Category: Asia

I have experienced that applying for an eVisa was easier and the chances of being accepted were greater than applying for a Regular Visa. It was enough to attach the required documents and pay at the online payment gate, the e-Visa would be issued according to the planned time of arrival in the country.

At least I had made eVisa Taiwan, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Oman. Everything went smoothly and the eVisa was easy for me to get.

Well, this time I will share a little story about how I made India’s e-Visa three times.

India’s eVisa is the second eVisa that I’ve ever pursued after the first eVisa that I’ve taken care of, i.e. eVisa Taiwan.

At that time….End of 2017….

The mental challenge that was so heavy after getting a Jet Airways flight ticket towards the capital of India, made my quest for an Indian e-Visa less enthusiastic. Getting an Indian eVisa was indeed very easy. I only needed to complete the data on the e-form and attached documents in the form of a photo of myself and a scan of the passport biodata sheet requested by the official India eVisa website. Then I only needed to wait some time for the eVisa to be issued. But the lack of enthusiasm in dealing with the e-Visa lied in the feeling of anxiety about visiting that Gandhi’s Country.

The eVisa validity period to entering India was short, which was around four months, making me had to apply for this eVisa close to the departure date.

I myself applied for this eVisa twenty days before departure and the eVisa was approved the day after submission after paying 50 US dollars at the payment gate. The application address was as follows: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/

This was my first story of hunting for an Indian eVisa.

The next day the eVisa application had GRANTED status.

Check it out!…. Any entry point in India that could use this eVisa.

Tracking eVisa status on the application page.

Second Experience

Whereas my next experience in applying for an Indian eVisa occurred on November 8, 2018.

At that time, India’s eVisa was made free by the Indian government on June 18, 2018. The idea itself was conveyed by Nerendra Modi during a meeting of the Indian Diaspora in Jakarta.

Where was my destination at that time?….

Mumbai….Yups, I planned to get out of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport heading to the city center during a transit of more than 13 hours. At that time Jet Airways would take me from Dhaka to Colombo and transit in Mumbai.

Maybe due to a change in policy from a paid eVisa to a free eVisa, there had been a change of address on the India eVisa page. I submitted the eVisa application myself, exactly two months before departure.

Because the Web URL that I entered was wrong, the decision to accept or not my eVisa application never reached my email. The URL I went to at that time was https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/

Do I then plan to reapply?

No….Because at the same time, there was a change in Jet Airways flight from Dhaka to Mumbai. The change in flight schedule didn’t allow me to get out of the airport, let alone head to the city center. Because the change in flight schedule apart from shortening the transit time also made 80% of my transit time fall at night. Hence, it would be impossible for me to explore Mumbai at night….Too risky.

In the end, I decided, I wouldn’t continue the continuation of this eVisa application because basically, I didn’t need it anymore. But my curiosity was prolonged, finally, I tried to find the correct Indian e-Visa application page address. And I found it, here is the URL in question: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/eVisa/

Even though this page was wrong, the appearance of the e-form turned out to be exactly the same as the e-form on the correct page.

The page for checking the status of eVisa applications was also the same.

Third Experience

The third submission for the India eVisa was when I intended to explore the Middle East Region and decided to take entry to Dubai from Kochi.

The decision to jumping off to the Middle East from Kochi was of course closely related to the budget conditions I had. This condition was strengthened by the availability of low-cost Srilankan Airlines flights from Kochi to Dubai with temporary transit in Colombo. Of course, I chose to jump from Kochi also based on a strong desire to return to nostalgia with the rich culture of India.

The next opportunity occurred at the end of 2019. I applied for India eVisa to explore Kochi.

I processed this application by visiting the eVisa India page twice.

On December 4, I filled out the e-form partially due to busy work. Partially filling out the e-form during the day, I had to complete it in the afternoon until finally at four o’clock in the afternoon I was able to submit the e-Visa application.

This was the advantage of applying for an India eVisa where we could fill out the e-form several times (not fill in once). Usually, at the opportunity to fill out the first e-form, we would be given an Application ID No. which was entry access to our submission data if we wanted to edit or complete data.

On the third occasion of making this India eVisa, I submitted my eVisa application on December 4, 2019, and eVisa got GRANTED status on December 8, 2019.

Email sending that filling in the partial filling of my eVisa application was stored.

Notice that my e-Visa submission e-form was successful and waiting to be processed.

So, it was easy to make an Indian eVisa….

Come on, the pandemic was over, let’s go to India.

Second Chance to India: Air Asia AK 39 from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Kochi (COK)

3 May 202311 May 2023travelingpersecond

Air Asia flight route AK 39 (source: flightaware).

Going to India always has a thrill in a side of my heart. The provocation of irresponsible information sometimes succeeds in making the guts tremble.

Gusts of news ranging from security factors, culinary hygiene, scam variations, and other gripping things began to cloud my mind that afternoon.

Therefore, before leaving for India, for five days I warmed my guts in Kuala Terengganu and Kuala Lumpur, hoping that by leaving them I would be able to carry courage. But that afternoon it seemed as if I was still building up the courage from zero again.

In the continuation of my adventure, India would be the prelude to my main destination, i.e. the Middle East. Why was that?…. The only reason was that India was always giving many chances to get cheap tickets to the main tourist city in the Arabian Peninsula, i.e. Dubai. In addition to tickets, India also provided a variety of starting points to jump into that city.

As for my adventure history, after New Delhi and Agra two years earlier, this time I chose another point of departure, i.e. Kochi, an exotic tourist destination in southwest India.

—-****—-

I enjoyed the soft texture of white rice at Quizinn by RASA after 24 hours of not tasting this idol’s food. The white rice at that time also represented the last Ringgit I had, starting the next day I was using Rupees.

