This recent visa run was meant to be well organized, and well planned. As a route for a visa run, Kuching looked perfect. A quick 2 hour flight - and cheap. This time I did not need to go to the consulate, or meet anybody on a street corner, to hand over my passport. I just needed to exit and re-enter Indonesia. Should be pretty straightforward?
So how was it that I found myself stuck in a hotel in the middle of an industrial estate on the outskirts of Kuching city, unable to even make a phone call to let anyone know where I was?
Granted there were beds in the rooms, and water in the taps – apart from that, the place bore little resemblance to a hotel. No restaurant, no food of any description, no ice, no drinks, no coffee or tea and no working telephone for international calls. Being in the middle of an industrial estate, and early evening, there were no shops open either.
There was a kettle in the room, but no tea or coffee. The TV only had one English speaking channel. They advertised free internet but that didn’t work either.
Why was I there? Because on arrival at Kuching airport, for my short return flight to Denpasar, I found that my flight had been cancelled. I now had to overnight in Kuching before flying out to Bali the next day – via Kuala Lumpur! This was the hotel that Air Asia chose for my night’s stay. Making a bad situation a whole lot worse.
Air Asia offers some great prices and it’s only a couple of hours away. However if the flight is cancelled, they only have 3 flights a week, so getting back becomes a problem. I traveled for about eight hours, one day late, to cover what should have been a simple two hour flight.
And Air Asia itself? Well, the aeroplanes appear to be in good condition, and the seats are comfortable. However ‘No Frills Airlines’ often use free seating, which I always find to be a disagreeable experience. In Asia, where queuing is certainly not part of the culture, it is even more unpleasant. Leaving Bali, there was some rather nasty jostling and arguing amongst passengers, which made for a rather uncomfortable atmosphere on the flight.
Limited food and soft drinks are for sale on board. Bring a book and something warm to wear - there is no in flight entertainment, and the cabin is often very cold (there are no blankets available)
I have heard several reports of delays and cancellations, so it would be wise to make sure that there is some flexibility in planning your trip. And of course, don’t leave your visa run to the very last day!
Air Asia is to be congratulated for opening up some great routes throughout Malaysia, and connecting with Indonesia. The people I spoke to in Kuching are very excited about it, and hopeful that they will have more tourists as a direct result of Air Asia’s new services.
Overall I think Air Asia is doing a good job, competing in a tough market, and opening up some great routes. In spite of the problems I had this time, I would use them again. I would just find out more about their choice of hotel next time!
Kuching felt like a mixture of Darwin and Singapore. A pleasant and quiet city, with some interesting museums and great markets. Eating out is very cheap. Great coffee shops and tea houses. Being Malaysian, not much in the way of pubs and bars of course. I stayed in a delightful backpackers called Carpenter Guest House (email:94@allmalaysia.net) in the middle of Chinatown. Lots of great places within walking distance of this accommodation.
Semenggoh Nature Reserve near Kuching was a wonderful experience too. The orang utans here have the freedom to roam around the forest, but will often come in for a free feed of fruit, giving tourists an opportunity to see them up close.
Next time I would try to fit in an overnight stay at Damai Beach also, which is near to the Sarawak Cultural Village, and to the Kuching Wetlands. There are supposed to be beautiful sunsets from there.
Getting back to the visa issue, I understand that visas can officially only be issued for 30 days at the consulate there. Although I have heard of at least one person who managed to score a 60 day visa. So, you never know. The last price I heard was about $42US, and the processing takes between 1-3 days. If they can offer a full visa service at Kuching, it will make a great destination for us ‘visa runners’ in the future.
I have now completed two stints of volunteer work in Bali. My first role was with East Bali Poverty Project, and the latest was for IDEP based in Ubud. For IDEP, I have been editing and proofreading a disaster management manual. (Disasters seem to be my specialty!) During this time I have traveled extensively around Bali, spending time mostly with Balinese.
To contact me email : lizhayes2007@yahoo.com.au or phone 081 337 903 937.
