Chili Restaurant

Hotel Royal Wings: Tasting the Appam, Elai Adai, and Samosa

25 July 202327 July 2023travelingpersecond

Darkness was still overshadowing Kochi’s sky when the time pointed at six. Making my guts shrank for stepping towards the inn which was only one and a half kilometers away. I decided to still seated in the arrival hall’s waiting room at Cochin International Airport Terminal 3.

But it turned out….

I was so sleepy, I even sat asleep while hugging my backpack….

A few minutes after eight o’clock, I jerked awake. The bright light had penetrated the airport’s glass walls. I walked past a soldier armed with a long barrel who had faithfully guarded the airport’s exit door since early morning.

I walked across the drop-off zone, passed the edge of the car parking zone, crossed the bustle of Chili Restaurant, and then arrived at the main gate of Cochin International Airport which was beautifully adorned with the sun on the eastern horizon.

After passing through that exotic gate, I stood at a very busy roundabout with vehicles which going in and out of that main airport in Kerala State. Standing on a side, I could see the existence of a row of modern buildings on a side street.

“There’s no mistake, my inn must be there”, I thought.

“Very close,” I happily smiled.

Now, I was right on the south side of the straight road and getting ready to cross to the modern building complex. The crowds of vehicles that morning made me difficult to cross. Being on the streets of foreign countries has always been something that I always pay attention to, I don’t want to do silly things and endanger myself, because half of my journey wasn’t over yet.

I trudged across Airport Road to arrive on its north side and then started looking for the whereabouts of the accommodation which I had booked through leading travel e-commerce for 800 Rupees.

Yiiaaiiyy, I found it….

I’ve left the main gate of Cochin International Airport.

A roundabout on the west side of the main gate of Cochin International Airport.

Rows of modern buildings on the north side of Airport Road.

This was the Royal Wings Hotel, where I was staying that night.

Back again in advance of my backpacking departure, it was so difficult to consider the location of the inn which I would choose. My desire was so strong to stay around the beach which would certainly provide many opportunities to enjoy the exotic west coast of Kerala for a longer time.

It was just that, the next morning to Dubai was a limitation for me not to be too far from the airport when choosing a lodging. Finally, I decided to stay at the Royal Wings Hotel and decided to just spend the whole day enjoying the situation in the Fort Kochi area.

“Hello, Sir. Can I put my backpack here?”….I asked a male receptionist.

“I have booked a room in this hotel. This is the e-confirmation”, I added information.

Receiving the confirmation letter, he started surfing on his desktop and checked the whereabouts of my inn order.

“Okay, Sir. I have checked your order. You can put your backpack here and you can check on at 1 pm…Come!”, he started to direct me to a small room behind the reception desk. The room was specifically used to store the belongings of the inn guests.

Half of my backload had been deposited at the inn, then I would step away to start exploring.

But before going any further, I decided to look for breakfast around the hotel.

Smelling the sweet smell of a cafe, I was intrigued to approach it, seeing the tempting Indian-style breakfast menu, I decided to enter and took a seat.

“Cafe Sulaimani …”, I read the name of the cafe on a wall.

I decided to buy a simple breakfast like the locals did in the cafe. This was my breakfast menu that morning.

Appam, Elai Adai, and Samosa and a glass of Chai for 55 Rupees….Hhmmhhh looked delicious too.

After breakfast, I rushed to the roundabout near the main gate of Cochin International Airport to find a bus to Fort Kochi….I would tell you how I got there later.

Still regarding Hotel Royal Wings….

I was only able to enter the hotel after exploring Fort Kochi.

I arrived back at the hotel by taking the airport bus from Aluva Station. Towards six o’clock in the evening, I immediately asked for the key from the hotel owner who was at the reception desk.

After getting the key, I was escorted by a room boy, I carried a backpack to the room upstairs to immediately bathe. Oh God, the last time I took a shower was 30 hours before I arrived at the hotel.

