What Happened At Bali Airport

Posted by : foongpc | Monday, May 24, 2010 | Published in

ADVERTISEMENT


This is my last post on my Bali trip.

There will be no photos so I shall (try to) keep this post as short as possible.

After our dinner at Trattoria, we went clubbing for a while at Q-Bar in Seminyak. I did not know this was a gay bar until we went in. Well, gay or not, we just wanted to have a good time.

The next morning, we woke up late, had a late breakfast and went for a swim at the hotel's swimming pool before checking out and heading to the airport.

At the airport, something happened. I was not allowed in by the officer stationed at the entrance! Both my friends went through without problem but not me. The reason? I did not have a print-out of my AirAsia flight ticket!

I told the officer that I never ever print out my flight tickets as I usually just inform the check-in counter my booking number and everything would be automatically verified. However, this was Bali, not Malaysia, so the officer instructed me to get a print-out of the ticket.

I was fuming because I did not see the necessity of this useless exercise. Surely the check-in counter would be able to verify whether I bought the ticket or not!

Anyway, I went over to the AirAsia counter but guess what? There was a long queue there!! By the time I got my print-out, my friends had already checked in and were about to have lunch. Damn!

Before I went to the check-in counter, I encountered another stumbling block. I had to put my luggage through the scanning machine. I placed my check-in luggage but not my hand luggage into the machine. The officer in charge scolded me and instructed me to put in my hand luggage too.

I asked him why the need to scan the hand luggage twice since they would be scanning it again before I enter the departure lounge later. He raised his voice and firmly said that all luggage must be scanned there.

OK, I was not about to fight with him, but I rolled my eyes and showed him my face. I was fuming! In my mind, I was saying, stupid bastard! Even if that's the rules (and it was to me, a stupid rule!) you don't have to raise your voice! Where's the friendliness that Bali people were famous for?

I managed to catch up with my friends and had lunch at a cafe in the airport building. During lunch, we heard an announcement coming from the overhead speaker that the departure gate for our flight had opened.

So fast? I looked at my boarding pass. It stated boarding time at 1.45pm. It was only 1.10pm then.

We went over to enquire the exact boarding time and was told it was indeed 1.45pm but they were announcing it earlier. What the crap for?

The announcement continued irritatingly countless times and I wondered how many people had panicked thinking they were late!

It was my first time going through as many as three unnecessary procedures at one airport! Oh well....

Despite that, I enjoyed my Bali trip and I even bought myself a T Shirt that says ....



I will definitely visit Bali again in the near future!

And for those of you who have missed some of my Bali trip posts, here is the complete list.

1. Something Happened To Me In Bali
2. Souvenirs From Bali
3. My First Meal At Ketupat In Bali
4. My First Visit To Jenggala Keramik In Bali
5. How I Spent My First Evening In Bali
6. The Harmony Hotel In Bali
7. My First Taste Of Natrabu
8. My First Visit To Pura Taman Ayun
9. Why I Must Visit Tanah Lot Again!
10. Ryoshi, Kumbasari And Batubulan
11. My First Taste Of Babi Guling At Ibu Oka
12. Why I Must Dine At Dirty Duck Diner Again!
13. My Balinese Massage At Jari Menari
14. My Lunch At Made's Warung
15. I Didn't Listen To Rumours So I Went Trattoria!

Coming Up Next : Herbal Island At Lake Kenyir

FIRST COMMENTER

(99) Comments

  1. Caroline said...

    chop?

    May 24, 2010 at 4:07 PM
  2. Caroline said...

    lol thr oso got Q BAR!! one of my sissy fren performing in KK here one. urgh~~

    May 24, 2010 at 4:08 PM
  3. Caroline said...

    lol! so cham one. wat to do, not msia ma. next time prepare for it then. :)

    May 24, 2010 at 4:10 PM
  4. Caroline said...

    omg! scolded u?! gosh. scary.. sigh. bad experience. :(

    May 24, 2010 at 4:11 PM
  5. Anonymous

    They should just let people check in without the need for a print-out! So silly and waste of time and paper!

    May 24, 2010 at 4:12 PM
  6. Caroline said...

    Nice t-shirt and yea good that overall u enjoyed the trip. :)

    May 24, 2010 at 4:15 PM
  7. bluedreamer27 said...

    chop???

