya bahwa tujuan pertama perjalanan akhir pekan 2017 adalah: Amsterdam! Haha 😆
Dari Bandara Schiphol, aku dan temanku menaiki kereta Sprinter menuju Amsterdam Centraal. Dari sana, kami pergi ke hotel kami di dekat stasiun, check-in, dan kemudian menaruh barang bawaan kami di kamar.
Halo, Amsterdam!
Entah mengapai, aku tidak merasa lelah loh, padahal baru saja aku menghabiskan 36 jam lebih terbang non-stop dari Yogyakarta ke Amsterdam via Bali, Shanghai, dan Paris! Haha 😆 .
Lalu, aku membawa temanku untuk melihat-lihat sebuah area di Amsterdam yang “terkenal” itu, haha. Tahu lah ya apa, haha 😛 . Kemudian, kami makan malam di sebuah rumah makan Asia, sebelum kembali ke hotel.
Mie hangat dan bebek panggang
Kami check-out setelah sarapan di hotel keesokan paginya. Penerbangan Garuda Indonesianya temanku ke Jakarta dijadwalkan berangkat di sore hari sehingga sepagian itu kami bisa jalan-jalan di Amsterdam.
Kami berjalan menyusuri Damrak hingga mencapai Rembrandtplein, dan kemudian berjalan-kaki menuju Museum Heineken. Dari sana, kami menaiki tram menuju Museumplein untuk pergi ke tourist trap tulisan “I Amsterdam” itu 😛 .
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Aku mengantarkan temanku ke sebuah Albert Heijn untuknya membeli beberapa stroopwafels untuk oleh-oleh, sebelum makan siang di sebuah restoran Argentina. Steak-nya enak sih, tetapi sayangnya saus chimichurrinya masih belum siap.
Lalu, sudah waktunya untuk temanku pergi ke Schiphol. Kami mengambil tasku di hotel dan pergi ke bandara. Kami berpisah di sana, dimana ia harus masuk ke Gerbang G untuk mengejar penerbangannya. Aku menaiki kereta kembali ke Delft dan, di sini, perjalanan akhir tahunku ke Indonesia resmi berakhir.
SELESAI.
Bonus:
Selalu seru rasanya bisa bertemu teman lama, dimana kami catch up dan banyak ngobrol tentang berbagai macam hal. Mulai dari yang sangat amat nggak penting sampai pembicaraan mengenai kehidupan, haha 😆 . Jadi dari sudut pandang itu, agak sedih juga kami hanya bisa bertemu kurang dari 24 jam.
Amsterdam di hari Minggu itu, ternyata, terasa tenang dan damai (eh, kecuali di area yang turistik banget ya). Ini sedikit menggeser persepsiku akan kota ini deh.
Flight: Garuda Indonesia GA 252
Equipment: Boeing 737-800 reg PK-GMO
ATD: 17:09 WIB
ATA: 19:06 WITA
My flight was scheduled to depart at 16:15, so I arrived at Adisutjipto Airport at 14:15. Upon checking-in, I was told that the flight would be delayed for about 30 minutes due to late departure from Denpasar. Well, given that I would have hours to kill in Bali before my next flight anyway, I was not bothered with the delay, haha 😛 .
Garuda Indonesia Executive Lounge
I waited for my flight at Garuda Indonesia Executive Lounge using my SkyTeam Elite Plus status from my Flying Blue Gold membership. The last time I used this lounge was probably a decade ago, lol. The lounge was descent, with good selection of food, drink, and snack; though the room itself felt claustrophobic with few windows.
Garuda Indonesia’s Boeing 737-800 reg PK-GMO
Anyway, the flight today was with Garuda Indonesia’s Boeing 737-800 reg PK-GMO. Boarding started at about 16:35 and I settled onto my 21K seat. Long story short, we departed and took off from runway 09 of Adisutjipto Airport. See you, Yogyakarta!
It was a pleasant flight with Garuda Indonesia, as usual. Complimentary snack was distributed midway through the flight and I used the IFE to listen to some music. It was a turbulence-free flight, even though it was really cloudy outside that I could not see the land all the way above Java! Haha 😛 .
Cloudy Java
Almost an hour later, we were already approaching Ngurah Rai International Airport. We would land at runway 27 so we made a u-turn above Nusa Penida and passed Sanur Beach and Bali Mandara Toll Road. Here is the landing video:
Garuda Indonesia’s Amazing Cabin Crew
I believe one strong point of Garuda Indonesia is the cabin crew who, in my opinion, is indeed the best in the world (they won three consecutive best cabin crew award in 2014, 2015, and 2016). Really, it is not for nothing as this was reflected in this flight GA 252.
Parked at a remote stand at DPS
The plane was parked in a remote parking where the passengers would be taken by buses to the terminal. So we had to go down the stairs to the tarmac. In front of me was an elderly lady carrying two bags. Seeing this, on her own initiative a flight attendant offered to carry the two bags for her! She then walked down the stairs carrying two bags while assisting the elderly lady as well.
Two Garuda Indonesia flight attendants (clearly not from this flight 😛 ).
With my SkyTeam Elite Plus membership, upon arriving at Denpasar, I could go to Garuda Indonesia’s Arrival Lounge. There, an officer took my luggage tag and he would take the luggage for me while I was waiting in the lounge! 😮
Yeah, it was awesome!! Haha 😛
The international hall of Ngurah Rai Airport
With the delay, I decided to just wait at the airport (at first I had a thought to probably have dinner at Kuta). I went to a cafe and prepared a blog post to pass some time, haha. At 22:30, I entered the departure area to check-in.
I checked-in at the regular lane because I could not find a SkyPriority lane, which I found strange at the time. But then it turned out there was a special lounge for it more in the inside, which I did not see 😦 .
An Indonesian buffet dinner at Garuda Indonesia International Lounge at DPS
After quick immigration check (the line was not very long for Indonesians 😛 ), I went to Garuda Indonesia’s International Lounge. I had not had dinner yet so I was feeling quite hungry. Lucky the lounge provided quite a descent option of buffet that evening! The lounge was good even though the wifi connection was troublesome.
MU 5030 (Denpasar/Bali – Shanghai)
Flight: China Eastern MU 5030
Equipment: Airbus A330-300 reg B6095
ATD: 02:00 WITA
ATA: 07:46 CST
Boarding started a little bit late today. And some economy passsengers tried to board via the priority lane. The officer asked them that it was not their lane, but they complained, in Chinese, lol 😆 . The (Indonesian) officer then said: “If you want to say something, please do so in English“, lol 😆 .
A China Eastern’s Airbus A330-300 reg B6095
Anyway, the flight today would be operated with China Eastern’s Airbus A330-300 reg B6095. At first I was excited because the plane was in China Eastern’s new livery!! But then, after boarding I got super disappointed because:
No PTV on board China Eastern’s B6095
Yes, no PTV!! 😱 😱 😱 Like, seriously? I thought this was 2017 and China Eastern was NOT an LCC!?!? Well, not that it would matter big time as this was a redeye and I planned to sleep anyway. This was actually good as I would not have anything else to do than to sleep, lol. But still, overally this was disappointing and showed me the huge inconsistent level of service and comfort between China Eastern’s long-haul fleet.
Long story short, we departed and took off from runway 27 of Ngurah Rai Airport at 02:00. Then, we made a turn to the north towards China.
On board China Eastern’s Airbus A330-300 reg B6095
The service on this flight was really weird. And I still can’t wrap my head around it.
Take-off took place at 02:00 so naturally most passengers would like to get to sleep right away. But then, not long after take-off, a dinner service was served!! Yep, a proper dinner service at around 02:30!! No wonder many passengers declined it. I did not, only because I wanted to see what it was and took a photo, haha 😛 . In the end, I only ate the chicken, egg, and fruit as I was not really hungry anyway.
Dinner service on board flight MU5030 at … 02:30 AM!! 😣
And then, the flight was scheduled to land at around 08:00. However, there was NO service at all prior to landing! No breakfast, no small snacks, no coffee/tea/etc. Nothing. It was so strange! I just don’t get it. If it were me, I would swap the dinner with a breakfast service.