Five minutes before the Air Asia Ak 39 check-in desk opened, I finished eating white rice with the last piece of fried egg.

As I stated above, instead of getting excited, my chest was beating fast…” Oh India, please make peace with my adventure this time”, I calmed my heart.

Rising from my seat in a corner of the food court on the 2M floor, I carried my favorite blue backpack. Stepping up to the Departure Hall on the 3rd floor.

“It turned out that the queue was long….”, my confidence to become the first queue fell.

The contortions of the queue, which was dominated by Indians, kept me in the bloated queue. After all, I remained calm, there was still a long way to the flight, still four hours away. I started taking out the zipper bag to prepare documents, i.e. passports, hotel booking confirmations in India, tickets to and from India, and free Indian e-Visa sheets.

“Do you have a Visa?”, the check-in desk staff firmly asked me.

“This is Miss”, I handed over all the documents I had prepared.

“Was Indonesia to India enough with e-Visa, Sir?” That female officer asked her senior colleague.

That senior staff confirmed and that female officer finally printed the boarding pass for me.

The first stage was over, I rushed to the International Departure Gate which was heavily guarded by several Aviation Security. In the front queue, there weren’t a few prospective passengers who were being held back due to carrying too much cabin baggage. In addition to Aviation Security, several Air Asia airline ground staff closely monitored passengers who cheated by carrying excess cabin baggage.

For me?….. It was easy, I pass through the gate without checking. Even with the inspection, I would still pass, because I had weighed the entire load of my backpack before heading to the check-in desk….Easy, only 6.5 kilograms.

“Where is the direction to gate L14?”, I asked myself.

I continued along the long corridors until I descended an escalator which at the bottom was already blocking several columns of the screening gate.

As usual, I always took off my shoes when I pass through the screening gate, it was all because I would feel lazy if I had to repeat the screening process when my shoes rang the screening door.

I easily pass it….

Now I only needed to continue through the remaining corridors to reach gate L14.

One of the corridors in the International Departure Hall is KLIA2.

Those are the directions to the Air Asia AK 39 departure gate.

A little after seven in the evening, I arrived at the gate in question.

“Hhmmmhhhh….An hour and a half to boarding”, I sat on a chair outside the waiting room which was still tightly closed.

I decided to perform the prayer and filled up drink bottles at the free water station. And in the remaining time, I just sit waiting until the waiting room door opens an hour before the flight.

Luckily while waiting, my boredom was dampened by the cute behavior of a little Indian toddler whose behavior was so adorable.

—-****—-

Waiting in the waiting room, I was again stunned by a large group of Hindu congregation. From the all-black uniform worn, I could identify the congregation as coming from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, located in the State of Kerala, India.

The peculiarity of the Indian Hindu congregation was that they do not use footwear. Some Hindus in India believed that not using footwear was a form of respect for the Gods.

Dressed in black and Lungi*1) was also the religious appearance of the group. I had to sit mingled in the waiting room with their group.

While the view in the glass window was a perfectly parked Airbus A320 Twin Jet aircraft, dominantly white with a blue-red color combination and bearing the tourism promotion jargon “Sarawak More to Discover”.

Waiting patiently for it to end…

Boarding calls for Air Asia flight AK 39 filled the airport ceiling.

I immediately got up and prepared my passport and boarding pass to pass the final inspection of prospective passengers before entering the cabin. Ahhh….I couldn’t wait.

At half past nine I started boarding…..

Passing the aerobridge to the aircraft cabin.

Cabin situation while hunting for a seat.

Look at those Indian citizens…..Do you want to go to India or not?

Entering the cabin of the small-body aircraft, I looked for seat number 11E. On the next 3 hours and 40 minutes of flight, I would sit in the middle column, making it difficult for me to capture beautiful portraits of the earth.

When the boarding process was over, in my row there was only me and one of the Hindu congregation. Therefore, I decided to move to an aisle seat to get relief from the 3,000 km flight.

—-****—-

To my surprise, when I opened the Travel 360 inflight magazine, I found a self-portrait of a travel influencer that seemed familiar to me. I was very familiar with his surname….Groves.

I made sure it was a beautiful traveler from Aussie whom I had known a year earlier in Samosir, Eloise Groves. He once told a story under the Naisogop waterfall that he had a brother named Jackson Groves who was a travel influencer. Seeing the similarity in the facial expressions of the figure in the inflight magazine I was reading with the figure that often appears on Eloise’s Facebook page, I’m 100% sure it was her big brother.

And it was true, later I would get confirmation from Eloise that it was her sibling after sending a short message through the Facebook messenger application when I arrived in India.

Trying to close my eyes after flipping through Travel 360, I tried to sleep. But I didn’t sleep. That was how I was, never completely fell asleep every time I sat on the plane.

That was Jackson Groves in Air Asia’s Inflight magazine.

Arrive at Terminal 3 Cochin International Airport.

Finally, the awaited time has arrived….

At one o’clock in the morning, Air Asia AK 39 landed at Cochin International Airport, a magnificent airport in the State of Kerala in southwest India.

Thank God….

Now I was even further away from home.

Kochi which was nearly 9,000 km from Jakarta.

Let’s explore….What was in Kochi?

To get flight tickets from Kuala Lumpur to Kochi, you can search for them on 12go Asia Asia with the following link: https://12go.asia/?z=3283832

Next Story—->

Description of the word:

Lungi*1) = A long piece of cloth that is wrapped around the waist and is a typical Indian dress.

