Sanur

Our second stop in Bali was the 5km stretch of white-sand beach in the town of Sanur. Only 30 minutes away from Kuta, we arrived right on time for Sanur’s village festival, which involved concerts and dozens of food stalls at night in a huge field. Unfortunately, this is where I got my first taste of the famous Bali-belly, which I won’t forget any time soon!

Despite the health setback, we enjoyed a sunny afternoon on the calm beach with the lush and green landscaped grounds of the resorts behind. It seemed impossible to find an affordable guesthouse on the coast, but we did find an impeccably clean home-stay on the main street perpendicular to the beach.

Hard to find whiter sand than Sanur beach!

Sanur beach at low tide

Like most travelers, our stop over Sanur’s coast was brief. The following day, we took the public ferry to Nusa Lembongan, a stunning island nearby. A new adventure awaited.

Bali

When Chris visited Kuta in 2004, he didn’t enjoy his experience: touts wouldn’t leave him alone, robbery was common, money exchange would short-change you, relaxing on the beach was impossible as kids started making you bracelets despite protests, and most restaurants only served nasi goreng (fried rice). Our expectations were pretty low when we flew into Kuta, but we were pleasantly surprised by the overall clean-up of the place. After a bit of an expensive taxi ride from the airport, we quickly found a hotel on Gang I, one of the popular backpacking alleys near the beach. The tree-lined pool was the decision making factor, as prices were competitive and room standards similar.

Kuta’s long sandy beach is lovely for lazy strolls, getting crowded only at sunset when everyone gathers for a Bintang. All day long, cool surfers dudes paddle in the waves and tanned bums lay in the sand, scattered. There are a few stretches busier with beach chairs, but most of the beach is quiet enough. The majority of restaurants on the beach front are upscale or slightly overpriced for our backpacker budget, but getting lost around the alleys will surely take you to endless cheap eateries. In the morning, we loved our long runs on the empty boardwalk which follows the beach. For just under 5km you can run from Kuta to Legian until Seminyak. Leaving at 6:30 or 7:00 seemed like a perfect timing as streets were nearly empty and the air still cool and fresh. Many runners seem to prefer the beach, for obvious reasons, but I find jogging on sand very difficult so I opt for the easier pavement. The near-perfect conditions helped me reach my goal of a 10km run!

Lovely sand on Kuta Beach

Sunset on Kuta Beach

A huge change from Java is the seemingly absent Islam. Indeed, Bali is mostly Hindu and lovely shrines adorn every single hotel or restaurant. In the morning, intricately decorated offerings are put both on the ground (to distract evil spirits) and in shrines (for the good spirits) with scented incense sticks. As well as adding mysticism and charm to the streets, the artistic offerings seem eco-friendly, made primarily of banana leaves, flowers and rice, although the old ones are left over to dry and rarely swept away.

Offerings on the floor

Old and new - in need of a sweep!

It was to our surprise that we booked a third night in Kuta, everything too easy, a much needed break after roughing it in Java, indulging in a real little piece of holiday! As for the famous nightlife, I have to admit we completely skipped it, too relaxed to even consider drinking and staying up past 11pm! Tough life…

Java Impressions

The original plan for our Indonesia trip was to fly in from Jakarta and make our way West by land until crossing over to Bali by ferry, then flying out of Dempasar two months later. After nearly a month in East and Central Java, we had a big decision to make. On the one hand, we wanted to visit Mount Bromo in West Java, the stunning volcano which is on most backpacker’s itinerary. The majority of people do a day tour to Bromo from any big city in Central Java, which involves overnight sleep on a mini bus to reach the famous mountain in the morning, then the dreadful journey back. We were determined to go towards Bromo ourselves and make it a part of our journey West rather than booking a tour. Unfortunately, despite researching and asking around, it didn’t seem like there are a lot of interesting towns or sights in West Java. Travelling had already been difficult and we read warnings of thefts on buses in the West. Furthermore, the town we were currently in, Semarang, has an airport! We saw this as a sign and decided to cut our losses and booked an internal flight to Bali. The tickets were really affordable and it seemed like a great luxury to skip all the hassle of the buses, trains and boats. Although feeling a bit sad to miss out on Bromo, it seemed like the right decision.

