Flying visit to Singapore
Today I travel to Singapore for a nightstop with my aunt before flying to Bali tomorrow. It’s quite funny domestically in Indonesia with a Singapore layover. I left the hotel around 0900 by Grab and had a chatty driver (again, being Indonesia).
I learnt that while he is Malay, the Minang language, food and culture is very strong here. He often speaks Minang in town and the default sate seems to be the one with thick yellow sauce rather than the peanut sauce, which they refer to as Sate Madura.
I got to the airport before the 2h30 check-in opening to find the counters open anyway. With time to kill, I investigated my lounge options. Pekanbaru airport is different in that international and domestic departures are completely separate (and there is no baggage screening before check-in, meaning it’s probably done behind the scenes). That means I couldn’t use the airside lounge airside in domestic. I found one other lounge landside downstairs.
There was plenty of food choices in the lounge but the presentation and finish was lacking. Eg. hot meals were cold. But I still had a good feed before being let up the secret express route through to departures.
I had previously noticed at Bali that flight announcements were made in Indonesian, English and then Balinese being the local language. Here, it was Indonesian, English and then Malay! The first and third are very similar and probably identical in simple context. But the difference was in the inflection and how the terminal “a” sound becomes and “e” sound. Malay is more musical.
Soon it was time to board the Scoot flight via the “Bukaka” airbridge (above) which is usually the last thing I see as I leave Indonesia. The midday flight to Singapore was only 40 mins plus ground time. I sat next to a family that didn’t read English so I helped them with their arrival cards. Indonesia is a country full of kindness and it often restores my faith in humankind. It was good to have an opportunity to repay their kindness.
Visiting my aunt
I took a taxi to my aunt’s place. The driver didn’t seem interested in chatting. He might has well have been a robot. The difference between him and Indonesian drivers was stark.
I spent some time with aunt before having a swim. As my cousin Dominic was also visiting from New Zealand, it was a very special occasion. Aunt, despite her age and mobility issues, treated us to dinner at the nearby Swimming Club with some of her friends.