Heading to KLIA2 from KL Sentral

26 April 2023travelingpersecond

It would take a little longer to take a free service to the inn than riding the LRT “Laluan Kelana Jaya”. But in order to get around for the lack of Ringgit, I still decided to just take the free service of Go KL City Bus.

Hurrying to leave KLCC Park, I headed towards the KLCC bus stop which is located right in front of Suria KLCC. Arriving under the bus stop auspices, the green line of the “Free Bus Service” had been waiting for its passengers.

I rode it to reach the interchange point between lines, namely the Pavilion bus stop. From there I would catch the Go KL City Bus purple line to reach the Pasar Seni Bus Hub, the closest bus stop to my accommodation, namely The Bed Station.

—-****—-

Cheating underhandedly, I stepped up The Bed Station stairs, hoping not to be spotted by the receptionist when I crossed the inn’s front door. It was because I had checked out that morning, but that time, I forced myself to take a shower in the inn’s shared bathroom on the 3rd floor.

I made it through the reception room on the 2nd floor, at a glance I saw the reception staff were busy serving the inn’s guests who seemed to only just be arriving, indeed I arrived when the check-in period had opened.

Quickly moving, I immediately took a shower to clean all the sweat after walking around town that morning.

As soon as I finished bathing, I immediately went down to the reception desk to pick up the backpack I had left since morning.

The long queue at the reception desk made me invisible when I just came down from the top floor which wasn’t my right to enter it again, let alone to do any activity on that floor….Damn, Donny.

—-****—-

Succeeding to get a backpack, I rushed to Pasar Seni LRT Station which is only 200 meters from the inn.

When I arrived, I rushed to the automatic vending machine to exchange 1.3 Ringgit for a round blue token. That token would guarantee me to move toward KL Sentral.

The LRT Laluan Kelana Jaya with four wagons arrived to pick me up on the second-floor platform, and then I was following its spinning wheels heading to KL Sentral, which wasn’t even one station apart.

Within 15 minutes, I arrived at KL Sentral….

Down the escalator, I arrived at the first floor, and without long thinking, I immediately rushed to the basement level. I had an advantage in that I memorized the whole layout of KL Sentral, at least I had visited that famous transportation hub seven times. That was what made that so easy for me to reach the Aerobus ticket sales counter.

Aerobus is transportation from KL Sentral to Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (KLIA2) which offers cheap travel when compared to using taxis, the KLIA Transit train, or the KLIA Ekspres.

I handed over 12 Ringgit to get a ticket to the airport.

—-****—-

A quarter of an hour past four in the afternoon….

After traveling for 45 minutes, I arrived at the 1st floor of Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2. I was dropped off at one of the platforms at the transportation hub at Gateway@klia2.

Even though my flight would take place at nine in the evening, that didn’t stop me from going straight to the 3rd floor to see more detailed flight information. As usual, I was always detailed and strict about flight schedules, at least that afternoon I had to find out the number of the check-in desk I would exchange my e-ticket for a boarding pass and at what gate my plane would take off.

I couldn’t hide a slight smile from my lips when I managed to get that information on the giant LCD on the 3rd floor.

“17:20, it turns out….”, I thought when I found out when the check-in desk would open.

I decided to do the last congregational prayer in the mosque on the 2nd floor and of course, planned to have dinner afterwards.

Not as usual when I was looking for food at KLIA2. That afternoon the regular restaurant serving cheap Indian food was closing. Was NZ Curry House whose location was covered by renovation boards.

But I don’t bother….

In 2015, I ate at a food court located on the 2M floor. I slightly forgot the position of the food court. But I intended to look for it until I found it. There was a padang-typical restaurant that offers cheap food in the food court.

“That’s it….”, I cheered inside when I saw the food court from a distance.

“Quizinn by RASA….”, I recited the name of that food court.

“Restoran Padang Kota Group….”, yupzzz I saw the restaurant I was looking for.

Presumably not able to linger, I headed for the Padang-typical restaurant and then looked for a menu according to the condition of my wallet. That was when my Ringgit would run out.

Fifteen minutes before checked-in, I was finally able to enjoy a portion of rice for 5.9 Ringgit. That was the rice I ate after I last ate it a day before.

So, that was Quizinn by RASA food court.

My menu that night: White rice, hard-boiled eggs, and vegetables.

Taking a seat, I enjoyed the dinner and then got ready to take my flight.

Was I going home?….

No….The real adventure was about to begin.

I would fly to a city in southern India….KOCHI.

KLCC Park: Visited at the End

16 April 202326 April 2023travelingpersecond

The sun was at the peak of its power when I decided to retreat from Petronas Twin Towers’ yard. I couldn’t hide the wry smile on the corner of my lips and felt like I was a traveler who didn’t understand priorities just because I visited the Twin Towers right in the middle of the day.

I tried to make peace with myself and intended to make up for that mistake by presenting a new destination in my adventure history. Not a prestigious place, but it could make up for my priority error before. On the other side, this place could be the right spot to drown out the sun’s arrogance.

I stepped towards the east. While trying with all my heart to resist the temptation of the magnificent Suria KLCC gate, the shopping paradise in downtown Kuala Lumpur. How could it not be, a long line of classy four-wheeled vehicles willingly queued in front of it while the visitor’s flow kept flowing in and out of this upscale shopping center?

Arriving at the two-section road on the east side of Suria KLCC, I continued heading south. I still tried to hide from the sun under the palm trees that line up neatly in the middle of the sidewalk….yupzz, a single sidewalk that perfectly divides the road into two lanes.

Slowly, at the end of the road, lush large trees began to appear, giving the city a contrasting atmosphere. It was as if I was heading to an oasis in the middle of the concrete jungle of the city.