Cloudy Shanghai
Anyway, the weather in Shanghai was not in the best mood, again, haha. Thick cloud was hanging and we had to land in the rain, again. Here is the landing video:
This time, though, at least we parked at a proper gate with an air bridge.
Yeah, overall, it was a rather disappointing flight with China Eastern. To be honest, after landing in Shanghai, I was very glad to have chosen Air France as my connecting flight to go back to Europe.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Garuda Indonesia Executive Lounge at Adisutjipto Airport
Traditional snack and jamu at Garuda Indonesia Executive Lounge
Boarding Garuda Indonesia’s PK-GMO
My seat 21K on board PK-GMO
AVOD PTV on the bulkhead
Garuda brand headset
Candies before take-off
Garuda Indonesia was the most loved airline of 2016
Thick cloud above Java
On board Garuda Indonesia’s Boeing 737-800 reg PK-GMO
PK-GMO’s right winglet
Complimentary snack box on board Garuda Indonesia GA 252
Garuda Indonesia Arrival Lounge at DPS
A priority check in counter at DPS
Garuda Indonesia International Lounge at Ngurah Rai Airport
The duty free area of Ngurah Rai International Airport
Wines at Garuda Indonesia International Lounge. I finished both of them 🙈
My seat 33L on board China Eastern’s B6095
A China Eastern’s B6095 lavatory with an air freshener
Penerbangan: Garuda Indonesia GA 252
Pesawat: Boeing 737-800 reg PK-GMO
ATD: 17:09 WIB
ATA: 19:06 WITA
Berhubung penerbanganku dijadwalkan berangkat jam 4:15 sore, aku tiba di Bandara Adisutjipto sekitar jam 2:15. Ketika check-in, aku diberi-tahu bahwa penerbanganku akan terlambat selama sekitar 30an menit akibat keberangkatan pesawat yang terlambat dari Denpasar. Yah, karena toh aku akan memiliki banyak waktu untuk dihabiskan di Bali sebelum penerbangan lanjutanku juga, aku sih tidak begitu masalah dengan keterlambatan ini, haha 😛 .
Garuda Indonesia Executive Lounge
Aku menunggu penerbanganku di Garuda Indonesia Executive Lounge dengan menggunakan status SkyTeam Elite Plus dari keanggotaan Flying Blue Gold-ku. Terakhir kali aku menggunakan lounge ini adalah sekitar 10 tahun yang lalu, haha. Lounge-nya sendiri lumayan lah, dengan pilihan makanan, minuman, dan snack yang cukup lengkap; walaupun ruangannya sendiri terasa sedikit klaustrofobik akibat tidak terlalu banyak memiliki jendela.
Sebuah Boeing 737-800nya Garuda Indonesia dengan rego PK-GMO
Anyway, penerbangan hari ini adalah dengan sebuah Boeing 737-800nya Garuda Indonesia dengan registrasi PK-GMO. Boarding dimulai sekitar jam 4:35 sore dan aku duduk di kursi 21K. Tak lama kemudian, pesawat berangkat dan lepas landas dari landasan pacu 09 Bandara Adisutjipto. Sampai jumpa, Yogyakarta!
Ini adalah penerbangan yang nyaman dengan Garuda Indonesia, seperti biasanya. Layanan snack dibagikan di penerbangan ini dan aku memanfaatkan IFEnya untuk mendengarkan musik. Penerbangan ini bebas turbulensi walaupun di luar sedang sangat berawan, sampai-sampai aku nggak bisa melihat pulau Jawa! Haha 😛 .
Pulau Jawa yang berawan
Sekitar sejam kemudian, kami mulai mendekati Bandara Internasional Ngurah Rai. Kami akan mendarat di landasan pacu 27 sehingga kami berputar-balik di atas Nusa Penida dan kemudian melewati Pantai Sanur dan Jalan Tol Bali Mandara sebelum mendarat. Berikut ini video pendaratannya:
Kru kabinnya Garuda Indonesia yang keren banget
Satu faktor keunggulan Garuda Indonesia adalah kru kabinnya yang, menurutku, memang yang terbaik di dunia (Garuda memenangi penghargaan kru kabin terbaik tiga tahun berturut-turut di tahun 2014, 2015, dan 2016). Dan ini memang nampak di penerbangan GA 252 ini.
Parkir di tempat parkir remote di DPS
Pesawat diparkir di sebuah tempat parkir remote sehingga penumpang akan diantar ke terminal dengan bus. Artinya kami harus turun tangga ke tarmac bandara. Di depanku adalah seorang ibu-ibu tua yang menjinjing dua buah tas. Melihat ini, seorang pramugarinya berinisiatif untuk membawakan dua tas ibunya itu! Ia kemudian juga ikut menuruni tangga dengan menenteng dua buah tas sambil menuntun ibu tua tersebut.
Dua pramugari Garuda Indonesia (jelas bukan dari penerbangan ini 😛 ).
Mungkin ini memang hal kecil ya; tetapi hal-hal kecil begini itu penting juga lho. Dan memang nampaknya kru kabin Garuda Indonesia konsisten dalam level pelayanannya ini, misalnya awal Januari lalu ketika seorang pramugari menggendong seorang ibu tua turun dari pesawat karena ketiadaan kursi roda. Sejujurnya, aku belum pernah melihat level pelayanan dan kepedulian yang setinggi ini dari kru kabin maskapai-maskapai lain yang pernah aku naiki. Iya, memang Garuda Indonesia berhak memenangi penghargaan itu.
Transit di DPS
Lounge Ketibaan Garuda Indonesia di DPS
Dengan status SkyTeam Elite Plus-ku, ketika tiba di Denpasar, aku bisa menunggu di lounge ketibaannya Garuda Indonesia. Di sana, seorang petugas mengambil tag bagasiku dan ia akan mengambilkan bagasiku untukku sementara aku bersantai menunggu di lounge-nya! 😮
Iyaa, asyik banget dah! Haha 😛
Hall international Bandara Ngurah Rai
Akibat keterlambatan ini, aku memutuskan untuk menunggu di bandara saja (awalnya aku sempat berpikiran untuk pergi makan malam di Kuta). Aku pergi ke kafe dan mempersiapkan sebuah posting untuk blog ini untuk menghabiskan waktu, haha. Jam 10:30 malam, aku masuk ke area keberangkatan untuk check-in.
Aku check-in di jalur reguler karena aku tidak menemukan jalur SkyPriority, yang mana waktu itu aku merasa aneh. Nah, ternyata di dalamnya lagi ada lounge spesial untuk check-in prioritas itu dong, yang mana awalnya aku kan nggak tahu 😦 .
Makan malam buffet Indonesia di Garuda Indonesia International Lounge di DPS
Setelah pemeriksaan imigrasi (yang mana antriannya nggak panjang untuk orang Indonesia 😛 ), aku pergi ke Garuda Indonesia International Lounge. Karena belum makan malam, aku merasa lapar. Untungnya lounge-nya menyediakan buffet yang cukup lengkap malam itu! Lounge-nya sendiri nyaman banget walaupun sayang koneksi wifi-nya lambat.
MU 5030 (Denpasar/Bali – Shanghai)
Penerbangan: China Eastern MU 5030
Pesawat: Airbus A330-300 reg B6095
ATD: 02:00 WITA
ATA: 07:46 CST
Boarding dimulai agak terlambat kali ini. Dan beberapa penumpang ekonomi reguler ingin menyerobot antri di jalur prioritas dong. Mas petugasnya memberi-tahu bahwa itu bukan jalur mereka, tetapi mereka komplain dong, pakai bahasa Mandarin pula, haha 😆 . Jadilah petugasnya (orang Indonesia) berkata: “Tolong menggunakan bahasa Inggris“, haha 😛 .
