Leaving The City In A Jiffy

I'm not at all wistful to leave the city. The work is done and it's time to leave. There is nothing for me here. All my friends who were here have left for less polluted cities. I've never liked this grey and eeky Jakarta. I still don't. I prefer chic Yogyakarta and the quiet beauty of Banten and Bali; the breathtaking Lombok and Manado.

I'd have liked to go shopping for batik though. They've beautiful items. Too bad there isn't enough time for any sort of leisure.

Ah... time. Time is like a bad word in this city. To depart from the hotel at 6.30am for a 10.20am flight (when we've already checked in online) is just ridiculous. Our hotel is only 1 hour away from the airport. We're in a city, not out in the boondocks. I guess that's how bad the traffic jams can be. Thank goodness we managed to get bumped up to a 9.20am flight instead.

And the configuration of toilets at the airport befuddles me. Do you share the sentiment? There are toilets along the road outside of the airline check-in rows. After checking in, there are shops and cafes aplenty, and Starbucks. Heeeee. But there is NOT a single toilet. The only toilets available are at the departure lounge where you just sit and wait for the plane doors to open. Finally we found one spacious dirty toilet (1 cubicle) at the surau and within the depressing nursing room at the corridor of shops. I had to use that.

When I travel, my 2 biggest hang-ups are to have a constant supply of drinking water and the availability of toilets. So if you've got a small bladder like me, at Jakarta international airport, for pete's sake, pee outside before you walk through the customs.