From the Lampugnano Bus Station in Milan, reachable by the red subway line, I take the Megabus company bus at 6.30 pm for Rome at the price of Euro 5.00, which can only be purchased online. There are several departures every day.
The aforementioned bus also stops in Genoa and Pisa and arrives at the Triburtina bus station in Rome at 5.30 am.
A few minutes walk away is the Triburtina metro station. The single ride with the metro costs 1.5 euros.
There are several options to reach Fiumicino Airport from Rome, but the cheapest of all is to go by subway to Eur Magliana Station, where outside the same part an urban bus every 30 minutes approximately from 5.55 to 21.05, which takes about 45 minutes to reach the Airport. It also passes through Fiumicino City. The ticket price is 2.30 euros and can be purchased in the bar adjacent to the station.
MALAYSIA
Punctual as never before, my plane from Paris of the Kuwait Airways Company leaves at 12.55 in the direction of Kuwait International Airport (multi-route ticket price including taxes from Rome to Kuala Lumpur and from Jakarta to Rome with a stopover in Kuwait: Euro 543.81).
The plane is full.
Therefore, I arrive at 19.00 at Kuwait International Airport, where it is very cold due to the air conditioning. There is only 1 hour of time zone, compared to Italy when summer time is in the latter. I remain inside the transit area.
With almost an hour delay my plane of the Kuwait Airways Company leaves from Kuwait International Airport at 24.45 in the direction of KLIA Airport in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, (price of multi-route ticket including taxes from Rome to Kuala Lumpur and from Jakarta in Rome with a stopover in Kuwait: Euro 543.81).
I therefore arrive at 2.10 pm at Kuala Lumpur KLIA Airport, located in Sepang, 75 km south of the capital.
Customs formalities are simple and a visa is not required for a tourist stay up to 3 months. You don't need to fill out any forms.
From KLIA Sepang Airport (Malaysia), there are three options for reaching KL Central:
1. Klia Express train, cost MYR 35, journey time 28 minutes, which operates from 5 am to 1 am;
2. KL Transit train, cost MYR 35, travel time 35 minutes: along the way it makes three stops;
3. Bus Airport Coach, cost MYR 10, one way, 18 RM, round trip, travel time about 1 hour (to find it go to level 1 of the airport, follow the signs for xi Bus, cross the road and enter the Bus station ).
Getting around in Kuala Lumpur is not easy as the buses are complicated to use and then the three public transport systems by rail (KL MONORAIL, LRT and KTM) are poorly connected to each other. However, from Kl Central it is possible to take one of them by making the ticket at the machines. The fare depends on where you intend to go and the automatic machine will automatically calculate the cost of the ticket.
If you need to take a plane of the low cost airline Air Asia, you must go to KLIA 2 Airport in Sepang (Malaysia), and to do so there are several options starting from to Kl Central:
1. Klia Express train, cost MYR 35, travel time 35 minutes, which operates from 5 am to 1 am;
2. KL Transit train, cost MYR 35, travel time 40 minutes: along the way it makes three stops;
3. Sky Bus, cost MYR 10, one way, travel time approximately 1 hour.
4. Aerobus, cost MYR 10, one way, travel time approximately 1 hour.
At KLIA 2 Airport in Sepang (Malaysia), it is possible to sleep at the Capsule Hotel, but I sleep on the bench.
BRUNEI
Punctual as never before, it leaves from KLIA 2 Airport in Sepang (Malaysia) at 6.45 A.M. my Air Asia Company Airplane in the direction of Brunei International Airport, (one-way ticket price including taxes MYR 117).
Of course, on the plane they don't offer you anything to eat and drink.
I therefore arrive at 9.05 am at Brunei International Airport.
To enter Brunei, you need to fill out three forms:
1. Arrival Card;
2. Incoming Passenger Card;
3. Health Declaration Card;
To reach the Bus Terminal located in Jln Cator, in the heart of the capital of Brunei Bandar Seri Begawan, one step away from the Waterfront, from Brunei International Airport, located 8 km north of the aforementioned center, you need to take one of the following buses: 23, 24, 36 and 38, at the cost of 1 BND. Tickets can be purchased on the bus.
