Trip to Visby and Stockholm, Sweden from Jakarta, Indonesia - Part I

Hi readers! This post is a really really late post since I did this trip to Sweden in the end of August 2013, hehehe. But as many people say, it's better late than never. And until I write this post, this trip is the most memorable trip I have ever done.

Previously I've written a post about how to apply for the visa (Schengen visa) to visit Sweden. The process is quite fast and relatively has easier requirements than visas to other countries. More can be read here: Part I and Part II.

So the story is I went to Visby, Sweden, with my mum and my sister in order to accompany my sister who will live there. Visby is a small town located on an island called Gotland. To reach Visby, we departed from Jakarta to Stockholm using Thai Airways with one transit in Bangkok and then connect flights from Stockholm to Visby using local airline, Gotlandsflyg.

To reach Stockholm from Jakarta there are many airline options available: Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Lufthansa, etc.. But the flight schedule from Stockholm to Visby at the time was only available at about 8 am, 10 am and 5 pm. We prefer a flight in the morning in order to get in Visby before lunch. Among those airlines we decided to use Thai Airways because of its relatively cheaper ticket prices and its arrival schedule on Arlanda airport is the earliest in the morning. However, the transit time in Bangkok is quite long, which is about 9 hours.

We departed from Jakarta to Bangkok using Airbus A330-300 flight TG434 for about 3 hours, from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm. The next flight to Stockholm departs at 00:30 midnight, so we have very much time to spend at Suvarnabhumi airport, Bangkok.

Arriving at Suvarnabhumi airport, we followed the direction signs that are quite clear to the transit area. Suvarnabhumi airport security was pretty strict. After showing the boarding pass for the next flight that has been provided by airline personnel upon check-in in Jakarta, we walked to x-ray examinations and security checkpoint. All objects made ​​of metal shall be removed when passing the gate, including belts and even some coins in his pocket.

Just after passing the security checkpoint, we arrived at the departure hall that is very spacious. The airport is huge. From end to end, this departure hall is 1 km long. Filled with various shops like a shopping mall, we didn't feel tired to walk around and see the goods sold in these stores.

Once we are satisfied sightseeing and had our dinner, we waited in the waiting area near the departure gate. Previously I had asked for a username and password for free wifi to airport officials. Simply by showing my passport, I can use the internet facilities at the airport. Each person is limited to use the internet only up to 1 hour, but because I also requested access on behalf of my mother and sister, I can surf up to 3 hours, hehehe.

Time flies, it was already 11 pm and departure gate has been opened. I immediately woke my sister and my mum who had fallen asleep on the couch in the waiting room and then we got ready to get into the gate. The aircraft we were riding to Stockholm is a Boeing 777-300ER flight TG960. This aircraft is very comfortable and it looks like new. Our flight from Bangkok to Stockholm takes 10 hours. Due to the time difference between Bangkok and Stockholm for 5 hours, we were scheduled to arrive there at 5.30am.

After a long flight, we finally arrived at terminal 5 Arlanda airport, Stockholm. After taking care of immigration and baggage, we headed toward the terminal 3 to continue our next flight. The distance between those two terminals is not too far away and the availability of a fairly large trolley makes it very easy walk to terminal 3. The flight DC-803 we booked leave at 10 am so we still had enough time to sit in a cafe. We ordered breakfast with typical Swedish bread and a cup of black coffee which turned out to be a very popular drink for the people there.

Having finished breakfast, our plane arrived and we prepared for boarding. The aircraft we were riding is a turboprop, medium sized propeller aircraft. Later I found out that the plane is a Saab 340A. The sensation with turboprops is very different compared to larger size jets. The noise and vibration of the propeller engine felt quite noticeably into the cabin, but for some reason I really like the thrill of riding this plane. We flew to Visby airport for 45 minutes. When we got there, the first thing I realized is that the airport is quite small and quiet, but all facilities are complete and well preserved. After a short wait, we were picked up by my sister's husband there and he drove us to the house.

Me and my mother stayed at Visby for 10 days and then stopped in Stockholm for 4 days before returning to Jakarta. In the next part I'll tell you about places we visited, activities that we did, and the food we enjoyed while we were in Sweden. Stay tuned for my next post (it wont be as long as the last time I post something on this blog, hehe).

Trip ke Visby dan Stockholm, Swedia dari Jakarta, Indonesia - Part I

Hai pembaca! Postingan ini adalah postingan yang sangat sangat terlambat sekali karena saya melakukan trip ke Swedia ini pada akhir bulan agustus tahun 2013, hehehe. Tetapi seperti yang banyak orang-orang bilang, lebih baik terlambat daripada tidak sama sekali. Dan sampai saat tulisan ini ditulis, trip ini merupakan trip yang paling berkesan yang pernah saya lakukan.

Sebelumnya saya sudah pernah menulis postingan tentang bagaimana mengurus visa (schengen visa) untuk mengunjungi negara Swedia. Prosesnya cukup cepat dan persyaratannya relatif lebih mudah dibanding visa ke negara-negara lain. Selengkapnya bisa dibaca di sini (Part I) dan di sini (Part II).