Sebuah Airbus A330-300nya China Eastern dengan rego B6095
Anyway, penerbangan hari ini akan dioperasikan dengan Airbus A330-300nya China Eastern dengan rego B6095. Awalnya aku excited karena pesawatnya ber-livery barunya China Eastern! Tetapi kemudian, setelah boarding aku langsung super kecewa karena:
Nggak ada PTV di dalam B6095nya China Eastern
Iya dong, nggak ada PTVnya!! 😱 😱 😱 Yang bener aja nih? Bukannya ini tahun 2017 dan China Eastern kan bukan LCC!?!? Yah, ini bukan masalah besar sih sebenarnya karena ini adalah penerbangan malam sehingga toh aku berencana untuk tidur juga. Mungkin ini justru bagus karena aku jadi tidak ada pilihan lain selain tidur, haha. Tapi tetap aja lah, secara keseluruhan ini mengecewakan dan bagiku menunjukkan ketidak-konsistenan level pelayanan dan kenyamanan di armada jarak jauhnya China Eastern.
Singkat cerita, kami berangkat dan lepas landas dari landasan pacu 27 Bandara Ngurah Rai jam 2 subuh. Lalu, kami belok ke arah utara menuju China.
Di dalam Airbus A330-300nya China Eastern dengan rego B6095.
Layanan di penerbangan ini juga aneh sekali. Dan aku masih gagal paham nih.
Lepas landas berlangsung jam 2 subuh yang mana artinya kebanyakan penumpang berencana untuk beristirahat. Tetapi kemudian, tak lama setelah lepas-landas, malah layanan makan malam dibagikan dong!! Yep, makan malam jam 2:30 subuh!! Nggak mengherankan lah banyak penumpang yang menolaknya. Aku sih engga, soalnya ingin tahu makan malamnya apaan dan ingin aku foto, haha 😛 . Akhirnya, yang kumakan hanya daging ayam, telur, dan buah-buahannya saja karena aku nggak lapar sama sekali.
Layanan makan malam di penerbangan MU5030 jam … 2:30 subuh!! 😣
Dan kemudia, penerbangan ini dijadwalkan tiba sekitar jam 8 pagi kan. Nah, justru malah TIDAK ADA layanan apa pun dong sebelum mendarat! Tidak ada sarapan, snack kecil apa gitu kek, teh/kopi/dll. Aneh banget deh! Aku gagal paham bener deh. Kalau aku sih, aku akan menukar layanan makan malam itu dengan layanan sarapan.
Shanghai yang berawan
Anyway, cuaca di Shanghai sedang tidak oke lagi nih. Awal tebal menggantung di atasnya sehingga kami harus mendarat di tengah hujan, lagi. Berikut ini video pendaratannya:
Setidaknya, kali ini kami parkir di sebuah gate dengan garbarata.
Ya, secara keseluruhan ini adalah penerbangan yang agak mengecewakan dengan China Eastern. Sejujurnya nih, setelah mendarat di Shanghai, aku merasa lega banget telah memilih Air France untuk penerbanganku kembali ke Eropa.
One big aspect of going to Yogyakarta was definitely the food, haha 😆 . By spending most of my time in this trip in Yogyakarta, I had the opportunity to go to a lot of my most favorite restaurants/places to eat in the city! Even then, I felt like there were many which I missed due to lack of time! Haha 🙊
This post summarizes this aspect. I will not go into words telling you what I ate there; which was a lot, btw, while thankfully I only gained 0.5 kg in total in this trip possibly due to the strict carbohydrate diet I applied throughout the entire trip 😛 . Anyway, I will just let the pictures do all the talking 🙂 .
Satu aspek besar dari pergi ke Yogyakarta jelas adalah makanannya, haha 😆 . Dengan menghabiskan sebagian besar waktuku di perjalanan ini di Yogyakarta, aku jadi memiliki banyak kesempatan untuk makan di rumah/tempat makan favoritku di sana! Walaupun begitu, rasanya masih ada banyak sih yang kulewatkan karena keterbatasan waktu! Haha 🙊
Posting ini merangkum aspek ini. Aku tidak akan menuliskan dalam kata-kata apa saja yang aku makan di sana; yang mana banyak juga loh, btw, dan untungnya aku cuma naik 0,5 kg saja totalnya di perjalanan ini mungkin akibat diet karbohidrat ketat yang kuterapkan selama aku di sana 😛 . Anyway, aku akan membiarkan foto-foto saja yang berbicara, haha 🙂 .
Flight: Nam Air IN 275
Equipment: Boeing 737-500 reg PK-NAO
ATD: 18:15 WITA
ATA: 18:30 WIB
Of all airlines that serve Denpasar/Bali – Yogyakarta route, I was only interested in flying NAM Air this time. The reason was simple, I had never tried them before and thought this was the perfect opportunity to do so 😛 .
Ngurah Rai International Airport
As the flight was scheduled to depart at 18:15, we had half a day to spend in Bali in the morning. We arrived at Ngurah Rai International Airport at around 15:30. After checking-in and passing security check, we arrived at the new departure area of the airport. And I have to say, it was really cool especially if I compared it with a few years back! 😀 The investment made by PT. Angkasa Pura I was certainly visible. I especially loved the (almost) undisrupted view towards the runway!!
NAM Air’s Boeing 737-500 with winglets reg PK-NAO
Anyway, at around 17:30, boarding call was made. All passengers were taken by a bus to NAM Air’s PK-NAO, a 22 year-old Boeing 737-500 with winglets. I boarded the plane and settled onto my 15F seat.
I have to say that the interior of the plane made it really obvious that the plane was aging. I don’t know, for some reason that was the impression of the atmosphere that I got.
This back of the seat in front of me definitely played a role in the “aging atmosphere” of the cabin.
Anyway, at 18:15, we departed and minutes later took off from runway 27 of Ngurah Rai International Airport. We were headed to the north west direction before turning south west somewhere above East Java towards Yogyakarta. The weather in the first half of the flight was fine, but it was really cloudy with mild turbulences closer to Yogyakarta. A snack service consisting of a bread and mineral water was provided by the flight attendants, who did not need to work super hard today as the load factor was less than 50%, I estimate.
Hello, Yogyakarta!!
At 18:30 WIB, we were already flying above the city of Yogyakarta, and then landed at runway 27 of Adisutjipto International Airport.
Yogyakarta
Now that I think about this, despite this trip being the shortest trip to Indonesia (and the surrounding) I have done since I moved to the Netherlands, I actually had the longest consecutive days stay in Yogyakarta in this trip!
This allowed me to spent more time with my close friends and family, which was of course really fun! Though at times it was quite tricky as well to split the time for the two parties, though, haha 😆 .
The new Hartono Mall in Yogyakarta
Anyway, what strikes me the most is how fast Yogyakarta is growing. There are a lot of new buildings standing in the city, now; with most of them appear to cater the leisure market (hotels and malls).
Which isn’t that big of a surprise. Yogyakarta is still a tourist magnet, especially in holiday season. This was visible from the traffic jam I encountered in the main roads in the city, especially in the area surrounding Malioboro (for this reason I literally was avoiding Jalan Malioboro, at all, this time).
Fireworks
I didn’t do anything special on New Year’s Eve. I just stayed at my parents’, which the last time I did that was eight years ago. For some reason I still remember that evening from eight years ago, and how fast time flies indeed!! Anyway, it was so different from last year and two years ago when I went partying in Huatulco (Mexico) and Goa (India), haha.
Being a raining season, it also rained for quite a bit during the last two days of my stay in Yogyakarta. And it had really been awhile since I experienced a real tropical rain! Lol 😆 . Though this also made me realize that many parts of Yogyakarta still did not have a proper drainage system yet, unfortunately.