    May 24, 2010 at 4:38 PM
  8. bluedreamer27 said...

    waaahh . Caroline is so fast hehe.. Good aftie Foong!

    May 24, 2010 at 4:39 PM
  9. bluedreamer27 said...

    i dont know the process and system in airport... haha no idea at all

    May 24, 2010 at 4:41 PM
  10. bluedreamer27 said...

    yikes.. sounds like you had so mch trouble about that ticket

    May 24, 2010 at 4:45 PM
  11. bluedreamer27 said...

    hah love the tshirt!

    the I ♥ NY version of bali

    May 24, 2010 at 4:48 PM
  12. bluedreamer27 said...

    oh so this is the Finale of your Bali trip... You are so amazing Foong... thank you for touring us around the Bali...^_^

    May 24, 2010 at 4:49 PM
  13. Che-Cheh said...

    I always print out my booking number. Just a piece of paper lo.

    The officer was very rude. I encountered one too when I arrived at Siem Reap airport. Grrrr!

    May 24, 2010 at 4:53 PM
  14. fufu said...

    yeah because also 911 and the terrorism, so they strictly dont let people go to the airport just for security reason, but well if it's planned hundred plus ringgit enough to get and bomb the airport... anyway anyway they have their own rules... and not only indonesia, i was once stopped by the guard in manila, he asked me to print out e-ticket from airasia ticket counter ><

    May 24, 2010 at 4:58 PM
  15. Merryn said...

    wut??????? gay bar? lol.. ok ok.. must continue reading :P

    May 24, 2010 at 5:01 PM
  16. Merryn said...

    airasia normally no need to print one mah.. but then again.. that IS Bali like it or not...

    May 24, 2010 at 5:04 PM
  17. lina said...

    the officer is not eco-friend;y. :D
    Think of all the paper that went wasted with the insistence!

    May 24, 2010 at 5:07 PM
  18. lina said...

    16 posts on Bali including this one! Tabik u lah Foong! :D

    May 24, 2010 at 5:09 PM
  19. Kelvin said...

    No one will hate Bali, i supposed :D

    May 24, 2010 at 5:18 PM
  20. manglish said...

    1 pic only? hahaha

    May 24, 2010 at 5:46 PM
  21. இ Baŋäŋaz இ said...

    I lup Bali 2...tQ

    May 24, 2010 at 8:13 PM
  22. iamthewitch said...

    Eh you said there will be no photos but you put a photo of your t-shirt there :P You really had an unpleasant experience at the airport eh.. so unlucky! And I could just imagine you rolling your eyes at the officer! hahaha

    May 24, 2010 at 9:36 PM
  23. wenn said...

    most importantly u love Bali!

    May 24, 2010 at 10:51 PM
  24. RoseBelle said...

    I always, always have my tickets printed out just in case something like what you went through happens. You're lucky that you were at the airport early. Imagine if you didn't have much time and the line to print the tickets was long. Heart thumping!! I get what you're saying about airport policies. They're different everywhere and it's so frustrating like passengers are supposed to know how each airport operate and their rules and policies.

    May 24, 2010 at 11:23 PM
  25. seminyak bali said...

    Yeah.. Bali is one of my favorite place at all.

    May 25, 2010 at 12:42 AM
  26. HappySurfer said...

    OMGoodness, I didn't realise there are 16 posts altogether and for just a short Bali trip. hehe... Can't imagine if you were to complete your China series, you can make a book out of them. Kidding, of course.

    Thank you for the virtual tours, Foong. They have all been interesting.

    May 25, 2010 at 1:05 AM
  27. HappySurfer said...

    I was told it's better to make a ticket printout esp for Indonesia visits.

    May 25, 2010 at 1:07 AM
  28. Ken Wooi said...

    sometimes the airport procedures are a little fussy =/

    May 25, 2010 at 2:41 AM
  29. Cashmere said...

    Oh... that sucks..
    I think you should make it a habit to print out. I always do.. It's like a proof.. heheh! How was the gay bar? Anything interesting?? ;P

    May 25, 2010 at 5:30 AM
  30. khengsiong said...

    Need ticket to enter the airport? Funny. How about those who accompany their friends/relatives to airport but don't actually fly?

