We arrive at Soekarno - Hatta International Airport (CGK) early in the morning and our first itinerary is to get to Gambir station where we book our ticket in advance going to Jogja (Yogyakarta) via train. Our train is going to leave at exactly 8 in the morning as Indonesian trains are Japanese. They are always on time. At least for the executive class. There are business and economy class too, which is cheaper. But I highly recommend the executive class.
It was already past 6 and we are still explaining to the guy in uniform that we are going to Gambir station and that we have to arrive one hour early as we still have to print our ticket. He was such a fan of Manny Pacquiao we ended up talking about Manny instead, sigh. We took a selfie and boarded on the wrong bus. Haha!
selfie taken with permission for posting online
How to: There are bus routes (Damri Bus) to Gambir from the airport just make sure to ask the dispatcher where you are headed. Gambir station houses Executive class while Business and Economy leaves from Pasar Senen Station.
Screenshot from google
I was so ecstatic counting my first million on our way I forgot we have few minutes left. As the sun slowly rises on the east side, revealing a group of towering skyscrapers, I started feeling anxious. We still did not see any sign of modern rail transit.
The bus plies the route that passes several attractions like Monas - an iconic symbol of the city, National History Museum, the Presidential Palace, and many more.
As the bus comes to a halt, we were greeted by a huge façade of boring structure probably three levels with scattered parking spaces and food stalls all over. We were in front of Gambir Train Station. I checked my phone and it was 30 minutes to eight, lined at the orange kiosk (self-service ticket printing), rushed to the nearest Mcdonald, bought some pappa roti (mocha bun) and walked upstairs like a scene in amazing race (I can’t remember if there was an escalator reaching the third level).
There were just four people waiting in the platform going to Jogja including us. It was ten past eight in the morning and the place was still empty with trains only coming from the opposite direction. My friend and I were looking around trying to convince ourselves that we did not miss our train.
I looked at my watch and it dawned on me that I have not adjusted the time yet so we were like too early. Talking about stupidity on a highest level. And finally our train arrived at exactly 8 o'clock. We boarded and took the front seat.
The train ride from Jakarta to Jogja is about 8 hours but the scenic view makes you want to stay longer. Have you tried travelling by train to Jogja? How was it?