Want to know how the hotel I stayed in, here it is:

Accessibility

Remembering the location of the Royal Wings Hotel which is close to the airport, of course, this hotel is very close to various public facilities that make it easy for its guests.

At least I could easily go to Fort Kochi using the KURTC bus that departed from the airport. Apart from that, it was also easy for me to get halal restaurants, money exchange, and minimarkets around the hotel.

The distance which could be reached in fifteen minutes from and to the airport, makes it easier for me to catch the next morning’s flight on time than when I had to choose accommodation around Fort Kochi.

Reasonably priced restaurants around the hotel.

Kerala Urban Road Transport Corporation (KURTC) bus bound for Fort Kochi which runs on Airport Road in front of the hotel.

In the end, visiting India was always fun because that country has hotel facilities and a wealth of culinary delights at very affordable prices for a backpacker.

Therefore, never hesitate to travel to that Sub-Continent Country.

Come on, visit India.

Next Story—->

Fighting Anxiety at Cochin International Airport

18 May 202325 July 2023travelingpersecond

<—-Previous Story

A concern came with the alertness of the Air Asia AK 39 cabin crew who were busy checking all passengers as a sign that the plane would soon be landed on the Cochin International Airport runway.

Air Asia’s six wheels even hit the ground before one o’clock in the morning, while my head was still full of questions.

“Will there be a passenger waiting room at the airport after the immigration counter?”

“If there is no such facility, is it true that I have to wait outside the airport building until the sun rises in Kerala?”

“Or do I have to carry out Plan B where I will sleep while sitting in a restaurant outside the airport terminal building?”….Yes, that was my final plan if there wasn’t a waiting room at the airport after completing immigration matters.

Never mind, I’ve prepared myself for all possibilities….

The beautiful Indian flight attendant smiled while signaling that it was safe for passengers to leave the cabin. I stepped along the aisle of the cabin confidently.

Took a Look at the Arrival Hall

Walking through the non-glass aerobridge made me unable to enjoy the situation around the apron. Because usually I would stand on the side of the aerobridge and take some pictures of the unloading activity around the plane. But I was still lucky because I was directed through the arrival hall corridor with glass walls, I thought the windows were wide enough and allowed me to enjoy the airport view facing the runway.

Cochin International Airport Terminal 3 starting corridor.

The duty-Free area before the immigration counter.

Came on, took a peek at the toilet….It was clean…

I stared at the eight-filled arrival card that the flight attendant gave me a moment before landing while continuing to rush along the floor without a carpet until I arrived at the immigration counter.

“Stupid….”, I cursed myself that apparently had lost the only pen to fill out the arrival card. At the tables where foreign passengers filled out the sheets, there wasn’t even a pen that could be used.

As a result, I had to go around borrowing pens from passengers who had finished filling out the arrival cards. Without hesitation, several passengers seemed to ignore me and chose to refuse on the grounds of being in a hurry.

But an unexpected incident came….The male passenger who sat next to me on the whole flight came over….

“For you….Just keep it”, with an Indian accent, he smiled.

“Thank you, Sir…”, I said

“Happy traveling….”, he smiled and walked away leaving me to immediately join the group of worshipers from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple who seemed to be pushing towards the immigration desk.

Table?

Yups, this is the most unique immigration counter I’ve ever encountered.

At Cochin International Airport, the immigration counter is not in the form of standing counters, but a counter that is set very similar to an interview table. Every foreigner will be seated in front of the immigration officer and interrogated with several questions. It’s tense, but for me, the excitement side stands out more.

I took out my passport, eVisa, and Hotel Booking Confirmation while waiting for a European woman to be interrogated at the immigration desk. After that, I was asked to sit down and the officers began to interrogate me.

Two attendants stood by to question me at the counter, one sitting facing the laptop and one standing.

As soon as I handed in the documents, an officer sitting in front of a laptop immediately started looking for information about me in their immigration database.

