Have Perut Will Travel...: CGK Day 1 │ Soekarno-Hatta to Thamrin Executive Residence!

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Wednesday, 1 October 2025

CGK Day 1 │ Soekarno-Hatta to Thamrin Executive Residence!

Welcome to Jakarta! A Smooth Landing and a Taste of Macet

Touchdown! MH721 landed at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport right on schedule at 4:00 PM. After a short taxi, we disembarked and breezed through formalities—thanks to some pre-trip planning. This time, we had our health and customs declarations sorted in advance using Indonesia’s new consolidated portal:

allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id

With everything in order, we sailed past Immigration’s auto-gates and collected our trusty yellow suitcases from Carousel 2. Unlike previous visits, we decided to skip the train and try a different mode of transport—just to experience Jakarta’s infamous traffic jam, or macet!

Bluebird Taxi to the Rescue

After clearing Customs, we headed to the Bluebird Taxi counter, where staff gave clear directions to the pick-up point. Using the Bluebird app, we booked a ride to our Airbnb for a fixed fare of IDR179,000 (≈MYR45/USD11/EUR9)—a great deal considering we avoided lugging heavy bags through train stations.

We met our driver, Praticilia Tessy Mai, at Gate 3 around 4:50 PM. Curious about traffic, we asked her for a forecast. She assured us that since it wasn’t yet 5 PM, we’d dodge the dreaded macet. True enough, we reached Thamrin Executive Residence—our go-to stay in Jakarta—in just 45 minutes. Including tolls, the fare came to IDR204,500 (≈MYR52/USD12/EUR11).

Back to Our Favorite Spot

We were thrilled to return to Sigit’s lovely apartment, a peaceful retreat in the heart of the city. The reception staff even recognized us and offered a rare half-smile. We handed over a box of Beryl’s Tiramisu chocolates as a thank-you before heading up to Unit 26BA.

After a quick shower and change, we were ready to hit the town again. Next stop? Our favorite mall—Grand Indonesia. Stay tuned for the next post and video!