Even from afar, I was able to feel the fresh air blowing from that green area. Automatically made me speed up my steps toward it. After passing over an underpass base, I found a green area’s gate.

This was Kuala Lumpur City Center Park….People knew it as KLCC Park.

I entered the park from its entrance which was on the left side of the KLCC Park Office building. Entering the park, I took a seat in the resting area which was in a gazebo form right on the east side of Symphony Lake. Wooden benches with concrete legs can be seen scattered all over the park, placed under the shade of large trees whose identities were displayed in barcodes on yellow paper and taped to each stem.

Perhaps this was where the most favorite part of the park was because visitors could intensely stare at the patterned fountain against the background of the Petronas Twin Towers which were supported by Suria KlCC’s low-extended buildings. As if I didn’t want to quickly leave my sitting position.

The city park with a Brazilian-style architectural touch began to be traced deeper when I started to get up from my seat. Stepping along its jogging track, I decided not to pass a bridge that connects Symphony Lake and the children’s pool.

I preferred to pass the jogging track on the north side to get closer to the KLCC Park Children’s Pool. The crowd and coolness that appeared at the children’s pool held back my power to look away. Instead of leaving, I was unconsciously leaning on one of the benches at the edge of the pool.

The main actor in the pool with a depth of just above the ankles was a sculpture of a jumping white whale which was dramatized with the help of a fountain in the tail. While the sculpture of two dolphins also jumped on its side. In addition, the walls of the pool decorated with artificial waterfalls were very inviting for children to get wet under them.

A perfect concept, when the Children’s Pool was juxtaposed with the Children’s Playground in the east. This allowed children to choose one of them or even play in both alternately. Like a Children’s Playground in general, this section was filled with swings, seesaws, and rides up-down stairs with the playground’s floor covered with Ethylene Prophylene Diene Konomer which created a soft and safe tile sensation for children.

For finally….

My adventure in the park ended on a stretch of grass perfectly circled by a jogging track.

It was past noon…

I had to have lunch before returning to the inn and in the end I would stop at the airport to determine my next steps.

Since the afternoon before, my Ringgit had run out and was only enough for the budget to take the bus to the airport and had dinner in it later…..So I decided to eat from a potluck lunch, especially if it wasn’t the same menu as last night’s dinner and breakfast that morning….That was oat powder which only need to be watered with mineral water. A circle of jogging tracks with grass in the middle became the backdrop for my lunch that day.

KLCC Park Tasik Simfoni (Lake Symphony Fountain) on the west side.

Jogging track and bridge linking Lake Symphony and Children’s Pool.

KLCC Park Children’s Pool was right in the middle of the park.

KLCC Park, a one-hectare city park….

It was a simple place that I had wanted to visit since 2014, but I had visited it many times or just stopped by in Kuala Lumpur, and many times I had failed to visit it, of course, the big obstacle was the very difficult time available each time I visited Kuala Lumpur.

This is my best redemption with the success of stopping by that afternoon. I deliberately pushed my way through the traffic jam to Kuala Lumpur City Center but I didn’t put my intention on the Twin Towers but on my main goal that day….KLCC Park.

I left the park feeling happy…Time to go back to the inn, pack up, and went to the airport.

Next Story—->

Teka-Teki Bus No. 67 Tashkent

27 March 202327 March 2023travelingpersecond

Samar aku melihat pemberhentian bus kota itu, tapi aku belum yakin benar apakah itu halte bus yang sedang kucari. Aku terus melangkah mendekatinya.

Aku tiba beberapa menit kemudian….

Halte bus itu berukuran tak telalu besar untuk standar ukuran halte bus bandara. Tak semegah halte bus DAMRI Soetta tentunya.

Setiba di halte, aku berhenti sejenak, mengamati segenap petunjuk yang bisa memberikanku informasi penting. Tapi tak kunjung menemukannya. “Aku harus mencari cara lain berburu informasi”, aku memutuskan cepat.

Hingga akhirnya aku melihat kehadiran sosok pemuda yang sedang menunggu bus di salah satu sisi halte, pemuda itu sedang sibuk dengan tab di tangannya.

“Ini bisa menjadi opsi terbaikku”, aku pun melangkah mendekati pemuda itu.

“Hello, brother. Will bus No. 67 pass this shelter?”, aku mengajukan pertanyaan kepadanya.

“Oh, that’s right”, dia membuang tatapnya dari tab di tangannya.

“Oh, thank you for your information. Do I need a card or not to get on the bus?”, aku mengimbuhkan.

“There are two options. You can use a card like this (dia menunjukkan kartu berlangganan busnya) or you can pay on the bus”. Bahasa Inggris pemuda itu sangat fasih

“Oh Okay…I understand. How much for the fare?”, aku terus menyelidik.

“It’s really cheap, only 1,400 Som….By the way, where are you from?”, untuk pertama kalinya dia menyerobot sebuah pertanyaan.

“I’m Donny from Indonesia…. Did you just come home from work?”

“Call me Umid. I’m from Samarkand….Oh no, I’m a student at Tashkent University of Information Technologies.”, dia akhirnya memperkenalkan diri.

Pertemuan singkatku dengan Umid menjadi momen yang cukup berkesan karena aku beruntung menemukan seseorang yang bisa berbahasa Inggris dengan baik dan banyak memberikan informasi yang berguna bagi eksplorasiku di Tashkent beberapa hari ke depan.