From the Bus Terminal you have to walk for about 500 meters. in Jln Sungai Kianggeh, heading north before finding on the right the cheapest hostel in the capital, the Pusat Belia, located in the complex of the same name where there is also a restaurant, a gym and a swimming pool. It can be identified thanks to the obvious cylindrical staircase. The 28 rooms are divided by gender. The reception is only open from 8.00 to 12.00 and from 14.00 to 16.30. Outside these hours there are problems. The cost for one night is 10 BND, in the dormitory. Breakfast is not included.
The center of Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei can be explored on foot.
If you want to visit the largest villages in the world on stilts with the motor boat, walk to the Waterfront of Bandar Seri Begawan, which is in a nutshell the riverside of Sungai Brunei, where the boats will approach you to offer you a 'excursion of half an hour or one hour by boat. By bargaining hard, you can reach a price of 10 BND for the aforementioned service. The boatman will take you inside the Villages and will also show you the great Sultan's Palace from the outside of course.
To visit on foot the Kampung Ayer composed of 28 Villages, on the northern bank of the River, carefully walk the long unstable walkways that are located southwest of the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, walking on the joists so as not to end up in the water.
To visit the Jame'Asr Bolkiah Mosque instead, which is the largest mosque in Brunei, located 3 km northwest of the center of Bandar Seri Begawan, take bus 1 from the Bus Terminal and ask the driver to make you get off near the mosque. Cost of 1 BND. Tickets can be purchased on the bus.
To go to Bangar, the Capital of the Brunei Enclave, the fastest solution is to take a speedboat from the small port in the Bandar Seri Begawan Waterfront, which leaves when full (you have to wait 1 hour at most) and takes about 45 minutes to reach Bangar along the Sungai Temburong in the middle of the Jungle. Cost of 6 BND. The ticket can be purchased at the ticket office of the small terminal.
MALAYSIA
To reach Kota Kinabalu, the capital of the state of Sabah, Malaysia, you can take the Sipitang Company bus which leaves every day at 8.00 from the Waterfront, near the intersection of Jln Mc Arthur and Jln Sungai Kianggeh. The ticket can be purchased on the internet or the same morning before boarding the bus. The cost is MYR 100. The journey takes about 8 and a half hours, as it is necessary to pass 8 checkpoints (obtaining 8 stamps), as it is necessary to cross, in addition to the enclave of Brunei, the automated states of Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah.
In Kota Kinabalu, the bus drops you off near City Park, right in the center.
In Kota Kinabalu I slept at the Stay-In Lodge Hostel, located in the center, in front of the Clock Tower, on Jalan Gaya Street at number 121. I booked from home through Hostelword, paying for a bed in the dormitory MYR 20 per night , including breakfast.
On Jalan Gaya Street, there are tons of budget accommodations.
The next morning I walked to Jesselton Port, located in the north of Kota Kinabalu. Here there are numerous shipping companies that offer day trips to 1 or more of the 5 islands that are part of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, located a few tens of minutes from the city. I relied on the Sunny Rainbow company which at a cost of 45 MYR 20, allowed me to see three islands: Sapi Island, Manukan sland and Mamutik Island, departing at 10.00 in the morning and returning at 15.00.
Once on the first island of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, it is necessary to pay the fee of MYR 10 at the Desk for entry to the Park.
KKIA Kota Kinabalu International Airport is located in Tanjung Aru, 7km south of the city center.
It consists of 2 distant and not connected terminals. Most airlines start from number 1, but Air Asia company starts from number 2.
To reach it, take the Airport Bus departing every hour from 7.30 to 19.00 from Monday to Sunday, from a very evident stop located near Padang Merdeka Bus Terminal, in Jln Padang.