Jadi ceritanya adalah saya berangkat ke Visby, Swedia, bersama Ibu dan kakak saya dalam rangka mengantar kakak saya yang selanjutnya akan menetap di sana. Visby merupakan sebuah kota kecil yang terletak di sebuah pulau bernama Gotland. Untuk mencapai Visby, kami berangkat dari Jakarta menuju Sockholm menggunakan maskapai Thai Airways dengan satu kali transit di Bangkok kemudian menyambung penerbangan dari Stockholm menuju Visby menggunakan maskapai lokal, Gotlandsflyg.

Untuk mencapai Stockholm dari Jakarta banyak pilihan airline yang tersedia: Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Lufthansa, dll. Namun jadwal penerbangan dari Stockholm menuju Visby pada saat itu hanya tersedia sekitar pukul 8 dan 10 pagi serta pukul 5 sore. Kami memang lebih memilih penerbangan yang lebih pagi agar dapat sampai di Visby sebelum jam makan siang. Diantara airlines yang tersedia kami memutuskan untuk menggunakan Thai Airways karena harga tiketnya yang relatif murah dan jadwal kedatangan di bandara Arlanda yang paling pagi. Walaupun demikian, waktu transit di Bangkok cukup lama, yaitu sekitar 9 jam.

Kami berangkat dari Jakarta menuju Bangkok dengan menggunakan pesawat Airbus A330-300 flight TG434 selama sekitar 3 jam, dari pukul 12.30 siang sampai 3.30 sore. Flight selanjutnya yang menuju Stockholm baru berangkat pukul 0:30 tengah malam, jadi kami mempunyai waktu yang sangat banyak untuk dihabiskan di bandara Suvarnabhumi, Bangkok.

Sesampainya di bandara Suvarnabhumi, kami mengikuti papan petunjuk yang cukup jelas menuju transit area. Keamanan bandara Suvarnabhumi terasa cukup ketat. Setelah menunjukkan boarding pass penerbangan berikut yang sudah diberikan oleh petugas airline pada saat check in di Jakarta, kami berjalan menuju gerbang pemeriksaan x-ray. Semua benda berbahan logam wajib dicopot ketika melalui gerbang tersebut, termasuk ikat pinggang dan bahkan uang recehan di saku.

Setelah melalui gerbang x-ray, kami tiba pada departure hall yang sangat luas. Bandara ini memang berukuran raksasa. Dari ujung ke ujung, panjang departure hall ini mencapai 1km. Dipenuhi berbagai macam toko layaknya sebuah shopping mall, kami tidak merasa bosan untuk berjalan-jalan dan melihat-lihat barang yang dijual di toko-toko tersebut.

Setelah puas jalan-jalan dan makan malam, kami menunggu di ruang tunggu dekat gate keberangkatan. Sebelumnya saya sudah meminta username dan password wifi gratis kepada petugas badara. Cukup dengan menunjukkan paspor, saya bisa menggunakan fasilitas internet di bandara tersebut. Setiap orang dibatasi hanya bisa menggunakan internet maksimal 1 jam, tetapi karena saya juga meminta akses atas nama ibu dan kakak saya, saya bisa internetan sampai 3 jam, hehehe.

Tidak terasa waktu sudah menunjukkan pukul 11 malam dan gate keberangkatan sudah dibuka. Saya segera membangunkan kakak dan ibu saya yang sudah terlelap di sofa ruang tunggu dan kemudian kami bersiap-siap untuk masuk ke dalam gate. Pesawat yang akan kami tumpangi ke Stockholm adalah sebuah Boeing 777-300ER flight TG960. Pesawat ini sangat nyaman dan sepertinya masih baru. Penerbangan dari Bangkok mejunu Stockholm memakan waktu 10 jam. Karena adanya perbedaan waktu antara Bangkok dan Stockholm sebesar 5 jam, kami dijawdalkan tiba di sana pukul 5.30 pagi.

Setelah penerbangan yang lama, akhirnya kami sampai juga di terminal 5 bandara Arlanda, Stockholm. Setelah mengurus urusan imigrasi dan mengambil bagasi, kami beranjak menuju terminal 3 untuk melanjutkkan penerbangan berikutnya. Jarak antar terminal yang tidak terlalu jauh dan tersedianya troli yang cukup besar sangat memudahkan kami berjalan kaki menuju terminal 3. Penerbangan flight DC-803 yang kami pesan berangkat pukul 10 pagi sehingga kami masih punya waktu yang cukup untuk duduk-duduk di sebuah kafe. Kami memesan menu sarapan roti-rotian khas Swedia dan secangkir kopi hitam yang ternyata merupakan minuman yang sangat populer bagi masyarakat di sana.