Umid memberikan informasi bahwa aku harus mencicipi “Palov” makanan khas mereka. Dia juga menjelaskan bahwa 97% penduduk Uzbekitan beragama muslim, jadi budaya Islam sangat kuat tercermin di setiap sendi kehidupan “Negeri Jalan Sutera” tersebut. Dia juga memberikan pernyataan yang menenangkan hati bahwa jalanan di Tashkent sangatlah aman ditelusuri walau malam telah tiba. Satu lagi, dia menyarankanku untuk menggunakan bus kota dan MRT saja untuk melakukan eksplorasi karena tarif kedua jenis transportasi itu sangatlah murah. Apalagi, seluruh penjuru kota Tashkent terhubung oleh dua moda transportasi tersebut.

Ah, satu lagi yang masih kuingat. Dia menyebutku sebagai lelaki pemberani dan suatu saat setelah dia mendapatkan pekerjaan pasca kuliah, dia akan mulai menjelajah dunia sepertiku…..Wah, tersanjung banget aku tuh….Wkwkwkwk.

“Beinnxxx…..Beinnxxx”, sebuah bus berukuran besar merapat di platform. Seorang kondekur laki-laki paruh baya melompat ke platform dan otomatis tersenyum lebar di depanku. Dia berbicara Bahasa Uzbek kepada Umid yang aku tak paham akan maknanya.

Maka aku yang penasaran, memulai melempar tanya kepada Umid.

“What he say about me?”

“He asked where you came from, I answered Indonesia. Then he said your national football team plays well in last Asian Cup Qualifiers”, pungkas Umid.

Pernyataan Umid itu langsung mengingatkan memoriku tentang kemenangan heroik Timnas Indonesia atas Kuwait dengan skor 2-1.

“Ahahaha, Umid….Tell him, My national team usually loses if against the Uzbekistan national team”

Akhirnya kami bertiga tertawa terbahak ketika Umid dengar cerdas dan cepat menjadi penerjemah percakapanku dengan seoramg kondektur bus yang baru datang.

Akhirnya, bus kota bernomor 47 yang ditunggu-tnuggu Umid tiba. Setelah berpamitan denganku akhirnya dia menaiki bus sarat penumpang itu.

Sementara aku masih penuh kesan menunggu kedatangan bus bernomor 67.

Berselang lima menit…..bus itu datang.

“Bu avtobus…^*1).” Kondektur itu rupanya diberi tahu Umid mengenai nomor bus kota yang sedang aku tunggu sehingga kodektur itu mengetahui nomornya.

“Thank you, Sir”, aku membungkukkan badan dan beringsut meninggalkannya.

Aku melompat masuk dari pintu tengah ke dalam bus bernomor 67 yang langsam berhenti. Lalu duduk di salah satu bangku sisi tengah. Bus masih tampak kosong. Lima menit menaikkan penumpang seadanya untuk kemudian bus itu meluncur pergi meninggalkan Terminal 2, Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport.

Bus menyusuri Jalan Bobur Ko’chasi menuju pusat kota.

Sambil menunggu penumpang lain naik. Aku bertanya kepada seorang penumpang pria tentang bagaimana cara membayar tarif bus kepada kondektur.

Maka terjadilah pecakapan terunik di dunia.

“How to pay the bus fare?”, aku menunjukkan selembar 5.000 Som.

“Ty^*2)” Menujuk mukaku,

“Den’g^*3)”, menunuk selembar uang 5.000 Som yang kupegang.

“Ona zhenshchina^*4)”. Dia menunjuk ke kondektur wanita yang berdiri di bagian depan.

“Podoyti blizhe^*5)‘” dia menggerakkan telapak tangannya dari depan ke belakang.

“Den’g”, menunjuk lagi uangku lalu berganti menunjuk ke kondektur itu.

Aku hanya terus tersenyum demi memahami setengah bahasa isyarat itu.

Okay….Sepertinya petualanganku sudah terselip sebuah permainan teka-teki. Aku menunduk, mengangguk-anggukkan kepala.

“Setidaknya 50 menit ke depan, aku akan aman di dalam bus kota yang kunaiki ini”, aku membatin dan senyumku tak terbendung.

Note:

Bu avtobus^*1)= Itu bus

Ty^*2) = Anda

Den’g^*3) = Uang

Ona zhenshchina^*4)= Perempuan itu

Podoyti blizhe^*5) = Datang Mendekat

Decit Sedan di Sebelah Kaki

25 March 202327 March 2023travelingpersecond

Di depanku telah berkerumun berbagai orang dengan kepentingannya masing-masing. Batas berdiri meraka tertahan di sebuah pembatas metal yang ditempatkan di area setelah drop-off zone, berjarak tak kurang dari lima puluh meter dari exit gate bangunan bandara.

Sebagian banyak dari mereka adalah para penjemput. Mereka berseru-seru memanggil nama para penumpang pesawat yang satu-persatu keluar dari exit gate. Tentu tak akan ada seorang pun yang berharap atas kedatanganku. Bahkan ketika aku telah tegak berdiri di depan exit gate dan menatap lekat kerumunan itu. Hanya ada satu kelompok penunggu saja yang memposisikan aku sebagai tamu istimewa di mata mereka….Ya, siapa lagi kalau bukan para pengemudi taksi yang tampak sumringah melihat kehadiranku di pintu bandara.

“Taxiiii…..Taxiiii”, suara-suara yang jamak terdengar ketika aku keluar dari sebuah bandara. Aku yang sedari beberapa waktu lalu telah siap menghadapi para pengemudi taksi, akhirnya melangkah menuju halte bus yang letaknya berada di bangunan terminal bandara sebelah.

Aku melangkah cepat melalui kerumunan itu, mengabaikan banyak pengemudi taksi yang mengajakku berbicara demi menaiki taksi mereka.

Ternyata langkahku tak mulus hingga seorang pengemudi taksi menguntitku dari belakang. Sepertinya dia tak mudah menyerah sepertiku.

