You already know how big of a BTS army I am, so getting to experience their Yet To Come concert in Busan (even if we're team labas) in October of last year was a dream come true. After that, we didn't expect another concert/tour soon (after their group hiatus announcement) but then my love Suga surprised us all with a solo tour! He's my ultimate bias so I was really desperate to watch. We already know ticketing would be HELL (more so since he chose smaller venues) so I prayed so hard hoping I'd be able to get a ticket. So thankful for my roomie and ka Sugababe Ruthie who fought during the Jakarta ticket selling! Oh, the relief & joy I felt when I found out she was able to secure tickets. Huhu. Ana was also able to buy from a friend of a friend. So with that out of the way, next thing we did was plan our trip and book flights and accommodations! Read on to know more...
First on our list was to secure our flights! Since we'll already be in Indonesia, we thought of going on a side trip to Bali. So we booked our Manila-Jakarta and Bali-Manila flights via Cebu Pacific Air! We also checked other airlines and it was the cheapest option out of all the other direct flights. As seguristas, we decided to fly 2 days earlier than the concert just in case there are sudden changes.
Left home early, so I arrived at the NAIA Terminal 3 before 4PM. There was already a line for check-in and bag drop for international flights but it was not that long. :) You can also do web check-in up to 2 hours before your flight, so that all you need to do is drop your bag off!
For our 10-day trip, we each got 20kg of baggage allowance. Our airport tax was also included in our tickets, so didn't need to pay separately. Convenient! Take note that Cebu Pac only has one flight to Jakarta per day and the usual time is 8:30 PM to 11:30 PM.
My new trusty luggage! It has big all-terrain wheels and also expandable! Love it.
As usual, the line at immigration was long but still bearable. They also opened the foreign passport lane to PH passport holders so that helped a little. Ana and I were in line for about 20 minutes. The immigration officer I encountered was nice and quick. She only asked me my return date and that's it. I read other people's posts saying they were asked specific questions about Suga's concert haha.
Don't forget to fill these up and save the QR codes!
Since I work remotely, before the trip, I booked a portable wifi via Klook and an Indonesian sim card! I chose airport pick-up for both. The portable wifi booth is located right after PH immigration. I paid P5k+ for unlimited data for 10 days. I had to pay a P1,000 deposit but they also refunded it days after I returned the device. The connection was also fast and didn't encounter any network problems. The sim card was for backup just in case the wifi fucks up. And then I have a 3rd backup which is my Globe roaming! Digital nomad problems haha.
It started raining with lightning and thunder as night came, and because of that all flights got affected and delayed. We waited til the red lightning alert got lifted, and we were able to leave Manila at around 11:30 PM.
Selfie muna before kain! I ordered their Spam Nori in-flight meal. So good! Ana ordered an egg sandwich and Ruth got the teriyaki chicken, I think.
We arrived at Soekarno Hatta International Airport past 2 AM. Immigration was also fast. The officer just asked "Suga concert?" and I said yes. Haha! He even pointed at the people behind me and said "Suga, suga, suga" meaning armys. Hehe. Take note that Jakarta is one hour behind Manila time!
Apps we used and proved to be useful during the trip!
Apps we used: Google Maps for directions, Papago for translation, Go Jek & Grab for transportation and food delivery. Downloaded Satusehat before our trip and filled out their vaccination form to be sure. They didn't ask for it though.
After getting our luggage, we then went outside and booked a Grab car going to Terminal 2 Departures to claim our sim cards. Wish they have a booth at the Arrivals terminal coz it was a bit of a hassle. :( This is the sim card pick-up booth!
Note: We bought our sim cards 2 days before our trip and immediately after our purchase, we were asked by JavaMifi to send our passport details & EMEI details of our phone via WhatsApp so they could have our sim cards registered and activated. It's required by the government. Ruth bought an e-sim which is more convenient so I highly recommend it. Just make sure your phone can use e-sim!
Money: We didn't have IDR on hand when we arrived, so we just withdrew from ATM machines at the airport. They have a withdrawal limit so just choose the machine which has the highest limit para d sayang ang fee! The withdrawal fee was P190 for BPI and BDO. I withdrew 2 million IDR and that's roughly P7,500.
We left the airport at around 5 AM (we rented a taxi for 250K IDR), and we arrived at our accommodation at around 6 AM. We were so tired and all we wanted to do was freshen up and sleep. Plus, I was sick and it was that time of the month for me. Anyway, we booked 3 rooms at this Oyo hostel weeks before our trip. It looked nice in the photos and super cheap! BUT we got scammed. HUHU.
We were using Papago coz d kami magkaintindihan
When we got there, the Oyo sign was not even there (as you can see above) but we just ignored it. But then the men at the 'reception' refused to check us in because they said we were late. What?! First off, it was not our fault that the flight was late at night. Second, we booked our rooms for one whole day so that even if we arrive late, it's covered. Third, we messaged them beforehand that we'll be arriving late. They also asked us to pay more coz they said the room rates increased. Sabi nga ni Yoongi, "Oh hell no!" Why would they advertise that rate on Agoda if that's not the real rate? Super fraudulent. After a long discussion and Papago Translations, we decided to just leave and find another place. One of the men even talked to us again offering a lower rate but we were already fuming, tired and we didn't feel safe there anymore. Thankful that Ruth won the dispute we filed with Agoda a few weeks after and she got refunded.
We spent almost an hour searching for hotels on the side of the road. Luckily, we found Hotel Fiducia's listing on Agoda! We know it's already hard to book rooms especially coz there's a concert happening, so we decided to just go there, try our luck and hope for the best.
Luckily, we were able to book 3 separate rooms for 5 days! Rate was P1,300 per night which was pricier than our original accommodation, but it was totally worth it. The room was big and it comes with free Indonesian breakfast! The staff were all nice and helpful too. They even allowed us to check in early for no extra fee. Huhu. So grateful we found this place. Will stay here again if I ever come back to Tangerang! <3
P.S Saw more hotel fiascos/horror stories from our BTS army chat groups. There was one where the room was so disgustingly filthy that she had to leave and look for new accommodation. It's best if you could check if the hotel or hotel has recent reviews coz most of the listings are not updated! It's highly likely that the place might not look like what's listed online anymore especially since pandemic happened.
Deluxe Bed Room. Love that it's spacious!
Haggard yarn? Love the full-length mirrorBathroom with hot and cold shower! Yas
After settling in, having a quick bite, and taking a shower, I finally fell asleep at around 9AM. Woke up at around 2PM, dressed up, and met the girls. We booked a Grab Car (which is cheaper there compared to Manila) and headed to Indonesia Convention Exhibition Center at BSD City to pick up our concert tickets!
#PaxOOTD: Uniqlo shirt, Shopee shorts, Converse sneakers
Surprisingly, ticket/wristband pick-up was very organized and quick! We just waited for Ruth outside. Afterward, we headed to The Breeze Mall to meet up with Sarah, our friend's Indonesian friend who got Ana her ticket. We had dinner and they even paid for our meal. Grabe love IndoMys (Indonesian Armys)!
Dinner with new army friends!
Will do a separate post about Yoongi's amazing concert, but for now here are some photos! Grabe, such a dream come true. I still remember the moment I saw him on stage I got so stunned and speechless. Ang gwapo nia mga mhiieeee as in parang apparition! He was so enchanting and captivating and electric that I had to pinch myself a few times coz I could not believe I was there, seeing my bias in the flesh and watching him perform live. He was sick but he still gave the performance of a lifetime. Iba ka talaga and super worth it ka Agust D/Suga/Min Yoongi! 💜
The venue was small so even if our tickets were not VIP, we were this close to the stage! Happy to be there with my fellow Yoongi bias Ruthie. 🫶🏼
Trigger warning before the show
Ahhhhh! THE Agust D! Mahal kita!
Sorry for the pic quality, these are screenshots from my videos hehe
Approved na approved bhie nabihag mo puso namin!
So that's it for now! Can I just say, I'm so glad we did Jakarta coz the whole concert experience was just amazing. From the ticket claiming to the concert itself (the organizers, staff and crowd), everything was pleasant and easy. I'm so grateful for this experience and more so that I got to do it with my favorite girls. Thankful also for people messaging me about what medicine to take or what to do since I was sick during that time. Love you all!
Budget Breakdown: (estimated coz I can't remember exact prices)
Airfare via Cebu Pacific (MNL-Jakarta, Bali-Manila): P12,000 estimate
Tangerang, Jakarta Accommodation: P1,300 x 5 = P6,500
Skyroam wifi = P5,576
JavaMifi sim = P1,046
DAY 1
Starbucks at airport = P400
A&W Jakarta airport = P300
Miscellaneous airports = P500
Grab car to Terminal 2 = P200 (my treat)
Taxi to Tangerang = P300 each
Grab Car to Hotel Fiduccia = P70 each
Grab to ICE BSD = P50 each
Meds = P200
After dinner meal = P250
Grab car back to hotel = P50
__________________________________________________________
Total: P2,320
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Deluxe Bed Room. Love that it's spacious!
Haggard yarn? Love the full-length mirror
NICE BLOG
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