The island of Orangutans

Pontianak welcomes me

Just before and around the time just before ”take off” to Pontianak, I receive a message from Worldtracer that says…

CGKGA76435 – Bag01/Red
Your item has been found and will be received at its destination tomorrow, Pontianak.

That sounds good; I’ll have to return to the airport tomorrow, but I’m glad the bag has been found. I had estimated that the contents were worth around 1700-1800 $ if I had to buy equivalent items.

For the rest of the time until the departure at 15:25 from Gate 16, I’m mostly relaxed at my window seat. The check-in process goes smoothly, and we taxi towards the runway on schedule.
The plane barely takes off before I fall asleep with my headphones on, which I had plugged in to watch TV right in front of me on the seatback.

I wake up about 25 minutes before we’re supposed to land and see that the flight attendants have given me a tray with food and water. I finish the rice and chicken but leave the little container with some sweet pink dessert, dosn’t look tasty!

Pontianak below and Kapuas river floating throug

At 5:05 PM, the plane’s wheels touch down with a slight screech and then a strong but safe braking.

Waiting for Taxi to my hotel

The rest goes quickly with no issues at passport control. The airport isn’t particularly large, similar to Midlanda. The bags, except for the missing North Face bag, come gliding on the conveyor belt at Claim 3, and the bicycle box as well. I then head towards the exit.

Getting a ride to the hotel in Pontianak wasn’t difficult. Taxis are waiting outside the airport, and within three-quarters of an hour after getting my luggage, the taxi drives towards the entrance of Aiyr Pontianak Selatan Imam Bonjo.

The check-in at the hotel Merparti goes quickly since I’ve already booked the room via Hotels.com.

The room is on the third floor, but there’s no elevator, so I get some help carrying all my luggage. They place the bicycle box inside a sort of baggage room at the reception.

The hotel is two-star, but the room is quite decent with two single beds, TV, and air conditioning. Breakfast, included in the price, is served between 06:00 and 09:00.

Tonight, I’ll have an early night as I’m tired. Not much sleep at airport!

I’ll catch up with you later from the lively Pontianak on Borneo.
// P-G The Global Cyclist 1719

By |2023-10-01T10:26:56+00:00februari 19th, 2019|Indonesia, SouthEast Asia|0 Comments

The island of Orangutans – Borneo

Soon, in about a day, I’ll be stepping foot in my twentieth country, the land of orangutans. I’m looking forward to this adventure with excitement and delight… Wow, I have to pinch myself for all the experiences and challenges I’m going to face.

Borneo, my planned route through island

Roughly an hour after departing from Changi Airport in Singapore, we touch down in Jakarta, Indonesia, at Soekarno-Hatta Airport. It’s pitch black outside, and the time is approaching 11:30 PM. My flight to Pontianak on Borneo is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, so I’ll be spending a good chunk of time at this airport.

But first, I need to go through passport control, and the first thing I see when I enter the hall is a big sign obove my head that reads ”VISA on Arrival.”

There’s no line, so I approach an officer and inquire about how to apply for an extension of my already-granted 30 days. I don’t think 30 days will be enough to explore the island. He tells me that I need to purchase a card or receipt for $30, which, starting from today’s date and before my initial 30 days expire, should be presented to an immigration authority in one of the cities I’ll be passing through.

Then I’ll automatically get an extra 30 days on Borneo.

I pay the fee directly to the officer and then proceed across the hall to passport control, where I show both my passport and the newly acquired VISA card.

The woman says the same thing as the officer on the other side of the hall, that I should later present my passport and VISA Receipt in the city where I wish to extend by 30 days.

I receive my passport stamps and head towards baggage claim. There’s a sign that says ”Claim 6,” so I make my way there.

The suitcases start coming down the conveyor belt just as I arrive, and I load them onto a trolley.

I notice that my bike box is a little further down and steer the cart in that direction. Just as I’ve loaded the box onto the trolley, I realize that one bag is missing.

It’s the red North Face bag with a complete tent, mattress, liner, pillow, and silk sheets inside.

The belt has stopped, meaning no more bags are on their way. I find a service staff member and am advised to go to Garuda’s service office to file a loss report.

Using the stickers on my boarding pass, we note that a bag is missing, indicating that it’s the airline’s fault, not mine.

The luggage was checked in correctly in Singapore, as confirmed by my stickers.

I provide my mobile phone number, WhatsApp number, my address in Pontianak, and the man behind the desk takes note of everything. I receive a receipt for my report.

The receipt also contains their WhatsApp number and a reference number I should mention when calling.

I’m afraid it might be more than one night in Pontianak, I definitely want to get the North Face bag with the tent back before I continue.

I then push the trolley cart back towards the exit and take the escalators two floors up to terminal three and Gate F.

Up here, I’ll try to find somewhere to rest. I find a booth with the sign ”Scandinavian” above it, it fits me perfect

Inside the booth, there’s a sofa with a upright back, two light green armchairs, and a table. I try to get into a relaxed position so I can get a few minutes of sleep, but it doesn’t take long before the travelers start walking around, so I didn’t get much sleep.

Good night, it started off well with Indonesia…!!

See Yeah from Pontianak, Borneo
// P-G The Global Cyclist 1719

By |2023-10-13T07:35:46+00:00februari 18th, 2019|General, Indonesia, SouthEast Asia|0 Comments

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