“Brother, my taxi is cheap….Only ten Dollar, brother….Come!”, dia memegang tangan kananku dengan maksud menarik ke taksinya.

“Sorry, Sir. I will go by city bus, My destination isn’t far”, aku menolaknya pelan dengan menarik tanganku kembali sembari terus melangkah menuju sisi kiri Terminal 1 bandara.

“The bus is closed now, Sir….It wasn’t operating at this time”, Dia terus menguntitku. Tetapi aku adalah smart traveler yang tak akan mudah tertipu. Dari berbagai sumber yang telah kubaca sebelum berangkat berpetualang, aku tahu bahwa jam operasioanl city bus di Tashkent akan tutup pukul sepuluh malam. Dan itu masih dua setengah jam lagi. Aku masih punya cukup waktu tentunya.

“I will wait for 10 minutes, Sir. If It doesn’t operate, I will use your cab”, aku tersenyum demi menjaga perasaan pengemudi taksi itu.

Aku terus melangkah cepat hingga dia memilih meninggalkanku dan kemudian mencari penumpang lain yang lebih menguntungkan baginya.

“Yeaaa….”, Aku mengepalkan tangan, memenangi pertarungan kecil itu. Meninggalkan area parkir Terminal 1 dan bergegas menuju ke Terminal 2. Kali ini musuhku bukan sopir taksi, melainkan udara super dingin yang dengan mudah menembus winter jacketku. aku lupa mengenakan setelan long john sedari berangkat dari Kuala Lumpur sembilan jam sebelumnya.

Bangunan Terminal 2 bandara sudah terlihat di kejauhan. Aku terus melangkah dengan sedikit rasa panik karena udara dingin yang terus mengintimidasi ditambah lagi dengan suasana pinggiran Terminal 1 bandara yang nampak senyap.

Saking paniknya, ketika menyeberang di salah satu jalur penghubug antar terminal, aku lupa melihat ke kiri dan ke kanan. Itu juga karena fur-trimmer hood dari winter jacketku menutupi sempurnanya pandangan mata.

“Bimmm…..Bimmmm….Bimmm”, sebuah sedan putih berhenti mendecit tepat beberapa sentimeter di sebelah kaki kiriku.

“Astaga…..” aku refleks melompat, lalu berhenti di depan sedan yang telah berhenti sempurna tersebut. Aku menengok ke arah pengemudi. Dia membuka kaca pintu mobilnya dan berteriak “Heyy…..” sembari menjulurkan tangannya ke depan.

“I’m sorry, Sir….I’m sorry….I didn’t see”, aku menangkupkan kedua telapak tangan di dada sembari melangkah mendekatinya.

“Be careful, brother!….. It would have been a problem if I had bumped you a few minutes ago.” Dia mengingatkanku sembari meredakan kekesalannya.

“I understand and sorry….”

“No matter….”, dia menutup pintu kaca dan menginjak pedal gasnya kembali, menghilang di tikungan dan meninggalkanku sendiri lagi.

Dan heeeiiii…..Tetiba aku merasakan tangan dan kakiku bergemetar. Ini bukan karena hawa dingin sekitar melainkan karena takut setelah insiden beberapa menit sebelumnya.

“Entah apa jadinya, jika aku cedera karena tertabarak mobil tadi”. Aku menelan ludah. Mungkin petualanganku akan terhenti di Tashkent dan masuk ke rumah sakit kota. Sejenak aku berhenti melangkah demi memikirkan itu.

“Sudahlah….”, aku harus segera melupakan insiden tersebut.

“Ya, Tuhan….Sebetulnya dimana halte bus yang sedang kucari?”, aku menghela napas, kemudian kembali menaruh fokus untuk memperhatian sekitar.

“Beeinxxx….Beeeinxx”, ah aku mendengar klakson bus itu. Menoleh ke arahnya, dan terlihat jelas kelir hijau warnanya di salah satu sudut Termina 2 bandara.

“Oh, di situ….”, aku tersenyum telah menemukan tempatnya.

Maka aku bergegas melangkah menujunya.

Teringat Malam-Malam Beku di Agra

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Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport Terminal 2.

Konsisten menjaga ketenangan, aku menghadap petugas Aviation Security yang menjaga kotak pemindai di screening gate dekat pintu keluar bangunan bandara.

“Can I go to Arrival Hall inside? I have a problem with a SIM Card I bought at that counter”, aku menunjuk ke Tourist Information Center setelah berhadapan dengan petugas Aviation Security yang bepostur tinggi besar.

“Sure….Just go there”, dia tersenyum mempersilahkan.

“Thanks, Sir” aku masuk ke kembali dan lansung menuju ke tempat penjualan SIM Card yang kumaksud.

Aku tiba di konter…..

“This SIM Card didn’t activate yet, Sir”, aku langsung bercakap kepada penjaga konter karena kebetulan dia sedang tidak melayani pembeli.

“Are you sure?….Let me check”, dia meminta smartphoneku.

“Yeaaa….I hope you can solve it”, aku sungguh berharap permasalahanku bisa selesai dengan cepat.

Penjaga konter belia itu mengambil kembali SIM Card dari smartphone yang kuberikan, meletakkannya pada sebuah alat kecil dengan nyala cahaya berwarna merah, kembali melakukan aktivitas yang tak kupahami, memasukkan kembali SIM Card dalam smartphoneku, mengutak-atik settingan di smartphone untuk beberapa saat.

Hingga kemudian,

“Please check again, Sir….I think this SIM Card had activated and is ready to use”, dia menyerahkan smartphoneku.