Weather in Yogyakarta, minutes before it started to pour
Overall, yeah, it was really nice that I got the chance to stay in Yogyakarta for the most part of this year end trip! 🙂 I really, really enjoyed my time there!! 🙂
Penerbangan: Nam Air IN 275
Pesawat: Boeing 737-500 reg PK-NAO
ATD: 18:15 WITA
ATA: 18:30 WIB
Dari semua maskapai penerbangan yang melayani rute Denpasar/Bali – Yogyakarta, kali ini aku hanya tertarik untuk terbang dengan NAM Air. Alasannya sih sederhana, aku belum pernah terbang bersama mereka sebelumnya dan aku merasa ini adalah kesempatan yang sempurna untuk mencobanya 😛 .
Bandar Udara Internasional Ngurah Rai
Karena penerbangannya dijadwalkan berangkat jam 6:15 sore, kami memiliki setengah hari untuk dihabiskan di Bali di pagi harinya. Kami tiba di Bandara Internasional Ngurah Rai sekitar jam 3:30 sore. Setelah check-in dan pemeriksaan sekuriti, kami tiba di area keberangkatan barunya bandara ini. Dan harus kubilang bahwa areanya keren banget sekarang terutama jika dibandingkan dengan beberapa tahun yang lalu! 😀 Investasi yang telah dikeluarkan PT. Angkasa Pura I benar-benar terlihat dan terasa deh. Aku terutama suka sekali dengan pandangan (nyaris) tak terhalang ke arah landasan pacu bandaranya!!
Pesawat Boeing 737-500 dengan winglets-nya NAM Air dengan registrasi PK-NAO
Anyway, sekitar jam 5:30 sore, penumpang diminta naik pesawat. Semua penumpang diantarkan dengan sebuah bus ke pesawat PK-NAOnya NAM Air, sebuah Boeing 737-500 yang dilengkapi dengan winglets dan berusia 22 tahun. Aku menaiki pesawatnya dan duduk di kursi 15F.
Harus aku bilang bahwa interior di pesawatnya sungguh menampakkan usia pesawatnya yang sudah tergolong tua. Nggak tahu sih, entah mengapa ini adalah impresi yang kudapatkan dari atmosfer di dalam pesawatnya.
Bagian belakang kursi di depanku ini jelas berpartisipasi di dalam “atmosfer menua” kabin pesawatnya.
Anyway, jam 6:15 sore, kami berangkat dan beberapa menit kemudian lepas landas dari landasan pacu 27 Bandara Internasional Ngurah Rai. Kami berbelok mengarah barat laut sebelum kemudian berbelok lagi ke barat daya di atas Jawa Timur untuk menuju Yogyakarta. Cuaca di separuh pertama perjalanan baik-baik saja, tetapi di separuh kedua terdapat banyak awan dengan turbulensi-turbulensi kecil di dekat Yogyakarta. Layanan snack yang terdiri dari sepotong roti dan air mineral dibagikan oleh para pramugarinya, yang di penerbangan ini tidak harus bekerja super keras karena load factor yang berada di bawah 50%, aku perkirakan.
Halo, Yogyakarta!!
Jam 6:30 WIB, kami telah berada di atas kota Yogyakarta, dan kemudian mendarat di landasan pacu 27 Bandara Internasional Adisutjipto.
Yogyakarta
Kalau dipikir-pikir lagi sekarang, walaupun perjalanan ini adalah perjalanan tersingkatku ke Indonesia (dan sekitarnya) yang kulakukan semenjak pindah ke Belanda, sebenarnya aku malah menghabiskan hari-hari berturutan terpanjang di Yogyakarta loh di perjalanan ini!
Ini memungkinkanku untuk menghabiskan banyak waktu dengan teman dekat dan keluargaku, yang mana jelas asyik banget! Walaupun terkadang tricky juga sih untuk membagi waktu untuk dua grup ini, haha 😆 .
Hartono Mall yang baru itu di Yogyakarta
Anyway, yang mencolok di mataku adalah cepatnya pertumbuhan kota Yogyakarta. Ada banyak sekali gedung-gedung baru yang didirikan di sana; yang mana kebanyakan berhubungan dengan industri pariwisata (misalnya hotel dan mall).
Yang mana nggak mengherankan juga sih. Yogyakarta masih merupakan magnet turis, terutama di musim liburan. Ini nampak jelas dari kemacetan jalan yang aku hadapi di banyak poros jalan utama, terutama di area sekitarnya Malioboro (oleh karena ini lah aku sengaja menghindari Jalan Malioboro kali ini).
Kembang api
Aku tidak mengadakan acara spesial apa pun di Malam Tahun Baru. Aku cuma di rumahnya orangtuaku saja, yang mana terakhir kali aku lakukan delapan tahun yang lalu. Entah mengapa aku masih ingat banget deh malam dari delapan tahun yang lalu itu, dan waktu beneran cepat banget berlalu ya!! Anyway, iya sih berbeda banget dengan satu dan dua tahun sebelumnya dimana aku pergi partyingdi Huatulco (Meksiko) dan Goa (India), haha.
Karena musim hujan, di Yogyakarta hujan deras di dua hari terakhirku di sana. Dan ternyata sudah lama banget juga ya semenjak terakhir kali aku menghadapi yang namanya hujan tropis deras semacam itu! Haha 😆 . Walaupun ini membuatku menyadari bahwa banyak tempat di Yogyakarta masih tidak dilengkapi dengan sistem saluran drainaise yang baik, sayangnya.
Cuaca di Yogyakarta, bebrapa menit sebelum hujan deras turun.
Secara keseluruhan, ya, aku senang dapat menghabiskan banyak waktu di Yogyakarta di perjalanan kali ini! 🙂 Aku benar-benar menikmati waktuku di sana!! 🙂
We stayed in Bali for about three days. We chose to take it slow this time because (1) I was recovering from my long travel (read Part I and Part II 😛 ) and the annoying eastward jetlag; and (2) We had been to Bali many times anyway, haha 😆 . Nonetheless, we still managed to sneak a couple of new destinations into our itinerary.
The Blangsinga Waterfall in Bali
On Monday, we went to the Blangsinga Waterfall in Gianyar. It was quite a nice waterfall that was not so tall. There were steps next to the waterfall which made it quite cool in my opinion. From there, we went to the Hidden Canyon nearby. But unfortunately, the water level was really high today that we decided not to go in. Then, we went back to the hotel because I was seriously exhausted, lol 😆 .
On Tuesday, we went to the currently “hip” Bali Pulina Coffee Plantation to the north of Ubud. We were taken to the terraces with good view to the valley. Along the way, we were briefly explained about the making process of coffee, including the famous “Kopi Luwak”. They even had a few alive “luwaks” (mongoose)!
Coffee roasting at Bali Pulina Coffee Plantation 😛
Part of the experience was coffee cupping, where we were served eight different drinks (of which six were coffee and two were tea). Afterwards, we could choose which one each of us liked the best which they would serve to us along with two pieces of “pisang goreng” (fried banana).
Coffee cupping at Bali Pulina Coffee Plantation
From those eight, the one which really, really caught my attention the most was the “lemon tea”. Seriously, it was the most delicious lemon tea I had ever had in my entire life! Ever!! Really!! So obviously I picked that one as my choice, haha 😀 .
The Food
As we chose to take it slow on the destinations, this gave us plenty of opportunity to go on a culinary trip on the island, lol 😆 . We went to many different places to eat, so I won’t write them all in details here. But here are three that were memorable to me.
Kilo Bali
Dinner at Kilo Bali
This restaurant became one of my favorite restaurants in Bali now. While it was rather at the top end of restaurants in Bali, I felt like it was worth the price! The ambience was good, the staffs were really helpful, and, more importantly, the Asian-Western fusion food was great and really creative!! I would definitely love to come back!!
Jamie’s Italian
Jamie’s Italian in Kuta, Bali
It is not a secret anymore that Jamie’s Italian is one of my most favorite restaurants in Europe, haha 😆 . And so two years ago when I read that they would open a new branch in Kuta, Bali, I became very intrigued to try it! I was curious whether they were able to maintain the quality or not.
And as it turned out, they were!! In my opinion, it was as good as the ones in Europe! Though, the price also seemed to copy the European price as well. Like, they just converted the European price list into rupiah, haha 😆 . But it was Bali afterall so it was probably not that surprising.