Tickets can be purchased before boarding the bus at the dedicated desk at the price of MYR 5, one way. The journey takes less than half an hour. The bus first arrives at terminal 2 and then at 1.
TIMOR LESTE
Punctual as never before, my Air Asia Company Airplane leaves from KKIA Terminal 2 in Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia) at 18.30 in the direction of Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, (one-way ticket price including taxes MYR 304).
Of course, on the plane they don't offer you anything to eat and drink.
I therefore arrive at 9.00 pm at Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali (Indonesia).
To enter Indonesia, you need to fill out 1 form.
For Italian citizens, for tourism reasons up to 30 days it is not necessary to obtain a visa to enter Indonesia and therefore it is not necessary to pay any money. Then ignore the VISA Desk and go directly to the border post where you may be asked to show them your return flight ticket.
If, like me, you spend the night in the airport because you have a plane to another international destination the next morning, you must have a transit visa and therefore you must pay. I didn't know it and the officials at the time of leaving the country created some problems for me but in the end they turned a blind eye and I didn't pay anything.
Punctual as never before my Sriwijayaair Company Airplane departs from Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali (Indonesia) at 9.55 am in the direction of Dili International Airport in Timor Leste, (round trip ticket price including taxes IDR 2,950,000).
The aforementioned route is also covered by the Citilink Company with similar timetables. The trip takes less than 2 hours.
On the plane they offer you lunch.
To enter Timor Leste, you need to fill in 2 forms.
For Italian citizens, for tourism reasons up to 60 days it is not necessary to obtain a visa to enter Timor Leste and therefore it is not necessary to pay any money. Then ignore the VISA Desk and go directly to the border post where you may be asked to show them your return flight ticket.
The currency of Timor Leste is the US dollar.
Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport is located just 6 km west of the center of Dili, the capital of Timor Leste. A taxi to the city center costs around 10 USD, but having booked 2 nights at the Dili Beach Hotel, they picked me up.
The Dili Beach Hotel, booked through Hostelword, located in Pantai Kelapa, Beach Road, facing the ocean, 1 km west of the center of Dili, capital of Timor Leste, costs 20 $ per day in a mixed dormitory, including swimming pool and breakfast.
In Dili I know an Indonesian Entrepreneur who lends me his bicycle with which I visit Timor Leste.
At Dili Airport, before crossing the border and leaving Timor Leste, it is necessary to pay the $ 10 fee.
INDONESIA
Punctual as never before, my Sriwijayaair Company Airplane leaves Timor Leste's President Nicolau Lobato International Airport at 1.30pm in the direction of Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali (Indonesia), (return ticket price including taxes IDR 2,950. 000).
The aforementioned route is also covered by the Citilink Company with similar timetables. The trip takes less than 2 hours.
On the plane they offer you lunch.
To enter Indonesia, you need to fill out 1 form.
For Italian citizens, for tourism reasons up to 30 days it is not necessary to obtain a visa to enter Indonesia and therefore it is not necessary to pay any money. Then ignore the VISA Desk and go directly to the border post where you may be asked to show them your return flight ticket.
The currency exchange carried out at the Bali Airport is very unfavorable: 1 Euro = 15.600 IDR, while in Kuta and other locations on the island you can get a change of 1 Euro = 16.700 IDR.
To reach Kuta from Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport, the cheapest solution is to take the blue bus of the Trans Sarbagita Company, outside the Arrivals Hall, which leaves you on the south-eastern outskirts of the city not far from the interchange between Jl Ngurah Rai Bypass and Jl Sunset. To reach Jl Legian it is necessary to walk for almost 1 km. The price of the ticket is 2,500 IDR and the same is obtained from the ticket counter when you go up.
In Kuta I sleep at the Funky Monkey, located in Jalan Legian Gang Bedugul 10a, in the center, booked through the Hostelword website, at the price of 130,000 IDR, in a mixed dormitory, including use of the kitchen and swimming pool.
