‘All I want is to be back home again’
SURABAYA: I cannot believe I just braved a 20-hour bus ride from Bali to Surabaya, only to miss my flight back to Malaysia!
Being stranded here was the furthest thing from my mind – it was supposed to be a short and relaxing getaway to Bali for me and five girlfriends.
On the second day of my trip, I found out that flights from Bali were being cancelled due to Mount Agung’s eruption.
Still hopeful, we went to the airport to catch our flight back to Kuala Lumpur on Monday, only to find that all flights had been cancelled “until further notice”.
Airlines in Bali advised passengers to get to Surabaya to try and get a flight from there, or wait for rescheduled flights from Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport.
Despite the trying circumstances, I found the airport staff in Bali calm, helpful and patient when handling the situation. Help desks were quickly set up for inquiries while airport staff members distributed mineral water to stranded travellers.
Most passengers remained calm and constantly checked their phones for the latest updates or looked for alternative ways to leave.
Some sat in groups to “recharge” themselves with warm meals while others played card games to pass the time.
Scrambling for options, my girlfriends and I decided to travel to Juanda International Airport in Surabaya.
We bought minivan tickets for the 4pm journey. We arrived by 7am.
We managed to snap up the last few remaining tickets to Kuala Lumpur through Lion Air, which was scheduled to leave at 10am the next day.
However, our transport of a 10-seater van ended up being a bus for 44 people, and due to the many stops it had to make, as well as the heavy traffic, the bus only arrived at 10.30am.
We had no choice but to come up with more money to buy new tickets at even higher fares.
Dec 1 is the earliest flight out as all others were already sold.
Our new flight is at 6.45am and it will stop over in Jakarta before leaving for Kuala Lumpur.
In the meantime, we have to find accommodation for two extra nights in Surabaya.
While checking into a hotel, I received news that Ngurah Rai airport reopened at 3pm yesterday.
A friend, who was also stranded in Bali, texted to say the earliest flight out was scheduled for Dec 2. That is, if there are no further eruptions from Mount Agung.
Tired, frustrated and running low on cash – at this point, I just want to get home!