Nasi Babi Guling Ibu Oka
Babi guling Ibu Oka in Ubud
On the way to Bali Pulina Coffee Plantation, we passed by Ubud. So obviously we decided to stop by at the famous Nasi Babi Guling Ibu Oka, as it was around (late)-lunch time anyway. It was as good as usual!!
Kami tinggal di Bali selama sekitar tiga hari. Kami memilih untuk bersantai-saja kali ini karena (1) aku masih pemulihan dari perjalanan panjangku (baca Bagian I dan Bagian II 😛 ) dan juga dari jetlag arah timur yang menyebalkan itu; dan (2) Toh kami sudah pernah ke Bali banyak kali sebelumnya, haha 😆 . Walaupun begitu, kami masih sempat memasukkan dua tempat tujuan baru ke dalam jadwal kami sih.
Air terjun Blangsinga di Bali
Di hari Senin, kami pergi ke Air Terjun Blangsinga di Gianyar. Ini adalah air terjun yang cukup oke tetapi tidak lah terlalu tinggi. Ada tangga di sebelah air terjunnya yang membuatnya cukup unik menurutku. Dari sana, kami pergi ke Hidden Canyon yang berlokasi tidak terlalu jauh. Sayangnya, hari ini airnya sedang tinggi sehingga kami memutuskan untuk tidak jadi masuk. Dari situ, kami kembali ke hotel karena aku benar-benar masih merasa lelah sekali, haha 😆 .
Di hari Selasa, kami pergi ke tempat yang lagi nge-hits, yaitu Bali Pulina Coffee Plantatiun di utaranya Ubud. Kan biar #kekinian gitu, haha. Di sana, kami diantarkan ke terasnya yang memiliki pemandangan yang cukup oke ke sebuah lembah. Di jalan, kami sedikit dijelaskan mengenai proses pembuatan kopi, termasuk kopi luwak yang terkenal itu. Bahkan, di sana ada beberapa ekor luwak hidup juga loh!
Coffee roasting di Bali Pulina Coffee Plantation 😛
Bagian dari pengalaman ini adalah coffee cupping, dimana kami disajikan delapan minuman yang berbeda (enam di antaranya adalah kopi dan dua adalah teh). Setelahnya, masing-masing dari kami bisa memilih yang paling kami suka dan mereka akan menyajikannya bersamaan dengan dua potong pisang goreng.
Coffee cupping di Bali Pulina Coffee Plantation
Dari delapan itu, yang paling menarik perhatianku adalah “lemon tea“-nya. Serius nih, lemon tea yang itu adalah lemon tea paling enak yang pernah aku minum seumur hidup! Beneran!! *nggak santai* Jadi jelas aku memilihnya sebagai pilihanku, haha 😀 .
Makanan
Karena kami memutuskan untuk santai-santai aja dalam hal destinasi, ini memberikan kami waktu untuk kulineran di pulaunya, haha 😆 . Kami mampir di banyak restoran yang berbeda, jadilah aku tidak akan menuliskan semuanya. Tapi berikut ini tiga yang paling berkesan bagiku.
Kilo Bali
Makan malam di Kilo Bali
Restoran ini kini menjadi salah satu restoran favoritku di Bali. Walaupun memang termasuk dalam jajaran restoran kelas atas di Bali, aku merasa sepadan banget kok! Suasananya enak banget, stafnya baik-baik, dan, yang paling penting, makanan fusion Asia-Baratnya juga enak banget dan amat kreatif!! Aku tidak berkeberatan untuk kembali lagi!!
Jamie’s Italian
Jamie’s Italian di Kuta, Bali
Bukan rahasia lagi bahwa Jamie’s Italian adalah salah satu restoran favoritku di Eropa. Jadilah dua tahun lalu ketika aku membaca bahwa mereka akan membuka cabang di Kuta, Bali, aku jadi penasaran dong! Aku ingin tahu apakah mereka bisa menjaga kualitasnya atau tidak.
Dan ternyata, memang mereka bisa!! Menurutku, rasanya memang seenak yang di Eropa! Walaupun harganya juga sepertinya kopian harga di Eropa sih, haha. Mereka seperti mengonversi harga Eropa ke dalam rupiah gitu deh, haha 😆 . Yah, tapi namanya Bali sih ya jadi mungkin tidak lah semengagetkan itu.
Nasi Babi Guling Ibu Oka
Babi guling Ibu Oka di Ubud
Dalam perjalanan ke Bali Pulina Coffee Plantation, kami melewati Ubud. Jadilah kami memutuskan untuk sekalian mampir di Nasi Babi Guling Ibu Oka yang terkenal itu, karena toh waktu itu memang jam makan siang (sudah agak kesorean sih sebenarnya). Dan rasanya enak seperti biasanya!!
Seamless Transiting Experience at Shanghai Pudong (PVG)
As I mentioned in Part I, my luggage was tagged only to Shanghai. Consequently, at Shanghai Pudong I would need to take my luggage and recheck it in to Bali.
Arriving in Shanghai
After the bus took me to the terminal, I asked for the transfer desk. I could not find any, instead, I faced two options: to go left to the “international transfer” area or to go right to the immigration area. As I was transiting internationally, I turned left.
The officer told me I could go in because I already had my Shanghai – Bali boarding pass. But then when I asked her about my luggage, she hesitated a little bit and then told me I needed to go out, take my luggage, and recheck it in myself, indeed.
So I turned back and went to the immigration area. Here is the thing. I did not have a valid Chinese visa at the time. But I was not worried at all because I knew I qualified for the visa exemption, under the “24-hour direct transit” rule.
Shanghai Pudong
The immigration officer asked me when my connecting flight would be. I told him it would depart in about 2.5 hours, lol 😆 . He was surprised to hear that as why would I need to enter China, then? I told him about the luggage situation. He then called his colleague, who took a copy of my passport. Then, they put a “Temporary Stay Permit” that was valid for 24 hours in my passport, and stamped my entrance to China.
Seamless!! I was really impressed!!
This experience meant I could say that I was back IN China after about 6.5 years!! Well, despite for only like 30 minutes this time, lol 😆 .
Gate to Bali
Being tagged with a priority label, my luggage had been waiting for me at the belt when I left immigration. I took it and went to the transfer area. I had to scan my luggage first and then I could recheck-it in to Bali.
I went upstairs to the departure area, where I was immediately directed to the immigration area as I already had my boarding pass with me. I queued for a little bit and when it was my turn, the officer told me I had not filled in the departure card so I had to go out the line, filled it in first, and requeued. But then, seeing that I was about to queue AGAIN after I filled the card in, another officer told me to go to the priority lane instead!!
Wow!! Seamless, again!!
Dimsum for dinner at the lounge
After immigration and the security check, I went to China Eastern’s lounge. And I have to say I was impressed with the lounge! There were two floors, where hot food could be found on the first (and it was the busier of the two) while people could relax more on the second. Moreover, the best area of the lounge was on the second floor, this spot:
A massage chair at China Eastern Lounge!
Yesss!!! Complimentary full-body massage chairs!! As someone who never went to a massage parlor in Europe, this was like heaven to me! Lol 😆 .
Some massage modes
There were many massage programs we could choose (shiatsu, kneading, tapping, etc) and even we could ask the chair to massage a specific part of our body. I chose the sport relaxation massage, which would last for a good 30 minutes. The machine started with “sensing our body” before the massage began, and that it would start massaging accordingly!!
Amazing!!
MU 5029 (Shanghai – Denpasar/Bali)
Flight: China Eastern MU 5029
Equipment: Airbus A330-300 reg B5953
ATD: 18:40 CST
ATA: 00:34 WITA
Boarding was delayed for about 30 minutes. I found the boarding to be rather unorganized, though, where they switched the priority and regular lanes after people had started to queue, and they opened the two lanes at the same time (so what was the point of the priority lane, then? 🙄 ).
