The sound of airport announcements calling passengers to their gates, the rumble of luggage being wheeled across the floor, and the glow of the flight information boards were some of the things I’d been missing about airports.
My last flight was a trip to Singapore and Malaysia a couple of years ago.
Though I’d longed to fly for so long, for one reason or another, I don’t see myself getting on a plane anytime soon.
Then it struck me that I didn’t need a flight ticket to enjoy the airport, did I? Why not just go there?
I felt curious about exploring the airport just for fun.
In addition, I wanted to try taking the airport train, as I usually relied on a taxi.
As it happened, my mother had been feeling bored after helping my sister with her postpartum recovery, so she asked me to take her out for a change.
So I went to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport with her.
Taking the Basoetta Train
The name “Basoetta” is derived from Bandara Soekarno-Hatta, the Indonesian name for Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
The Basoetta Train is an airport rail service connecting the airport with several stations in Jakarta.
We took the Basoetta Train from Duri Station, the nearest station to us.
Finding the right entrance was a little tricky since the station also serves the commuter line, so my mother and I ended up checking in and out at the wrong entrance.
We purchased our tickets from a machine for IDR 70,000 per person and waited briefly before the train arrived at the platform.
It’s a train with unreserved seating, and it wasn’t too packed, so we could pick any seat we wanted.
After realizing that our seats faced the opposite direction of the train, we moved and eventually found the perfect spots by a wide window.
As the Basoetta Train headed toward the airport, we enjoyed the changing views of Jakarta’s urban landscape.
At one point, we passed a densely packed residential area, with high-rise buildings and apartment blocks scattered here and there.
As we got closer to our destination, the scenery gradually became greener, and we caught glimpses of airplanes parked on the airport grounds.
I was surprised to find that we had to scan our tickets again before leaving the station.
For some reason, I’d assumed we could simply walk out, just like at other intercity stations.
Luckily, we hadn’t thrown away our printed tickets yet.
Seeing the Airport from the Sky Train
We continued our journey by taking the Sky Train (the Kalayang train) to Terminal 3 Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, our main destination.
The train is a free airport service that helps travelers move between terminals. It was packed with passengers carrying luggage.
We had to stand as we couldn’t find seats.
But we didn’t mind at all because we ended up right behind the driver’s cab, with a clear view through the front window.
We were taking in every corner of the airport as if it were our first visit.
My mother seemed to be enjoying it just as much.
The last time she had been at an airport was for her Umrah trip, when she arrived and departed late at night or early in the morning, so she had never really seen the airport in daylight.
It made me realize that this was a kind of excitement my mother and I had never experienced when we actually had a flight to catch.
When we passed Terminal 2, I told my mother that it was the very terminal I’d used when I was going to Singapore and shared a little story about it.
By the time we arrived at Terminal 3, it wasn’t difficult to find an elevator to the second floor, where the domestic and international departure areas are located, along with plenty of restaurants and coffee shops.
We planned to have lunch there and spend time around there.
Lunch, Coffee, and People-Watching
We chose to have lunch at Solaria. Not only was it one of our favorite restaurants, but, according to social media reviews, its prices were also similar to those at its branches outside the airport.
We deliberately chose a spot where we could look out over an airfield outside the restaurant.
Once lunch was over, I felt rather bored sitting at the same table, but I didn’t want to leave just yet.
The idea of having some afternoon coffee and juice sounded appealing, so we decided to order them and move to another spot overlooking the airport terminal.
From there, we could watch travelers walking by with their luggage, lining up to check in, or sitting in the lounge while waiting for their flights.
It was surprisingly entertaining to sit back and watch the airport’s everyday bustle from the comfort of our table.
We then prayed Dhuhr at a mosque on the first floor, we took a slow walk around the airport to pass the time and check out the other tenants, just in case we wanted to try somewhere else on our next visit.
Watching the travelers come and go really made me want to travel again.
I believe it won’t be long before I’m at an airport again, this time with a flight to catch.
We then made our way home on the same trains we’d taken earlier, feeling happy about how the day had turned out.
