Bromo is located to the east of Java in Surabaya, another several hundred kilometers away from Yogyakarta. If you were wondering, Yogyakarta is located in Central Java.
Driving between Yogyakarta and Surabaya will take approximately 6 to 8 hours which is just too much time.
So a flight seems like the best choice.
THE JOURNEY
The road to Bromo started with us leaving Manohara Princess Hotel back to the Yogyakarta International Airport (Adisucipto International Airport). It was Vesak day and there were some charity work on the hotel grounds. Tents were raised and some of the halls were turned medical checkup centre.
What I didn’t know at this point was it would become a daily thing to arrive at the hotel really late in the evening and leaving it hotel before check out time.
Bags were packed and less than hour later after breakfast, we are back on the road again. Arriving at this hotel in the late in the evening we were not able to see anything but in daylight, we were finally able to see. The road leaving Manohara Princess Hotel had this old school Asian village feeling with lot of paddy fields. At the intersection to the main road there was this arch welcoming (wishing goodbye to us in this case) folks coming in to Borubudur.
Beyond that it was town roads taking us to the airport.
The weather was relatively hot and sunny since we came to this part of Indonesia. We hope the weather stayed the same for the next league of our adventure.
After arriving at the airport about 1 hour later, we said our goodbye to the driver and tour guide with the usual tipping.
THE PLACE
I have covered much about this airport in my earlier blog “Java Pt1: Yogyakarta: Adisucipto International Airport” but you may to check out the DON’T PANIC section on some tips while at the airport.
There isn’t much to say about this small airport. There are two areas at this airport. Airport lobby and waiting area are separated by the immigration and terminal fee counters. There are limited gift shops with pretty much everything marked up high.
There is a good book store at the waiting area, besides that there isn’t much to do except wait for your flight.
The toilet in the lobby is a little difficult to get to.
THE FLIGHT
Well instead of “THE STAY” I decided THE FLIGHT is more appropriate.
We took Lion Air which is local budget flight which mainly does internal flights in Indonesia.
The planes are quite tight but thank God the flight was also short.
The flight cost us IDR 576,000. So it was not cheap either.
Taking your flight would mean walking carefully on the marked paths to the planes. Yes, it is something you expect at a bus station.
The flight took us only 1 hour 10 minutes or so.
Here was interesting article I found during the flight.
DON’T PANIC
Airport Screening and Eateries
Before entering the airport lobby, you are required to go through the security screening process.
However, you suddenly realized you are still early and want try out something local but how do you go out again? Not to panic, you can check in and leave the airport lobby to go out to the various eateries just outside the airport lobby. Just remember you need to go through airport security again to enter the airport lobby.
I would recommend the staff canteen which is located back to the main entrance where we dropped off by our Yogyakarta guide. If you are not able to find it ask around for the staff canteen. The food is cheap and tastes much better than anything else we have eaten so far in this trip.
Receipts
When shopping in Indonesia, you should always ask for receipts. If the sales person refuses, then do not purchase. Ask before giving your money and once you get your receipt make sure it is correct.
You may not need to do this when buying from small stall owner but it is something you want to practice when shopping in stores.
Person selling it to you may purposely mark up prices pocketing a small profit. It is widespread in Indonesia and the government is placing signs everywhere to ask for proof of purchase.
Fakes
One thing I always expect when buying from airports is original goods but this is not the case here. Fake goods are sometimes sold with original goods. If it doesn't feel right, don't buy it.
Terminal Fee
The airport charges a terminal fee of IDR 35,000. You pay before entering the airport waiting area.
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