Travelling in Java over the Ramadan didn’t cause a problem for us. Most restaurants in Central Java were kept opened as usual and even smaller towns had one or two eating options in the daytime. The problems arose after the Ramadan, during Idul Fitri. I suppose it was our mistake to not have been informed or even aware of the local holidays. Every family travels during Idul Fitri so buses and trains are full. Hotels are also fully booked and well overpriced. Entrance fees to every attraction are at least double the normal rates. Roads are absolutely chaotic. In and around every town, the cars are bumper to bumper and barely move at all. This is what real traffic looks like: 2 hour journeys took more than 6.

Locals don’t have a clue about environmental protection and don’t seem to realise they are ruining their own country by throwing trash everywhere. Streets are full of litter, rivers and rice fields near towns are drowned in rubbish. Everything is thrown on the ground, from the plastic wrapper of a water bottle, to an empty pack of cigarette, to a can of coke or plastic bag. This is especially shocking on a beautiful beach and disgusting on a bus where an hour ride will turn a nice looking coach into a dump, the floor covered in garbage with leftover snacks from the passengers whose windows were closed so they couldn’t throw it outside!

 

Any river near a town will look like this in Java

Given that most Javanese haven’t seen westerners before, especially during Idul Fitri when they travel from their remote villages to towns to visit relatives, we became quite an attraction. This will bring anyone to go through different emotions. It can be amusing at times, when children stare at your with their huge eyes; embarrassing when it’s a conservatively dressed Muslim family looking you up and down; frustrating when it’s a busy town and everyone turns around to gaze at you; exasperating when a group of teenagers calls out at you and laughs. How unthinkable would it be in Canada for a whole family to point and call out ‘Muslim!’ if a Javanese family was walking around town! I think curiosity is normal and I did enjoy it when people politely said ‘Hello Mister!’ to us and giggled when we replied, but it did get overwhelming sometimes when long queues were forming after we had agreed to a picture with one family.

 

Line up for a picture girls!

Muslim life is very present so being woken by the call to prayer at 4:30 in the morning every day also got tiresome. I remember enjoying the prayers in other countries like Turkey, finding them quite peaceful, but in Java the speakers are all over town and really loud. We had a discussion with a local, as the prayers are supposed to be at sunrise, but apparently the sun rises early in Indonesia!

So we overcame a few hurdles in Java, but not enough for us to regret experiencing it. That’s what’s fantastic about travelling, you learn so much about other ways of life and going through obstacles makes the rewards even sweeter! My highlights were the rice fields leading to the sea in Cimaja and our quaint bungalow, and the incredible richness of Dieng Plateau. Let’s see what Bali brings. It will definitely be less remote which should make things both easier and less exciting at the same time!

Sunset and Bintang beer... what else can you ask for?

Failed attempt at visiting Karimunjawa

The morning after our sunrise tour in Dieng, we went from one bus to another until reaching Semarang. We had been up since 3 so it was a bit tiring!

After checking in a lovely hotel (with hot water), we didn’t wait a second to jump in the hot shower. What a bliss after the cold previous days! Tjiang Residence, located in China town, is really good value for money. The small room had western standards and it’s the nicest room we stayed in Java so far!

A normal room for you reading at home, a sight of relief for us and our best room to date!

After a nice rest, we went to get information on the ferry to Karimunjawa islands. Karimunjawa Archipelago is a National Marine Park composed of 27 islands scattered in the Java sea. To reach them, you can depart from Semarang or Jepara. Unfortunately, we found out there wasn’t a boat scheduled until Saturday. Given it was Sunday, we had just missed it. Therefore, we thought it best to travel the two hour journey North-East to Jepara for more boat options.

