Nona Backpacker

Sleeping at Soekarno Hatta Jakarta!

Posted by Fico , Thursday, January 6, 2011 5:33 PM

Its not once that i read this quote "you're not a backpacker if you never sleep at airport" well.. to be honest there are so many things that made someone qualified as "backpacker" and its so universal that you will find the meanings quiet different to one another.

Ok, lets go back to the topics.

I will say i did once sleeping at the airport. And its in Jakarta, oh yes, i wish its in Changi airport for sure! I never done that before but when i did, i just got off plane at midnight and my next flight at 7am in the morning. I don't think risking my flight ticket would be worthy and i had to go back to work the very next day!

So that time i was on Cathay Pacific flight from Hongkong to Jakarta. I got a high fever, and my head very dizzy. Until 3 days after that i found out that i got typhoid---erhhhh don't ask from where but i guess it could be from work, or from Hongkong! i am not so sure!

But i was so scary when i walk in to the immigration where there usually a body temperature check due to SARS/AVIAN flu check. But omg! they didn't turn the thing on! so just my luck i guess! i think they never check that again, but i see in some other airports they still check body temperature.

I know i wont had chance to sleep if i go to town to my sisters house. It will took like 40 minutes to one hour to get to town and to go back to airport in early morning. Ohhh i can't do that. I just feel my body very weak and my temperature too high that i can't see clearly.

After getting my luggage i start to search for sleeping spot on terminal 2. I went to the first floor but its too crowded with people. All bench are full. And they turn off some of the lights. I didn't see any other western travelers where i could feel safer somehow! But then.. i just think oh well.. i will find a good spot. ASAP!

And then i see this huge lounge where the airlines office are. Theres an announcement said i can not sleep there. But what the heck, its clean, and the lights on, and i could see CCTV there. The airlines office must be closed by now. Then i pick my corner, in front of Emirate Airlines if i am not mistaken. I had two blankets from Cathay Pacific. So i put one on the floor, and another for my blanket. Put my socks on, and glove and put my eye patch on! i just don't care! and i put my luggage trolley next to me to cover my self (i sleep between the wall and my luggage trolley). I put lock and sling cable to my bag and the trolley. I think this place must be safe. I could see some people who works in airlines still go back and forwards sometimes. So its not completely empty.

Beside me i see two other people sleeping not far from me, its like a couple, local Indonesian couple sleeping side by side. So i am not by my self.

I think i was sleeping for an hour or two, when i felt something is moving near me, i move quick and open my eye patch right when i saw a huge man on top of me!!! yikes!!!

I sit down, and look to that guy, he is a mid east guy, still young (and..hehe handsome) he look at me and quickly said sorry, i said sorry back to him and said i thought his office closed already, he smile (yepp he smile) and said yes its closed already and said sorry again for waking me up! haha not his fault, i don't realize i slept right in front of his office door! he must be very confuse to think whether he want to walk above me or to wake me up! hahahaha!

So i said sorry again and he say this "no, no sorry wake you up, have a great night, sweet dreams!" he smiled... i just said "oh ..ok.. thanks good night!" and then he walk away. Cute! but then i remember something! i open my eye patch and ahahahaaha! he reads my eye patch!! its say "sweet dreams!" LOL hahaha!

I was sleeping again until around 5am. I think its because the flu medication that i took. I wake up and wash my face and change my clothes, just simple cleaning up. I took the shuttle bus to terminal 1 for my domestic flight back to Jambi.

I still had chance to get my self a cup of tea and eat bread for breakfast.

I think sleeping at Soekarno Hatta not that bad. Its not convenient but if i had the same flights i will consider to do it again, its not that bad, and the most important i think is to pick the spot to sleep and always aware of your luggage. Also bring some thin blanket and glove mosquitoes are my main enemy! but lucky i got the gloves, jacket and blanket!

Its not that weird thing anymore and it safe money to sleep at airport to wait for another flight! its wort to try!