OUR JOURNEY THROUGH JAVA

Monday, August 24, 2009 3:00 PM

Idalis:

For us, Java was a mixed bag. On one hand, we were surrounded by pollution, poverty, and loads of traffic. On the other, we saw one of Indonesia's greatest cultural sites, hiked to a volcano, and met up with a dear friend. Here was our experience in the heart of Indonesia, warts and all:

Jakarta

“I tried. I really did try my best,” said Kevin of trying to find something beautiful about Indonesia's capital. Dubbed the “Big Durian,” the name seems to fit Jakarta, as this malodorous city was not easy for us to swallow.



At night we arrived to Jalan Jaksa, Jakarta's backpacker ghetto, tired and hoping to find a clean bed to rest our weary bodies.

Not possible.

Combing the dark streets with our heavy packs (always heavier when we're looking for a room!), there was nothing to be found. “Full. No vacancy. High season, sir. Maybe tomorrow, madam.” We had to settle for one of the most depressing accomodations yet, where the rusty fan blew like a whisper and we were attacked by mosquitoes on that first hot, sticky night. We found better accommodations the next day at a neighboring hostel, but not by much.

We visited several of the sights in Jakarta, which tried to hold our interest. Dodging traffic, open sewers, and beggars, we made our way to the National Monument and took the elevator up for views of the city. We found a beautiful cathedral across the street from Masjid Istiqlal (the largest mosque in Asia), and went in to give thanks for the few minutes of peace and quiet the majestic building provided.











I had given up, but Kevin was determined to find something which would captivate us in the city. We set aside a whole day to visit Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, a kind of theme park to celebrate the nation. The traditional houses were interesting and the cable car provided a reprieve from the blazing sun, but the IMAX theater was closed and the crumbling Disney-like atmosphere was a little creepy. It took us over an hour to get to the park with public transportation, so the hour back we spent switching buses and standing (no seats left) wore us out. We felt that the Bintang beers we enjoyed that night with other travelers we met were well-deserved and (thank the Lord) cold.




The highlight of our time in Jakarta was meeting up with Mr. Stamey, our friend Sarah's father, who has lived and worked in the city several times. Mr. Stamey met us at Cafe Batavia, a refined bar-restaurant in the Kota neighborhood. He treated us to drinks, a delicious meal, and even better conversation! Thank you, Mr. Stamey, for a wonderful evening. We wish you the best and hope that you enjoy your hard-earned rest in Virginia!











Yogyakarta

Our bisnis (second class) nine-hour train ride to Yogyakarta was entertaining, to say the least. It was hot and stuffy, and just when you were at the point of nodding off, another vendor would come through selling gado-gado (an Indonesian salad with peanut sauce), prawn crackers, or squeaky toys, or a female impersonator (long blue fake eyelashes included) would come down the aisles, singing a song and passing her (or his) glittery bag around for donations. It was better than television!

Things started looking up for us in Yogyakarta, Java's cultural and artistic center. We found nicer accomodations at Gandhi Hotel (after searching for over an hour) and spent the first day just wandering the streets and trying not to be run over by motorbikes or accosted by a million batik salesmen. We visited the city's kraton one day, a walled royal enclave where the sultan still resides. Although his palace did not wow us, we did find the grounds peaceful (enough).



We really liked Borobudur, a massive Buddhist temple outside of the city. Relief panels on the terraces illustrate Buddhist teachings and tales, while hundreds of Buddhas sit in chambers and stupas. We took a walk up a distant hill for better views of the temple, and to get away from the hordes of giggling teenagers who kept asking for pictures with us!




One of the other highlights was going to the Prambanan at night, the grandest Hindu temple in Java, to watch the spectacular Ramayana ballet be performed. The cast of hundreds interpreted the Hindu story of Rama and Sinta in front of the floodlit Shiva temple. Awesome!











Gunung Bromo

This was definitely the highlight of our journey through Java: viewing the landscape that surrounds Gunung Bromo, an active volcano and the neighboring peaks that jut out of a vast caldera. Not the cold, or even our musty, dirty room could detract from the amazing experience we had. On the first day, Kevin and I hiked Gunung Bromo to reach it's smoking cone. It's steep walls plunge down to a vast, flat sea of sand and lava. We sat at the top admiring the view (and occasionally pinching our noses because of the overpowering farty smell of sulfur). We couldn't believe our surroundings: We were on top of a live volcano!




The next day we woke up at the wee hours of 2:30 am (ouch!) to hike to the top of Gunung Penanjakan (2770 meters) to get the best views of the entire Tengger Massif at sunrise. Two-and-a-half hours and three diversions later, we found our spot on the side of a cliff (Kevin ignores my fear of heights) and watched the sun come up over the entire landscape. The views of smoking Bromo, the Tengger crater, and Gunung Semeru in the back took our breaths away – and not just because we were freezing cold! The whole environment had an end-of-the-world feeling to it, spooky and surreal, but in a very good way!

All in all, Java was a worthwhile stop for us. It was our introduction to Indonesia, both good and bad. It's off to Bali next . . . our camera and sense of adventure awaits!