On Monday morning, we got a shuttle bus to Jepara. The journey was pleasant and we soon checked in a hotel upon arrival. We got told the ferry was leaving the next morning at 9am –  perfect! After inquiring about tickets, we got told they aren’t sold in advance and to show up at the harbour the morning of. At 8am on Tuesday morning, we were at the pier, with our bags, ready to go. Unbelievably, we got told the ferry had already left!! It had gone at 7am that morning! Apparently, it leaves early when full. If only we had known this important bit of information! Dumbfounded, we found out the next boat wasn’t until Friday morning. What a shame! Our stay in Jepara would end up being a lot longer than expected.

Of course, we made sure to keep ourselves busy with jogging. It is always a strange experience running in Java. Many locals have never seen western people before, and seeing us run is quite amusing to them. We found a local expat-filled pub called the Gecho Inn where we had a nice dinner in a busy restaurant which was unexpected for such a sleepy town. We also found a lovely beach a short taxi ride away called Sunset beach (Bandengan beach). We enjoyed relaxing at Sunset beach bungalows, using their nice swimming pool and ordering from the big menu.

Sunset Beach Bungalow's swimming pool

Sunset Beach, Jepara

Sunset

On Friday morning, we rose bright and early at 5am in order to reach the pier at 5:30am, in case the ferry would leave early again. We waited until 7:30am but finally got the confirmation: there would be no ferry leaving at all that day. They blamed it on dangerous sea conditions. Discouraged, we decided to scrap the idea of Karimunjawa islands. It had been a whole week ‘lost’ but at least we made the most of our time. The same day, we took a mini-bus back to Semarang, eager to sleep in the nice plump bed of Tjiang Residence again! 

Dieng Volcanic Plateau

As our bus climbed the steep and narrow hills, we could feel the temperature plunge steadily until reaching 2000 metres above sea level. We arrived in Dieng under a cold mist and were lucky our driver knew where to drop us off, but a bit less happy after finding out the hot water didn’t work at our hotel – we could’ve used a hot shower right then and there. After putting our trousers on and a couple of long sleeve shirts, we tucked under the covers to recuperate from our long journey.

The following day, we set off on foot to do a 10km loop around the plateau. First, we went to Telaga Warna, or the ‘coloured lakes’, but rather than enter through the official gate and pay 150 000 rupiahs, we had inside information on a side entrance which actually led to a stunning view point of the sulphur-coloured lakes. It turned out to be rather spectacular and seemed like a much better vantage point anyway.

 

View of Telaga Warna

Happy girl in the vegetable fields, on top of the mountains!

Then, we got to Sikidang Crater, a very active volcano which bubbled, steamed and stank! It was in a stark setting and it seemed like the steaming vents and bubbling mud ponds popped up from everywhere. There, hoards of Indonesian tourists jumped on us to take pictures with us for their family holiday souvenir.

 

Steamy Sikidang Crater

Finally, we reached the Candi Arjuna Temple complex, made of 8 small Hindu temples, which were also packed with locals who wanted our photos! It was getting quite overwhelming so I put my scarf on my head, in a feeble attempt to be less noticeable.

The oldest Hindu temples in the world

Excited school girls wanting their picture taken with the ''bule'' (tourist)

The whole walk was very enjoyable, through the terraced vegetables plantations surrounding the main road and locals hard at work taking a second to wave at us. The sun came out for a few hours too which was unexpected and allowed us to take off a few layers of clothing. After about 4 hours of walking and exploring the region, we were back in town, ready for yet another meal of nasi goreng to give us back some energy!

