Where is Rune?

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):

1. Me and Lasse walking in the countryside, 10 km in total.
2. We found our way back thanks to the GPS.
3. Dinner in the evening in the main building.
4. This is the building for the staff.
5. View of the garden.
6. Tom’s 1962 Toyota Landcruiser.
7. Tom and Anne Grethe.
8. The Landcruiser in front of the main building.
9. Tom and Lasse.
10. Tom and Lina.

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GPS track log. 10km walking by foot.

GPS track log. Linator to Jakarta.

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 terminal), so confusion arose… It took a while before the bus finally arrived.

Confusion at Soekarno-Hatta.

Padlock on door, Sukhumvit

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 Wednesday. Cost of the visa was USD 45. This visa allows me to initially stay for two months in Indonesia, but can be extended four times up to six months.

While in Bangkok I first stayed in the famous backpacker street Khao San Road in the Banglamphu area, but after two nights there I needed a change and found a hotel (DI Mansion) in a side street of Sukhumvit Road instead. Khao San Road is more or less a ghetto with more westerners than locals, and this can quickly become boring. I paid 500 baht per night in Khao San Road and 700 baht (23 USD) per night in Sukhumvit Road. Quite expensive compared with Jakarta.

The nice thing about the Sukhumvit hotel is that I was able to put my own padlock on the door, feeling much safer.

My room at DI Mansion, Sukhumvit.

GPS track log. Some of my movements and places visited in Bangkok.

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 the backpacker street Jl Jaksa in Central Jakarta. Asri is my favourite place to stay, it’s cheap, clean, has aircondition and a private bathroom and is well managed. Only Rp 70,000 per night (USD 7.50). Regular price is Rp 80,000, but since I’m a regular guest there I get a discount. Only problem was that it was fully occupied when I arrived, so the first two nights I stayed in the hostel next door (don’t know the name), which doesn’t has aircon. Price per night there was Rp 60,000.

This is the entrance to Asri:

And this is how the room looks like:

This is a street near Jl Jaksa called Jl Sabang, and this is where I usually go out and eat. On the left side there’s an Indian food stall where I’ve been eating quite often, they know me and when I go there they know what I want: