THE LUXURY LOUNGE AT STASIUN GAMBIR IN JAKARTA

   22nd FEBRUARY 2025    ~ I did not do any research before going to Jakarta and Bandung this time as everything was done my travel companion. Hence, I did not acknowledge the existence of this Luxury Lounge which was exclusive for the passengers of the Panoramic Train. Fortunately, I saw the counter while roaming around the place, and enquired. Another lucky thing, we did not stop to eat or have coffee in any of the restaurants at the station.

This lounge was the place for the Panoramic Train passengers to relax while waiting for the arrival and enjoy the free flow of food and drinks available.

The food served was similar to what we have back home.

Not everybody in the Panoramic coach was in the lounge though. It could be either they arrived at the station late or did not know the privilege that came together with the [expensive] tickets.

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ARRIVING AT STASIUN GAMBIR IN JAKARTA

South Hall - the main entrance

   22nd FEBRUARY 2025    ~ One of the main activities in Indonesia this time was to experience the Panoramic Train ride from Jakarta to Bandung. To do that, we took a Grab Car from Soekarno Hatta International Airport to Stasiun Gambir. The trip took about an hour and the fare was Rp 193.100, including the toll charge.

Gambir Station was quite small but it was a working day when we were there, so the place was not crowded at all. The building was actually near to Monas, the significant landmark of Jakarta city.

the back part of the station,
the driver dropped us there

I had a travel companion this time, Mr. Rosman, whom I met during my trip to Italy and Austria in October last year.

the ticket counter

The Panoramic Train ticket cost Rp 488,250 per person for the one way trip to Bandung that afternoon. We bought the online tickets earlier before coming to Indonesia. Our Panoramic Train coach was fully occupied so it is advisable to get the tickets before coming.

Most importantly, the station was clean, including the toilets. There were many shops in the building, which were mainly restaurants and convenient store.

We met a countryman from Perak who was going somewhere else on a different train.

at the train platform

NEXT: THE LUXURY LOUNGE AT THE STATION

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PROLOGUE:

Blogging from Lokasari, Jakarta
Blogging from Soekarno Hatta International Airport

The Luxury Lounge at Stasiun Gambir
The Panoramic Jakarta-Bandung Train Ride [PART 1][PART 2]

Dinner at a Sunda Restaurant in Bandung
Walking the Street of Braga on Saturday Night
Supper at Braga Street

SPOT THE ERROR 205

Too easy to spot, I am not giving the correct version of the error this time.

Spotted all the way from Jakarta.

BLOGGING FROM SOEKARNO HATTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TERMINAL 3

It is time to bid Jakarta farewell again, for the third time. Will have to wait after the fasting month to travel and fly again. Goodbye Indonesia, for now.

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BLOGGING FROM LOKASARI, JAKARTA, INDONESIA

After spending 2 nights in Bandung, I was back in Jakarta. Will have to check out by 12:00 p.m. tomorrow and get to the airport to catch the flight back home.

Then only I can share my travel experiences of my first trip abroad this year. Don't forget to check the latest posts in my blog later.

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THE BREAKFAST SESSION BEFORE GOING BACK TO SEREMBAN

Mee Rebus Johor

The original plan was to go back to Pondok Santapan [READ HERE], the place we went to get breakfast the day before. However, when I arrived there, the place was not opened on Friday. I called Puan Sakinah Ismail and a spontaneous decision was made to go to Selera Johor which was nearby.

Kacang Pool

We were there at 8:00 a.m. Surprisingly, a few stalls were not operating and a few others were just about to be opened. Before this, the stalls were ready for business quite early.

Fried Banana

We still enjoyed the breakfast which comprised of authentic Johor food such as Kacang Pool, Mee Rebus and Fried Banana dipped spicy soy sauce. Puan Sakinah and her husband drove back straight to Seremban right after. This should conclude our introductory gastronomic adventure for 2025. Hopefully we could do this again some other time soon.

THE LUNCH SESSION AT HUA MUI RESTAURANT

After the breakfast meeting, we then gathered again for lunch at one legendary restaurant in Johor Bahru: Hua Mui. Founded in 1949, the coffee shop [known as Kopitiam among the locals] had expanded by opening many branches in town. The outlet we went to was located in Taman Anggerik.

At 3:00 p.m. it was a bit late for lunch so there were not that many people in the dining area.

Hainanese Kuey Teow

Fried Chicken Chop

margarine + sugar toast

butter + kaya toast

This was my second time at Hua Muoi Restaurant. The first one was at one of the branches in Taman Sutera. We tremendously enjoyed our food and I loved the Hainanese Tea as well. Puan Sakinah Ismail was the one who suggested this place for us. The one place to go to if you want to experience of eating in a traditional coffee shop in Johor Bahru.