anak_negeri

Hello friends of FlyerTalk!

Welcome to one of my reports. Firstly, as usual, I apologize for my bad English and not-too-good quality photos.

Before to the main story, I will recap all my reports written here.

First Time & Last Time by Air France, Singapore-Jakarta
An Indonesian Domestic Flight with Garuda Indonesia, from Jakarta to Pekanbaru
A Short Trip to Malaysia & Singapore with KLM (B77W) and Indonesia AirAsia (A320)
Jakarta, Medan, Aceh, KL, and Malacca in 4 Days
A Journey with Jetstar and KLM + trip to Genting
Malaysia Airlines + KLM + Overland Trip to Thai Border
Another Indonesian Domestic Flight with Sriwijaya Air
5th freedom route of KLM (once again) + Malaysian overland tour
Kuala Lumpur in Half Day
Family trip to Bali & 1st Indonesian domestic flight with 777
2017 ASEAN Para Games KL + Short Trip of Sumatra
A short trip to Semarang with Nam Air and express train
A short & 5-hours-delayed flight with GA A330
Shortest Flight I've Ever Had: Jakarta-Bandung with ATR 72-600

IMPORTANT NOTE
The abbreviation KL in my reports always refers to Kuala Lumpur, not KLM's IATA code. Please not to be confused.

BRIEF BACKGROUND

Main reasons to do this journey were:

1) KLM a.k.a. Royal Dutch Airlines. The only European carrier flying to/from Jakarta, and also the only carrier which operates Jakarta - Kuala Lumpur v.v. route as its 5th-freedom route. KLM also offers cheapest option to fly with wide-body jets from Jakarta. After my last flight with KLM on September 2016, I had never been flying with it. Flying with wide-bodies in short routes, especially 5th-freedom routes, is always interesting for me.

2) Sarawak (Malaysia) and West Kalimantan (Indonesia), 2 adjacent regions which had made me so curious about their nature and unique cultures. I actually had planned to visit these regions in 2017, but hectic college activities made me unable to go there.

The first task to do in preparing the trip was buying my ticket to fly with KLM, which costed IDR 600,000 (about USD 40.00), the cheapest price offered by KLM on this route. You have to buy the ticket at least 21 days before flight date to get the cheapest price.

Then I arranged my trip to be like this:
1) Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur by KLM
2) Kuala Lumpur to Kuching by ???
3) Kuching to Pontianak overland by bus
4) Pontianak to Jakarta by ???

No. 1 done.

How about no. 2?
The carriers flying on this route are Malaysia Airlines, Malindo Air, and AirAsia. When I checked the price, Malaysia Airlines offered the best deal for only about USD 35.00, while AirAsia was slightly cheaper (USD 32.00). So I quickly picked Malaysia Airlines to fly on this route. A bit higher price, but including 30 kg baggage allowance and meals.

No. 2 done.

No. 3 was the main reason why I did this trip. The overland journey from Kuching to Pontianak would offer the best view of Borneo, the forests, the society, and also the land border between Indonesia and Malaysia which exist only in 3 islands: Borneo, Papua, and Timor. So I quickly decided to have overland trip for this route while arranging the whole journey.

Then finally no. 4.
There are 5 carriers operating on this route:
- Garuda Indonesia
- Lion Air
- Batik Air
- Sriwijaya Air
- Citilink

Cheapest ticket prices at that time were offered by Lion Air, Sriwijaya Air, and Citilink. Lion Air, with its uncertain departure time and low-score service, was quickly dropped from my list. So the 2 options were Sriwijaya Air and Citilink. I checked the schedule, and Citilink flew only once per day at night and the arrival schedule was too late for me (9.30 p.m.). Then my final decision was SRIWIJAYA AIR, which was scheduled to depart at 5.30 p.m.

All tickets, except the overland trip, had been bought. Hotels in Kuching and Pontianak had been booked. Then I waited patiently until July 17th.

