Indonesia: Planning, Preparation, Budget and Itinerary

Indonesia: Planning, Preparation, Budget and Itinerary

At the close of 2013, I had four definite trips for 2014: South Korea (winter edition), Batanes, Romblon and China. My major target for 2014 is Egypt. However, I realized I wasn't too brave to conquer Egypt given the unstable political situation there. Plus, I'm a female solo traveler. I can be brave but I have limits. So there's no Egypt 2014. :(

To compensate for this, I booked a Manila-Jakarta flight during the January Piso-fare sale of Cebupacific. I booked the return flight from Jakarta to Manila on another Piso-fare sale which was also in January.

Jakarta is not my main destination: It is Borobudur in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. I was led to Borobudur by the Discovery documentary Ancient Aliens - I borrowed a copy from my wushu classmate and I was intrigued by these theories about Aliens. I cannot explore the Pyramids of Egypt yet, so it is gonna be Borobudur. I added Mount Bromo to my itinerary although I knew that four days in Indonesia with these two destinations would produce a "toxic" itinerary.

Here's a summary of all the flights.

Day/Time	Route & Airline	IDR	PHP	Date Booked	Flight Date
Day 0 - 20:55H	MNL to CGK via 5J no baggage		1,317.80	January 2014	August 2014
Day 1 - 05:20H	CGK to JOG with baggage via QZ	575,200.00	2,210.60	April 2014	August 2014
Day 4 - 20:50H	SUB to CGK with baggage via QZ	565,300.00	2,172.56	April 2014	August 2014
Day X - 00:25H	CGK to MNL via 5J - with 15kg baggage		1,954.14	January 2014	August 2014

Connecting Flights In Jakarta:

 Jakarta airport has three airport terminals. If you are catching a connecting flight, allow at least 2.5-3 hours in between flights. This allowance considers the delays in flight, baggage retrieval and waiting +riding the free shuttle across the terminals. If you need to get a visa for Indonesia, add some time to that. My seatmate from UK told me it took him two hours to secure a visa in Jakarta airport. (+points for PH passport-holders coz we don’t need one). 

There's a free shuttle bus (color yellow) that goes around all the terminals. The thing is, it comes every 20 or so minutes. I didn't know that I had to change terminals and just learned about this when I had all the flight booked. There's a 2-hour difference between my flight arrival from Surabaya and my departure from Jakarta. My flight arrived in Jakarta late, I had checked-in baggage, I boarded the wrong shuttle bus. Thankfully, I was in the check-in counter 50 minutes before the departure time. Stress!!!

Terminal Fees are not unique in the Philippines. Indonesia has them as well. Terminal fees are collected when you check-in. I paid IDR 150,000 or Php 600 when I flew back from CGK to MNL. Huwaw. Don’t waste all your IDRs in the airport before checking in.

Arrival at Soekarno-Hatta Jakarta Airport. There's the Visa-On-Arrival booth and ATMs.

Getting Indonesia Rupiah (IDR):

I got Indonesian Rupiah via ATM withdrawal using my ATM card (I previously activated my international withdrawal function via 89-100). I got my IDRs for approximately Php 0.004 = 1 IDR via BPI ATM withdrawal. Do inform your bank if you intend to use your credit card. It is good to withdraw “just enough” IDRs. It is not good to have excess IDRs when you go back to the Philippines. Not all the money changers in the Philippines accept IDR. Tivoli Money Changer accepts IDR for 1 IDR = Php 0.003. A bad deal considering that I bought my IDR at a higher price but I’d rather have Php than IDR when I’m in home.

Travel Buddy:

Indonesia was supposed to be a solo trip but for some reason, I was quite praning backpacking alone so I invited bestie Beth to join me. She joined me during my Yogyakarta leg.

Trying the sailormoon pose

Itinerary and Budget:

DATE	ACTIVITY	IDR	PHP
		0.00400
Pre-trip purchase	MNL to CGK via 5J no baggage		1,317.80
Pre-trip purchase	CGK to JOG with baggage via QZ	575,200.00	2,210.60
Pre-trip purchase	SUB to CGK with baggage via QZ	565,300.00	2,172.56
Pre-trip purchase	CGK to MNL via 5J - with 15kg baggage		1,954.14
Pre-trip purchase	Yogyakarta to Malang via Malioboro Express	222,500.00	856.33
DAY 0	Fly from Manila to Jakarta
20:55	Depart Manila NAIA 3 via Cebupacific	Terminal Fee	550.00
	Travel Tax		1,620.00
	Wendy's dinner		156.00
	Gatorade in plane		50.00
23:45	Arrive Jakarta Airport
DAY 1	Rest. Explore Prambanan in the afternoon
5:20	Depark CGK via Airasia - airport fee	40,000.00
6:25	Arrive JOG
	Transjogja to Malioboro Station	3,000.00
	Breakfast - Mi Goreng and Strawberry Shake	25,000.00
	Prambanan Tour and Ticket	260,000.00
	Toilet in Prambanan	1,000.00
	Shirt souvenir in Prambanan	100,000.00
	Dinner in Malioboro Mall	45,000.00
	Jco Donuts	13,000.00
DAY 2	Sunrise at Borubodur
	Borubodur Sunrise with ticket	320,000.00
	Viewing point entrance fee	30,000.00
	Ice cream	10,000.00
	Lunch	45,000.00
	Batik Dress	60,000.00
	Shirt souvenirs for parents	25,000.00
	Toiletries + noodles	20,000.00
	Pejak from Cabin Hotel to Tugu Station	20,000.00
20:35	Depart Yogyakarta via Malioboro Express
DAY 3	Malang-Ngadas-Cemoro Lawang
3:50	Arrive in Malang Station
	Angkot (minivan) from Malang station to Ajosari	5,000.00
	Angkot (minivan) from Ajosari to Tumpang	6,000.00
	Ojek (motorcycle) from Tumpang to Ngadas	100,000.00
	Ojek (motorcycle) from Ngadas to Cemoro Lawang	100,000.00
	Room at Cemoro Lawang (Y.O.G.)	200,000.00
	Lunch	21,000.00
	Ojek rental for Afternoon tour in Savannah	75,000.00
	Afternoon snack	16,000.00
	Dinner	20,000.00
	Tour payment for Bromo by jeep	150,000.00
DAY 4	Mount Bromo Tour. Fly from Subaraya to Jakarta
	Tourist permit	200,000.00
	Jacket rental	25,000.00
	Breakfast	27,000.00
	Van - Cemoro Lawang to Probolinggo	55,000.00
	Probolingo to Surabaya - Express bus - SCAM PRICE	50,000.00
	Mini-bus from Surabaya terminal to airport	20,000.00
	Souvenirs	164,000.00
	Souvenirs	95,000.00
	Carl's Jr. At airport	91,000.00
	Surabaya Terminal fee	75,000.00
	Avocado coffee + roti	55,000.00
	Jakarta terminal fee	150,000.00
	Water	15,000.00
	Noodles in plane	20,000.00
20:50	Depart Subaray Airport
22:10	Arrive in Jakarta Airport
DAY X	Arrive in Manila.
0:25	Depart CGK
5:25	Arrive in MNL
TOTAL IDR/PHP		2,752,000.00	10,887.43
PHP		11,008.00	10,887.43
TOTAL IN PHP			21,895.43

The Bromo Leg

I first learned about Mount Bromo from PinayTravel Junkie. The active volcano looked really appealing but Indonesia was not really in my radar back then. So even though a 4-day Yogyakarta and Mount Bromo itinerary was doable but tight, I pushed it.

The usual route from Yogyakarta is to get a package tour from your hostel or any travel agency and endure a 15-16 hour minivan ride with other tourists. The cheaper option would be to course through Probolinggo, a bus terminal filled with touts. I read lots of horror stories about that and I have one as well (now that’s for a separate blog post). I decided to ditch the usual route and read about the Malang-Ngadas-Cemoro Lawang route from fellow bloggers Kurtzy and Walkflypinoy). A good acquaintance who also did this route helped me out with the details.

Shadow shot in a motorcycle

I booked the Yogyakarta-Malang train a month before my departure. I urge you to book the ticket earlier. I got my ticket for IDR 222,500 (more expensive than the IDR 172,000 that others got) and the 22:00 train was already sold out. I had to book the 20:35 train. Booooo. I could’ve spent more time with my bestie in Yogyakarta.

I did the Cemoro Lawang- Probolinggo- Surabaya route going to Surabaya airport. I survived, although I was also gullible enough that I wasn’t exempted from the Probolinggo scam. More on that in another entry.

Packing

I used my backpack. I ditched the laptop because I knew I was riding an ojek from Malang to Ngadas. I didn’t want to endure the back pain that I did like in Romblon. The usual sunscreen and shades are a must. I packed one jacket and I just rented another jacket when I reached Cemoro Lawang. I also had my thermal wear from (Heattech from Uniqlo) because I knew that I will be doing some hiking early in the morning. 

Exploring the Savannah with a backpack and shoulder bag

Conclusion

I had a blast during my short trip in Indonesia!