Immigration officer: “Mr. Donny Suryanto? If yes, you’ve visited India once, haven’t you?”

Me: “Yes, Sir. New Delhi and Agra. Beautiful cities in your country”.

Immigration Officer: “How long will you visit Kochi?”

Me: “Two days”.

Immigration officer: “Oh, just two days. Why?”

Me: “This is just a transit trip to get a cheap flight to Dubai, Sir. Cause I’m a backpacker, Sir”

Immigration officer: “Clever…No matter for a very short vacation. Happy traveling, Mr. Donny”

Me: “Thank you, Sir”.

I very quickly and easily went through the interrogation stages at the Cochin International Airport immigration counter. Now I hurry and swing through customs and easily arrived at the exit door.

I was so happy when in front there was a small row of seats.

“Yeaaa….I’ll wait for the morning in that row of chairs”, my worries have vanished.

This was the waiting chair.

It was on my right-hand side that was where I exchange Dollars.

But before actually sitting down, I started hunting for Rupees for purposes while exploring Kochi. I approached the foreign currency exchange counter owned by Thomas Cook Change Currency.

Me: “How much is the minimum Dollar which can be exchanged here, Sir?”

Counter clerk: “100 Dollars, Sir”

Me: “Oh, I’m sorry, I just need to change a few dollars into Rupees”

Counter clerk: “No problem, Sir”

I left the counter to go to another counter that can serve exchanges under 100 US Dollars. Finally I was able to exchange 5 US Dollars and 5 Malaysian Ringgits to get 320 Rupees at the Weizmann Forex Money Exchange. That much rupees would even be left over for my two day adventure in Kochi. Very cheap right?…..

Meanwhile, for communication access, I decided to use an Airtel 4G SIM card. Because I bought it after exchanging US Dollars, I bought the SIM card with a 3GB quota using a 5 US Dollar bill.

“It takes four hours to activate your card”, said the seller to me as soon as I left the telecommunications counter.

Although in the end, I would never be able to activate the SIM card that I bought during my adventure exploring Kochi….Damn.

Several Rupees were in hand and communication access was in hand, now I could sit in a row of empty seats at the last end of the arrival hall. India was known for its cold air in January, so I feel grateful to be able to wait for the morning to come inside the airport.

It was still half past three in the morning when I sat on one of the benches…..

For more than five hours of waiting time, I could only witness the discipline of a soldier guarding the entrance gate to the area inside the airport. The soldier was never tired of combining sitting and standing movements for hours to check the traffic of airport staff, airline ground staff, and other officers when going in and out of the area inside the airport building.

Or witness the typical ritual when some guests pickers place their palms on the feet of the person being picked up as a form of respect. The rest I could never completely close my eyes in that waiting chair.

And so on, until exactly eight in the morning, I decided to leave the waiting room to go to the Royal Wings Hotel which was located 1.3 kilometers in the west of airport.

As usual, before I left the airport area, I took the time to explore all sides outside the airport building. Here were some spots in Cochin International Airport that I could show to you.

Cloak Room to the west of the Terminal 3 exit door.

If there were no waiting chairs in the airport building, I planned to wait at the Chili Restaurant which was open 24 hours.

The elegance of Cochin International Airport located in the Aerotropolis Nedumbassery.

Solar panels ground which was the main source of energy for Cochin International Airport.

Did you want to know the Departure Hall of Cochin International Airport?…I would show you later….Be patient.

Came on, explore!….

What’s in Kochi?….

Next Story—->

Hotel Royal Wings: Mencicip Appam, Elai Adai dan Samosa

11 November 20213 March 2022travelingpersecond

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Gelap masih menaungi langit Kochi ketika penanda waktu menunjuk angka enam. Membuat nyali ciut demi melangkah menuju penginapan yang sesungguhnya hanya berjarak satu setengah kilometer. Aku memutuskan untuk tetap duduk di ruang tunggu arrival hall Cochin International Airport Terminal 3.

