Just kidding. Bali isn’t a country. It’s a small island, a part of Indonesia. However, interestingly, people always write headlines as “ how to travel to Bali, or Bali latest regulation” While in my opinion, it should be “ Indonesia latest travel regulation”. I am planning to stay in Bali again but this time, I have to go through Yogyakarta, my hometown, then Bali. But before all of that, I am going to take you exploring Yogyakarta Train Station.

These days, in order to travel domestically (in and around the country), there are some regulations such as if you are not fully vaccinated, you have to present PCR tests. I don’t know if this applies to foreigners but as a local, that’s the document I needed to have. People with third vaccination are exempt from this rule. They do not have to provide any PCR test and can travel around freely. For more, it’s here latest regulation. So, on Sunday morning because I wasn’t boosted, I had to take the PCR test. The test itself takes around 8 hours meanwhile I have to fly out to Bali in two days. Since I also have to get into the train, I needed that PCR test.

After waiting for about 8 hours, I finally got the test result and soon, booked the train to my hometown. I boarded the train from Yogyakarta Station or known as Tugu. This station is a bit small compared to other stations. It also reflects the city’s simplicity and its local wisdom as surrounding the station is filled with ethnic ornament commonly found in yogyakarta and central java. Not to mention, from this station, if lucky we can spot the Batik train, which is essentially a train that is decorated with “Batik”. You can see it below. I remember my highschool art teacher told me that this train was like a moving art piece. Now that I’ve seen it way too many times, it has become very usual and lost its charm on me.

Yogyakarta station especially from the departure part has a smooth boarding check-in. The first one is that you have to print the ticket in the designated area. While printing the ticket, I saw this sign that there are types of documentation that aren’t allowed inside. For your information, recently Indonesia's government is trying to monetize their buildings and spaces. Hence why, there are signs regarding the type of cameras that can be allowed/not allowed. Not to mention, if it’s for commercial or just for personal purposes.

The Yogyakarta train station has two main areas, the departure and the arrival. The departure area is also quite smaller in comparison to the arrival part which has more amenities and also services. In the departure area, there are a few shops and a famous railway owned restaurant called “loko” restaurant. I do not recommend eating in that restaurant for the taste but it has one of the most convenient places to wait for trains if you need to work. If not, you can roam around the small departure area that has five tracks.

While roaming around, you can also check out the tracks and the map of trains across java in this railway. The place is also equipped with charging ports so you can conveniently wait for the train. Not to mention, during some special occasions especially like August, they organize some music shows. When I was there, there were some musical performers playing gamelan. It’s like welcoming music for the train passengers. I ended up spending around 2 hours inside the train station while trying to get some sleep. My train arrived at around 7 and it was on schedule.

As a frequent train passenger, I have tried almost all the different train classes and have explored all parts of Java with the train. And today, I added one more train to try called “ Bangunkarta”. Apparently this train started operating back in 1985 and it connects Jakarta-Jombang with changing class each year. Now this train serves the executive and economy only.

Pro tip : When in Indonesia, unless you are adventurous, do not book an economy class train. Economy train seat is 3x3, meaning you will be seated with 5 other strangers facing each other without any separator in an uncomfortable seat. Upgrade yours to economy premium which costs around 5$ extra or go executive which is often priced around 15 to 35$. You will get your own seat with a separator as it’s 2x2. There are also charging ports that you can use during the journey.

Bangunkarta’s train, to my view, is quite comfortable. It is well air-conditioned and comes with an extra blanket if you book an executive. It also has wide legroom with adjustable leg rest. The train itself is quite fast compared to other trains. It is also comfortable to sleep since the chain was well-padded as well. Unfortunately, I was boarding at night, had I started my journey during the day it would have been epic. The train has a wider window that has a full view to the outside compared to other trains with the same route. Overall, this is my most recommended executive train if you go from Jakarta-Yogyakarta. It is just unfortunate that this does not connect to Surabaya which would have been more awesome as it saves time to go to the airport.

After a solid 3 hours, I finally reached my first destination, my hometown before getting a flight to Bali the following day.

Indonesia's government regulation keeps changing and it can be a pain in the ass especially for Indonesian. Below is a conversation that basically mentions, if (Indonesian) citizens want to travel abroad, they have to be boosted and PCR isn’t accepted anymore. It seems like they leave me no choice than to get a booster because otherwise, I can’t travel abroad.

https://twitter.com/angkasapura172/status/1560112275628986369

- angkasapura172

Does your country still have this type of regulation?

I wonder how many countries have moved on from covid but Indonesia still hasn’t and it’s a whole lot more pressure to get vaccinated than not. However, today after getting my booster shot, I met a woman in her 30’s who is not vaccinated at all. I wasn’t surprised because it’s in the countryside and perhaps she’s not traveling around and her mobility is only around her neighborhood. But as someone living in an urbanized city and has high mobility, it’s almost impossible to avoid these regulations unless you’re doing some sort of trickery which isn’t that rare in the country.