INDONESIA

INDONESIA: PHOTOS AND TRIP REPORT

Here below some of the most fascinating photos from Indonesia. Together with the photogallery, you will find a funny and interesting trip report full of info and anecdotes describing the whole travel itinerary. If you haven't read them yet, check out all travel info and precise itinerary here: www.wildtrips.net/indonesia.htm.

INDONESIA TRIP REPORT AND PHOTOS

As a kid, looking at the Indonesian archipelago on the globe, I was fascinated by that vast array of strangely shaped islands and islets, randomly placed between Indian and Pacific Ocean. I wondered how many wonders those lands enclosed… Therefore, organizing a trip to Indonesia must address this philosophical dilemma: which islands should you visit? (Unless you have six months of holidays – damn!). Bali and Lombok, the most tourist-friendly? Java, the most populated? The wild Sumatra, Borneo and Sulawesi?
We decided to base our decisions on random improvisation. For example, even though our destination was Indonesia, we booked a flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as flights to Indonesia were too expensive. Then, from "KL" we planned to reach Singapore and, from there, Java and Bali thanks to the excellent low-cost carrier Air Asia.

In Kuala Lumpur we found confusion, cheap Asian food and a mix of poverty and flashy modernity. We sneaked into a Buddhist temple where we attended a ceremony held by a bare-chested man wearing a tight yellow pareo.

Kuala Lumpur hit us also for its sultry heat, that at some point knocked out all of us in a green common in the city center. We were in one of the main squares of KL.
Then we walked through a city park - actually it was a small jungle. We reached the Menara Tower and its panoramic terrace, 276 meters high, from which we could admire the skyscrapers of the city, including the famous Petronas Towers.
In the late afternoon we drove to the typical vibrant markets, which in the evening became the heaven of cheap food. We had dinner in an ill-famed place, run by a proud opponent of hygiene, where there was a buffet with meat, vegetables and some colored, unidentified stuff. It wasn’t too bad, considering that we spent a couple of euros each.
The next day we took the train to get to KL long haul bus station, that was out of town. From here we went to Singapore: a six-hour bus trip plus the time spent to go through customs.
We arrived at sunset and Singapore City immediately stunned us, with its shiny and shameless modernity.

We reached the town center and looked for a hostel. It was quite late when we went out for a quick dinner. Then we headed to Clarke Quay, one of the most vibrant areas of the city. It was located along the Singapore River and it made a beautiful sight: the lights of the bars on the riverside and those of the skyscrapers were reflected by the water in a myriad of colors. There were nice pubs and a joyous atmosphere. There was no shortage of tourists, some of whom were Italian.
The next day we followed the Singapore River up to Marina Bay, a natural harbour surrounded by a jungle of skyscrapers that create one of the most spectacular skylines in the world. It was a nice walk under an acceptably hot sun. On one side of the bay stood the Marina Bay Sands, a skyscraper composed by three towers connected at the top by a huge structure shaped like a ship. On the roof there were infinity pools and a bar that provided a truly unique viewpoint. We went up to the roof and we visited the areas open to all tourists.

Marina Bay, at sunset, in the area of ​​the Esplanade, became a lively place with restaurants, bars and music. After an excellent dinner at a Thai restaurant we listened to the music played by some young rock bands on a spectacular open-air stage. They mostly played covers of famous classic rock songs. Behind them, there were illuminated skyscrapers and coloured light reflections on the water surface.

Even if Marina Bay buildings and music mock western countries, in Singapore there are also traditional Asian markets.
The next morning, we continued our random travel itinerary by flying with Air Asia from Singapore to Yogyakarta, in the middle of the island of Java, in Indonesia. The airport was empty, without information desks or rental agencies, but a guy gave us a ride to the Avis agency, which was not far away. There we met another Avis employee, who didn’t speak any English either. We had to bargain the price by writing numbers on a piece of paper, but in the end we managed to rent a Toyota Avanza, a charming (not!) SUV made in Indonesia. We would return the car in Surabaya (East Java).
Proud of our new vehicle we drove into the city center to visit the Sultan’s palace. There were many hotels nearby. We picked one where we got a luxury room for 12 euros per person. Then we wandered around through streets full of rickshaws and alleys surrounded by huts where poor people lived and happy children played. It was a good walk.

We had dinner at the hotel - Indonesian food was good, but far less tasty than the Thai food we had enjoyed in Singapore. We relaxed by the hotel pool and soon we went to sleep.
The next day we drove to the fascinating temples of Borobudur and Prambanan, impressive Buddhist buildings of the ninth century in the countryside near Yogyakarta.

They are relatively famous, but they aren’t certainly a mass tourism destination.

The temples deserved the visit for their impressive monuments and the quite mystical atmosphere. In the evening we began our drive towards east, in direction of the Gunung Bromo, but along our travel itinerary we had to fight against the worst traffic in the world. It was impressive that, alongside those 350 kilometers of road, there were always shacks and huts and houses, without interruption. It was, I think, the world longest city. After some other interminable hours spent among battered pickup trucks and toxic fumes, we arrived at the feet of the Bromo volcano. We took a narrow road, finally with no traffic, that climbed up the mountain through a dense jungle. Every now and then, at the edge of the road, there were cultivated fields and farmers who looked much more relaxed than their compatriots living in the chaotic and polluted "civilization".
We made peace with Indonesia and we reached the village of Wonokitri. Its wooden houses had beautiful views on the jungle and the surrounding valleys. There were aggressive people willing to sell us a tour to the volcano or a room. In the end we chose a small, elegant hotel with no heating nor hot water. I think we were at two thousand meters above sea level, therefore a cold water shower could be terrible… but there wasn’t even a shower, just a big sink, so no problem.
The hotel manager suggested us to take immediately the trip to the Bromo Volcano. We had read that at dawn it was a fantastic view, but we thought that at sunset it had to be amazing too, so we accepted. Our more-or-less-English-speaking guide came moments later driving a fascinating yellow jeep.

