Wake up. Today is the flight day from Brunei to Indonesia. It was a day where the excitement of being able to fly with Royal Brunei Airlines overlapped with the tension of whether I'd be able to depart safely. I immediately packed my backpack. Staying at a hotel with space really makes packing easy, I thought.
No vegetables in Brunei's breakfast
After finishing packing nicely, I went to have breakfast. There were people who looked Indian, maybe from India, and some Muslims.
But there were zero young people. I'm sure that traveling at 25 is less than 1% of the total, and I honestly think that's a really nice thing. Breakfast was egg soup, fried rice, potatoes, karaage, and yakisoba. What I found really strange was that there were absolutely no vegetable dishes.
Watermelon was mostly sold out and there wasn't any left. I couldn't help wondering why Brunei is so meat-centric with hardly any vegetables. The milk was very high in fat and I felt that Japanese milk tastes better. After finishing breakfast I went back to my room and finished packing. I checked everything and checked out. I was nervous at checkout too, but I checked out safely.
Royal Brunei Airlines' branding
I called a taxi and headed to the airport. Yesterday Nobu said it was $25 from the airport to the hotel and that it was really expensive, but when I checked the taxi app it was $10.
Maybe because I'm stingy, I never let someone scam me. When someone seems like the type to do that, no matter how much they tried to raise the price in negotiations, I wouldn't give in. The taxi driver was really surprised and even smiled, maybe because backpackers are so rare.
I went to the place next to 'Departure' where 'Departure' was written in Arabic and entered the airport. The Royal Brunei check-in counter wasn't very crowded and it was very smooth. When I asked, "Could you give me a window seat?" they responded very politely.
Truly polite. I thought this part of Royal Brunei was amazing. I got my ticket safely. The 'RB' lettering looked really beautiful.
I also bought a Brunei tumbler at Starbucks. I figured I probably won't go to Brunei again, so I thought I'd get one while I could.
I ate all the Camembert in the lounge
I went to the lounge. There was a model of an RB airplane and I thought it was beautiful. I always want an airplane model someday, but they're so big that I can never quite buy one.
Further in, there were a lot of dishes laid out and it was very luxurious. Since I'd already eaten breakfast at the hotel, I decided to have a light snack.
To my surprise there was also a cheese platter! It was my first time being able to freely take cheese in a lounge. I took Gouda cheese, Camembert, grapes, fruit, and bread. The Camembert was so delicious that I ate all of it that was there.
The plane was full
I relaxed in the lounge until it was time, then headed to the gate. And then we departed! There were so many people; it felt full behind me and beside me.
The person next to me was coughing and the person next to them looked unwell, so I thought, 'Is my row full of sick people?' I regretted not bringing a mask. I was a bit bothered by the smell in the cabin, so it was a little disappointing despite it being RB.
The plane took off safely and the sky was very beautiful. Yellow wings with 'RB' written against the blue sky. I thought it looked really cool.
There was also an in-flight meal: water in a compressed cup, a mousse cake, a chicken-and-rice type dish, and milk. The taste was ordinary.
But the branding — or rather the design — is just amazing; I kept thinking how beautiful it was. Brown and yellow with beautiful lettering. I really liked it.
Jakarta's automated gate
I arrived in Jakarta safely! I bought an arrival visa and went to the Indonesian immigration gates, where there were automated gates and counters that stamped passports, but I assumed they were only for locals and ended up queuing for about 30 minutes.
While I was in line, there were people who hadn't pre-registered, so the line didn't move much. When it finally became my turn, the immigration officer even asked, "Why didn't you use the automated gate?" The automated gate could be used by Japanese citizens too.
What! I wasted time. From now on I'll use the automated gate without hesitation.
Bus transfer to BlockM
I successfully entered Indonesia! I bought a SIM card and got one with 29GB. I took the airport train, which had given me a lot of trouble last time, to Soekarno-Hatta Station.
But when I looked up how to get to BlockM after arriving, it said to take the bus located at Terminal 2 or 3! So I went back to Terminal 2 and, asking various people, headed for the bus stop. I panicked because it was leaving in five minutes.
I arrived safely, tapped the screen, and with the help of the guide next to me I was able to purchase the ticket successfully. Then I managed to get on the bus! There weren't many people on the bus. My backpack was stored in the back, so I was worried what I'd do if it got lost. But we arrived at BlockM safely! I felt relieved.
Indonesia vibe after a long time
I walked to the hostel. This Indonesia vibe after a long time. Traveling around Southeast Asia, you really notice how the vibe differs by country.
I think Vietnam and Indonesia have the strongest vibes. Thailand too, but for me it's not as comfortable.
While walking, maybe because of the distance, I couldn't stop sweating. I was worried about getting heatstroke along the way.
Checked into the hostel. The receptionist was an introverted person who could speak a little Japanese. They showed me how to do the laundry. I took a shower right away.
You are someone reason to smile
At night I went to the mall in BlockM and ordered sushi there. It wasn't very expensive, so I ordered sushi at another shop too. There were ones with salmon topped with mentaiko cream, and ones filled with various ingredients, rolled and fried — I thought it was really interesting.
After that, at night I did some work at Starbucks. A Russian friend is coming, so I called my mom about it after a long time. The Starbucks staff put a message card on it that said "You are someone reason to smile." It was really heartwarming.
The hostel drain incident
When I returned to the hostel, my washed clothes had been left as they were and had been damp for a long time, so they smelled bad. It smelled like bacteria had multiplied. So I washed them again. The drying area on the 4th floor wasn't hygienic at all, but I hung the clothes there.
At night I couldn't sleep because of a strong, pungent smell coming from the shower-room drain and lots of insects. Even with the mask I bought in Vietnam I could still smell it, and I thought I couldn't stay here anymore, so I decided to book another hotel.
I thought I shouldn't be stingy. Each country has its own particular circumstances. Indonesia: "smelly" and "lots of bugs." In the Philippines, hotels with hot water are really rare. In Vietnam, the water is dirty so it's better not to put it in your mouth. There are many things. But I think Thailand might be the best of them.
I booked a hotel around 4 a.m. and went to sleep.