Tapi ternyata….

Saking kantuknya, aku malah duduk terlelap memeluk backpack….

Sedikit melebihi pukul delapan, aku tersentak bangun. Cahaya terang telah menembus dinding kaca bandara. Aku melangkah pergi melewati seorang tentara bersenjata laras panjang yang dari dini hari tadi setia menjaga exit door bandara.

Aku berjalan memotong drop-off zone, melewati tepian car parking zone, melintasi kesibukan di Chili Restaurant lalu tiba di gerbang utama Cochin International Airport yang cantik berhiaskan surya yang membulat di ufuk timur.

Selepas melewati gerbang eksotik itu, aku berdiri di sebuah bundaran jalan yang sangat sibuk oleh kendaraan yang keluar masuk dari dan ke bandar udara utama di Negara Bagian Kerala tersebut. Berdiri di salah satu sisinya, aku sanggup menatap jelas keberadaan deret bangunan modern di sebuah sisi jalan.

“Tak salah lagi, penginapanku pastinya ada di sana”, aku membatin.

“Dekat sekali ternyata”, aku tersenyum senang.

Kini, aku sudah berada tepat di sisi selatan jalur lurus dan bersiap menyeberang menuju kompleks bangunan modern itu. Ramainya kendaraan pagi itu membuatku susah menyeberang. Berada di jalanan negara orang memang selalu menjadi hal yang selalu kuperhatikan, aku tak mau berbuat kekonyolan dan membahayakan diri, karena alur perjalananku setengahnya pun belum usai.

Susah payah aku menyeberangi Airport Road untuk tiba di sisi utara jalan dan kemudian mulai mencari keberadaan penginapan yang telah kupesan melalui e-commerce perjalanan terkemuka dengan harga 800 Rupee.

Yiiaaiiyy, aku menemukannya….

Aku sudah keluar dari gerbang utama Cochin International Airport.

Bundaran di sisi barat gerbang utama Cochin International Airport.

Deret bangunan modern di sisi utara *Airport Road*.

Ini dia Hotel Royal Wings, tempatku menginap malam nanti.

Kembali lagi di jauh hari sebelum keberangkatan, begitu sulit menimbang-nimbang lokasi penginapan yang akan kupilih. Hasratku begitu kuat untuk menginap di sekitar pantai yang tentu akan memberikan banyak peluang untuk menikmati eksotiknya pesisir barat Kerala lebih lama.

Hanya saja, penerbangan pagiku di esok hari menuju Dubai menjadi sebuah batasan untuk jangan terlalu jauh dari bandara ketika memilih penginapan. Akhirnya aku memutuskan menginap di Hotel Royal Wings dan memutuskan untuk seharian ini saja menikmati suasana di kawasan Fort Kochi.

“Hello, Sir, Can I put my backpack here?”….Aku bertanya pada seorang petugas resepsionis laki-laki.

“I have booked a room in this hotel. This is the e-confirmation”, aku menambahkan informasi.

Menerima selembar surat konfirmasi itu, dia mulai berselancar di desktopnya dan menggecek keberadaan order penginapan tersebut.

“Ok, Sir. I have checked your order. You can put your backpack here and you can check-in on 1pm…Come!”, dia mulai mengarahkanku ke sebuah ruangan kecil di belakang meja resepsionis. Rupanya ruangan itu memang digunakan khusus untuk menyimpan barang-barang para penginap.

Separuh beban punggungku sudah tertitip di penginapan, kini aku akan melangkah pergi untuk memulai eksplorasi.

Tetapi sebelum melangkah lebih jauh, aku memutuskan untuk mencari sarapan di sekitar hotel.

Mencium bau harum dari sebuah cafe, aku tergelitik untuk mendekatinya, melihat menu sarapan ala India yang menggoda, aku memutuskan untuk masuk dan mengambil tempat duduk.

“Cafe Sulaimani…”, aku membaca nama cafe itu di sebuah dinding.