PARTS OF THE REPORT
Part 1: Jakarta (CGK) - Kuala Lumpur (KUL) by KLM Boeing 777-300ER
Part 2: Staying overnight in KLIA
Part 3: Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Kuching (KCH) by Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800
Part 4: Kuching city tour
Part 5: Crossing land border from Kuching to Pontianak
Part 6: Pontianak city tour
Part 7: Pontianak (PNK) - Jakarta (CGK) by Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-800

anak_negeri

PART 1: Jakarta (CGK) - Kuala Lumpur (KUL) by KLM Boeing 777-300ER

KLM
Jakarta (CGK) - Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
Type: Boeing 777-300ER
Reg code: PH-BVI
Nosename: Tierra del Fuego National Park
Date: July 17th, 2018
Departure: 6.50 p.m. (UTC+7)
Arrival: 9.45 p.m. (UTC+8)

Firstly, I hop a commuter train leaving my home in Depok, a city bordering southern side of Jakarta, to Pasar Minggu Bus Terminal where I would take the express bus to Soekarno-Hatta Airport.





The journey took about 1 hour without serious traffic jams, and I alighted at the Terminal 3.
This was my first time flying with KLM since it moved from Terminal 2 to the newest terminal.









There were still 3 hours before boarding, so I chose to try the airport's latest transport mode, Skytrain, connecting all 3 terminals of the airport.







I alighted at a station which was also the departure point of Railink, the express train from the airport to Jakarta city center.



Then I returned to Terminal 3. While on my way to Terminal 3, I saw a B77W of Emirates just landed after long flight from Dubai.



Also passing Sriwijaya Air's area.



After reaching Terminal 3 again, I proceeded to KLM's check-in counter to print my boarding pass.







The boarding pass.



After relaxing for some minutes at a local convenience store, I proceeded to the airside after the immigration & security checks as usual.



Our departure gate.



The waiting area is shared by all departure gates. I always like this arrangement. We're still able to go anywhere in the airside before boarding.



Power outlets are available.



Some sights outside the window.









Then the KLM arrived from Amsterdam through Kuala Lumpur.









The Boeing 777-300ER of KLM, with registration code PH-BVI and nosename "Tierra Del Fuego National Park" (a national park in the southern tip of Argentina), would bring me to Kuala Lumpur.









About 30 minutes upon its arrival, the boarding process started. Even before that the passengers had made a long queue to enter.









Passing the Economy Comfort class area.





My seat.



The pitch. Wide enough for Asian feet like mine.



Power plugs were available.



While waiting for the boarding process completed, the IFE had been able to be explored.





























USB flash disk could also be attached to the IFE, but only audios and images could be read.



Some sights outside the window while moving to the runway.









Then the safety video started. An unique safety video made from Delft tiles.









Time to fly. A K-pop song "No No No" by Apink from the IFE accompanied me during take-off.



Leaving the land.





Then the seat-belt lamp was switched off, and I checked the lavatory. Still clean.



Checking all items in the seat back.





"Holland Herald" magazine. There was an article about Bali, a popular tourist destination in my country.

















"Sky High" shopping catalogue.







I also checked the interactive flight info on the IFE. Very informative. It even provided good information about KL, our next destination.













About 30 minutes after take-off, cabin crews began the meal service. As usual, I got a pie aloo ghobi and my favorite drink: orange juice.





I spent rest of the flight by enjoying the IFE.

Time flied so quickly. Cabin crew announced that the plane had started to land. The Malaysian land could be seen.



The PH-BVI plane of KLM landed safely at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) about 1.5 hours after leaving Jakarta.







Time to leave the plane. All passengers, including those who continued their journey to Amsterdam, had to disembark.

Final shots of the cabin before leaving.







Business class.



Entering the KLIA Satellite Terminal. Amsterdam-bound passengers had made a queue to enter the boarding gate.

anak_negeri

PART 2: Staying overnight in KLIA

As I was not in hurry, lots of time before my flight to Kuching on the next day, I explored the satellite terminal before proceeding to the main terminal.

Some shots inside the satellite terminal.









I tried to take some pics of the airplanes outside the window. But the results were, hmppphhhh...















Then I left the Satellite Terminal to the Main Terminal by aerotrain.

[[img]https://farm1.staticflickr.com/858/43622448761_6844f8315c_b.jpg





Reaching the main terminal, immigration counters had been waiting for us. But the queue was verrrryyyyyyy long. I don't know the exact time, but I think I spent 30 minutes only to have my passport stamped. Yes, that was the peak time when Chinese, Indian, and Arabian carriers arrived.





Finally, after 30 minutes in the queue, my passport was stamped and I proceeded to the baggage carousel.





