Saturday, August 20, 2011

Jakarta: My Firsts



August 12-20, 2011

First Steps, First words, First Day of school, First Kiss, First Love, First Date, First Job, First Paycheck, First Car… All the FIRSTs is important in someone’s lifetime. And this travel has a lot of my FIRSTS…

August 12- First Airplane ride, Flight 5J759 MNL-CGK
At NAIA 3, me & my friend had some special moments, First at the immigration counter He was questioned by the immigration officer and just as I saw him being questioned a lot so I approached him, I was about to ask the officer but luckily he was eventually allowed by the officer. On to the gates, there was another inspection area. My bag got stopped and I was asked to open it. I felt nervous, of course. As I opened my bag the guard just said, “oh Bugks, Bugks lang (only)” Then he explained that it was because they appeared black on the xray. So they let me pass.
So TIP for first timers: Be confident with the immigration staff and yeah don’t bring too much books in your bag! [I actually just had my Starbucks 2011 planner, “Didache” (a Catholic daily reflection guide), and “Eat, Pray, Love” (by Elizabeth Gilzberth)]
from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org)


I know NAIA 3 is actually in the Philippines but why is it called such. NAIA stands for Ninoy Aquino International Airport and sometimes called Manila International Airport hence the, IATA code MNL. Yes, it is named after Ninoy Aquino, which some of you would know him as the father of Pres. Noynoy Aquino, husband of the late Pres. Cory Aquino and the father of Kris Aquino (which I believe is the worst way to know the person). Ninoy is bigger than those “definitions”, he is a very intelligent and courageous man who fought for the freedom of Filipinos. He was actually a journalist, youngest war correspondent (22yo) and a politician, youngest elected senator in the country's history at age 34 during 1967. He was a great critic of the Marcos regime and exposed any anomalies he found out. He was held as a prisoner during the Martial Law and was warned not to enter the country but he was eager and that embarked the assassination, and he was shot as soon as he got off the plane. Hence, the airport was named such.

August 12 –First Foreign Country
from Lonely Planet (http://www.lonelyplanet.com)

You know the drill, now a short history of Indonesia. Officially known as the Republic of Indonesia, it is an archipelago comprising approximately 17,508 islands. It encompasses 34 provinces with Jakarta as its capital city. Indonesia comes from the Greek words Indós and nèsos, meaning "island" which term dates back 18th century. Their national language is Bahasa Indonesia, inhabitants are called Indonesians and their currency is Ruppiah which has a conversion rate of 1 U.S. dollar =11 363.6364 Indonesian rupiahs or  1 Philippine peso = 262.37500 Indonesian rupiahs (easy conversion IDR/1000 * 4 =  rough estimate in Php ). Indonesia consists of hundreds of distinct native ethnic and linguistic groups and the largest are the Javanese. Despite this difference in ethinic groups their shared identity has developed, defined by a national language, ethnic diversity, religious pluralism within a majority Muslim population, and a history of colonialism and rebellion against it. Indonesia's national motto, "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" ("Unity in Diversity" literally, "many, yet one"), articulates the diversity that shapes the country.

We arrived 2345H @ Soekarno Hatta Airport it was almost midnight and my aunt, uncle & cousins were there to fetch us. I know they were tired because they came from school and probably had a very short nap. But as we approached the gates I saw my two cousins and they were shouting, as soon as we went out the gates they hugged me & I told them to say hi to my friend also and they did. It took us about 0100H before we reached their condo unit and I believe I was lucky to see Jakarta traffic free and on my first day there.

from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org)

Like NAIA, Soekarno Hatta Airport is named after politicians. The airport is named after the first President of Indonesia, Soekarno (Kusno Sosrodihardjo), and the first vice-president, Mohammad Hatta. They struggled for independence from the Netherlands and declared Indonesian independence on 17 August 1945. The airport is also known as Cengkareng Airport, Cengkareng a district northwest of the city.  That’s why the airport's IATA code is CGK. Jakarta 3 airports but only two operational, Halim Perdanakusuma (HLP) and Kemayoran Airport with IATA code JKT (usually used as a shortcut for Jakarta) had referred to the city's former airport which is now closed.
 
My blog entry for this is a bit long since we stayed for a week. So I decided to chop it down into portions. I posted my adventures per day (just click on the dates in the travel itinerary).  Here is my actual Travel Itinerary for the trip with some highlights bulleted… and below is the list of expenses we had during the trip.
Travel Itinerary:


August 12= Flight 5J759 MNL-CGK Departure: ARRIVAL: 2345H
Taman Mini
Dinner @ Central Park

CIMORY
Taman Safari

Mall Hoping (Central Park, Taman Angrek, Mal Ciputra)

School Visit (pelangi Kasih)
Mall of Indonesia
Mal Artha Gading

Don Bosco Catholic Church
Ancol
Sea World Indonesia
Samudra
Bay
Senayan City Mall
Dinner @ Plaza Senayan Food Court Donner Kebab;

School Visit (ichtus)
Mall Grand Indonesia/Plaza Indenesia
City tour

Re-visit Malls
Arrival 0530H


Expenses:
Cebu Pacific Tickets         PHP 8,396/2=4198
Travel Tax                        PHP 1,620
Airport User’s Charge      PHP 750
Accommodation               FREE c/o my Aunt :D

Taman Mini

Entrance
IDR 9,000
Parking/Car Entrance
IDR 10,000
SkyLift
IDR 25,000
Train Ride
IDR 5,000
Individual Museum /Amenities Entrances
~IDR 19,000


TOTAL Day 1

IDR 68,000 roughly around PHP 272

Cimory

Strawberry yougurt (big bottle)
IDR 6,000
Taman Safari

Entrance
IDR 140,000/person (locals) (IDR 250,000 for foreigners)*
Car Entrance & Parking
IDR 15,000
Elephant Ride
(I really forgot how much it was but it was roughly around IDR 50,000)
TOTAL Day 2
IDR 205,000 ~PHP 820

Lunch
Solaria @ Central Park
~IDR 250,000/2= IDR 125,000
Bus Fare

Central Park to Mal Ciputra
~IDR 2,500
Snacks
Starbucks Venti
IDR 50,000
Dinner @ Shabu Slim IDR 112,000/person +service fee & tax (c/o Aunt)
TOTAL Day 3

IDR 414,500 ~ PHP 1658

Snacks

Starbucks Venti
IDR 50,000
Lunch @ A & W
IDR 75,000 (for me & my lil cuz)
Arcade Games
IDR 50,000
Taxi

MOI to Pelangi Kasih
IDR 25,000 (with tip cause we confused the driver)
TOTAL Day 4
IDR 200,000 ~ PHP 800
Ancol

Entrance Fee
IDR 15,000
Car Fee
IDR 10,000
Sea World
IDR 60,000
Samudra
IDR 110,000
Dinner @ Donner Kebab, Plaza Senayan
IDR 22,000
TOTAL Day 5
IDR 207,000 ~ PHP 828

Snacks

Rice Bowl
IDR 39,000
Drinks (Soda)
IDR 15,000
TOTAL Day 6
IDR 50,000 ~ PHP200

Lunch @ Koi Oriental, Mal Taman Angrek
IDR 23,000
Snacks for Plane
IDR 30,000
Shirt
IDR 35,000
Shoes
IDR 100,000
Water on board
PHP 50
TOTAL Day 7
IDR 188,000 ~ PHP 752 + 50= PHP 802



GRAND TOTAL (W/O PASALUBONGS)              PHP 11,448

 

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