Yes I finally left on a jet plane.. and I'm not really sure when I'll be back again.

I'm in quarantine in the Novotel Hotel not far from Jakarta airport, when I get out the next stop is Bali.

Last week I was telling you about feeling quite emotional about leaving Spain and a party we had in the office.. you can read about it here..

Seven nights, eight days they told me.. quarantine in solitary confinement. They took my passport away from me andI had to sign a letter to say I understood and agreed to the rules. No leaving the room, no outside food or drink deliveries, no visitors and ..break any of these rules and you will be eliminated.. The last one a joke.. 

Quarantine blog Jakarta

Day Zero - Saturday 9th October

I arrived at Jakarta International Airport in the early evening after travelling forever in a mask. Malaga to Amsterdam to Singapore to Jakarta. Now I need to spend 8 days in quarantine before going to Bali. But first I have to go through the Airport. We are taken to a holding room and told to social distance by security guards. It's a long wait but finally in groups of four people we are waved to a row of registration desks and issued with an official QR code. All the staff are in hazmat suits and goggles but still manage to be friendly and polite. Then to another area where vaccine certificates and PCR tests are inspected. Then a health scan, then to a PCR test area with nurses in tented off rooms. Ouch that swab right back of the nose into the brain..

Then more scanning of the QR code..finally allowed to go to passport control. They need to see my visa, quarantine hotel booking,return flight.. then collect my luggage next to the hotel pickup zone, QR code scanned again. There is someone waiting for me. Welcome to Jakarta Mr David.. I have to have a picture taken with the guy holding my passport. He pockets my passport and hands me a receipt for it apologising and assures me it will be returned on departure from the hotel. I have just given my passport to some guy just because he is wearing an armband with the name of my hotel on it. As I follow him to the taxi stand I notice large signs saying: "Beware of quarantine scams" - OMG what does it mean. 

  

Then he puts me in a taxi to the Novotel which is about a 30 minutes drive. I'm happy to be in Indonesia!

Passing Indomart local stores, street food vendors, this is Asia. Yes, I'm truly back in asia! At the hotel, no grand lobby entrance for me, we are directed to a dank underground car park where a makeshift lobby for quarantine arrivals has been set up on bench tables.  After checking in and a small friendly lecturer I'm taken to my prison cell erm room.

It's actually quite a nice suite with lots of space and a view to the swimming pool.

On the bathroom window is a hand painted message..Welcome Mr David to Novotel, we hope you enjoy your quarantine. Stay safe!

And it's very busy, everything happening on several fronts. So by the time I'm done it's after 11pm local time and I feel ready to sleep, jet-lag be gone!

The PCR test has still not come so I call reception asking to check where it is. No problem they will find and send it up.

Time to sleep.Still no sign.

Problem is can’t sleep damn Jet-lag body and brains confused. A glass of whiskey helps, but Squid Games is giving me nightmares - maybe it’s a bad idea to fill my lonely head with that dystopian stuff in a dystopian quarantine.


Day Three -Tuesday 12th

Only flipping Tuesday!

Wake up early and try to exercise. I'm eating too much and not burning anything. Plus only breathing air conditioning air. I switch it off for some peace and quiet but the room temperature soon drifts up to 30c .. last night I woke up in a pool of sweat.

I'm beginning to understand what solitary confinement feels like.  Face to face contact is almost zero just a few seconds of social distanced drop off of meals. I'm more hungry for the human contact than the food.

There is a connecting door to the next suite, the sort that has a lock on each side. I can hear the sound of Chinese television, and consider unlocking my door and pushing and saying hello to my fellow quarantine victim next door. This afternoon the guy (I heard him talking) unlocked his side and rattled the door..

By 8pm my eyes are closing, but folks in the UK office keep whatsapping me. Please leave me alone and let me sleep.. If I sleep at least Wednesday will come quickly.


Day Four - Wednesday


Another day in solitary.  I wake up 5am, wide awake. The jetlag is still messing with my body.