It was a spectacular trip in the middle of absurd landscapes. We descended into the caldera, then we rented five horses to ride to the top of one of the most recent volcanoes.

It repeatedly blew smoke and sulphur. Sometimes it was scary. Thinking about the tragic eruptions that occur with disturbing frequency in Indonesia, we rode back to the jeep. Then we were driven to a viewpoint from which we could admire the sunset over the caldera. It was wonderful. You should go. Really.

In the evening we had dinner with the guide in a shop / bar where we tried some tasty dishes: in addition to the usual noodles, there were fresh products of that land, such as poultry, vegetables and bananas.
The next morning we left that beautiful place. We drove towards South, following battered streets, and we soon got lost in the jungle. We were wandering around randomly, but it was beautiful. No traffic, only nature and, sometimes, a farm or a small village. At a certain point we drove in front of a school. We decided to pull over and take a look.

We were greeted as explorers from another world, we played with the children and we talked with the teachers. Girls took out autographs. It was amazing!

After that exciting experience we continued to drive towards South and we went to Sedangbiru, passing through jungles and villages, and it was even better when we arrived on the coast, with its display of palm trees and white beaches. Sedangbiru was a typical fishing village with colorful boats and giant tunas.

We drove for another ten minutes and we reached a beautiful beach. Ocean waves, a calm lagoon, palm trees, lots of coconuts, two fishermen and a canoe, that we tried.

A little further along the beach, there were a few houses. We were hoping to find a hotel and a restaurant. Instead, there was only a small shop, whose owner offered to buy some fish at the market and grill it for us. Then, we could sleep on the sand, next to a bonfire. We agreed immediately.

We woke up at dawn. The misty morning light was magic. It was a pity that our backs were broken forever and ever. After a walk and some relax on the beach, we drove away, but it would have been nice to stay there for a long time, and perhaps we should have. The volcano, the school, the beach… it had been the most beautiful day trip ever.

The next task was to survive the Indonesian traffic. We had some success, so we managed to reach a hotel on our way to Bali. It was a luxury hotel with perfect rooms, park, swimming pool, restaurants… all for 13 euros per person per night.
The next day we visited another pretty destination along our itinerary, the Meru Bitiri National Park, featuring jungle, monkeys and beaches. Too bad we had to drive along slow dirt roads for miles and miles: if you are in a hurry, Indonesian traffic could make you really unhappy.

In the National Park there was a nice lagoon with mangroves and bloodsuckers. A small boat took passengers from one coast to the other. We asked the ferryman for a ride and, as it was just us on the boat (probably because it was almost sunset), he gave us a nice tour of the wetlands.

After another pleasant night in the luxurious hotel we headed to Bali. We had a walk on the unmemorable city of Banyuwangi, then we took the ferry and reached the famous island. Beaches, rice plantations, Hindu temples and a hellish traffic welcomed us.

We reached the great city of Kuta in the evening. After some research we found a hotel that suited our needs (low-cost, in the city center and with private parking). After a shower we went out to enjoy the vibrant Balinese nightlife, full of Australian surfers, Indonesian prostitutes and European students on holiday.
The day after was dedicated to some long-board surfing. For beginners, like us, there were dozens of instructors who offered lessons and board rental at good prices. We spent another night in the most exclusive clubs featuring disco or live music (mostly classic rock covers as in Singapore). The following morning we surfed a bit more, then we drove towards north, across the island. Finally the traffic was not a problem anymore and while travelling through terraced rice fields, lakes and green hills we felt at peace with ourselves and with Indonesia.

We arrived in the evening in the northwest of Bali, where we found a nice hotel near the sea.
The next day we wanted to go snorkeling on the coral reef: a reasonable demand, in Bali. So we headed to the departure port for trips to Menjangan island. We met a nice guy who offered us an excursion on his little boat. It was fifteen euros per person including equipment: a lot of money for Indonesia, but well spent. We could admire crystal clear waters, beautiful landscapes and the most colorful seabed you could imagine, inhabited by a myriad of tropical fish species.

Unfortunately after this excursion it was almost time to end our journey. We began our long travel itinerary to Italy. We drove to the harbour where ferries leave to cross the strait between Java and Bali. Then we drove to Surabaya, stopping along the way in some nice spots on the north coast of East Java.

Traffic was not as jammed as on the southern road. From Surabaya we flew to Kuala Lumpur and from there, after a long night at the airport, we got the plane to Italy.
So another exciting holiday ended. We saw many wonderful places. The biggest emotions came from wandering freely in Java and visiting the villages outside the tourist routes, where we got almost by accident. In hindsight, it would have been nice to spend some more time in the typical territories near the Bromo Volcano, while we could have tried to avoid some long drives like the one from Yogyakarta.
Anyway, this trip was a big success and maybe one day - who knows - we will return to Indonesia and sleep on some beach with the local fishermen.
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