A China Eastern’s Airbus A330-300 reg B5953
Anyway, the flight today was upgraded from an Airbus A330-200 to an Airbus A330-300 with registration B5953. I settled onto my 33A seat after boarding. Luckily, the seat next to me was VACANT today, yeay!! 😀
Shanghai Pudong Airport was quite busy this evening. We had to wait for quite a long time before getting the permission to take off. Once we did, we immediately headed south towards Indonesia.
The dinner service on board China Eastern MU5029 to Bali.
About an hour after take-off, dinner was served. I chose the beef and rice option, which was quite good and tasted “so Chinese”, haha. The vegetables reminded of my trip to China 6.5 years ago.
Hello, Indonesia!!
I decided to watch The Legend of Tarzan on my AVOD screen on this flight. I was also quite tired and I was able to sleep for about 2.5 hours, haha. I woke up just in time when we were entering Indonesia. It turned out we did so above the island of Kalimantan, flying over Kota Kinabalu towards Palangkaraya, then made a turn towards Bali.
On board China Eastern’s Airbus A330-300 B5953
At 00:34 WITA, we landed at runway 27 of Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali. I was lucky that the immigration lane for Indonesians was queue-less (while the lane for foreigners was so full of people, lol). But still, the luggage handling was quite long as I could only leave the airport at about 01:30, lol 😆 . My parents and brother had waited for me just outside the luggage area. They picked my up and we went to our hotel in Tanjung Benoa.
Approaching runway 27 of Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali.
Anyway, here, finally I was back in Indonesia. And I was ready for Bali!! 😀
TO BE CONTINUED…
Shanghai Pudong
China Eastern Lounge (second floor)
China Eastern Lounge (dining area)
China Eastern Lounge
Sky Priority in China
Boarding China Eastern
My seat 33A on board B5953
Good seat pitch
PTV Screen with AVOD
Rainy Shanghai
Safety demo
The lavatory
Air fresheners
Both seats were for me!!
Flying over the Bali Mandara Toll Road in high speed
Pengalaman Transit Amat Mulus di Shanghai Pudong (PVG)
Seperti yang kusebutkan di Bagian I, bagasiku hanya ditandai sampai di Shanghai saja. Sebagai akibatnya, di Shanghai Pudong aku harus mengambil bagasiku dan meng-check-in-kannya lagi ke Bali.
Ketibaan di Shanghai
Setelah aku dibawa dengan bus ke terminal, aku bertanya mengenai lokasi meja transit. Aku tidak bisa menemukannya. Malah, aku dihadapkan pada dua pilihan: belok kiri ke area “transit internasional” atau belok kanan ke area imigrasi. Karena aku akan transit internasional, aku memilih untuk belok kiri.
Petugasnya berkata aku bisa masuk karena aku sudah memiliki boarding pass Shanghai – Bali. Tetapi ketika aku ceritakan mengenai situasi bagasiku, awalnya ia menjadi ragu dan kemudian berkata sebaiknya aku keluar, mengambil bagasiku, dan meng-check-in-kannya lagi sendiri.
Jadilah aku berputar-balik dan masuk ke area imigrasi. Tetapi begini nih situasinya waktu itu. Aku tidak memiliki visa China yang berlaku. Tetapi aku sih tidak khawatir karena aku tahu aku bisa mendapatkan pengecualian visa, di bawah aturan “24-hour direct transit”.
Shanghai Pudong
Petugas imigrasinya bertanya kapan penerbangan lanjutanku akan berangkat. Aku jawab 2,5 jam lagi, huahaha 😆 . Ia kaget ketika mendengarnya karena lantas untuk apa dong perlunya aku masuk ke dalam China? Aku ceritakan situasi bagasiku. Ia kemudian menelepon koleganya, yang kemudian memfoto-kopi pasporku. Kemudian, ia memberikan cap “Temporary Stay Permit” yang berlaku 24 jam di dalam pasporku, dan mencapnya lagi untuk memberikanku akses masuk ke China.
Mulus bangett!! Aku sungguh terkesan!!
Pengalaman ini berarti kini aku bisa bilang bahwa aku kembali DI China setelah 6,5 tahun-an!! Yah, walaupun cuma sekitar 30an menit saja sih kali ini, haha 😆 .
Gerbang keberangkatan ke Bali
Karena diberi label prioritas, bagasiku sudah menungguku di karusel pengambilan bagasi. Aku mengambilnya dan masuk ke area transfer. Setelah bagasinya aku scan, aku meng-check-in-kannya kembali ke Bali.
Kemudian aku naik ke area keberangkatan di lantai atas, dimana aku langsung diarahkan ke area imigrasi karena aku sudah memiliki boarding pass. Setelah sedikit mengantri dan giliranku tiba, petugasnya berkata aku belum mengisi kartu keberangkatan sehingga aku harus keluar antrian, mengisinya, dan kemudian mengantri lagi. Tetapi kemudian, melihat bahwa aku akan mengantri LAGI setelah mengisi kartunya, seorang petugas berkata bahwa aku diperbolehkan mengantri di jalur antrian prioritas!!
Wow!! Mulus banget, lagi, ya!!
Dimsum untuk makan malam di lounge
Setelah imigrasi dan pemeriksaan sekuriti, aku masuk ke lounge-nya China Eastern. Dan harus kubilang bahwa aku sungguh terkesan dengan lounge-nya! Ukurannya besar dengan dua lantai, di mana makanan hangat tersedia di lantai satu (dan lantai ini memang yang lebih ramai) sementara di lantai dua pengunjung bisa bersantai. Lebih jauh lagi, area terasyik di lounge ini ada di lantai dua, bagian ini nih:
Kursi pijat di Lounge China Eastern!
Iyaaaa!!! Kursi pijat seluruh badan komplimen!! Sebagai fakir pijat di Eropa, ini mah benar-benar seperti surga lah ya bagiku! Ahahahah 😆 .
Beberapa mode pijat
Ada banyak mode program pijat yang bisa dipilih (shiatsu, kneading, tapping, dll) dan bahkan kita bisa meminta kursinya untuk memijiat bagian tertentu dari badan kita. Aku memilih program pijat sport relaxation yang panjangnya 30 menit. Mesinnya memulai pijatan dengan “merasakan badan kita” dahulu di mana ia mempelajari lekuk tubuh kita sebelum mulai memijat berdasarkan informasi itu!!
Keren ya!!
MU 5029 (Shanghai – Denpasar/Bali)
Penerbangan: China Eastern MU 5029
Pesawat: Airbus A330-300 reg B5953
ATD: 18:40 CST
ATA: 00:34 WITA
Boarding terlambat sekitar setengah jam. Aku merasa proses boarding-nya berlangsung cukup kacau, sayangnya. Mereka sempat menukar jalur prioritas dan reguler setelah penumpang mulai mengantri, dan kedua jalur mereka buka pada saat yang bersamaan (terus apa dong gunanya jalur prioritas kalau begitu? 🙄 )
Sebuah Airbus A330-300nya China Eastern dengan rego B5953
Anyway, penerbangan hari ini di-upgrade dari pesawat tipe Airbus A330-200 menjadi Airbus A330-300 dengan registrasi B5953. Aku duduk di kursi 33A. Beruntung, kursi di sebelahku KOSONG loh hari ini, horee!! 😀
Bandara Shanghai Pudong sibuk sore hari ini. Kami harus mengantri lama sebelum mendapatkan giliran lepas landas. Setelah lepas landas, kami berbelok ke arah selatan menuju Indonesia.
Layanan makan malam di penerbangan MU 5029nya China Eastern menuju Bali.
Sekitar satu jam setelah lepas landas, layanan makan malam diberikan. Aku memilih pilihan daging sapi dan nasi, yang mana rasanya cukup lumayan dan “mainland Chinese” banget lah, haha. Sayurannya mengingatkanku akan perjalananku ke China 6,5 tahun yang lalu.
Halo, Indonesia!!