The next morning came very quickly: at 3:30 am our alarm woke us up abruptly. It was time to get ready for our sunrise expedition. At 4am, we drove to Mount Sikunir through the Sembungang village. Then, we climbed the 800 metres to the peak of the mountain in pitch dark, lucky some fellow trekkers had a torch! The path was slippery with ravines on one side and the mountain on the other. The air was fresh and lovely to breathe, but a warmer jacket would have been useful. From the top, we waited with a hot coffee for the sun to rise. It was a rewarding experience, although very misty so the view wasn’t as spectacular as it could have been on a clear day.

The misty sunrise on top of Mt Sikunir

Borobudur

Good news: reaching Borobudur from Yogyakarta was easy peasy and cheap! Finally a journey without any mishaps! We took two city buses for 3,000 rupiahs to the terminal in about 30 minutes, then another bus for 20,000 to Borobudur which took around 1 ½ hours! Door to door it took 2 ¼ hours with no hassle.

Our guesthouse is nice, with an oversized room overlooking rice fields and the mosque. We went for a nice jog around the surrounding villages. For dinner, I tried a local specialty of fish with sambal sauce, an extremely spicy dipping sauce which luckily came on the side!

In the morning, we woke up at 5am to visit the UNESCO world heritage site of Borobudur temples. We debated whether to pay extra for the sunrise visit, but decided against it because of the grey and foggy weather. We paid 230 000 rupiahs and we were second in line for the official opening at 6am which was great! A bit of fog still clouded the scenery which made for a mystical atmosphere. We got there before the crowd and were able to experience the stillness and quietness of the site.

Borobudur temples and its stupas (domes)

Borobudur temple

One of the many Buddha statue 

Relief carvings representing the life of Buddha

As the largest Buddhist temple in the world, Borobudur displays both Indian and Javanese architectural influences. I especially enjoyed the relief carvings on the walls and the symmetrical domes (stupas).

After our visit which lasted about 2 hours, we packed up and got ready for another long journey North of Java, through the misty mountains and winding roads.

Yogyakarta

We were pretty excited to finally be able to use a train rather than a bus to reach our next destination! The train station is about 60km out of town, so we booked a mini-bus/train combination to go from Pangandaran to Yogyakarta. It was not a big surprise to see the actual price on the train ticket to be 35,000 rupiahs, after we had paid 270,000 rupiahs for the bus and train combo. At this point, we chose the easiest way out as doing things by ourselves hadn’t turned out to be very successful so far. Our fellow travelers were as disappointed as us about the rip-off, but getting picked up from your hotel directly does have benefits, and getting over-quoted once is better than every single time you transfer from one bus to another.

Once we got to Yogya (pronounced Jogja), it was an easy walk to the backpacker district. We checked-in a very cheap and very basic room to make-up for the expensive transportation. At only 120,000 rupiahs per night, Dewa Homestay is surely a bargain, with breakfast included and Wi-Fi in our room!

The town is quite nice, we spent two full days walking around different districts and visiting the local markets, sultan palace, water temple and various neighbourhoods.

Local market

 Sneaky nap amongst the bananas

The highlight of our visit to Yogyakarta has definitely been our evening at the Ramanaya Ballet at the Prambanan temples. With the impressive temples illuminated in the background, the show told the ancient story of  Ayuthaya Kings Rama and Rahwana.

The magnificent Prambanan temples illuminated at night

Ramayana Ballet stage and background - unforgettable!

Traditional Javanese dancing resembles Thai style dancing, with arched hands and flexed feet. It is beautiful and graceful, although tends to be repetitive and limited in my point of view. With my dance background, I expected more technical movements. The show started a bit slowly, but got more and more exciting until they literally light up fires around the stage when Hanuman burns down Alengka palace.

The whole story could be summarized as a Romeo and Juliet which ends well, although I was shocked by the ending. After being reunited with his lover Shinta, who had been kidnapped, Rama refuses her because his believes she is no longer a virgin. Shinta proves her purity by setting herself on fire (as one would do). Luckily, the girl had connections high up and the God of Fire helps her get through the immolation scratch free. Rama decides to believe her and they live happily ever after!