The Great Jakarta Adventure (part 1)

The project which I was working in Mumbai was an absolutely screwed-up case. As usual. I mean, how often do you actually get a project which everything happens according to plan and schedule, everything works fine during testing and no bullshit like we-have-finished-upgrading-the-software-but-we-can't-sell-it-to-you-
because-this-chip-has-already been-phased-out?

No. So Mumbai project was kinda in a mess. Still in a mess, the last time I heard. (I might need to go back to India again for other projects, perhaps not just Mumbai but Bangalore as well, but that's something for another day.)

So I got to fly back to Singapore before Labour Day holiday. Liv was already in Jakarta for more than 1 week, as she flew there 1 day after I left for Mumbai. As she was going to start on her new job soon, I figured that I should join her there, as a mini vacation for ourselves.

And so I did. Jakarta gave me a very warm welcome for it.

I bought tickets on Valuair, which is a budget airline. It was all cool, and I have never took a flight on a budget airline before in my life, so that's the first time. The website generated an e-ticket after booking, and I collected my boarding pass at Changi airport just by showing the Valuair staff my passport. I didn't have to show them any printout.

I checked in my luggage before the boarding gate was opened.

When I arrived at Jakarta international airport, long queues were forming at the immigration counters. I knew that Liv was waiting outside for me, and I couldn't wait to see her after so long of pining while we were apart.

I swear the immigration officer knew and he was jealous of me! He asked me when I am going back to Singapore, and I said 4th May, which is on Sunday. He insisted that if that's the case, he would have to see my return air ticket. I explained that since it was an e-ticket, there was no physical copy. He insisted that I have to go to the Valuair office and print it out for him. So that I can prove I will indeed get my ass back to Singapore, and not try to overstay in Indonesia and be a domestic maid or a construction worker, you know? I admire his diligence in safeguarding his country's security. *cough*

I had no choice but to try to look for Valuair counter, or at least an office which could print out the e-ticket for me. However, it was Labour Day and most offices in the airport weren't opened. I didn't have the booking code with me either, so they couldn't retrieve any record.

I texted Liv about how I got into troubles at the immigration, and she told me that they just want money, and if I do not have rupiah with me, I shouldn't give them more than S$10 either.

One of the airport staff was very nice and tried to ask me whether I have it in my laptop. In the end we decided that since I have a copy of it in my laptop, I could just show him the e-ticket on the screen. So we walked back to the immigration counter and I took out and switched on my laptop along the way.

Almost all the immigration officers went off and the entire area was empty. Only one or two of them were around, and one of them was actually the chief of the immigration departments. I showed him my e-ticket on the counter, and he let me through. I happily texted Liv that it's resolved and I was going out soon.

Boy I was wrong.

I couldn't find my luggage, it wasn't on the conveyor belt, and it wasn't at the lost luggage section either.

I asked the staff about my luggage, and they were walking in and out of the rooms, checking some other departments to see that no one has left it somewhere.

It was nowhere to be found. One lady told me that there were 3 unclaimed baggages from my flight, and none of them belonged to me. They had no idea where it is, and they had to contact Valuair Singapore. It might be left in Singapore, or got sent onto another connecting flight.

I had to sit down and fill out the loss report forms, and gave them my contact details in Jakarta. I only had my passport, money, laptop, a plastic bag with 4 boxes of green tea in it with me. No change of clothes, no gift for Liv's family (except for the green tea) and the luggage case belongs to Liv, and she used it for many years.

When I finally walked out and saw Liv, she had already waited for close to two hours. She found my adventure totally unbelievable, and I think so too.

We boarded a cab, and made our way to our hotel.

(to be continued)