Sejenak aku membuka aplikasi berbasis peta, mencari lokasi halte Bus Kota No. 67- bus yang akan kutunggangi dalam beberapa waktu ke depan. Kabar baiknya bahwa aplikasi itu menunjukkan tempat dimana halte berada.

“Yeaaa….It work…..Thanks you, Sir”.

Karena telah kehilangan banyak waktu, maka aku kembali menuju exit gate.

Aku melangkah dengan setengah berlari untuk keluar dari bangunan Terminal 1, hingga seruan tegas menegurku,

“Hei, you…Screening your backpack again!”, seorang petugas aviation security yang lain meneriakiku ketika aku berusaha melewati screening area dengan terburu-buru. Aku masih menganggap bahwa backpackku telah steril dan sudah lolos pemeriksaan beberapa menit sebelumnya di alat pemindai yang sama.

Tetapi karena perintah itu, akhirnya aku kembali memindai backpack untuk kemudian dinyatakan bersih dan aku diizinkan menuju ke exit gate.

Aku berhenti sejenak, menatap layar smartphone, melihat posisi halte bus kota No. 67. Aku memahami denahnya, halte itu dua ratus meter jauhnya di sebelah kiri pintu keluar, tepat di depan area parkir Terminal 2 bandara.

Maka dengan yakin aku melangkah keluar.

Tiba di luar bangunan terminal, aku berdiri sejenak, terdiam

Suasana di luar sana telah sempurna gelap, malam memang sudah hadir. Udara sarat dengan kabut, sejenak aku teringat malam-malam beku di Agra awal 2018 silam. Jarak pandang menjadi tak begitu jauh, sedangkan suhu jatuh pada skala -2^o Celcius.

Aku menemukan tantangan baru.

Harus berhasil menemukan penginapan yang telah kupesan. Jaraknya 10 kilometer di utara, menaiki bus umum dan harus menembus malam yang beku.

Inilah satu kondosi yang kupikirkan dengan keras sedari berangkat dari rumah.

“Aku akan memenangkannya”, aku mengepalkan tangan mengumpulkan keberanian.

Terkagum dengan Hijau Retinanya…..

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Aku masih mengatur napas panjang, mencoba tenang di meja konter penjualan SIM Card. Mencoba untuk tidak panik.

“I have failed to set up a SIM card with this quota five times. Or maybe, Do you want to try another type of data quota? Maybe better.” Dia menjelaskan.

“No, I don’t want”, aku menukas tegas.

“Oh, Okay….Just wait”, dia menaruh packaging SIM Card yang sudah tersobek di sudut meja.

Pria muda itu untuk sesaat berpindah melayani pelanggan yang lain.

Sedangkan aku terus menatap jam digital pada layar FIDS di tengah ruangan bangunan bandara. Untuk kemudian terdengar suara tertuju kepadaku,

“I have a same problem with you”, seorang pelancong wanita berparas cantik bicara dari sisi belakangku.

Aku menoleh, tidak langsung menjawab tapi sejenak terpesona dengan hijau retinanya lalu memperhatikan gerakan tangan kirinya yang memegang sebuah paspor.

“Itu paspor Russia”, aku membatin, aku sungguh mengenali paspor berwarna merah tersebut.

“Are you sure?…. What did you do to fix it?”, aku memulai percakapan dengannya.

“I buy the more bigger data”, tukasnya singkat sembari mengernyitkan dahi.

“How much did you buy?”, aku terus menatap matanya dengan percaya diri.

“90.000 Som for 50 GB”, dia menjelaskan dengan sedikit jengkel sepertinya karena telah mengeluarkan budget berlebih.

“I think that’s the best solution so you can go to downtown soon”, aku berusaha meleramkan kejengkelannya.

“Yes, I will immediately go to downtown because the night is getting darker”, dia tersenyum, membereskan perlengkapannya dan mulai menarik trolley bagnya. “Bye”, dia melambaikan tangan.

“Bye, I’ll try my best”, aku tersenyum dan berpura-pura tenang.

Tetiba terdengar suara dari meja konter penjualan SIM Card.

“Hello, Sir….Your smartphone, please!”, seorang pria muda lain berbicara kepadaku

Aku membalikkan badan. “Oh sure, this is”, aku menyerahkan smartphoneku

“Just wait, Sir”, dia menelungkupkan sembari menurun-naikan telapak tangannya sebagai usaha untuk menenangkanku.

Dia mulai mengutak-atik smartphoneku dan menggunakan alat elektronik yang aku tak paham fungsinya. Berkali-kali dia menaruh Beeline SIM Card yang kubeli pada alat itu lalu memasukkan ke dalam smartphone dan mengatur beberapa settingan di dalamnya.

Hingga beberapa waktu kemudian, dia berucap, “It’s work”, dengan senyum memberikan smartphone itu kepadaku.

Benar saja, SIM Card itu kurasa telah aktif, aku melihat bar 4G itu telah menyala.

Selanjutnya aku menyerahkan 65.000 Som kepadanya dan kemudian bergegas pergi menuju exit gate bangunan bandara.

Aku melangkah menuju pintu keluar yang kumaksud melalui sebuah screening gate. Memindai backpack dengan cepat aku mudah melaluinya. Berlanjutlah langkahku yang sudah di dekat pintu keluar.

Pikiranku hanya satu, mencari keberadaan halte city bus demi menuju penginapan.

Dari beberapa sumber informasi yang kudapatkan, aku tahu bus kota itu bernomor 67 yang memiliku rute dari Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport hingga ke Yunusobod.

