Ranan Samanya Photography

An aircon train that cost us only less than one US Dollar to travel 24km? First I couldn’t believe it. I thought I would be traveling in a dirty and rotten train. But no, the Jakarta-Bekasi Commuter Line is anything but that. Entering the cabin reminds me of entering a Singapore MRT. The aircon was cold, the cabins were clean, and the seats well cushioned. The officers were friendly. It was on time, and before every stop there was an announcement. It even has a women’s only cabin!

People said that it’s very crowded during peak hours, so if you want to enjoy the line, try to choose off-peak hours of the day. There is also one that connects Jakarta to Bogor and Tanggerang. From Jakarta, the best option is to start from Jakarta Kota station, although it also stops at several other small stations like Manggarai and Juanda. Please note thought, that it doesn’t stop in Gambir station (which is a pity, but one officer explained that they had to do this since Gambir is a controlled station with boarding pass, unlike other smaller stations from which we can hop in and out).

You may have noticed that I’m now using my 40mm pancake. The second cheapest prime lens from Canon after its 50mm II f/1.8, the lens a sheer joy to use. More of this later. The first and last pictures are three frames HDR.