Aku memutuskan membeli sarapan sederhana seperti yang dilakukan oleh para warga lokal di dalam cafe itu. Ini dia menu sarapanku pagi itu.

Appam, Elai Adai, dan Samosa dan segelas Chai seharga 55 Rupee….Hhmmhhh, lezat juga rupanya.

Selepas sarapan, aku bergegas menuju bundaran di dekat gerbang utama Cochin International Airport untuk berburu bus menuju Fort Kochi….Nanti akan kuceritakan bagaimana aku menuju kesana.

Masih mengenai Hotel Royal Wings….

Aku sendiri baru bisa memasuki hotel selepas mengeksplorasi Fort Kochi.

Aku tiba kembali di hotel dengan menumpang airport bus dari Stasiun Aluva. Menjelang pukul enam sore, aku langsung saja meminta kunci kepada si empunya hotel yang sedang berada di meja resepsionis.

Seusai mendapatkan kunci, aku diantar oleh seorang room boy, aku menenteng backpack menuju kamar di lantai atas untuk segera membersihkan badan. Alamak, aku terakhir kali mandi adalah 30 jam yang lalu.

Mau tahu kan bagaimana hotel yang kuinapi, ini dia:

Aksesibiltas

Mengingat lokasi Hotel Royal Wings yang dekat dengan airport, tentu hotel ini sangat dekat dengan berbagai fasilitas umum yang memudahkan para penginapnya.

Setidaknya aku bisa berangkat dengan mudah menuju Fort Kochi menggunakan KURTC bus yang berangkat dari bandara. Selain itu aku juga mudah mendapatkan restoran halal, tempat penukaran uang dan minimarket di sekitar hotel.

Jaraknya yang bisa ditempuh dalam lima belas menit dari dan ke bandara, memudahkanku untuk mengejar penerbangan esok pagi dengan tepat waktu daripada ketika aku harus memilih penginapan di sekitar Fort Kochi.

Restoran dengan harga terjangkau di sekitar hotel.

Kerala Urban Road Transport Corporation (KURTC) bus menuju Fort Kochi yang melewati Airport Road di depan hotel.

Pada akhirnya, berkunjung ke India selalu saja menyenangkan karena negara ini memiliki fasilitas hotel dan kekayaan kuliner dengan harga yang sangat terjangkau bagi seorang backpacker.

Oleh karenanya, jangan pernah ragu untuk melancong ke Negara Anak Benua itu.

Yuk, berkunjung ke India.

Kisah Selanjutnya—->

Melawan Gelisah di Cochin International Airport

31 October 202110 November 2021travelingpersecond

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Sebuah kekhawatiran hadir seiring dengan kesigapan cabin crew Air Asia AK 39 yang sibuk memeriksa segenap penumpang sebagai pertanda bahwa selongsong terbang merah akan segera merapat di runway Cochin International Airport.

Enam roda Air Asia genap menyentuh landasan menjelang pukul satu dini hari, sementara isi kepalaku masih dijejali banyak tanya.

“Apakah di dalam bandara nanti ada ruang tunggu penumpang setelah konter imigrasi?”

“Jika tak ada fasilitas itu, apakah benar aku harus menunggu di luar bangunan bandara hingga matahari bangun menerangi Kerala?”

“Ataukah aku harus menjalankan Plan B dimana aku akan tidur sembari duduk di sebuah restoran di luar bangunan terminal bandara?”….Ya, itu rencana terakhirku apabila tak ada ruang tunggu di dalam bandara pasca menyelesaikan urusan imigrasi.

Sudahlah, aku sudah bersiap diri atas semua kemungkinan….

Pramugari berparas cantik khas India itu tersenyum sembari memberi tanda bahwa penumpang sudah aman untuk meninggalkan kabin. Aku pun melangkah di sepanjang lorong kabin dengan penuh percaya diri.