The rental of a bicycle (mountain bike or women's bike) including the lock, costs IDR 20,000 per day in Kuta from the Perama Travel Agency, located in Jl Legian, a few tens of meters north of the intersection with Gang Bedugul.
By bicycle I reach the Pura Taman Ayun Temple in Mengwi amid millions of scooters, protected by UNESCO. Entrance fee for foreigners: 16,000 IDR, entrance fee for Indonesians: 10,000 IDR.
To enter the Jatiluwih Rice Fields, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you have to pay 10,000 IDR.
To return to Bali International Airport, I took a metered taxi from Kuta and the journey of about 15 minutes cost me IDR 50,000, including the IDR 5,000 to pay to enter the airport area.
With a 50-minute delay my Garuda Indonesia Airline departs from Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali (Indonesia) at 6.50 am in the direction of Labuanbajo, on Flores Island (one-way ticket price including taxes IDR 768,600).
The journey takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
On the plane they offer you breakfast.
To reach the Port of Labuanbajo, from the airport only 2 km away, the cheapest solution is to get a ride on a moped at the price of 20,000 IDR.
To see the Komodo Dragons from Labuanbajo, the cheapest option is to go to nearby Rinca Island, 2 hours away by boat. Renting it for one day costs 750,000 IDR. To reach this price it is necessary to negotiate strongly.
I paid 259,000 IDR for the one-hour excursion to Rinca Island to see the Komodo Dragons, including a compulsory guide which costs 80,000 IDR (since we were 2, I divided this fee in half). There are also much longer excursions for which you have to pay a little extra for the guide.
To reach Sape on Sumbawa Island from Labuanbajo, there are several ferries, the last of which departs at 16.30. The journey takes almost 7 hours and the ticket costs 60,000 IDR.
The Losmen Mutiara Hotel, located just outside the port area of Sape, offers single rooms with a minimum price of 60,000 IDR.
From Sape there are several minibuses every day that leave 500 meters. about away from the Port. The first leaves around 5.00 in the morning when it is full. The same takes about 2 hours. The fare is 30,000 IDR. The attendant comes by to take the money after departure.
At Terminal Dara there are several buses every day that reach Sumbawa Besar, taking almost 8 hours. The fare is IDR 80,000. The attendant passes by to take the money after departure.
At 8.00 pm near the Sumer Payung Bus Terminal on the western outskirts of Sumbawa Besar, I take a minibus to Mataram, the capital of the island of Lombok. The trip takes over 5 hours. The cost of the ticket is 140,000 IDR, including the price of the ferry from Poto Tano on Sumbawa Island to Labuhan on Lombok Island.
Arrive in Mataram at 2.00 am. The minibus leaves me in the west of the city in Jl Pejanggik and I walk over 1 km to reach and find the Ratu Guesthouse, located in Jl A A Gede Ngurah 45, but it is closed. Then I fall back on the Hotel Victor 1, located Jl Abimanyu 1, which offers a room, including breakfast at the price of 120,000 IDR per day.
To reach Bali, from Mataram, the capital of the island of Lombok, it is necessary to go to the Port of Lembar and to do so I took a Bemo which offered to take me for 20,000 IDR, but in the end a scam was detected as driver and one of the passengers agreed to rob me and let the other passengers get off, the thief tried to put his hand in my pocket but I noticed and with an excuse I asked the driver to stop. Once I got off I asked for a free ride to a gentleman with a scooter who in about 20 minutes took me to the Port of Lembar.
From Lembar depart every hour, ferries to Padangbai (Bali). The trip takes less than 5 hours and costs 44,000 IDR. The ticket can be purchased at the desk located at the entrance to the Port.
I paid 75,000 IDR for the minibus from Padangbai (Bali) to Ubud (Bali) center. The journey takes about an hour and a half. There are several agencies that offer this service.
Ubud has a myriad of budget accommodations. I stayed at Nyoman Murjana Home Stay in the city center for the price of 180,000 IDR, including breakfast.
