26 Jakarta - Denpasar
14. Feb 2007
It was a very early start next morning – and a long wait to be picked up at 8.30 as arranged the day before. After waiting ¾ of an hour I realised, that Jakarta time is an hour behind Malaysia, and that my time was set to Malaysia time!
But it was still another half an hour, due to traffic, before I got going.
The remnants of the floods that had been in Jakarta only a few days before was still very evident, in the lower lying parts of the city.
In the airport it was only a short wait before fuel arrived – delayed because the Australian prime minister (or so I was told) had to depart in his jet, before the fuel truck was allowed to my plane. The temperature on the tarmac was 34C – and very humid.
So it was nice to take off and climb into cooler air heading east along the north coast of
Java. It was obvious, that Java is one of the most heavily populated places on the planet. Villages and towns lay very close below. But it was very pretty from above at 11500 feet.
Near Surabaya I had to divert slightly again, due to towering Columus Imbus Clouds. Just getting close to them gave moderate turbulence.
Arrived in Denpassar Airport in the afternoon, and soon after I was on my way to the Ramada hotel in nearby Kuta.
I am going to spend 3 nights here, and look forward to it. For the first time, I experienced a hotel price that is considerable lower, than quoted in a guide book. I guess Bali still suffers from bombings some years ago?