    May 25, 2010 at 1:47 PM
  31. xin said...

    awww what a bummer to end the trip. but thank goodness it was still an overall cool trip

    May 25, 2010 at 3:11 PM
  32. mNhL said...

    oh dear! what a bad experience you faced at the airport.

    May 25, 2010 at 3:13 PM
  33. Tekkaus said...

    Yay! Last post already? Hmm...so little posts huh bro? Lesser than those in China o. :)

    May 25, 2010 at 4:21 PM
  34. Tekkaus said...

    Still got time to go clubbing huh! :p War...you guys went into a gay club?

    May 25, 2010 at 4:25 PM
  35. Tekkaus said...

    War..went swimming before check out? You guys really wanna do everything there in Bali huh!

    May 25, 2010 at 4:25 PM
  36. Tekkaus said...

    Print out? Wow...so next time it is better to prepare the print out beforehand right? :/

    May 25, 2010 at 4:26 PM
  37. Tekkaus said...

    Well...well...I guess it was for security purposes bro. What to do. :( He was just doing his job.

    May 25, 2010 at 4:27 PM
  38. Tekkaus said...

    Hmm...it is very troublesome to travel by plane huh! :/

    May 25, 2010 at 4:28 PM
  39. Shingo T said...

    Reminds me of an incident not long back.

    My friend's passport had less than 6 months enquiry at the Bintan ferry custom. The custom officer asked my friend for a fee to close one eye.

    My friend didn't, and he was turned back.

    Anyway, it's unfortunate that the customs put a dent on the otherwise fun trip.

    haven't been to Bali, but I can already smell the fun.

    May 25, 2010 at 5:53 PM
  40. [SK] said...

    YEAH!!! finally the last post for your Bali trip!! YEAH~~~ :D

    May 25, 2010 at 10:24 PM
  41. [SK] said...

    but wait!!! did i see it wrongly?? you still have posts for your Lake Kenyir trip which was like N years ago?? OMG, trying to dig out your memories?? :p

    May 25, 2010 at 10:25 PM
  42. [SK] said...

    i really gotta salute you actually.. 16 posts all together for 5D4N(or 4D3N??) Bali trip.. and how many Lake Kenyir posts again?? :D

    May 25, 2010 at 10:26 PM
  43. [SK] said...

    hmmm, strange!! why you have so much problem in the airport?? i remember we had it super smooth, and we also have ample of time fooling around before we board the train~~ :p

    May 25, 2010 at 10:26 PM
  44. [SK] said...

    but it was like 6 years ago, and maybe there weren't as many Malaysians going there on AirAsia yet.. :)

    May 25, 2010 at 10:28 PM
  45. [SK] said...

    the only thing i remember was that we have to pay for the airport tax before leaving Bali.. and i nearly finished off my money and not able to pay.. but luckily i knew that from friends prior to the departure day, so i saved up a little for that.. :p

    May 25, 2010 at 10:29 PM
  46. [SK] said...

    ok, so next time you gotta learn from this awful experience.. please print your confirmation slip for AirAsia.. hahahahaha!!

    May 25, 2010 at 10:30 PM
  47. [SK] said...

    actually i always do that, print it as a proof that i've got the ticket.. just in case they have problem with their system, at least i have a black and white with me, they can't argue then..

    May 25, 2010 at 10:31 PM
  48. Unknown said...

    wah, carol, how come you get the 1st comment, how one? RSS feed wont be so fast to let you know wor, you know what time Foong usually update blog and wait, is it?

    May 25, 2010 at 11:28 PM
  49. TZ said...

    Don't give in without a fight. So you must fight :p

    May 26, 2010 at 11:10 AM
  50. eiling lim said...

    that's why i always print out my e-ticket just in case this thing pop up. They are really damn silly one. Must follow strictly..

    May 26, 2010 at 1:28 PM
  51. foongpc said...

    caroline ng, your sissy friend is a performer at Q Bar in KK?

    Yes, I got scolded and I was so pissed off!

    But overall, yes i enjoyed my Bali trip a lot! : )

    May 26, 2010 at 6:05 PM
  52. foongpc said...

    mei teng, yes so silly and unnecessary!

    May 26, 2010 at 6:05 PM
  53. foongpc said...

    bluedreamer27, you should go travel then maybe you'll experience the same as me, haha!