The public hall of KLIA.





I would spend a night in the airport area until my flight to Kuching. But sleeping in klia2, the LCC terminal, is far better, especially in the food court. So from KLIA, I hop a free bus to klia2. The faster mode to reach klia2 from KLIA is the KLIA Express train, but you must pay MYR 2.00 for the ticket.







Gateway @klia2, the mall integrated with klia2 terminal. It was midnight that the majority of stores had closed, but 24 hours restaurants and cafes were still available.



"Quizinn" food court, located in the mall and close to klia2 departure hall. Here I bought roti canai and teh tarik, then I slept peacefully until dawn.



Sleeping in public places is always uncomfortable. I could sleep only for around 3 hours.

At 5.00 a.m. I left the food court and decided to explore the klia2 departure hall.





Showers were available, so I could clean myself before my next flight. It's very useful for transit passengers or people who arrive at late night like me.



About 2 hours before my flight to Kuching, I returned KLIA from where my flight to Kuching would depart. I hop the free bus once again.

anak_negeri

PART 3: Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Kuching (KCH) by Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800

MALAYSIA AIRLINES
Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Kuching (KCH)
Type: Boeing 737-800
Reg code: 9M-MLE
Date: July 18th, 2018
Departure: 8.00 a.m. (UTC+8)
Arrival: 9.45 a.m. (UTC+8)

It was still early morning, 6.00 a.m. (GMT+8), but there had been so many passengers on the departure area.











The schedule.



I checked the self-check-in computer, but it was trouble so I couldn't use it.



The only way to check in was through the check-in counters. Luckily the queue was not so long.





My pass for the flight.



Then I proceeded to the airside, and it was very long walk to our gate, which was located in the eastern tip of main terminal building.











Gate A11.





There were free-to-use PCs with USB slots available in the waiting room.







The plane, with registration code 9M-MLE, had been operating for 10 years. Before handed to Malaysia Airlines in 2010, it was operated by Hong Kong Airlines.



We were called for boarding at 7.30 a.m.







Entering the plane. Business class were in the initial rows as usual.





My seat.



The pitch.



The plane didn't provide IFE screens, so the safety guide was shown through small LCDs like this.



Some snapshots before reaching the runway.













Then we left the airport at 8.15 a.m.





Oil palm trees, one of Malaysia's important commodities, were dominating the scenery.





The seat-belt lamp was turned off, and I checked the lavatory.





Only 5 minutes after that, cabin crews started the meal service. I got a Malaysian "Nasi Lemak" (coconut rice) with spicy beef rendang and boiled egg, an oat biscuit, mineral water, and of course the legendary "Kacang Masin" (salted peanuts). The "Nasi Lemak" was delicious but not too special. Very suitable for breakfast.



Then I checked all items inside the seat pocket.



"Going Places" magazine. With no IFE provided, this would be your entertainment during the flight.











The routes served by Malaysia Airlines and its codeshare partners. In early 2000s Malaysia Airlines flew to 6 continents (including KUL-JNB-EZE route) but now they only serve Asia, Europe, and Australia.





Malaysia Airlines, member of Oneworld.



About 1.5 hours after departure, I finally saw the Borneo Island, my destination.





This scene was "endemic" to Borneo.



The plane landed safely in Kuching International Airport at 9.40 a.m.







The terminal building.







Time to leave the plane and entering the terminal.







As Sarawak had its own immigration & custom autonomy, all non-Malaysian passengers arriving from other Malaysian states had to go through immigration check and have their passport stamped.

Then I proceeded to the baggage carousel.





Time to leave the airport.

anak_negeri

PART 4: Kuching city tour

July 19th, 2018

As no public transports available in the airport, I walked about 1 km from the airport to Kuching Sentral, Kuching's intercity bus terminal. Here I bought my ticket for the Kuching-Pontianak overland journey on the next day.





Ticket counters.





From the bus terminal, I took "City Public Link" city bus to Kuching city center.





It was still 11.30 a.m. but I had been so hungry after eating Malaysia Airlines' nasi lemak. From the bus stop, I walked to find one of Kuching's popular dish: kolo mee.





After the lunch, I continued my city tour.







The Anglican cathedral.



Close to the cathedral was Sarawak Museum, but unfortunately it was being renovated, so I chose to explore the gallery on its left side.







