Have Perut Will Travel...: CGK Day 1 │ KUL to CGK • MH721!

Back in Batavia! A Year Later and Still in Love with Jakarta

It’s hard to believe—it’s been eight months since our last visit and a full year since our first. Truth be told, Indonesia has become our favorite shopping destination, even more than Thailand. The currency exchange is friendlier, and the clothing quality—especially locally produced Batik—is simply unmatched.

Getting to KLIA

This trip was a little different. Brendan has completed his master’s program and started interning at a local fintech, so we had to make our own way to KL City Air Terminal. We left home at 8:15 AM and booked a six-seater Grab for RM16 (≈USD4/EUR3) to KL Sentral.

As usual, we purchased KLIA Express return tickets online for RM90 each (≈USD21/EUR18), which not only saves money but is the only way to access the KL City Air Terminal. Currently, the terminal caters to Malaysia Airlines (MAS), Batik Air, and KLM.

We checked in our bags—27 kg total, well within the 50 kg allowance—and narrowly missed the 8:41 AM train. The next one arrived at 9:00 AM, and by 9:30 AM we were at KLIA.

Pre-Flight Rituals

With only a small carry-on, we headed to the Malaysia Airlines counter to confirm our seats. We initially picked 16H and 16K but ended up with 28A and 28C—something we only noticed later!

Immigration was smooth except for Cat’s MyBorderPass glitch, which meant a quick detour to the manual counter. Once cleared, we discovered our gate—C35—was at the satellite building. Before boarding the Air Train, Cat made a quick stop at the MAC store, picking up three of her favorite compact powders. The total came to RM493 after a RM50 discount (≈USD117/EUR100).

Lunch Before Takeoff

We grabbed lunch at The Loaf, indulging in:

Mushroom Cream Soup
Ciabatta Chicken Mayo Sandwich
Zesty Sizzle Wrap
Teh Tarik & Orange Juice

The bill, including tax and service charge, was RM101.75 (≈USD24/EUR21).

Onboard MH721

Boarding began at 1:15 PM, and we were airborne by 2:00 PM. The flight was uneventful but pleasant. Lunch was served shortly after takeoff—I had Chicken Varuval, while Cat opted for Mango Fish. Kudos to Captain Wan Arif and Chief Stewardess Jennilee for a smooth flight.

We touched down at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at 3:00 PM local time. Next up? Breezing through Immigration and heading to Thamrin Executive Residence—our home away from home in Jakarta.

Stay tuned for the next post and video!