From Bandung station to Solo Balapan station

Another intercity trip with the train

A city with elevation of +700 m .

It is an evolving story that starts about 0715 and hopefully can end before the day ends. Please be patient when you read this and it is still evolving.

Lavatory

Finally the station has a new lavatory. It is located near the arrival gate.

Signs for lavatory (top) and parking area (bottom).

If the arrival gate is on your left and sign to parking area on your right, then you are facing the way to the lavatory. It is nearer compared to the one available at the mosque.

Ticket

If necessar you can print the ticket using the locket box, which can be seen directly when you enter the building from the center.

Bandung station building (top), locket box (middle), and the ticket (bottom).

As I enter the departure gate, there two ways to get yourself identified. You can show your printed ticket or e-ticket from your smartphone accompanied with ID card, the ticket will be scanned by assigned person at the gate.

Or you can try the gate with face recognition feature, where you stand near the camera until your face is identified by the system. I am sure whether you can register for this feature in Bandung. It was in Gambir as passangers were encouraged to register for the feature.

Since I am very exicited with this new feature for me in Bandung station, I forget to document it. Actually, whenI remember to do that, I have no idea how to conduct the documentation.

Direction

Where to go after passing the entrance or departure gate is very clear. Either there is person in charge to guide you, or simply follow the available sign boards.

Sign boards (top, middle) and the escalator (bottom).

Less than 20 m after the departure gate, a sign board tells you to turn left, follow the way a little further, then another board shows that you must use the inclined escalator to get to the upper floor. The device is more to a conveyor belt instead of escalator. Be carefull how you stand and watch the luggage, since it might slide down and hit other passangers.

Sign boards in the upper floor between platforms of Bandung station.

In the upper floor there are also some sign boards that help passangers to get to their destination accurately. I have to find platform number 3, so I walk until the end of the floor, I guess. Or there is other last platform after platform number 2 and 3, which are side by side.

On the way to the train.

Now it is time to go down to the lower floor of platform number 2 and 3. An official person informs me that my train in on the left side, the platform number 3. The wagon is the last one, soI have to walk all the way to the end of the platform. It is nice, since I like to walk, there is sufficient time, it is good for health, and the platform is clean.

Wagon

The seat in Executive 7 wagon, which is the last wagon of the train, Argo Wilis 10.

The wagon and its seats.

It is not full nor empty, and it is convenient with such number of passangers.

Window

There are also some important information on the wall above the window and also on the glass of it.

Various important Information near and on the window.

I hope all are working, so we do not have to break the window nor use the evacuation route. Just use the information of seat number.

Breakfast

Due to intermittency of the call of nature, I prefer not to have breakfast before boarding to the train.

Home made sandwich and dish from Pastry Station.

It is now half past eight and the breakfast is eaten. It makes the stomach feel good, not too empty but also not full.

Cipeundeuy

As I l am receiving the call the

It is 0910 and at Cipeundeuy station, where the train stops about ten minutes. Some smokers are using the change to fill their lung with the gaseous substance.

Cipeundeuy station with elevation of +772 m.

Be carefull when using the stair. It is stable, but it is felt like to tilt and fall while stepping on it. And this reaction can be fatal due to excessive balancing motion. It departs at about 0924.

Tasikmalaya

It is now almost ten o’clock in the morning and I am sleepy. Taking a short nap for a while sounds a good idea, isn’t it?

Tasikmalaya station at elevation of about +349 m.

Tasikmalaya station is announced as the next stop and that forbidden to open the door while the train is running.

It stops only about ten minutes, I guess. It then speeds up.

Food

Two train persons, a female and a male, come to offer food. Is it brunch?

Finally they are gone and I have managed, successfully, not to order anything. I have breakfast, it is not yet the time for lunch, and the consistency to eat only on the time.

Nature

All you can see from the window are green, but I choose only to document the natural ones.

Wild bushes or a farmer garden (top) and a river (bottom).

Some area are already processed to become rice field or other types of field.

Some agricultural fields viewed through the right window.

The other view possibilities are streets, villages, woods and inclined lands (difficult to record since too near to the train track, will be blurred due to train speed and my smartphone camera incapability).

Banjar

Announcement about Banjar station is in the air about 1040 or before. There is also warning when passanger pay for a destination, but travel beyond it. There will be a penalty for that or sort of being charged. I am not sure and do not want to be in the situation.

Banjar station at elevation of +32 m and a ruin.

It stops at about 1044 and departs about 1047.

There is an interesting ruin in the station, which might be the old part of the station.

Snacks

It is time for a snack and about 1101.

A So Good snack.

It is so good, I mean So Good 🤣.

A So Nice snack.

Unfortunately, it is not sufficient. So, later I move the next snack, which is so nice, So Nice 😂. It is now 1111 and a right time to eat it.