Melongok Arrival Hall

Menyusuri aerobridge berbahan non-kaca membuatku tak bisa menikmati suasana di sekitar apron. Karena biasanya aku akan berdiri di salah satu sisi aerobridge dan mengambil beberapa gambar aktivitas unloading di sekitar pesawat. Tetapi aku toh masih beruntung karana diarahkan melalui koridor arrival hall berdinding kaca, kufikir kaca-kaca itu cukup lebar dan membuatku bisa menikmati penampakan bandara yang menghadap ke arah landas pacu.

Koridor awal Cochin International Airport Terminal 3.

Area *Duty Free* sebelum konter imigrasi.

Aku menatap arrival card delapan isian yang diberikan pramugari beberapa saat sebelum mendarat sembari terus bergegas menyusuri lantai tanpa karpet hingga tiba di konter imigrasi.

“Bodoh….”, aku menyumpahi diri sendiri yang ternyata telah kehilangan pena satu-satunya untuk mengisi kartu kedatangan tersebut. Di meja-meja tempat penumpang asing mengisi lembaran itu pun tak terlihat satu pun pena yang bisa digunakan.

Alhasil, aku harus kesana kemari meminjam pena ke penumpang yang telah selesai mengisi arrival card. Tak segan, beberapa penumpang tampak mengacuhkanku dan memilih menolak dengan alasan karena terburu-buru.

Tetapi sebuah kejadian tak disangka pun hadir….Penumpang pria yang duduk di sebelahku pada sepanjang penerbangan tadi datang menghampiri….

“For you….Just keep it”, dengan aksen India dia tersenyum sembari menggeleng-gelengkan kepalanya.

“Thank you, Sir…”, aku berujar….Dan entah, kepalaku pun ikut fasih menggeleng-geleng khas gelengen India.

“Happy traveling….”, dia tersenyum dan melangkah pergi meninggalkanku untuk segera bergabung dengan rombongan jama’ah dari Kuil Sabarimala Ayyappa yang tampak mulai merangsek menuju meja imigrasi.

Meja?

Yups, inilah konter imigrasi terunik yang pernah kudapati.

Di Cochin International Airport, konter imigrasi bukanlah berbentuk konter-konter berdiri, melainkan konter yang secara setting mirip sekali dengan meja wawancara. Setiap pendatang asing akan didudukkan di depan opsir imigrasi dan diinterogasi dengan beberapa pertanyaan. Menegangkan tetapi bagiku lebih menonjol sisi keseruannya.

Aku mengeluarkan passport, eVisa dan Hotel eBooking Confirmation ketika menunggu seorang perempuan Eropa diinterogasi di meja imigrasi. Seusainya, maka aku dipersilahkan untuk duduk dan mulai diinterogasi oleh petugas.

Dua petugas bersiap menanyaiku di konter, satu duduk menghadap laptop dan satu lagi berdiri.

Begitu menyerahkan dokumen, seorang petugas yang duduk menghadap laptop segera berseluncur mencari informasi mengenaiku di database imigrasi mereka.

Petugas imigrasi: “Mr. Donny Suryanto?. If yes, you’ve visited India once, haven’t you?”

Aku: “Yes, Sir. New Delhi and Agra. Beautiful cities in your country”.

Petugas Imigrasi: “How long will you visit Kochi?”

Aku: “Two days”.

Petugas imigrasi: “Oh, just two days. Why?”

Aku: “This is just transit trip to get a cheap flight to Dubai, Sir. Cause I’m a backpacker, Sir”

Petugas imigrasi: “Clever…No matter for a very short vacation. Happy traveling, Mr Donny”

Aku: “Thank you, Sir”.

Aku sangat cepat dan mudah melewati tahapan interogasi di konter imigrasi Cochin International Airport tersebut. Kini aku bergegas dan melenggang melewati pemeriksaan customs dan dengan mudah tiba di exit door.

Begitu riang hati ketika di hadapan sana terlihat satu blok kecil tempat duduk.