I also visited another museum: Textile Museum. Photography inside the museum was not allowed.



Then I proceeded to my hostel. The owner was very friendly. It also had clean rooms and beds. Shared bathrooms were available.









Here I slept for some hours after not having a good sleep at KL airport. Then I continued my city tour, this time I walked to perhaps the most popular place in Kuching: Kuching Waterfront.





The "Dewan Undangan Negeri" (state parliament) building.



An unique pedestrian bridge crossing the river.



Time for sunset.





While waiting for sunset, 2 long boats were racing.







The sky started to be dark, but the unique bridge started to shine.





So did the state parliament building and the "Astana" (official residence of Sarawak's state leader).





Beautiful Kuching River at night.



Here I had my dinner. It was "nasi aruk", a kind of smoked fried rice served with fried fish and cucumber.



Eating at the riverside was giving a different "vibe" for me.



Then I enjoyed my night at the Waterfront before going back to the hostel. I would have a quite long overland journey so I needed to rest.

July 20th, 2018

The day of my departure crossing the border to Pontianak. There were still some hours before that, so I chose to explore other side of Kuching city.

"Kuching" in Malay and Indonesian means "cat", so cats statue was dedicated for them.





For my breakfast, I chose perhaps the most popular Sarawakian food: Sarawak Laksa. Quite different with Singaporean or Penang laksa, it had more thick soup and more chicken slices.





Then I walked to the local bus stop to hop city bus to Kuching Sentral, from where my bus to Pontianak would depart.

anak_negeri

PART 5: Crossing land border from Kuching to Pontianak

Time for the overland journey from Kuching to Pontianak in West Kalimantan. This would be my 1st time crossing land border of Indonesia. The total distance from Kuching to Pontianak is 330 km.

Our journey started at Kuching Sentral Bus Terminal.



Here you had to get your boarding pass before being able to board your bus.



The bus departure area.











DAMRI bus which would bring me to cross the border. The operator (DAMRI), which also operates airport buses at some of Indonesian airports, is owned by Indonesian government. I chose this bus because it was the only bus with Mercedes-Benz chassis (my favorite) operating on this route.











Scheduled to depart at 11.00 a.m. (UTC+8), we actually departed 20 minutes later. The bus was quite empty with only about 10 passengers.





Our first stop was a souvenir shop, an hour after departure from Kuching Sentral.





Serian intersection, where roads to Sibu and Indonesian border meet.



After the intersection, the road became narrower, but the scenery was more beautiful here.







Reaching the immigration control on the Malaysian side.





Here all passengers alighted for immigration check. Then from the Malaysian side, we walked for about 200 m to the Indonesian immigration office.





Then finally my passport was stamped once again at the Indonesian side. The new building of Entikong immigration complex was inaugurated by Indonesian president on December 2016. The situation was terrible and chaotic before the upgrading project.









Finally I returned to my country, though still away from home. As usual, I switched the time zone on my cellphone and put my Indonesian SIM card.

After having my passport stamped, I still waited for our bus which had another security check. We spent around an hour before continuing our journey.

Entikong border town on the Indonesian side. Upgrading projects were still everywhere.







A Bruneian bus from the other side. It was on a long journey from Pontianak to Brunei, more than 1,000 km.



The roads on the Indonesian side were recently upgraded by the government.





At 2.30 p.m. (UTC+7) we stopped for lunch break at "Roda Minang" restaurant.









About 45 minutes stop, the journey continued.

We could easily find churches because some areas in West Kalimantan, especially Sanggau Regency, had dominant Christian population.





Finally I saw Indomaret, the popular Indonesian convenience store chain.







A Dayak statue.





Finally we reached the Sungai Ambawang International Bus Terminal at 6.00 p.m, 8 hours after leaving Kuching.











As no public transports available to the city available in the terminal, I had to hop an expensive motorcycle taxi.

I spent some hours in the Pontianak city center before heading to my hostel. Here I bought "lek tau suan", a Teochew-style bean soup served with "cakwe" (Mandarin: "you tiao"). It's a popular desert here.





Then I left the city center for my hostel, where I would stay for a night.

anak_negeri

PART 6: Pontianak city tour

PONTIANAK is the capital of West Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. Located on equator line, one of its nicknames is "Kota Khatulistiwa" (Equator City). It also makes Pontianak's climate hotter than other cities.