In the center, in Jl Hanoman, there are several exchange counters, the most favorable of which offers for 1 Euro: 16,000 IDR.
From Jl Raya Ubud, in front of the Central Market, there are many Bemos departing every day for the Batubulan Terminal in Denpasar. The journey takes about 30 minutes and for us tourists the ticket costs 25,000 IDR.
From the Batubulan Terminal in Denpasar, I took a Bemo to reach the Ubung Terminal in Denpasar. The journey takes about 15 minutes and for us tourists the ticket costs 15,000 IDR.
From the Ubung Bus Station, located on the northern outskirts of Denpasar, the capital of Bali, I take an Akas Company Bus to Solo (Java Island) at 9.00 A.M., with a change of Bus in Surabaya (Java Island). I buy the ticket 15 minutes before leaving at the aforementioned Bus Station for the price of 330,000 IDR. It also includes the ferry from between Gilimanuk (Bali) and Ketapang (Java) and lunch at a restaurant on the outskirts of Besuki, consumed at 16.00.
I arrive in Solo at 3.00 am and sleep on the ground in the Bus Station.
At Tirtonadi Bus Terminal in Solo, to take any bus you have to pay the 500 IDR fee.
To reach Candi Sukuh, you need to take a bus from Tirtonadi Bus Terminal in Solo to Tawangmangu to Karangpandan for IDR 10,000 (payable to the controller on the bus) and then a minibus to Kemuning for IDR 5,000 up to the crossroads for Candi Sukuh. From there you have to take an Ojek at a cost of IDR 10,000 to travel the last 2km uphill to the site.
Admission to Candi Sukuh costs 10,000 IDR. Opening hours: 7.00 - 16.30.
To reach the Manusia Purba Museum in Sangiran, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is necessary to take, from the Tirtonadi Bus Terminal in Solo, a bus directed to Purwodadi and ask to get off at the junction for Sangiran (cost 10,000 IDR), located 15 km from Solo. From here it is necessary to travel another 4 km, paying 30,000 IRD for an Ojek, round trip and 1 hour stop. Negotiate the price.
Admission to the Manusia Purba Museum in Sangiran costs 11,500 IDR. Opening hours: 8.00 - 16.00, from Tuesday to Sunday.
Back at the Tirtona of Solo Bus Terminal, I took a Becak (three-wheeled rickshaw), to reach Kraton Surakarta in downtown Solo for the price of 10,000 IDR.
Only you can walk around.
Reached on foot the Gilangan Terminal, located near the Railway Station, I take one of the many buses leaving for Yogyakarta, at the price of IDR 12,000 plus IDR 500 to use the Terminal.
From Gilangan Terminal, to go to Jl Malioboro, in the center of Yogyakarta, you have to take Bus 3B or 3A, at a cost of 3,600 IDR. The ticket is paid at the Desk located in the shelter before boarding.
The urban transport network in Yogyakarta is excellent, with very friendly young staff who speak English.
In Yogyakarta I sleep at the Tiffa Losmen Guesthouse, located in Gangi Il, a few hundred meters south of the Tugu Train Station, at the price of IDR 80,000 per night for a single room with bathroom, including breakfast.
In the aforementioned Guesthouse I rent a mountain bike at the price of IDR 30,000 per day.
To reach the Prambanan Temples, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, located 17 km northeast of Yogyakarta, I use a bicycle.
The cost of the ticket to the Temples of Prambanan, for foreigners is 225,000 IDR, in addition to 1,000 IDR, for parking the bicycle.
The Kraton, that is the immense Palace of the Sultans of Yogyakarta, is open every day from 8.00 to 13.30 from Saturday to Thursday and until 12.00 on Saturday. The entrance ticket costs 12,500 IDR plus 1,000 IDR for the camera. Every day from 10.00 to 12.00 there is a free dance show in the internal pavilion.
