I and Caecil catched a train from Yogya last evening, arriving in Jakarta this morning. Very cold inside the train!
Staying in Cibubur now.
GPS track log. By train from Yogyakarta to Jakarta.
Or just Yogya. I and Caecil went here with train from Solo today. Checked in at the Mercury Guest House, a place where I often stayed in 2000, when I was travelling around. I immediately recognized the receptionist, and he recognized me. Only the prices have changed since last time I was here, and that [...]
Because Caecil’s grandmother, who is 86 years old, became suddenly sick and was hospitalized, the whole family catched a plane to Solo on 22 December. Christmas in Solo, Central Java, Indonesia.
The Solo residence.
Idul Adha is a muslim holiday/tradition, whereby animals are being slaughtered and the meat given to the poor.
I watched the slaughtering of cows and goats going on at the mosque near our residence, and got a plastic bag filled with meat afterwards! hehe.
Afterwards I flew to Jakarta, staying in Cibubur this time. I and Made [...]
Today I, Caecil, and some friends, rented a car (a Kijang) and drove to Samarinda, a couple of hours north of Balikpapan. We had originally planned to make a stop at the jungles at Bangkerai, but since it had been raining quite heavy the last day, and the unpaved stretch of road to Bangkerai probably [...]
Finally I’m back in Balikpapan for the third time since I left Norway. Staying in the usual place: Bukit Damai Indah housing complex.
From 5 to 6 December I stayed in a farm called Linator, near Sukabumi, West Java. Not so far from Jakarta, but still it took around five hours to reach the place by bus. Very scenic and hilly surroundings with farms, plantations and rice fields.
Here are some pictures (click to enlarge):
Me and Lasse walking in [...]
On the evening of 30 November I flew back to Jakarta on Air Asia, and this time I had booked a room at the Asri home stay in advance.
However, on arrival at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, there was no bus present to take the passengers to the terminal (the plane was parked in some distance from the [...]
On 25 November I went from Jakarta to Bangkok, again with AirAsia, and the purpose of this trip was just to get a new Indonesian visa. The cost of the return flight was Rp 1,400,000 (USD 150).
I applied for a so-called social visit visa at the Indonesian embassy on Monday, and picked up the visa [...]
On 13 November I went from Balikpapan to Jakarta by AirAsia, one of the cheap Asian carriers. Booked the ticket online with a credit card and paid only Rp 337,900, which is around 36 USD. The only drawback was that the flight was 6 hours delayed…
In Jakarta I went straight to Penginapan (hostel) Asri near [...]
There is living a doctor in our neighbourhood here in Balikpapan… Or maybe it is Batman??
Batman’s residence.
Batman’s residence.
A couple of pictures taken in downtown Balikpapan two days ago. I took the photos from the bridge crossing the street at Balikpapan Plaza.
Jl Sudirman, Balikpapan.
Jl Ahmad Yani, Balikpapan.
On 27 October Rune flew from Taipei to Jakarta, where he stayed in a suburb of Jakarta (Cibubur) until Thursday 1 November, thereafter catching a flight to Balikpapan with Adam Air, the airline which lost a plane last winter and nobody survived (even the plane was not found).
Here are some pictures from inside and outside [...]
On 3 October Rune went to Jakarta, stayed a few days at Penginapan Asri (near Jl. Jaksa), and from there further on to Manila and Taipei to do some work.
Pictures (click to enlarge):
Boarding Lion Air aircraft from Balikpapan to Jakarta.
On the way from Manila to Taipei 24 October: Standing in queue in Manila to get [...]
An awful stench is coming from the rooftop of this house, a stench not noticed before. Maybe a dead cat is lying on the roof, rotting away.
The neighbour has many cats. But somebody doesn’t like cats, and kill them with poison ;-)
Rune just got himself a high speed HSDPA modem, connecting wirelessly to the mobile network and the internet. A great tool to have here! Price of the modem is Rp 2,230,000 (USD 243), and the first 3 months are free up to 2.5 GB a month, thereafter Rp 625,000 a month. A speed test against [...]
After about a week or so in Manila, Rune flew with Cebu Pacific Air to Jakarta, Indonesia, last weekend (Friday evening, 7 September), where he stayed in a small homestay in an area called jalan Jaksa in central Jakarta. It costs Rp 60,000 per night, or about 6 US Dollars. “Soft Laundry”, which is also [...]
Rune made a change in his plans and is now in Manila, Philippines, to do a job assignment.
How come? Surprisingly, a few days ago my boss admitted he could not find a replacement for me, and asked if I wanted to continue in my current position, “on the road”, and “until further notice”, just by [...]
Indonesian visa obtained! Price: NOK 270 (USD 46).
Rune got his Indian visa today, valid for 5 years. Price: NOK 1300 (USD 220).
For the curious, here’s the detailed flight itinerary which is now fixed:
Depart Oslo, Norway 1 September 23:40, arrive Istanbul, Turkey 2 Sep 04:25. Airline: Norwegian Air Shuttle. Price: NOK 379 (USD 65). Rune will spend the day in Istanbul.
And then, depart Istanbul 03 Sep 02:00, arrive Sharjah, United Arab Emirates 07:00. Rune has the whole [...]
Today Rune went to his regular doctor, giving him some useful shots for the trip.
And here is the price breakdown:
Typherix NOK 164.70
Boostrix Polio NOK 280
Echoral NOK 339
Doxylin NOK 162.20
That’s NOK 945.90! Or USD 164. Not to mention the doctor’s fee, which was 2 x 160 = NOK 320 (had to visit him twice, first time [...]
Departure date is now approaching fast! Which is not a bad thing, hehe.
This is what Rune is leaving behind:
And this is what Rune is seeking out :-)
Rune is preparing for his departure on 1 September, and is trying to figure out what to bring and what to not bring. Here’s a preliminary packing list:
passport
2 copies of passport
VISA and Mastercard
2 key generators for netbanks
driving licence
international driving licence
a bunch of passport photos
electronic tickets
fake flight itinerary (in some countries you need to show proof [...]
Where is Rune now? Rune is currently at his residence in Oslo, Norway.
This website was created yesterday, so all posts dated before 16 July 2007 are actually entered after this date.
But what’s next? Here’s the plan: On 1 September, fly from Oslo to Istanbul. Spend one day in Istanbul, then fly to Sharjah, U.A.E. Spend [...]