Indonesia > Malaysia Airlines flight MH 019

A little after ten in the morning, I am dropped off at the airport. My destination this time is Indonesia. I will be visiting the islands of Sumatra, Java, and Bali. First, I fly to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and then on to Medan in Sumatra. At check-in, a commotion arises next to me. A family is trying to check in with a lot of excess baggage. They are unsuccessfully attempting to bring a 37-kilogram suitcase. My travel bag weighs less than half of that and is allowed on without any problems. Customs and carry-on checks also proceed smoothly. Around noon, I board the aircraft for flight MH 019. Previously, this was flight MH 017, the flight number of the plane that crashed in eastern Ukraine in 2014. Unconsciously, I imagine what the last minutes must have been like for those passengers as I walk to my seat. Fortunately, the flight route has since been changed. The flight goes via Turkey and Dubai toward Iran, where darkness sets in. The time difference with Malaysia is six hours. I try to get some sleep on the plane.

Indonesia - A young orangutan observes everything from above