Setelah selesai sarapan, pesawat kami tiba dan kami bersiap untuk boarding. Pesawat yang akan kami tumpangi ini merupakan sebuah pesawat turboprop alias pesawat baling-baling yang berukuran tidak terlalu besar. Setelah saya mencari tahu, ternyata pesawat tersebut adalah sebuah Saab 340A. Sensasi menaiki pesawat turboprop sangatlah berbeda dengan pesawat jet yang pada umumnya berukuran lebih besar. Suara mesin baling-baling dan getaran mesin tersebut cukup terasa ke dalam kabin, namun entah mengapa saya sangat menyukai sensasi menaiki pesawat ini. Kami terbang menuju bandara Visby selama 45 menit. Sesampainya di sana hal pertama yang saya sadari adalah bandara tersebut cukup kecil dan sedang sepi, namun semua fasilitasnya lengkap dan terjaga dengan baik. Setelah menunggu sebentar, kami dijemput oleh suami kakak saya di sana dan diantarkan sampai rumah.

Saya dan ibu saya tinggal di Visby selama 10 hari dan kemudian mampir di Stockholm selama 4 hari sebelum kembali ke Jakarta. Pada tulisan part berikutnya saya akan bercerita tentang tempat-tempat yang saya kunjungi, kegiatan-kegiatan yang saya lakukan, dan makanan-makan yang saya nikmati selama berada di Visby dan Stockholm. Nantikan tulisan saya berikutnya dalam waktu dekat ini (tidak akan selama seperti sejak terakhir kali saya mempost sesuatu di blog ini, hehe).

Applying Visa for visiting Sweden at Swedish Embassy Jakarta Part II

So, I finally got my visa! And actually now I'm already in Sweden, sorry for  the very late update.

The process for applying visa is actually very quick. You mad appointment for an interview, prepare your documents, then go to the embassy for the interview. It usually takes around 2-3 days for your application to be processed, depending on how many other people who are also applied. Unfortunately there was a group of people that also applied. Looks like they are junior football team who will carry out a match in sweden. The officer said I should check my visa application in the next 7 days after the interview.

The interview was not as complicated as I imagined. The waiting room in the embassy office is not so big, it only fits for six people. So I waited in the building lobby first before I was allowed to wait upstairs. After waited for about an hour, finally I went to the interview room. The embassy officer just asked to verify what you write on your application and make sure that every documents were complete. When I was being interviewed, the officer noted that I still need to present my photo even though they took my photo at the interview. Then there was something wrong with my travel insurance policy. Even if I'm only going to Sweden, the insurance policy needs to mention the destination to "Schengen countries". So I had to contact the insurance company to ask for an endorsement letter to change the destination in my travel insurance policy. Both photo and the letter should be presented when I collect my visa.

After one week I contacted the embassy office to ask if my visa had been approved and when to collect it. Turned out the embassy officer said I can collect my visa today. So I went to the embassy office, got my visa and my passport!

Applying Visa for visiting Sweden at Swedish Embassy Jakarta

So the story began when my sister just got her permanent residence permit in Sweden and she's gonna move there next month. Then my mum decided to accompany her moving. She also wants to see my sister's new place and have a vacation trip there. But because my sister is going to stay and nobody will accompany my mum fly back home, I eventually will also join the trip to Sweden, hehe.

First thing came across my mind is the airline ticket. I've tried looking to some website to search for tickets, but the cheapest fare I found is around USD 1350 back and forth. Then, my sisten who happened to be an "expert" in searching for cheap tickets, gave me information that she found a ticket that cost only USD 1080.

Currently I haven't book the ticket yet. What the world could be if I already bought the ticket and turns out I don't get the visa? The procedure to apply for the visa is not really complicated, they already have an online application system for visa at http://www.migrationsverket.se/. The officer at the embassy suggests to apply using that system because basically the offices uses the same application if we apply manually at the embassy. But after trying the system, there are some confusing questionnaires  For example there's an input field which is required to be filled with a sponsor from employer. Where should my pensioner mom gets it? So it is decided that we will just apply manually at the embassy.

Informations to apply swedish visa at Jakarta embassy can be seen here http://www.swedenabroad.com/en-GB/Embassies/Jakarta/Visit-Sweden/Visa-for-visiting-Sweden/. I will not copy-paste all the article from that website, first because the information there is always updated and second I'm too lazy to write. The point is to apply visa at the embassy we should come for interview and photo take, with previously made an appointment and bring some prerequisite documents. We can contact the embassy though a phone line +62 21 2553 5900. The embassy is open for visa every Monday-Friday at 8.30-11.30. The process is quite fast, only 3-5 days, but in some other cases could take longer than that. As a precaution we should apply for visa well in advance before the date of departure. Visa is valid for maximum of 90 days, and our passport should not yet expired for at least 6 months.

As of 9 January 2012 the fee for a Visa is IDR 750 000, which is the rough equivalent of EUR 60. For children between 6-12 years old, the fee is IDR 435 000 which is the rough equivalent of EUR 35. Children under the age of six years will be exempted from paying a fee. The payment of the visa fee is made through the Embassy's account in the PT Bank ANZ Indonesia:

Swift ID : ANZBIDJX

Account No. : 4033 6001 00012

Beneficiary : Embassy of Sweden

The prerequisite documents depends on the purpose of your visit to Sweden:

• Tourist visa
• Visa for business / conference
• Visa for visiting friends or relatives
• Visa for training

So now I'm gonna prepare the documents and make an appointment for an interview to the embassy. The next post will be updates about the interview at the embassy.

Have a nice day!