    Yes this is the finale and I will resume my Kenyir Trip posts next! : )

    May 26, 2010 at 6:07 PM
  54. foongpc said...

    che-cheh, I used to print out last time but after many times finding that they never ask me for the print-outs, I decided not to print out the tickets anymore!

    So you encountered a rude officer at Siem Reap airport too? Gosh, I hate rude people!!

    May 26, 2010 at 6:09 PM
  55. foongpc said...

    fufu, so you had the same experience in Manila? OK, I will learn from this and print out my tickets next time even though it's so unnecessary! : )

    May 26, 2010 at 6:16 PM
  56. foongpc said...

    merryn, what's wrong with gay bar? : )

    Yeah, normally do not require print out but I guess different countries have different rules!

    May 26, 2010 at 6:17 PM
  57. foongpc said...

    lina, not only is the officer not eco-friendly, he's also not human-friendly!

    Why tabik me? 16 posts only what! : )

    May 26, 2010 at 6:18 PM
  58. foongpc said...

    kelvin, oh Bali is a nice place, just that the airport is not so nice! : )

    May 26, 2010 at 6:18 PM
  59. foongpc said...

    manglish, yes, only 1 picture this time : )

    May 26, 2010 at 6:19 PM
  60. foongpc said...

    bananaz, so you going to Bali anytime soon? : )

    May 26, 2010 at 6:19 PM
  61. foongpc said...

    iamthewitch, haha! 1 picture at the end of the post as a reward for reading the whole post! LOL!

    Yeah, I was really pissed off at the airport! Haha!

    May 26, 2010 at 6:20 PM
  62. foongpc said...

    wenn, yes I still love Bali despite the airport incident! : )

    May 26, 2010 at 6:21 PM
  63. foongpc said...

    rosebelle, yes lucky I was at the airport early or I might even miss my flight - all thanks to the silly officers there!

    May 26, 2010 at 6:22 PM
  64. foongpc said...

    seminyak bali, Bali is a great place for a holiday! : )

    May 26, 2010 at 6:22 PM
  65. foongpc said...

    happysurfer, haha! I think I can make a book out of my China trip too!

    I will print out my tickets in future to avoid such hassles!

    May 26, 2010 at 6:24 PM
  66. foongpc said...

    kenwooi, yeah unnecessary procedures just pisses me off! : )

    May 26, 2010 at 6:24 PM
  67. foongpc said...

    cashmere, yes will print out my tickets in future! The gay bar was OK - I have been to gay bars in KL so it was nothing out of the ordinary for me : )

    May 26, 2010 at 6:25 PM
  68. foongpc said...

    khengsiong, I don't know about that! Maybe they are not allowed in?

    May 26, 2010 at 6:26 PM
  69. foongpc said...

    xin, yes overall I enjoyed my Bali trip! : )

    May 26, 2010 at 6:27 PM
  70. foongpc said...

    mNhL, yes bad experience indeed! : )

    May 26, 2010 at 6:27 PM
  71. foongpc said...

    tekkaus, haha! of course lesser than China posts cos this is only 5D/4N whereas China trip is 10D/9N. Btw, my posts on my China trip is not finished yet, still many more to go! LOL!

    I agree the officer was just doing his job but did he have to be so rude and scolded me like that? I was really pissed off!

    Well, actually not that troublesome travel by plane, but of course it's a little more hassles than traveling on a bus or LRT : )

    May 26, 2010 at 6:31 PM
  72. foongpc said...

    shingo T, oh that reminds me to renew my passport before next trip!

    Haven't been to Bali? Then you must go there! : )

    May 26, 2010 at 6:32 PM
  73. Faisal Admar said...

    no pictures of that bar?

    May 27, 2010 at 9:08 AM
  74. Hanging lamps said...

    The service is operated by local companies in conjunction with airport officials and is arranged prior to visitors’ arrival in Bali.

    May 28, 2010 at 5:30 PM
  75. foongpc said...

    SK, haha! Actually not many Kenyir posts left so I wanted to finish them before I move on to my China posts! LOL!!!

    Why I encountered so many problems at the airport in Bali? Probably I was against all those useless rules and regulations whereas you all just follow the rules like good boys! LOL!

