June 4
Arriving
After connecting in Vancouver, I took a 16 hour, non-stop flight from Vancouver to Singapore. My itinerary gave me a four hour layover in Singapore and then taking the short flight from Singapore to Jakarta.
Once in Jakarta, I would take the new high-speed train from Jakarta to Bandung.
After the issues checking in for my Air Canada flight, things went really smooth. My flight to Singapore was on time and I ended up too early to check in for my flight to Jakarta.
Luckily, the Singapore airport is an amazing place to hang out for a few hours. I ended up going to “The Jewel” which is a combination shopping mall and tropical conservatory. It’s the famous part of the terminal that has an indoor waterfall called “The Vortex" that has been all the rage on social media.
The Vortex at The Jewel section of Singapore’s Changi Airport
Unfortunately, the Vortex doesn’t get turned on until 11AM, which is right when I was going to be boarding my flight to Jakarta, so I didn’t get to see it in action. However, the other plants and setting in the Jewel is pretty amazing.
Once I landed in Jakarta, the trip from the airport to the high speed train station took about an hour. Jakarta traffic is no joke. But once on the train, the speeds were amazing, and it was about a half hour from there to cover the 150km to Bandung.
An orchid at the Jewel, that according to the sign was a gift from then Prince,, now King, Charles
Travel Gallery
Singapore on Departure
Flying over Sumatra
TransNusa Airlines. Never heard of them? Me neither. I got to Jakarta safe though.
A model of the high speed train
Interior of the high speed train, business class cabin
Not very fast. We did end up at about 350km/h
A little snack box on the train. Included with the ticket.
On the High-Speed Train to Bandung
The high-speed train between Jakarta and Bandung is a joint partnership between Indonesia and China. The train runs in addition to, not as a replacement of, the older slower train. It cuts the 150 km journey from 3.5 hours to 30 minutes.