To Bandung, Indonesia

On somewhat of a whim, I decided that since we were 'in the area' we could visit my old friend, Carolyn and her family in Bandung, Indonesia.

Carolyn and I worked for the same organisation in Sweden, Folkuniversitetet, in the late 1980s, before we both moved to Finland. I'm still in sunny/snowy Suomi, whereas Carolyn has ended up in the Far-East.

Elks Street flew with Air Asia from Penang to Kuala Lumpur (LCCT) and then on to Bandung with another Air Asia flight. The return journey was Air Asia Bandung-KLIA (LCCT) followed by an overnight train to S.P.

Some words about the airline. Air Asia is a rapidly growing low-cost carrier based in south-east Asia. It has various national branches flying under the Air Asia banner. The Malaysia Air Asia flights I have used have all been on modern aircraft. The Indonesia Air Asia flights were with old Boeing 737s which, based on the labels in the toilets, formerly belonged to SAS. All Air Asia flights I've taken have been late, but none very late, 30-40 mins maximum. When travelling with Air Asia, a couple of things to bear in mind are that there is so-called "free seating," meaning a free-for-all, and it is a so-called "point-to-point carrier," meaning that connections are not guaranteed.

Below a few photos.

Waiting at Kuala Lumpur (LCCT) terminal.

The terminal is extremely crowded and not very nice. KLIA proper is very different; one of the world's more pleasant airports.

An Air Asia plane decked out in Manchester Utd colours.

The plane was seen at KL (LCCT) on 19 December 2008. Is this proof that Man Utd fans don't actually come from Manchester?

Boarding at KL (LCCT). Henry in the bottom corner carrying the backpack.

Bandung Airport, officially Husein Sastranegara International Airport.

It is a former military base. When you arrive, there is one table to get the visa-on-demand for those eligible, two tables for checking passports, one machine for scanning your luggage, and then it's out of the door into the world of Indonesia.

Hwei-Ming and Thomas having just disembarked from the flight at Bandung Airport.

Below a few aircraft photos for the plane spotters among you.

Passengers disembarking from the Bandung to Kuala Lumpur flight (23 Dec 08).

The same plane (PK-AWC) seen from the other side.



A Malaysia Air Asia plane in front of the control tower at K.L. (LCCT).

All Indonesian airlines, including the national carrier Garuda, are currently banned from flying in the European Union for reasons of safety - the Indonesian transport system has an appalling record. On the return flight there was an interesting incident. The air hostess (also known as the flight attendant) did the usual safety briefing but concluded by saying: "Please take a moment to pray for a safe flight."

Maybe this is normal procedure but based on the alarming way we skidded along the ruway on landing at K.L. maybe she knew something we didn't!