I woke up at 6:30 AM since one of the Indonesian coaches and I were going to leave the camp at 7 AM. Since I had already packed as much as I could the night before, I got ready very quickly. Kosuke woke up about 10 minutes later. As I was getting ready, though, I heard Kosuke and the coach talking. The coach had already been waiting for me. Kosuke and I hurried to get ready to leave.
We eventually left before 7 AM. On the way to the bus station, the car had engine trouble, but it took only about 10 minutes to get there. I got out of the car with Kosuke and thanked the coach. Kosuke spoke with a young female staff member about my reservation, and I received my ticket. I thanked Kosuke as well, and then he left.
Although the bus was supposed to depart at 7:30 AM, it was late. My seat was in the very front, next to the driver. After getting into the van, I started listening to a French podcast like I do every day, and I fell asleep at some point. When I woke up, the van was already in Jakarta. It eventually took only about two hours to get back, unlike the trip from Jakarta to Ciloto.
After getting off the van, I headed to a random coffee shop that looked nice. When I entered, there were very few customers. It was about 10 AM. When I looked at the menu, I realized the coffee was pretty expensive. It was the most expensive coffee I had had in Indonesia. It was about 55,000 IDR ($3). I started writing my personal journal and updating this blog entry. As time passed, more customers came into the coffee shop.
At 12:30 PM, I left the coffee shop and headed to North Jakarta, where I was leaving for Yogyakarta, a major city and the cultural capital of Java. Before getting on the train, I had lunch at a food stall near the station. Since I had been having stomach issues, I was honestly afraid of eating street food. I had a bowl of noodles surrounded by local people who gave me strange looks. After finishing it in about five minutes, I took the train.
I was surprised that the balance on my transportation card was enough to cover the long-distance ride. After arriving at the station where I was going to take the night bus, I went to a random coffee shop to relax. I stayed there until about 5:30 PM because the bus was leaving at 6:30 PM.
Since I wanted to eat something, I had Rawon, an Indonesian black beef soup, at a small shop next to the bus station. The soup came with a bowl of rice. I also got a bottle of water. The total price was 30,000 IDR ($1.60). While I was eating, everyone seemed curious about where I was from. A man who looked to be in his 40s and worked there asked me where I was from. I told him that I was from Japan, which became the main topic of their conversation for a while afterward. My Japanese appearance and large backpack made people look at me at least twice. I assumed that there were not many tourists who used buses from that station to get to Yogyakarta.
After eating, I waited for the bus to depart. Although there were many large buses, I was able to identify the one I was supposed to take because it was the only bus with the same company name as the one on my receipt. A bunch of mosquitoes prevented me from sitting down, so I stood while waiting. People were sitting on outdoor chairs, on the ground, on the stairs, and even on small stones along the side of the road.
At 6:30 PM, a few men started announcing something to the waiting passengers. I assumed it was time to board the bus, so I told one of them my name and received my paper ticket. However, they told me that the bus had not arrived yet, so I had to wait longer. The bus that I had thought was mine turned out to be the wrong one.
I was not really surprised because I had already experienced transportation not following the scheduled times. I tried to be patient, but I could not help feeling a little frustrated after about 20 minutes. The bus finally arrived about 30 minutes late, and the man who had told me to wait called me from a distance. I walked over to the bus and put my large backpack in the luggage compartment.
The inside of the bus was much more luxurious than I had expected. There was a bathroom in the back, and each seat was quite spacious with its own blanket. Just a few minutes after I got on the bus, it departed. Luckily, nobody was sitting next to me, so I was able to use both seats, which made the ride much more comfortable.
Although the bus itself was very nice, the smell of cigarette smoke from someone nearby bothered me. Even though I struggled to fall asleep because of the multiple stops, I managed to get some rest until a bus driver woke me up. It was about 11 PM. As soon as I opened my eyes, he made a hand gesture indicating that it was time to eat.
Since I had already eaten dinner before departure, I thought, I don’t have to eat. However, there was no one left on the bus except me and a small child sleeping in the very front row. So I got up, took my valuables, and got off the bus.
There was a huge open-air cafeteria where people were eating dinner, along with a buffet line where passengers could get meals. I first went to the bathroom, which cost 2,000 IDR ($0.10). When I came out, I realized that people were not paying for the food. Since I like complimentary meals, I wanted to try it even though I was not hungry.
I joined the line and was asked to show my bus ticket. A young man took my ticket, tore it in half, and let me receive a free meal. There were several plates with bowls of rice on them. I took one and picked up a boiled egg and a small piece of chicken. Right after that, a young woman said something to me in Indonesian. As soon as she realized I did not understand, she asked another man to explain it instead. Eventually, he simply said, “Only one.” I realized that I was only supposed to choose one topping, so I put the chicken back onto the serving tray.
The meal turned out to be the most boring dish I had ever had—a bowl of rice with a boiled egg. I ate it as quickly as I could because I did not want the bus to leave without me. The bus driver seemed to make an announcement, but I was not sure which buses were leaving.
After finishing my meal, I returned to the bus. The front door was closed, but the back door was open, so I tried to board through the back. As I stepped onto the bus, one of the staff members tapped me on the back and gestured for me to use the front door instead. This time the front door was open, so I boarded from there. I realized that I had been supposed to wait until the front door opened, but since I could not understand what he was saying, he simply let me get on.
After that, it was much easier to fall asleep, although the strong air conditioning made the bus feel very cold. The blanket, which barely covered my entire body, was a huge help. I have no idea exactly when I finally fell asleep, though.
