The Pinay Solo Backpacker

I spent 5 hours waiting in Gambir station for my first overnight train to Yogyakarta.  Earlier that day I met Tama, an Indonesian who assisted me in buying my first overnight train. He made me feel Indonesia is tourist-friendly.  The ticket cost me around Rp 330,000 (Php 1,700/39USD)  for the executive train, not the cheapest but the safest train and it’s an 8-10 hour  ride.

“Is it safe to take the train?”, I asked my new found friend.  “What do you mean?”
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When Tama, my 1st Indonesian friend whom I met in Jakarta airport left for Bandung, I killed my time  at  Gambir train station. Blame it on the “girly thing”, the pain is starting to impair me so I couldn’t explore the rest of Jakarta.  It was already drizzling when I walked out of the train station to the National Monument of  Indonesia (MONAS) in Merdeka Square, which was built  in memory of  the heroes’ battle against colonization.  The tower of MONAS is shaped like a flame symbolizing the undying spirit of  Indonesians (it reminds  me of the Quezon Monument in Quezon City Circle) while the pillar symbolizes a rice pestle and the cup as a rice barn which is indicative of an agricultural country and symbol of  Indonesian’s fertility.

I couldn’t figure out the entrance to MONAS and I think the tourist in front of me sporting a Nikon camera is having a hard time as well.

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As the plane touched down at 3AM, the bright light and the voice of the pilot awakened me.  Indonesia is an hour behind the Philippines. Once again, I slept in the airport, it saved me a few bucks than taking a cab, besides I don’t think it’ll be safe for me to find a hostel in the wee hours of the morning.

Soekarno–Hatta International Airport (Jakarta International Airport)

I had to wait for Damri bus to take me to Gambir station, the most important  train station in Jakarta. At Gambir, I’ll book a train to Yogyakarta then head to a remote province  to trek Mt.Bromo at sunrise.  So I exchanged my USD to Indonesia currency –> Indonesian Rupiah (IDR), and that’s how I got my 1st Million!

my bed for the night! haha

Initially, I was hesitant to continue this trip, because my plan of activating my Couchsurfing account and finding a host  in Jakarta and Yogyakarta didn’t materialize which would have made this trip easier.  But because I’ve already booked for the round trip  ticket 4 months ago, I asked for a sign, that if things flow smoothly, then I am meant to leave. And I was. I packed my stuff and did some research for my itinerary 7 hours before my flight! The guard who’s checking around smiled at me, “what time is your flight?“ No, I’m going to Gambir station, I nodded.  “Ah, by bus, Damri bus is after Lane F at the ground floor“.  Contrary to what I’ve read that tourists will have a hard time in Indonesia because English is not  their second language, I never  experienced that during my entire stay unlike when I was in Thailand. Indonesians seems naturally friendly and helpful. And if you tell them you’re a Filipino, you will mostly likely receive special treatment, thanks to Christian Bautista and Maribeth, 2 Filipino singers who are really famous now in Indonesia.

I boarded the Damri Bus thinking it’ll just drop me off at Gambir station, turned out that each destination has an assigned bus.  I’m bad at waiting so after about 5 buses have passed by, I approached a tout to ask about my destination. He asked me to wait and in 5 minutes the bus will arrive.

Tama, my 1st Indonesian friend

I sat behind a guy in his mid-20′s who was talking with the women in their native tongue. “Where are you going?”, I remember him asking me.  Lucky me because he’s headed to the same direction!  His name is Tama, an Indonesian engineer working for a famed international courier he just arrived from Singapore for a certain project and will be spending his weekend at his hometown in Bandung, a small province that’s 3 hours away from Jakarta by train. Tama became my 1st friend in Indonesia, and he was very helpful. He assisted me in buying my 1st overnight train ticket to Yogyakarta, leaving my stuff at the Locker in Gambir station ( fee is 1,000 IDR hour), buying a map at a bookstore, and joined me in eating my 1st Indonesian meal.

After a quick breakfast , we bid goodbye to each other.  That’s the sad truth about being a nomad, you meet  new friends but in a  few hours or days, eventually you have to part ways.

*Jakarta International Airport  (Soekarno–Hatta International Airport) charges airport free of  roughly 700 Php or  150,000 IDR (16.50 USD) for International flights and 30,00 IDR (3.30 USD) for domestic flights so make sure you have some rupiahs or USD left for your return flight.

*Damri bus fare & Destinations (Bus is from 6am-12midnight Indonesian time) :

Ask around for the bus that can take you to the Jakarta Domestic airport.

IDR 20,000 Gambir (take this bus if you’re going to the backpacker’s street in Jakarta or the train station but for some reason the tout charged me 35,000 IDR)

Blok M

Lebak Bulus

Rawamangun (bus station to the provinces in Indonesia, this is close to a shopping mall and an HSBC bank) Kampung Rambutan

Pasar Minngu

Kemayoran

Tanjung Priok

Manga Dua Square (for cheap shopping)

IDR 30,000

Bekasi Narapan

Indan

Serang

Cikarang

Bogor

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