I think the order in eating them is already right. The first is spicy and triggers the appetite to eat more, while the second is mild, nearly tasteless, that prevents me to eat further the snacks. The remained snack is a onigiri, which unfortunately is a spicy salmon. I do do not remember the flavour. It would be better to take it after the noon.

Stations

According to this, there are 14 stations from Bandung to Gubeng Surabaya, including start and end stations.

Bandung - Cipeundeuy - Tasikmalaya - Ciamis - Banjar - Kroya - Kutoarjo - Yogyakarta - Solo Balapan - Madiun - Kertosono - Jombang - Mojokerto - Surabaya Gubeng.

I think I miss the Ciamis station. And before Solo Balapan, there are still three stations, which are Kroya, Kutoarjo, Yogyakarta.

Boring

Exhausted and have no passion for further writing.

Some wet and dry fields.

Above are only for killing the time.

Kroya

It is 1143 when they air the information about Kroya station.

Kroya station at elevation of +11 m.

It stops at about 1145 and continuous at about 1148. Wow, it is a three minutes stop only. Amazing.

It feels that there is the next call from the nature. But wait until the train is departing first.

The call ends and back to seat 4B at 1156. What a call. Really relieving.

Think

I think I can think now, which means to think for producing some thoughts as result of a reflection.

Before I can think, the tunnel comes and write about it and also take photo of it are more prioritized than conducting the reflection, right?

Tunnel

Terowongan ijo. Bumi Agung village. Length 580 m. Built during 1885–1886. In 2020 closed and moved to new tunnel. Karst area. A good place for nature photographers. Those are the information I can gather from the annoucement.

Leaving Ijo tunnel.

Dark when passing it. Almost forget that it is the last wagon. Take the picture but not at the right time 🙁.

Terowongan Ijo means literally Green tunnel. It is now 1212 and good for last snack?

Sky

Since I run of idea what to write or to photo, then the sky comes.

Skies and a horizon.

Above are sky photos taken at different time and from various places.

Kutoarjo

It is 1232 and announcement about Kutoarjo station is aired. Nothing new about it nor the warning.

A parked train and a building at Kutoarjo station.

The food service is coming and I think it is the right time for the lunch.

It stops from about 1235 to 1241 in Kutoarjo station. The sign is on the left side, so I can not take a picture of it.

Semi-lunch

I can not consider it as lunch, soI name it semi-lunch. Not a snack anymore but not yet a lunch. At least it can calm the stomach for a while.

A spicy salmon onigiri as semi-lunch.

During the semi-lunch, some views are ignored. And it takes place between Kutoarjon and Yogyakarta.

It is now 1311 and not yet arrived at next station, which should be Yogyakarya. The stomach calms due to the onigiri, but the menu does not trigger a call from nature. I hope this condition last until Novotel. The place to stay during the assignment in Solo.

Wood

One station before Solo Balapan station is Yogyakarta station. Since I am leaving Kutoarjo station, then the next will be Yogyakarta station according to the previous list.

As I read the above paragraph again, I do not understand how I can construct such confusing sentences. But I let it there as a milestone of confusing state. Not alwas in good performance state, but at least try to achieve that state. It is now 1317.

A wood before Yogyakarta station.

I always wandering how such woods or small forest could be formed. Do the people cut all other trees and leave only some to be a wood, or trees only grow at an area that become wood.

Yogyakarta

It is 1325 and in the air is the announcement about Yogyakarta station. It is stops between 1327 and 1330.

A river and Yogyakarta station.

Large and deep rivers before and after the station are interesting to study. Are there any story about them?

By the way it rains a little bit as ticks sound of the water droplets hitting the window. It lasts less than a minute. But intermittent it comes and goes.

There is one station left for me. Solo Balapan station. Do not pass it since the train ends at Gubeng Surabaya station, still three hours. Solo Balapan is about 27 minutes from now.

Endstation

Das ist die Endstation des Zuges aber meiner Fahrt. I use the word so that title of each section consists of only one word. My final station is Solo Balapan and it requires two words, whic break the consistency.

Medium occupancy of the wagon.

Some passangers destination is Yogyakarta and Kutoarjo station. One of them is Surabaya as a lady speaks too loud on the smartphone. A couple just join at Yogyakarta station.

Rain water trace on the window.

It rains again and this time is heavier than the previous one. There is nine minutes left to my destination.

Dry window.

Then it does not rain any longer.

Announcement at 1403 about Solo Balapan.

Views as walking along the platform.

Finally, I step out the train through door on the right side. In the far there is a mosque.

Name

Next is to find where the board with the name Solo Balapan. Not too easy to find.

Solo Balapan station at elevation of +93 m.

One is near the monitor displaying train schedule and the other is after go to the rest room, it can be seen at the other side of the platforms.

This story ends at about 1631 at a hotel, which will be documented later in other Medium story. It is now a 11 mins story. I can not imagine to be able to write a story with such length.

Update: Story about the hotel is available here. Written three days after this one.