Aku memutuskan untuk menonton The Legend of Tarzan di layar AVODku kali ini. Aku juga merasa cukup lelah dan bisa tidur selama 2,5 jam-an, haha. Aku bangun tepat ketika pesawat mulai memasuki area Indonesia. Ternyata, hari ini kami masuk Indonesia melalui langit di atas pulau Kalimantan, dengan terbang dari Kota Kinabalu menuju Palangkaraya dan kemudian berbelok menuju Bali.
Di dalam pesawat Airbus A330-300 B5953nya China Eastern
Jam 00:34 WITA, pesawat mendarat di landasan pacu 27 Bandara Internasional Ngurah Rai di Bali. Beruntung antrian imigrasi bagi pemegang paspor Indonesia kosong hari ini (sementara antrian bagi orang asingnya panjaaaang, ahahah 😆 ). Tetapi sayangnya, layanan bagasinya lama sekali sehingga aku baru bisa keluar bandara jam 01:30, haha 😆 . Orangtuaku dan adikku telah menungguku di luar area pengambilan bagasi. Mereka menjemputku dan kami pergi ke hotel kami di Tanjung Benoa.
Flight: Alitalia AZ 107
Equipment: Airbus A320-200 reg EI-DTH
ATD: 12:29 CET
ATA: 14:06 CET
Because I could not check in online, I went to the (priority) check in desk at Schiphol Airport. Upon check in, the lady informed me that she could only tag my luggage until Shanghai and, for some reason, she could not tag it all the way to Bali. This meant that I would have to get my luggage, myself, at Shanghai Pudong Airport and rechecked it in to Bali. She also informed me that all window seats had been taken on the Amsterdam to Rome flight. Damn, but at least I got an aisle seat.
After the security check, I went to the KLM Crown Lounge and waited for my flight there. Just before boarding time, I left the lounge and went to the gate. The flight today would be operated with an Alitalia’s Airbus A320-200 with an Irish registration: EI-DTH.
Alitalia’s Airbus A320-200 reg EI-DTH
The flight was slightly delayed today and upon boarding, some Christmas-themed songs were played, like Sister Act’s “Happy Days” and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You”, haha. Not long after, all passengers boarded and the flight departed.
Overall it was a regular uneventful flight with Alitalia, with a few minor turbulence along the way. I was a little bit disappointed, though, that they did not serve their famous blood orange juice on this flight. At 14:06, we landed at Rome Fiumicino International Airport.
The complimentary snack on board an Alitalia’s flight. No more blood orange juice 😦
Transitting at Rome – Fiumicino
Another situation I had to deal today was that at Schiphol, I was only given the Amsterdam – Rome boarding pass. I would receive my boarding passes for my next two flights with China Eastern in Rome, I was told. I assumed I would be able to do that at an Alitalia’s transfer desk, as both Alitalia and China Eastern were members of SkyTeam. So I went to the first Alitalia transfer desk that I saw in the terminal.
The transfer desk was super busy, not surprising considering it was peak travelling time. The lady said she could not help me as my next two flights were with China Eastern and she shooed me away to “Terminal 3” without giving me any more guidance. Look, I understood that she was probably overwhelmed with the many people she had to deal with today so the rather rude behavior, but I would not mind to have a more helpful transfer agent.
Alitalia’s lounge at Rome Fiumicino
So I went to Terminal 3, upon which I asked an information lady where I could get my China Eastern boarding pass. It seemed to me that this was not the first time she got this question, as she could immediately tell me to go to the gate and the agents there would hand me my boarding passes. So I passed immigration and went to the planned gate. It turned out I was too early (well, I was there like 4.5 hours before departure 😛 ), so I decided to go to an Alitalia’s lounge at the airport. Let’s say the lounge was not the best lounge I had been too, haha, though it was rather sufficient.
About 1.5 hours before departure time, I went to the gate and I got my boarding passes; all the way to Bali. I made sure about my luggage situation, and it was confirmed that I would need to take care of my luggage at Shanghai Pudong.
MU 788 (Rome – Shanghai)
Flight: China Eastern MU 788
Equipment: Airbus A330-200 reg B5908
ATD: 20:44 CET
ATA: 14:22 CST
At about 20:00, boarding call was made. I was lucky today. Flight MU 788 would be operated with an Airbus A330-200 reg B5908, which was in SkyTeam livery!! Yes! My first long-haul flight with an alliance special livery!! 😀
China Eastern’s Airbus A330-200 reg B5908 in SkyTeam livery
I was among the first passengers to board the plane, and I quickly settled into my 67L seat. Boarding went rather efficiently. Once all passengers boarded, the doors were closed and the flight departed. We took off in the westward direction before turning eastward towards China.
On board China Eastern’s B5908
About an hour after departure, dinner was served. When the flight attendants reached my row, they had run out of the rice option and I was left with the “noodles” option with fish. Well, I did not mind noodles so it was not a problem. But then, upon opening the lid, the “noodles” was actually “penne pasta”! I like pasta, but to me “noodles” is different from “pasta”! Haha 😆 .
Dinner service (fish pasta) on board China Eastern’s flight MU788
The AVOD on board the flight was actually quite good. It actually exceeded my expectation as there were quite many Western options! I decided to watch Independence Day: Resurgence before sleep and Ice Age: Collision Course after sleep, haha.
On board China Eastern’s Airbus A330-200 reg B5908
The flight attendants were also quite good. They could speak (basic) English, unlike some reviews I read before complaining about this aspect, lol 😆 , and were actually quite attentive.
I could sleep for about four hours in total, which was not that bad, actually, haha 😆 . The flight attendants turned on the cabin light about two hours before landing, while we were already somewhere above Mongolia. Breakfast was served, with the options of omelette or fried rice. I opted for the fried rice one, which was cooked in Chinese style (read: the rice was white and salty 😀 ).
Somewhere above Mongolia
The weather above Shanghai turned out to not be in the best mood today. Thick cloud was hanging and it was actually raining when we approached the airport. At 14:06 CST, we landed smoothly at runway 17R of Shanghai Pudong Airport. Here is the landing video:
As you could see, it was raining when we landed. I also saw that a lot of the gates at the terminal building were vacant, so I thought we would park at one. But then, the plane made a turn away from the terminal, which meant we parked at a remote stand (and would be taken with a few buses to the terminal)!
We parked at a remote stand at Shanghai Pudong International Airport
I was so confused! Normally, actually I prefer to park at a remote stand. However, today it was raining AND I would have to take care of many stuffs (due to my luggage situation) in Shanghai! So I had a mixed feeling about this, haha 😆 .
TO BE CONTINUED…
Boarding Alitalia
Seat 10D on board Alitalia’s EI-DTH
Safety card on board Alitalia’s Airbus A320
Stuffies
On board Alitalia’s Airbus A320-200 reg EI-DTH
Alitalia’s Business Class Lounge at FCO
Ferrari
Seat 67L on board China Eastern’s B5905
PTV Screen with AVOD on board China Eastern’s B5905
Safety card on board China Eastern’s Airbus A330-200
Stuffies
See you, Italy!
Some air fresheners inside a China Eastern’s lavatory
Waking up somewhere north to Kazakhstan
A morning view
Canada’s second biggest contribution to aviation 😛
The right winglet of B5905 in SkyTeam livery
The left engine of China Eastern’s Airbus A330-200 B5905
Penerbangan: Alitalia AZ 107
Pesawat: Airbus A320-200 reg EI-DTH
ATD: 12:29 CET
ATA: 14:06 CET
Karena tidak bisa check in online, aku harus check in biasa di meja check in (prioritas) di Bandara Schiphol. Ketika check in, petugasnya memberi-tahuku bahwa ia hanya bisa menge-tag bagasiku sampai Shanghai saja dan, entah karena apa, ia tidak bisa menge-tag-nya langsung sampai Bali. Ini berarti aku harus mengambil bagasiku, sendiri, di Bandara Shanghai Pudong dan menge-check-in-nya kembali ke Bali. Ia juga memberi-tahuku bahwa semua kursi jendela telah terambil di penerbangan Amsterdam ke Roma. Sial, tetapi setidaknya aku masih mendapatkan kursi lorong sih.