    I felt printing the ticket is a waste of paper and time! But what to do? Sigh...

    May 29, 2010 at 12:26 AM
  76. foongpc said...

    saucer, Caroline is stalking me that's why. Hahaha!

    May 29, 2010 at 12:43 AM
  77. foongpc said...

    TZ, yes I fought! LOL!

    May 29, 2010 at 12:43 AM
  78. foongpc said...

    eiling lim, yes so silly but gotta print out next time! : (

    May 29, 2010 at 12:44 AM
  79. foongpc said...

    faisal, sorry no photos of the Q-Bar. You so interested? : )

    May 29, 2010 at 12:47 AM
  80. [SK] said...

    different countries different culture mah.. i think it's good to print, because some authorities might want you to produce them, eg: they want to ensure you have a return ticket, especially if you go to UK, then i think it is highly recommended that you print them out..

    May 29, 2010 at 11:10 AM
  81. [SK] said...

    also the more important reason is that, i don't trust their system.. so having a confirmation with me, this is a black and white showing my ticket they cannot argue at all..

    May 29, 2010 at 11:10 AM
  82. [SK] said...

    wow, still got Lake Kenyir and China post!! hmmm, why not you open another new blog, purposely for all your travel posts?? hehe..

    May 29, 2010 at 11:11 AM
  83. bluedreamer27 said...

    i i do wish to travel foong... maybe someday...

    May 30, 2010 at 10:31 PM
  84. bluedreamer27 said...

    oh but i need to overcome my fear of riding a boat or ship yikes... such a long process i think

    May 30, 2010 at 10:31 PM
  85. Nike said...

    You had done a great job.Thanks for sharing each and every thing that you have seen, realized.It is definitively a great place to visit.
    your description are really very interesting.
    Happy blogging and keep posting.

    May 31, 2010 at 3:02 PM
  86. Monica said...

    i usually don't print out my ticket!

    June 1, 2010 at 10:24 AM
  87. Monica said...

    so rude la the officer in charge!!

    June 1, 2010 at 10:25 AM
  88. Ayie said...

    i never thought you had so many posts for your bali trip =P

    i have airport delays and all procedures too, such a headache!

    June 1, 2010 at 1:11 PM
  89. Vernon said...

    The incident that happened at the Bali airport is very sad. I have never faced such a situation in my life because I always traveled with a printed copy of my ticket. So better beware of such thing in future. Have a nice week ahead.

    June 2, 2010 at 3:26 PM
  90. LifeRamblings said...

    it must be a hassle of going through all those procedures. i've not come across such incidents at the airport though because i'll always bring a copy of my ticket whenever i travel.

    June 2, 2010 at 9:10 PM
  91. foongpc said...

    SK, I am already so busy - don't think I can handle more than one blog! LOL!

    June 2, 2010 at 10:12 PM
  92. foongpc said...

    bluedreamer27, you have a fear of riding ships and boats? Well, you need to overcome that fear. Or perhaps travel on land and by air - then you'll have no problem yes? : )

    June 2, 2010 at 10:13 PM
  93. foongpc said...

    nike, thanks for your kind words. Glad you like my post. Do come back often! : )

    June 2, 2010 at 10:14 PM
  94. foongpc said...

    monica, me too - but I learnt that if you travel overseas, it's better to have the tickets printed just in case. Yes, the officer was very rude! Hate such rude attitude!

    June 2, 2010 at 10:15 PM
  95. foongpc said...

    ayie, haha now you know! I guess we had all experienced flight delays and hassles of airport procedures at one time or the other, right? : )

    June 2, 2010 at 10:17 PM
  96. foongpc said...

    vernon, thanks for dropping by! Yes, I will print out the tickets for overseas travel in future! : )

    June 2, 2010 at 10:17 PM
  97. foongpc said...

    life ramblings, yes it's a hassle! Good thing you print out your tickets! : )

    June 2, 2010 at 10:18 PM
  98. Bali Driver said...

    Not a good experience, but it shouldn't stop you from visiting Bali again. And then maybe the man who scolded you has been asked the same question so many times that he got so unhappy.

    June 16, 2010 at 7:52 PM
  99. Faisal Admar said...

    Hey I was there too... I think I saw you did the pole dance! I mean at Q-Bar

    April 10, 2013 at 1:17 AM