Indonesia > Farewell to Gili Air

Yesterday, I already sorted through my luggage a bit—deciding what should go in my hand luggage and what in my travel bag. After showering, I pack the last items into my bag. After breakfast, we leave the hotel. One traveler is staying in Indonesia for over another week, while two others are only flying back tomorrow; today’s flight was already fully booked when they made their reservation. With the nine remaining travel companions, we board the two speedboats. The sea is much calmer than three days ago, and the sun even peeks through the clouds a little. Today I don’t have to worry about my travel bag getting wet from rain or splashing water. I am wearing my Tevas, though, because I need to wade through water to get into the boat—something not so practical with jeans and closed shoes. On the opposite shore, Andri and Bagus are waiting with the bus. The luggage is quickly loaded. Lombok International Airport is about a two-and-a-half-hour drive away. We follow the coastal road again, the same one we took earlier, passing through the capital, Mataram. Traffic is light, and by around 11:30 we arrive at the airport.

Indonesia - Boarding again to sail to Lombok

Here I say my final goodbyes to “Stickman” and the drivers. It turns out check-in isn’t open yet; the counters for the Garuda Indonesia Airlines flight to Jakarta will only open after noon. It’s not possible to check the luggage through to Amsterdam. From the explanation, I understand these are two separate bookings. That’s a pity, but we have enough time in Jakarta to check the bags in again. I still have some time before the flight departs, so I order a sandwich for lunch. Around 2 p.m., boarding begins, and it goes surprisingly quickly. I suspect the plane isn’t full, although all the seats around me are taken. Right on time, flight GA 433 takes off toward Jakarta, Lombok shrinking beneath me. After just under two hours, we land in Jakarta. When we try to follow the signs to the baggage claim, we are directed the other way. From the gate, it’s a fourteen-minute walk to the baggage hall, but a bus is waiting to take us there. With my travel bag in hand, I head up to the second floor, where we can check in again for the flight to Amsterdam.

Indonesia - The plane ready for the flight to Jakarta

Jakarta Airport is impressively large. When we receive our boarding passes, they show gate 6, but the monitor above the desk says gate 7. Which is correct? The staff member checks and says it should be gate 7. He takes back our boarding passes and a moment later hands us new ones with the correct gate. Personally, I don’t think the gate number on the boarding pass matters much—it often changes at the last minute. I pass through the hand luggage screening and passport control. There’s still plenty of time at the airport, so I head to the coffee corner. When I try to order a cappuccino, it turns out the machine is broken, so I decide to have a beer instead. At 7:45 p.m. Jakarta local time—which is one hour earlier than Lombok—I board flight KL 810. The flight to Kuala Lumpur takes about two hours, just long enough for the crew to serve dinner. I’m actually quite hungry. In Kuala Lumpur, everyone has to leave the aircraft. I enter the departure hall and immediately rejoin the queue for the hand luggage check. Shortly after, I’m back on board the same aircraft, in the same seat. Then the plane takes off again, this time bound for Amsterdam.