Setelah pemeriksaan sekuriti, aku menunggu penerbanganku di KLM Crown Lounge. Sebelum waktu berangkat, aku meninggalkan lounge-nya dan berjalan ke gerbang keberangkatan. Penerbangan hari ini akan dioperasikan dengan Airbus A320-200nya Alitalia dengan registrasi Irlandia: EI-DTH.
Airbus A320-200nya Alitalia dengan rego EI-DTH
Penerbangan hari ini sedikit terlambat dan ketika naik pesawat, beberapa lagu bertemakan Natal dimainkan, seperti “Happy Days” -nya Sisters Act dan “All I Want for Christmas is You”-nya Mariah Carey, haha. Tak lama setelahnya, semua penumpang naik pesawat dan penerbangan bisa diberangkatkan.
Secara umum ini adalah penerbangan normal dan uneventful bersama Alitalia, dengan beberapa turbulensi kecil sepanjang jalan. Aku sedikit kecewa sih sebenarnya, karena mereka tidak menyediakan blood orange juice yang terkenal itu dong di penerbangan ini. Jam 14:06, pesawat mendarat di Bandara Internasional Fiumicino di Roma.
Layanan snack di penerbangan Alitalia. Sayang banget nggak ada lagi blood orange juice 😦
Transit di Roma – Fiumicino
Situasi lain yang harus kuhadapi hari ini adalah di Schiphol, aku hanya diberikan boarding pass Amsterdam – Roma saja. Aku diberi-tahu boarding pass-ku selanjutnya dengan China Eastern akan dibagikan di Roma. Aku asumsikan aku akan mendapatkannya di konter transitnya Alitalia, karena Alitalia dan China Eastern kan sama-sama anggota SkyTeam. Jadilah aku pergi ke konter transit Alitalia pertama yang kulihat di terminal.
Konter transitnya amat sibuk waktu itu. Tidak mengherankan sih karena hari ini kan memang puncak-puncaknya lalu-lintas penumpang. Petugasnya berkata ia tidak bisa membantuku karena dua penerbanganku selanjutnya adalah dengan China Eastern. Ia mengusirku untuk ke “Terminal 3” tanpa memberikan informasi lain yang lebih jelas. Begini deh, aku mengerti bahwa saat itu ia sedang sibuk sekali dan mungkin overwhelmed dengan situasinya karena saking banyaknya penumpang yang harus ia layani sehingga mungkin ini menyebabkan ia agak kasar. Tapi tetap aja sih, menurutku akan lebih baik juga andaikata ia bisa sedikit lebih membantu gitu.
Lounge-nya Alitalia di Roma Fiumicino
Jadilah aku pergi ke Terminal 3, dimana di jalan aku bertanya ke seorang petugas informasi dimana boarding pass China Eastern-nya bisa kudapatkan. Nampaknya ini bukan kali pertama ia mendapatkan pertanyaan semacam ini, karena ia bisa langsung memberi-tahuku untuk pergi ke gate dan petugas di sana akan memberikanku boarding-pass-nya. Jadilah aku melewati pemeriksaan imigrasi dan berjalan ke gerbang keberangkatannya. Ternyata aku terlalu awal (iya lah, kan aku sampai di sana sekitar 4,5 jam sebelum keberangkatan 😛 ), jadilah aku memutuskan untuk menunggu di sebuah lounge-nya Alitalia di bandara. Hmm, lounge-nya sendiri bukan lah lounge terbaik yang pernah kumasuki sih, haha, walaupun fasilitasnya setidaknya bisa dikatakan cukup sih.
Sekitar 1,5 jam sebelum keberangkatan, aku menuju gerbang keberangkatan dan mendapatkan dua boarding pass-ku selanjutnya; sampai ke Bali. Aku pastikan kembali situasi bagasiku, dan dikonfirmasi bahwa aku harus mengurusnya sendiri di Shanghai Pudong.
MU 788 (Roma – Shanghai)
Penerbangan: China Eastern MU 788
Pesawat: Airbus A330-200 reg B5908
ATD: 20:44 CET
ATA: 14:22 CST
Sekitar jam 20:00, panggilan naik pesawat dimulai. Aku beruntung lho hari ini. Penerbangan MU 788 dioperasikan dengan sebuah Airbus A330-200 dengan registrasi B5908, yang mana dicat dengan livery SkyTeam!! Iyaaa! Penerbangan jarak-jauh pertamaku dengan pesawat bercat livery spesial aliansi!! 😀
Airbus A330-200nya China Eastern dengan rego B5908 dengan livery SkyTeam
Aku termasuk salah satu penumpang pertama yang naik ke pesawat, dan langsung aku duduk nyaman di kursi 67L-ku. Boarding berlangsung cukup efisien. Begitu semua penumpang naik, pintu-pintu ditutup dan kami berangkat. Kami lepas landas ke arah barat dan kemudian berputar ke arah timur menuju China.
Di dalam pesawat B5908nya China Eastern
Sekitar satu jam setelah keberangkatan, layanan makan malam dibagikan. Ketika pramugarinya sampai di deretanku, ternyata mereka sudah kehabisan pilihan nasi dan yang tersisa adalah pilihan “mie” dengan ikan. Aku sih nggak apa-apa kok makan mie sehingga ini bukan lah masalah. Tetapi kemudian, ketika kotaknya aku buka, “mie”-nya ternyata adalah “pasta penne”! Aku suka pasta sih, tetapi untukku “mie” itu tidak sama dengan “pasta” kan ya! Haha 😆 .
Layanan makan malam (pasta dengan ikan) di penerbangan MU788nya China Eastern
AVOD di penerbangan ini juga cukup oke loh. Sebenarnya malah melebihi sangkaanku karena ternyata ada cukup banyak pilihan hiburan Barat-nya! Aku memutuskan untuk menonton Independence Day: Resurgence sebelum tidur dan Ice Age: Collision Course setelah bangun, haha.
Di dalam Airbus A330-200nya China Eastern dengan rego B5908
Pramugarinya juga lumayan lah. Mereka bisa berbahasa Inggris (dasar sih), tidak seperti beberapa review yang kubaca yang komplain akan hal ini, haha 😆 . Mereka pun sebenarnya juga cukup perhatian juga kok.
Aku bisa tidur selama sekitar empat jam totalnya, lumayan sih itu, haha 😆 . Awak kabin menyalakan lampu sekitar dua jam sebelum mendarat, ketika kami sudah berada di atas Mongolia. Layanan sarapan dibagikan, yang mana pilihannya adalah omelet atau nasi goreng. Aku memilih opsi nasi goreng, yang mana dimasak dengan gaya Chinese food (baca: nasinya putih asin gitu 😀 ).
Di atas Mongolia
Cuaca di atas Shanghai ternyata tidak lah dalam mood yang enak hari ini. Awan-awan tebal menggantung dan di bawahnya turun hujan ketika kami semakin mendekati bandaranya. Jam 14:06 waktu setempat, kami mendarat dengan mulus di landasan pacu 17R Bandara Shanghai Pudong. Berikut ini video pendaratannya:
Seperti yang bisa dilihat, waktu itu hujan turun ketika kami mendarat. Aku juga melihat gerbang-gerbang di gedung terminalnya banyak yang kosong, jadilah aku kira kami akan parkir di salah satunya. Tetapi kemudian, pesawatnya malah membelok ke arah yang berlawanan dari gedung terminalnya, yang mana artinya kami akan parkir di remote stand (dan diantar dengan beberapa bus ke terminal)!
Kami parkir di sebuah remote stand di Bandara Internasional Shanghai Pudong
Aku bingung deh! Biasanya, sebenarnya aku lebih suka ketika pesawat diparkir di remote stand sih. Namun, kali ini kan sedang hujan DAN aku harus mengurus banyak hal juga (akibat situasi bagasiku) di Shanghai! Jadi perasaanku akan ini jadi campur-aduk deh, haha 😆 .
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