Day 341: Surabaya

Mar 10 - I am dreading this little excursion to Juanda International Airport. It is composed of two terminals, far apart. I don’t have any idea which one has an Air Asia office so just pick the terminal we flew into. There is some confusion as to where I need to go, but eventually I am directed to the ticketing counter. It takes an intervention by an Air Asia representative, since in theory I cannot pass through to the counter without a flight ticket leaving from here. In the end only I am let through. Fortunately, they aren’t busy, so begin the long explanation of what the problem is. The agent helping me spends a very long time determining what I can do, and ends up having to receive approval from someone in another city. The routing will work only if I split the two flights we are on to two different days, meaning that now we need to plan a night simply to connect from one flight to another. But this takes over two hours, while I stand (no chairs here), and Janet and Odette sit on the floor out in the arrivals hall (no chairs there either). The result after the two hours is that my ticket is ‘in process’ and I will receive it by email. This seems very much like the kiss of death, because I have no more time in Surabaya to come back here if I never receive anything. But there is nothing more that can be achieved by arguing with the agent.

We leave the airport back to downtown, targeting the Siola Surabaya Museum. Yet another disappointment as we find it is closed, apparently for a long time. Find some lunch nearby.

Nearby is Apsari Park, with a statue to Governor Suryo of Surabaya. He was an integral figure during the fight for independence in 1945. This fight was against the British, who had arrived to fill the vacuum after Japan’s defeat and the inability of the Dutch to keep hold of the islands. The battle in Surabaya became a rallying cry for Indonesians, who deplored the killing of poorly-armed revolutionaries by the British troops. It would eventually convince both Holland and England that Indonesia was no longer controllable as a colony.

From here we head north across the Kali Mas (Mas River) to Taman Prestasi (Prestasi Park). This is a densely vegetated park and playground, strung out along the riverbank. Odette plays here for a bit, while we are visited by several very hungry cats.

In the park, a monument to the B-26 Intruder Bomber.

Get a Grab back to the hotel, having given up on trying to get anything else done today.

Indonesia