Yunusobod sendiri adalah nama sebuah distrik. Orang lokal menyebut distrik dengan istilah “Tumani”. Di distrik itulah dormitory yang kupesan berada. Satu dari dua belas distrik yang membentuk Ibu Kota Tashkent. Yunusobod menjadi distrik penting karena jalan protokol utama ada di sana. Distrik dengan 20% populasi Tashkent.

Dengan percaya dirinya, aku membuka aplikasi berbasis peta. Menekan beberapa menu di dalamnya.

“Damn….Aplikasi ini tak bekerja, belum terhubung dengan internet”, aku menatap kembali ke bagian dalam bangunan bandara. “Aku harus masuk ke dalam lagi….Menemui penjual SIM Card itu”, aku berpikir menghitung situasi.

Aku masih terperangkap di masalah yang sama.

Lima Ringgit yang Tertekuk

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Menyapukan pandangan ke segenap sudut Terminal 1-Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport.

Sekali lagi aku menyapukan mata dengan cermat ke segenap penjuru bangunan bandara. Pelan-pelan tatapan mataku meyelidik di setiap sudutnya. Dan akhirnya aku menemukan money changer di salah satu sudut, konter penukarannya berukuran mungil serta menjadi satu-satunya money changer yang ada di Terminal 1. Aku bergegas melangkah mendekatinya, masuk ke dalam antrian dan membuka kembali lembar itineraryku.

Aku mencantumkan budget untuk eksplorasi di setiap negara pada lembar itinerary tersebut. Dari rencana yang kususun, aku membutuhkan budget sebesar 570.000 Som.

Jadi berapa Dollar Amerika yang harus aku tukarkan ke dalam Som Uzbekistan?

Biasanya aku menggunakan formula 100%+20% ketika menetapkan jumlah Dollar yang harus kutukar ketika pertama kali memasuki wilayah sebuah negara. Artinya aku akan menukarkan Dollar lebih banyak 20% dari budget yang kuanggarkan demi menanggulangi terjadinya budget tak terduga.

Oleh karena formula itulah, maka aku membutuhkan uang sebanyak 684.000 Som. Itu berarti aku cukup menukar 60 Dollar saja untuk mengeksplorasi Tashkent….Duhhh, murah bingitz kan ya?

Tiba di depan money changer, aku menyerahkan Dollar beserta paspor kepada teller yang bertugas. Menghitung dengan cepat, teller itu akhirnya memberikan Som kepadaku.

“You must keep this receipt if you want to sell your remaining Dollars to us”, teller wanita tersebut memberi penjelasan dengan penuh senyum.

“Okay, Mam”, Aku menjawab singkat.

Aku sibuk memasukkan Som yang baru saja kudapat ke dalam dompet. Untuk kemudian sebuah sahutan tegas memanggilku.

“Youuuu…….”, aku menoleh ke sumber suara

“Hellooo….Youuuu”, petugas imigrasi itu jelas sekali menunjukku

“Meeee…..”, aku menunjuk hidungku sendiri

“Yessss…..You…..Come!”, dia melambaikan tangan supaya aku mendekatinya.

Jantungku berdegup kencang, “ Aduh, ada masalah apa ini…..?”, Wajahku pias.

Aku bergegas menujunya sambil menenteng backpack dengan menggantungkan satu shoulder strapnya di lengan karena terburu-buru.

“Your Passport, please…..!”, dia menatapku lekat ketika aku tiba di hadapannya

“Astaga, aku mau diapain?”, aku membatin sambil merogoh backpack demi mengeluarkan paspor.

“This is, Sir”, aku menyerahkannya

“Oh, Indonesia….”, dia hanya melihat sekejap pasporku kemudian melemparkan senyuman ramah.

“This is for you….”, dia menyerahkan selembar uang Lima Ringgit Malaysia yang tampak tertekuk kepadaku.

“Wooow…..Ringgit….Thank you, Sir”, aku berbalas senyum dan menerima pemberian petugas imigrasi dengan riang.

“Astaga….Kirain mau diapain”, aku membatin sembari pergi menjauh dari konter imigrasi.

“Lumayan buat tambahan uang makan di Kuala Lumpur saat perjalanan pulang beberapa hari ke depan”, aku menyunggingkan senyum tipis.

Usai mendapatkan Som, maka aku bergegas menuju ke konter penjualan SIM Card lokal.

“Can I buy an 8G data plan?”, aku melemparkan tanya ke pria belia penjaga Tourist Service Center.

“We don’t have that one”, dia menjawab sekenanya karena sedang sibuk melayani seorang pelancong asal India. “You can buy the 20G one”, dia mengimbuhkan informasi.

“How much?” Aku bertanya singkat.

“65.000 Som, Sir” dia menjawab dengan aksen English yang cukup baik.

“Ok, I take it”, aku tak berpikir panjang karena sepenuhnya sadar bahwa di luar sana malam semakin berkuasa.

Usai melayani pelancong India, pria belia itu meminta smartphoneku, mengeluarkan SIM Card, menggantinya dengan Beeline SIM Card, kemudian mulai mengotak-atik settingan untuk melakukan aktivasi.

Dia tampak serius dan fokus. Tetapi aku justru semakin was-was karena berkali-kali dia gagal mengaktifkan Beeline SIM Card itu di smartphoneku.

Berkali-kali gagal melakukan, tampaknya membuat dia menyerah.

“Your phone is in problem, Sir. I can’t activate it”, dia menyerahkan smartphoneku dan berpindah melayani pelancong lain.

Aku menelan ludah…..

“Bagaimana aku bisa tiba di penginapan jika tak memiliki kuota data?”, aku menundukkan kepala di konter itu…..Berpikir keras mencari solusi, semetara waktu hampir menyentuh pukul tujuh malam.

“Come on….God, help me”, aku menukas pelan.