To reach the Borobudur Temple, by public transport it is necessary to take the Transjogya bus n. 3a to Ahamad Dahlan and get off at the Pku A Dahlan stop, where you need to take bus 2b to the terminus which is the Jombor Bus Terminal in Yogyakarta. The ticket price is 3.600 IDR. The journey takes almost an hour with a frequency of 15 minutes.
From Jombor Bus Terminal in Yogyakarta, buses leave every half hour for the Borobudur Bus Terminal, taking only an hour and a half. The ticket can be taken on the bus at a cost of 25,000 IDR.
To reach the Borobudur Temple from the Bus Station, you can walk about 1km or take an Ojek for IDR 10,000.
The cost of the ticket for the Borobudur Temple, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for foreigners, is IDR 250,000, with a free bottle of water.
From Giwangan Bus Station, located 5 km south-east of Yogyakarta city center and reachable by bus no. 3B and 3A, I take the last bus to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, at 21.00 P.M. There are about 12 a day. I buy the ticket 1 hour before leaving at the aforementioned Bus Station at the price of 185,000 IDR.
My bus should take 12 hours to reach its destination but it is so slow and battered that it takes 20.
So I arrived only at 5.00 pm at the Kampung Rambutan Bus Station in the northern suburbs of Jakarta.
From the Kampung Rambutan Bus Station there is a Damri Company Bus, which leaves approximately every half hour for Soekarno Hatta International Airport, located in Tangerang, 35 km west of Jakarta city center. The journey in normal traffic conditions takes about an hour. Tickets can be purchased on the bus and costs IDR 40,000 plus IDR 1,000 tax imposed by the Kampung Rambutan Bus Station.
Punctual as never before, from Soekarno Hatta Airport, located in Tangerang, 35 km west of the center of Jakarta, at 11.05 pm my plane of the Kuwait Airways Company in the direction of Kuwait International Airport, (price of the multi-leg ticket, taxes included from Rome to Kuala Lumpur and from Jakarta to Rome with a stopover in Kuwait: Euro 543.81), with connection to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia where you have to wait on the plane, about 1 hour and 30 'to refuel and pick up the other passengers .
I therefore arrive at 6.00 a.m. at Kuwait International Airport, where it is very cold due to the air conditioning. There is only 1 hour of time zone, compared to Italy when summer time is in the latter.
For European citizens, the tourist visa for 90 days for Kuwait can be obtained free of charge at the airport, by going to the appropriate Visa counter, where it is necessary to make a copy of the passport for free and fill in the appropriate form. Keep in mind that the Authorities tend to refuse to issue visas for those who stay in the country for less than 8 hours and therefore in the case of a stopover between one plane and another.
From Kuwait International Airport, located 16 km south of the center of Kuwait City, there are bus no. 501 and 13 that shuttle every half hour between the airport and the city center. The journey takes about 40 minutes. The ticket is taken from the driver at a price of ¼ KWD.
A taxi into the center of Kuwait City costs 1 KWD.
A taxi ride from downtown Kuwait City to Kuwait International Airport, located 16km south of downtown Kuwait City costs 3 KWD.
Incredibly, at the aforementioned 2nd airport security check, the very strict border policemen made me throw away all 20 rechargeable batteries I had in my hand luggage, because they said they could not be taken on the mobile plane.
With almost an hour delay my plane of the Kuwait Airways Company leaves from Kuwait International Airport at 24.45 in the direction of KLIA Airport in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, (price of multi-route ticket including taxes from Rome to Kuala Lumpur and from Jakarta in Rome with a stopover in Kuwait: Euro 543.81).
From Fiumicino Airport I take the Rome Airport Bus Company Bus to Rome Termini Station at a price of 6 Euros. Journey time: 50 minutes.
From the Triburtina Station in Rome, I take the Bus of the Bus Center Company to the Milan Rogoredo Railway Station at the price of Euro 39.00. Duration of the trip: 8 hours
My complete travel report with map, photographs and videos is available at this link:
http://vivendosalendo.blogspot.com/2017/04/viaggio-in-malesia-brunei-timor-leste.html
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