Not hungry but waiting for breakfast mostly for a bit of interaction with a human.

What they do is bring a stand with the breakfast tray on it, knock on the door and stand back against the opposite wall while I help myself and bring the previous tray of used plates and cups out.. We chat both masked up.. I try a little of my limited Indonesian, and my breakfast delivery man is so happy to chat. We manage to communicate.

I'll be so glad to get out of here.

Still don't have my airport covid test results, I think it must have been lost. I hope this doesn't hinder my exit process. Spend the evening checking out luxury villas with pools and all the amenities. Ridiculously cheap prices,it seems any money is welcome. At least when I get to Bali I can live in luxury for half the price of a travel lodge.

E4 - things are getting wild.

As I fall asleep I think to myself...I'm halfway there. Four gone, four more to go.


Day Five - Thursday

Dring dring.. I'm woken early by the phone ringing. Still almost asleep I answer.

Good morning Mr David, I'm calling to tell you the new government regulation.

Different thoughts run through my brain.. have they closed the border again? Is the period extended?

Mr David, I want to know if you'd like to take the PCR test today? because the quarantine period has been reduced to five days. When you have the result you can check out, which means you can leave tomorrow.

Wow that's good news! Yes please, yes of course.

I put the phone down and thought.. Ah..well I just need to change the flight from Jakarta to Bali.. this proved to be impossible, so I decided to just book another flight, also impossible because the airlines don't accept credit cards less than 48 hours before the flight. So I called Ringo (our agent in Indonesia)..

Yes he could book for me..

There are very few flights and from what I could see online most were sold out. So slightly stressful.

While I'm waiting for Ringo to book, there is a knock on the door. I open the door to two PPE clad ladies giggling uncontrollably. I'm not sure why they find a disheveled Englishman so funny. "Your test sir" waving the kit under my nose. Between them they had very little English and my Indonesian is rudimentary.. I wanted to know how long the test was good for? For the purpose of flying in case Ringo didn't secure a ticket for the next day. I had to fly tomorrow, they told me. I asked if they could come back in an hour.. no not possible,  now or never. Just then Ringo called - To tell me the ticket is booked.

Breathing a sigh of relief I said "OK ladies I said let's do it". They asked me to bring a chair out of the room into the corridor, I sat down while they did that thing, digging around deep up the nostrils tickling my brain again.  Ouch.. enough is enough.

When will I get the result? I ask.

Later this evening sir,  we'll put it under your door.


As I write this it's 11pm and it has not come yet. What is it with missing test results?

Nothing to do but binge watch the rest of Squid Games and drink the rest of the Black Label - I know from experience they don’t let you carry opened bottles in your luggage. Can’t waste it :)


Day Six - Friday

Wake up this morning early.. Check for my result under the door.. It’s not there. Oh bugger.

I call reception asking if I can check out, and where is my PCR result?.. Don’t worry sir we have it here - just come to reception and check out as normal.

You mean I can just walk out of the room.. A free man?

Wow.. that is strange. I’m free to leave! And yet strangely I feel compelled to stay.. a bit like those contestants in the squid games.

I pack my luggage and head down to the lobby. There is almost no-one around. 

A young lady at the desk seems to be expecting me.. she has my Passport, PCR test, and a letter from the hotel to say I have done quarantine.

One more thing, she asks for my credit card. I think I have paid, I tell her. No sir we owe you a refund of two days, I need to process it.

Wow things are looking up.

I'm writing this now in the Blue Sky lounge at the airport - I couldn't find the check in desk for my flight so I thought I would ask in the lounge. 

No problem sir, the young lady on the desk said, please give me your passport and covid papers. I will go and check you in, you can relax.

Half an hour later she found me in the lounge, and handed me my papers and passport and a boarding card.

Well that never happened in Manchester airport.

Next stop is Bali. News has reached our suppliers, my whatsapp is filling up with messages - Welcome to Bali sir.. when are you coming to visit us?

Full update next week.

Take care