"Pontianak" in Malay mythology is actually a name of female ghost who died in her pregnancy. According to local folklore, when the founder of Pontianak, Syarif Abdul Rahman Al-Kadrie (later became 1st Sultan of Pontianak), was finding new areas to build village for his people, "pontianak" ghost always disturbed them. He then created fire canons from bamboo woods to attack the pontianaks. To commemorate the story, he named his new village as "Pontianak".

The city has significant Chinese population who speak Teochew and Hakka languages. Other main ethnic groups in the city were Malay and Dayak peoples.

July 20th, 2018

The journey started from my hostel in the southern side of Pontianak city.







Located close to the hostel was West Kalimantan's governor office.



Tanjung Pura University, commonly known as "Untan", one of public universities in Pontianak owned by Indonesian government.





Ayani Megamall, probably West Kalimantan's largest shopping mall.



My breakfast: Kwecap Veteran. "Kwecap" or "kway chap" is a popular Teochew cuisine consisting of pork offal soup and flat rice noodles. It's also popular in cities with Teochew communities such as Singapore and Bangkok.





Then the city tour continued. My next stop was Seng Hie Harbour, an harbour located in Kapuas River, Indonesia's longest river.



Located on the other side of the river was palace of Pontianak Sultanate.



Another interesting sight was Cathedral of St. Joseph, the cathedral of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pontianak. This is probably largest Catholic church building in Indonesia. West Kalimantan Province, which is divided to 4 Catholic dioceses, has significant Catholic adherents.







Then I took a rest at a park facing Kapuas River.



There was a miniature of Equator Monument at the park. The actual monument was located quite far from the city center, and I had no time to go there.





I tried to cross the river by ro-ro ferry.



Still empty.



But some minutes later, the ferry was fully loaded by vehicles.



Kapuas River.





Siantan, a village on the other side of Kapuas River. Nothing special to see here. But this was the national road to Pontianak's northern side (Singkawang and Sambas).



I only spent some minutes here before going back to the city center.

My next destination were Rumah Radakng (a replica of Dayak longhouse) and its adjacent Rumah Melayu (Malay house).

"Rumah Melayu", a replica of traditional Malay house.



The statue of a couple dancing traditional "zapin" or "jepin" dance.



"Rumah Radakng", literally means "long house" in Kanayatn Language. It is called "rumah panjang", "rumah panjai", or "rumah betang" in other regions of Borneo.







Statues of "enggang" (hornbill), a popular Bornean bird, attached to the house.



Souvenirs could be bought at Pattimura Street. Popular goods sold here were "amplang" fish crackers and "lempok" (similar with "dodol" in other areas). Bornean handcrafts were also available here.





My lunch: Mie Tiaw Antasari. The Chinese-style flat rice noodle is called "kway teow" or "kwetiau" in the other parts of Southeast Asia, but here in Pontianak it's more popular as "mie tiaw". It's a Teochew-style fried kway teow mixed with beef and vegetables. Quite different with Singaporean or Penangese kway teow which are very popular. Mie Tiaw Antasari is one of most popular "mie tiaw" stalls in Pontianak.





Then I returned to my hostel to pack my goods before heading to the airport. While packing at the hostel, an SMS from Sriwijaya Air came to my phone, informing that my flight was rescheduled from 5.30 p.m. to 7.00 p.m. It meant that I still had more time before departure. But I had been to lazy to return to the city center, so I chose to spend my time at the hostel.

I decided to order another local cuisine through "Gojek" apps. The food called "chai kueh" in Teochew or "choy pan" in Hakka. It was a dumpling quite similar with "jiaozi" or perhaps Japanese "gyoza", but while "jiaozi" was filled with meats, "chai kueh" had fillings made from vegetables.

On the upper side were fried chai kuehs, while on the bottom was boiled ones.







Then I ordered a motorcycle taxi, once again through "Gojek" apps, to bring me to the airport. The trip to airport took about 40 minutes.

anak_negeri

PART 7: Pontianak (PNK) - Jakarta (CGK) by Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-800

SRIWIJAYA AIR
Pontianak (PNK) - Jakarta (CGK)
Type: Boeing 737-800
Reg code: PK-CRH
Nosename: "Keagungan"
Date: July 20th, 2018
Departure: 7.40 p.m. (UTC+7)
Arrival: 9.10 p.m. (UTC+7)

Pontianak's air gateway, Supadio International Airport, named after an Indonesian Air Force's member. Mainly serving domestic and intra-province flights, the airport also serves international flights to Kuala Lumpur (AirAsia), Kuching (AirAsia, Malindo Air, Xpressair), and Miri (Malindo Air).





