Boarding and Takeoff

Being at the airport at 3.30 am was an experience. There were people sleeping everywhere and I also ended up asleep sitting down on one of the many benches as I was way too early for my 9am flight to Jakarta, Indonesia. But it was unavoidable as I’m not from the city and I had to travel overnight for almost 5 hours just to reach the airport.

At around 5 am, I could hear people stirring and machines whirring as the “airport” wakes up. The shops started to open and it was time to check in my luggage. The queue was long with a steady flow of humans, in which half of them were shuffling like zombies and with half of them looking as fresh as daisies.

I didn’t have an appetite that early in the morning but I did have some toast and a half-boiled egg. It felt as if the airport was never-ending as I walked and walked and walked from the counters through the tax-free zone (which was wow) and finally pass customs and through the waiting area. With the exhaustion of having travelled all night with just under 4 hours of sleep, I’m surprised that I didn’t get lost.

Being on the plane itself was fun. I got the window seat which was exhilarating. Why? Because I’m afraid of heights. I actually enjoyed the feeling in my stomach while taking off but not so much when it came to the part where the plane flew in a curve. But once I got used to it, it doesn’t seem so scary anymore. Not so fond of the bubble in my ear, though.

Advertisement