Day 01: Journey to Malang (via Surabaya) - Apr 2018

---

Saturday, 21st April 2018

We took a Singapore Airlines flight to the city of Surabaya to kick start our East Java journey. Flight time was slightly more than 2 hours where I had Mavis Hee's greatest hits for company throughout the flight. Coupled with SIA's great food and service, this was an easy and comfortable journey for us.

Surabaya Juanda Airport that greeted us is not huge by international standards. The arrivals is a short walk from where we landed and after clearing the formalities, we were soon on the road to the city of Malang, about 95km away.

Arrival at the Hotel Santika Premiere Malang was a refreshing experience. The resort-like lobby and the welcoming pool was a stark contrast to the traffic mayhem outside the property.

After lunch at the hotel, we decided not to embark on an ambitious travel plan prior to our Bromo Sunrise Tour on Monday morning. We prefered to spend more time resting before the overnight tour.

Nevertheless, we decided to check out Kampung Tridi after chancing upon its colorful picture at the hotel lift lobby. Getting around the city was a breeze thanks to the affordable Grab ride hailing services. We found their drivers to be extremely reliable and honest.

After spending time at the colourful village, we stopped by at the Sarinah Shopping Mall which is home to the Robinsons Supermarket and the Ramayana Departmental Store.

Back at the hotel, we headed to the pool for some nice swimming prior to our dinner. We decided to try out street eats using Grab food delivery services. It turned out to be our best and most inexpensive meal of the day!

Finally, after some 90 minutes of body massage, it was time to hit our comfortable beds as we retired for the evening before our day 2 programme.

---