“Yeaaa….Aku akan menunggu pagi di deretan kursi itu”, kekhawatiranku sirna sudah.

Di sisi kanan itulah tempatku menukar Dollar.

Tetapi sebelum benar-benar duduk, aku mulai berburu mata uang Rupee untuk keperluan selama mengeksplorasi Kochi. Aku merapat ke konter penukaran mata uang asing milik Thomas Cook Change Currency.

Aku: “What is the minimum Dollar which can be exchanged here, Sir?”

Petugas konter: “100 Dollar, Sir”

Aku: “Oh, I’m sorry, I just need to change a few dollars into Rupees”

Petugas konter: “No Problem, Sir”

Aku meninggalkan konter itu untuk menuju konter lain yang bisa melayani penukaran di bawah 100 Dollar Amerika. Akhirnya aku bisa menukarkan 5 Dollar Amerika dan 5 Ringgit Malaysia untuk mendaptkan 320 Rupee di Weizmann Forex Money Exchange. Rupee sebanyak itu bahkan akan bersisa untuk dua hari petualanganku di Kochi nanti. Murah banget kannnn?…..

Sementara untuk akses komunikasi aku memutuskan menggunakan SIM card keluaran Airtel 4G. Karena aku membelinya seusai menukarkan Dollar Amerika, maka aku membeli SIM card berkuota 3GB tersebut menggunakan selembar 5 Dollar Amerika.

“It need four hours to activate your card”, begitu ucap si penjual kepadaku begitu aku meninggalkan konter telekomunikasi itu.

Walau pada akhirnya, nantinya SIM card yang kubeli itu tak akan pernah bisa kuaktifkan sepanjang petualangan mengeksplorasi Kochi….Sial.

Sejumlah Rupee sudah di tangan dan akses komunikasi sudah di genggaman, kini aku bisa duduk di deretan bangku yang kosong di ujung terakhir arrival hall. India memang terkenal dengan udara dinginnya di bulan Januari, jadi aku merasa bersyukur bisa menunggu datangnya pagi di dalam ruangan bandara.

Masih setengah tiga pagi ketika aku terduduk di salah satu bangku…..

Selama lima jam lebih waktu tunggu, aku hanya bisa menyaksikan kedisiplinan seorang tentara yang menjaga entrance gate menuju area di dalam bandara. Petugas itu tak pernah lelah mengkombinasikan gerakan duduk dan berdiri berjam-jam untuk memerikasa lalu lalang staff bandara, ground staff maskapai dan petugas-petugas lainnya ketika keluar-masuk dari dan ke area dalam bangunan bandara.

Atau menyaksikan ritual khas ketika beberapa penjemput menempelkan telapak tangan ke kaki orang yang dijemput sebagai bentuk penghormatan. Selebihnya aku tak pernah bisa sempurna memejamkan mata dalam kursi tunggu itu.

Begitu seterusnya, hingga tepat pukul delapan pagi, aku memutuskan keluar meninggalkan ruang tunggu demi menuju Hotel Royal Wings yang berlokasi 1,3 Kilometer di barat bandara.

Seperti biasa, sebelum aku benar-banar meninggalkan area bandara, kusempatkan diri untuk mengeksplorasi segenap sisi di luar bangunan bandara. Berikut beberapa spot di Cochin International Airport yang bisa kuperlihatkan kepada kalian.

*Cloak Room* di sebelah barat *exit door* Terminal 3.

Jika tak ada kursi tunggu di dalam bangunan bandara, rencananya aku akan menunggu di Chili Restaurant itu yang buka 24 jam.

Keanggunan Cochin International Airport yang terletak di *Aerotropolis* Nedumbassery..

*Solar panels ground* yang merupakan sumber energi utama untuk Cochin International Airport.

Mau tahu Departure Hall Cochin International Airport?….Nanti ya kuperlihatkan….Sabar.

Yuk, eksplore !….

Ada apakah di Kochi?….

Kisah Selanjutnya—->