SHAH ALAM - "We don't know how long we'll need to be here, so we have to be thrifty and not overspend."
That was how one Malaysian stranded in Indonesia described her situation after flights were cancelled following the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau.
Nurul Najwa Abu Bakar, 27, said she and her family are currently staying at a hotel while waiting for conditions to improve so they can fly home.
"We came to Indonesia for four days, just to visit Bandung with the family.
"But when we were told our return flight had been cancelled, we had to find a hotel in the meantime.
"It was quite a struggle to find one this morning, but thankfully we got a room not far from the airport, about 30 minutes away," she told Sinar Harian.
The eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau, ongoing since last Friday, has sent volcanic ash spreading across the region, forcing eight airports to suspend flight operations temporarily.
The disruption has affected both domestic and international flights, including routes connecting Jakarta with Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney, Seoul/Incheon, Doha and Amsterdam.
Najwa said she has so far spent more than RM200 on accommodation and about RM30 more on food and drink.
"We've already got a new flight date, on Tuesday at 11.15am, so that cost might go up.
"If we're careful, it shouldn't be a problem — just don't overspend," she said.
She said the biggest challenges she is facing right now are securing accommodation and managing the flight rescheduling amid such an uncertain situation.
"It was quite a headache sorting out a hotel in a rush and rebooking the flight, but for now everything has been settled.
"When something like this happens, it affects work commitments back in Malaysia too. I'll definitely have to take emergency leave (EL) since I'm still unable to return as originally scheduled," she said.
Najwa said she will wait until Tuesday before deciding her next move.
"Earlier on, Threads users said Yogyakarta airport had reopened, so if Soekarno-Hatta is still closed by Tuesday, I'll head there instead.
"But I just got an update that there are problems there too, so I might go to Surabaya if that's open.
"I don't want to go now and buy a new ticket because it's expensive — I'm worried that if we've already paid, the airport there might close too. So we'll just wait here until things settle down," she said.
Najwa hopes the situation can be brought under control soon so she and her family can return safely to Malaysia.