Bandung - An Airport in Dire Straits

I flew to Bandung via AirAsia's A320. My entrance to Bandung is via it's only airport - Husein Sastranegara International Airport. Having visited countless cities & experienced more than 25 airports, I can safely say that this is the worst airport - by any standards. The reasons are as such:

1. For Military or Commercial Use?
I was told that this was initially a military airport. But much of this airport has been converted for civilian use. I guess the thriving city of Bandung makes monetary sense for such a decision. However, the approach in handling such a conversion has been slow. A classic example is that the plans for the airport runway to be thickened from Pavement Classification Number (PCN) 37 cm to PCN 52 cm in mid-2010. Such a decision was made so as to accommodate larger narrowbody aircraft, such as Airbus A320. In April 2011, an Airbus A320 had landed successfully, although the 2,250-metre-long (7,380 ft) runway overlay was less than 50-percent complete.

2. Exceeded Handling Capacity
Imagine filling 800ml of water into a 500ml bottle. No one can do that. Yet Bandung tried to execute this. It isn't magic and hence, the dramtatic failure in coping with the large number of passengers. In 2010, there are 1.3 million passengers annually, but the airport is only capable of handling 1 million passengers a year. I wonder what the passenger figures are like in 2012. As the city modernises, how can it depend on an airport that is so constrained to meet its growing needs?

3. Limited Terminal Size
Currently, as of Jun 2012, the airport only has 1 passenger terminal - used for domestic and international flights. The area of the terminal is 2,412 square metres. That's about the floor area of 2 big bungalows & it has to handle 1.3 million passengers! It was mentioned that another terminal was being developed. Geesh, should that have been developed a long time ago? Would the airport even be ready? And even if it is ready, how long can both airports wait before they reach their maximum capacity?

4. Poor Departure Flow

There were only 3 queues to 'see' the immigration officer, but 2 commercial flights arrived within minutes of one another. I was also glad that our flight was minutes before the other. The passengers' queue was so long that it stretched into the apron. The baggage collection was via 1 pathetic 8m conveyor - on the right. Jams were created as passengers loitered after the immigration point waiting for their bags. It was made worse that we have to create a haphazard queue to screen our bags prior to leaving the terminal. The whole departure experience - was daunting. I had never felt so cramped in any other airports before.

Whilst airport are just points of transit, they are the 1st impression that tourists receive. And that first impression I have of Bandung - has made me wondered if I will ever fly into Bandung - ever again...

Indulgence in Food

I seldom exercise nowadays. Hence, in order not to expand horizontally, I have constantly reminded myself to watch my diet. Sometimes, my reminders work, sometimes they don't. Afterall, sinful food always taste so delicious and yummy that I just have to order them to savour the taste... Though more often than not, I do gulp them down to fill up the void in my stomach.

The easiest example I can find is that of the hawker centre. There is an unlimited array of food choices. And if we have to taste as many as we could, it might end up as one main dish per person, with side dishes of rojak, popiah, dessert, you tiao, carrot cake, etc. Afterall, there is a need to evaluate which is the best dish. This was a photo of a value-for-money Nasi Lemak that I consumed today. It comprises of uniquely green coconut rice, a big otah, some vegetable and a huge chicken drumstick and thigh. The taste was so good that I forgot how unhealthy it really was.

Anoother recent example was that of a marble cheese frappe I recently had. It looked ordinary, but was richly filled with marble cheese. I wondered how many calories it contained. I wasn't sure, but I knew this was only the drink. My dinner comprised of a Western-styled main course and an add-on of 3 chicken wings.

Food continue to taste so good that keeping fit and slim seems like a uphill challenge. I just have to constantly remind myself that I am getting old. And an old man requires less calories for sustainence. Maybe this new reminder might help...

Dreams - Easy to Create, Hard to Hold on

Dreams - I have many of those. No, not those that people have whilst they sleep at night, because I can barely remember them when I wake up. But those dreams that form your goals, and ultimately turn into your accomplishments.

Dreams - I thought of going overseas to work, I dreamed of being a doctor, I imagined the days in which I would be a rich businessman, I considered the possibility of being a pilot... And the list goes on and on.

Moving forth, I realised that these dreams were probably set unrealistically. And so I lowered my expectations and tried to dream of more achieveable goals. And hence, I dreamed of (i) jogging once a week, (ii) planning for my Masters, (iii) setting proper financial and savings plans, etc.

Till date, I created endless dreams - some high and all-mighty, others low and simplistic. Yet they are so hard to achieve.

I am beginning to reflect - on whether there's a need to even dream in the 1st place.