Check-in counters. As I had done the online check-in, the only thing to do here was to print my pass. The staff informed me once again that the flight was rescheduled.





My boarding pass, printed in a simple paper.



Still around the check-in counters. The new terminal building was opened for public in June 2017.









Flight schedule.



To enter the airside, we had to tap our boarding pass to the automated gate.



Waiting lounge was shared by all departure gates.









There was no international flights at that time, so the international departure area was closed and vacant.



Free-to-use PCs were available.



In line with Indonesian regulation, Sriwijaya Air gave us snacks and drinks for all delayed-flight passengers.



Rescheduled to depart at 7.00 p.m., we were actually called for boarding at 7.15 p.m.











The plane, a Boeing 737-800 with registration code PK-CRH and nosename "Keagungan" (meaning: "Greatness"). It was 9.5 years old, having been previously operated by Xiamen Airlines before handed to Sriwijaya Air in August 2017.



At its left side was Lion Air's 737 MAX 8.



Entering the plane.







My seat.





Boarding completed. I don't know the exact number, but I guess almost 90% of the seats were occupied.

Some photos before reaching the runway. Lion Air dominated the scenery.







The plane started to fly at 7.50 p.m. The take-off process was very smooth.



About 5 minutes after that, seat-belt sign was turned off. Time to explore all items inside the seat pocket.





The lavatory.



Cabin crews then started to give us snack bags. So this was my 2nd snack, after the one for delayed-flight compensation. It contained a chocolate bread and mineral water. Sriwijaya Air serves only snacks, not full set meals, for flights less than 2 hours.





But for me it wasn't enough for my dinner, so I chose to eat my own "chai kueh". But I was quite embarrassed because the smell, especially from the "sambal" with strong shrimp flavor, was spread so quickly to the cabin area.



As no IFEs available, I spent my times before arrival by listening to K-pop musics in my cellphone.

At around 9.00 p.m., the lights from the land slowly could be seen.



The plane landed safely in Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at 9.10 p.m., about 1 hour 20 minutes after take-off.









Time to leave the plane.



Proceeding to the Terminal 2F, not with aerobridge but bus.



Final shot of the PK-CRH plane.



Passing a 777 of Garuda which would bring Hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.





Reaching Terminal 2F.



Baggage claim area.







Then I proceeded to the bus station to catch an airport bus to Pasar Minggu, from where I would hop a commuter train to my lovely home.





From the bus I could see a group of buses bringing Hajj pilgrims to board the Garuda 777's for their flights to Saudi Arabia. Some of my friends said that most of the pilgrims were going by airplane for the 1st time.



That's all my story for this time. I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for reading!

miuk

Excellent trip report, really refreshing to see something different from the usual on FT.

Question @anak_negeri, i noticed the yellow tag on your bag when you took the KLM flight to KUL. Do they weigh your bags?

Also, immigration controls are also in effect for West Malaysians entering Sarawak and Sabah. If not mistaken you get a 3 months stay and working there requires a work permit even though you're a Malaysian citizen. Identity cards issued to Sarawakians have a 'K' in them and for Sabahan they have a 'H' to denote it. In the old days, we used to have blue colored internal passports for frequent travelers between West Malaysia and Sabah/Sarawak. Now its just using the IC card and a piece of paper as an entry permit.

anak_negeri

Thank you.

Sometimes the check in staffs will weigh the cabin bags. It's not compulsory.

Malaysians and foreign passengers were separated during the immigration check at KCH, so I don't know the procedures Malaysians had to do. But before boarding I saw them showing their IC (MyKad) to the airport staffs.

Ian Michael Berry

Excellent report from a part of the world I would like to visit soon. I've been to Singapore but there is so much more to maritime southeast Asia.

anak_negeri

Yes, we are waiting for your coming. Singapore is only a small "dot" of Southeast Asia, and you should explore other countries in this region too.

Thanks for your comment.